The party I went to this weekend was perhaps the ultimate spiritual rave. It was in a 600 year old monastery in Normandy, but everyone and everything came from Britain, even blocks of ice for the ice sculpture.
Our host, Jane, had spent most of her working life organising events for other people which gave her plenty of opportunity to dream up her ultimate party... and this was her dream come true.
About 500 of us arrived on Friday after a night on the ferry, and were allocated cells last used by nuns some years before. There was ambient music, food that was simple but delicious and beautifully served, such as fresh bread, ripe brie, and lots of salad and fruit, all artistically arranged.
Besides the chapel, the party was spread over several other rooms including a dungeon (shoes off, incense and ambient music); an 'Arabian Knights' tent lined with hangings and where you could sit on cushions and help yourself to a variety of teas, and a room whose walls were covered with brilliant fluorescent paintings depicting aspects of good feelings: hearts, dancers and (my favourite) a 'love bug', an insect made up of hearts that appeared to be zooming towards you and about to hug you.
The chapel altar had gone, but Jane made her own to display goddess statues and precious personal items that she had asked guests to bring. It was lit by candles and several carefully placed strobes that each gave a different glimpse of the statues by lighting them from different angles. The altar was the focal point, with speakers either side and DJs hidden away behind it. The result was that we all faced it and danced in praise of the goddess icons, as it were. The music was consistent nonstop techno, and the dancing quickly got going and carried on and on.
The main day was Saturday. There was a torch lit procession with people grouped according to their star sign, each led by someone dressed in costume; a brief play and a band outdoors, then the procession led us into the chapel whose stone arches and pillars were lit by hundreds of candles. At this point my E started to take effect and the feeling was of being part of a pilgrimage that had reached its goal where we celebrated by dancing to the goddess altar.
Every hour or so I would go out to help myself to water there was even a sacred spring with the reputation of having healing powers where some people filled their bottles. And at the same time I would go down to the lakeside to see the progress of the ice sculpture. This started as two large blocks of ice and was carved with heated rods, lit by gas flames, and with microphones picking up sizzling and cracking sounds. The changes the ice went through were so fascinating that some people spent the entire night watching.
I felt that the altar, and being in a church, provided just what was missing from other dance venues: a worthy focus for our spiritual attention. But the atmosphere also relied on everything being done with love and care, and the fact that we were all together for so long.
©Nicholas Saunders 1998
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