Dancing With Dionysus: Ecstasy, Naturalism and Religion in the Age of the Anthropocene Wayne M Mellinger

https://www.academia.edu/19324527/Dancing_With_Dionysus_Ecstasy_Naturalism_and_Religion_in_the_Age_of_the_Anthropocene?rhid=41926048699&swp=rr-rw-wc-171604296&nav_from=5fbf2101-b9b6-4a0d-806c-cf16b0d3e98c My goal in this essay is to explore a form of “Godless Paganism” I refer to as Dionysian Naturalism—an approach to religion ground in scientific evidence but imbued with reverence and awe, and centered around spiritual ecstasy. I contextualize this “earth-centered” spirituality and search for sacred ways to experience altered states of consciousness within the contours of my autobiography. The importance of ecstatic experiences in religious behavior is highlighted and I briefly mine the history of what has been called the “Western Mystery Tradition” (by Caitlin and John Matthews) for shamanic elements, mystical experiences and consciousness-transforming practices to briefly summarize their “base elements”. The interests of Dionysian Naturalists in reclaiming embodied ecstatic rituals is not just to infuse intense pleasure and passion into their religious lives. Through such mystical experiences pre-established ways of seeing the world are dissolved, ego-less realms of becoming are entered and spiritual connections with the natural world are greatly enhanced. These new-found spiritual connections with nature and fresh ways of thinking are essential if we are to develop sustainable ways of living on our planet as we enter the age of the Anthropocene.