Lotus Magazine was a pop cultural blip, a rave publication that catered to a niche of a subculture. Independently published from 1996 – 2002, Lotus served the West Coast's underground rave community. It was a free magazine, half electronica rag, half semi-spiritual/environmentalist youth outreach project. This online archive presents a sliver of the material published in the magazine during its six years of bi-monthly publication. Some of the content is still relevant, and some of it's just silly. All of it's very, very earnest. Enjoy! – How to Sparkle Everywhere, Summer 2000
By Deanna Morgan
Calling all dancers—Let's be realistic for a second. Why do we dance?
To forget? Because it's cathartic? Because we create our own world, and in that world, we are perfect? It's a world without words. We talk with our smiles and our bodies. We become the beat. We dance from night until sunrise, and our grins carry us from speaker to speaker, from friend to friend. We hug, we go crazy, we get fucked up, and sometimes we just chill.
We like to escape earth amongst our friends, but what happens when we're by ourselves?
Too Much People Time
When we're in a group dynamic, we feed off the Collective mass of energy that is created by every member of the group. The danger begins when we feed off collective energy more than we feed off our own. Then, by definition, we depend on the Collective rather than the Self, and over time, the Self becomes so obscured that we fail to be happy without constant doses from that Collective.
…And if we can't stand to be alone, if we are afraid of discovering our Self and are incapable of deriving happiness from within, then we are stifling our inner voice, and inhibiting the development of our Creative spirit. Inevitably, we will begin to decline into self-neglect and self-disrespect.
Signs of neglect begin with uncertainty. When you're alone, do you feel so confused that you can't ever make up your mind? Do you question your dreams and goals? Do you feel safer with friends than you do alone? Do you feel uncomfortable, fidgety and unhappy by yourself? Do you feel weak?
Inherent Problems Within A Collective
If we stifle our spirit, after time, our spirit ceases to talk back to us. We lose our vision of our own lives. And once devoid of life vision, it's no surprise that we seek group dynamics. We may say we just need the support, but the truth is that we can no longer function as a singular Self who derives pride and joy from within.
The irony continues—once this occurs, we become utterly useless to the Collective. We can't function as contributing members to any group because a group thrives on the collective energy of its individual members. If each of us fail to bring our personal energy back into the group, we become takers rather than givers, and this presents an unbalanced relationship. In extreme cases, groups of friends who have all become takers can barely make decisions together. Time spent in groups like this tends to de-evolve into merely using up time so that it fades from our conscious, so that we don't have to think about it anymore because we're too fucked up, too partied-out, or just too busy.
Every Dancer is An Artist
The label, Artist, seems to be the most difficult to swallow for people who aren't involved in the pursuit of traditional art, such as painting, sculpting, drawing, singing, etc.
Somehow, we forget that Art is creating. We're all capable of creativity, whether that includes the "look" we create when we get dressed, do our hair or decorate our apartments; or within the fluid freedom from which we dance. All human beings are Artists, and all dancers are especially Artists.
Some are more prolific artists, that's true, but it's through them that we can be inspired to include creativity in our lives, or to pursue creative dreams that we've allowed to lie dormant for years.
When we deny our creative abilities, we disrespect our potential as souls by not allowing our Self to grow. The problem with denying ourselves the freedom of creative expression and claiming that we're "just not creative," is that we are prohibiting our potential. And even more importantly, we are building our own spiritual jail cell.
Achieving Your Dreams
Without our individual Consciousness, we respond to situations habitually. The problem with habit is that it strips us of the potential to create—it's no wonder we can't even fathom the thought of being an Artist.
Remember Robert Frost's poem, The Road Less Traveled? The author took the path less traveled, and that made "all the difference." If we never stop to notice the road less traveled, we not only lose opportunities but we will eventually lose our ability to see a difference at all.
It all comes back to Consciousness. Once we begin to discover Self Consciousness, we begin to see the why behind our actions, and with this knowledge comes responsibility. And with responsibilitycomes awareness, love, and the power to create.
Feed the World Soul and Sparkle
When we re-discover those things that we love alone, and start doing them alone, we begin to act positively instead of negatively. People pick up on that. People will notice when you walk into the room. People will want to be around you. People will wonder why you're in such a good mood, when the answer is simply because you're learning about yourself and taking your life into your hands.
With the discovery of love comes the discovery of the World Soul within us all. By World Soul, I mean everything that ties us together. And the World Soul is fed every time we honor and respect our Self. And the more the World Soul is fed, the more we can take back from the World Soul and feed our Self. The more good we do, the more we exist in a circle of positive energy…and the brighter we sparkle, wherever we are.
We need to choose pursuits that spark the inner soul, that enable us to gain a sense of awareness and accountability and reason. We cannot contribute back to the Self until we are Conscious of the Self. And only when we are Self Conscious, can we give energy back to the Collective.
Too Busy for Yourself?
Becoming Self Aware doesn't mean you need to take off for a month of solid meditation or become a yoga queen. In fact, avoid anything that feels like "should." Instead, use those things that make you think, that make you lose your mind for a second and turn inwards.
As dancers, we all love music—so, next time you go out dancing, spend some time with your head. Next time you lose yourself in front of the speakers, next time you dance next to the DJ, your hands raised high, next time you go crazy with the glowsticks on top of a rocky cleft in the middle of the desert under a fool moon, next time you lose your conscious mind—Remember.
Remember that subtle shift in energy that made you feel so free, and try and hold onto that feeling. Try and become conscious of what exactly it is, so that you can recreate the energy in your everyday life. Be careful with substances. Substances enhance our experiences, but we must learn to consciously tap into that happiness. The more we tap into it, the easier it becomes to sparkle in happiness whenever we want to. Time is key. Most of us put in a tremendous amount of effort to get somewhere so we can dance all night. Some of us travel for hours, some of us, for days. If we're willing to put forth so much effort to dance and be with our friends, we should respect ourselves enough to expend at least a portion of that effort to be with our Self.
Obviously, we don't need to take eight-hour road trips to the desert to meditate alone all night—that probably isn't realistic. But we do need to respect the need for self-awareness with Time.
Easy solutions include using music to induce self-awareness while driving. A once-a-month visit to a museum. A walk on the beach. A good book. A massage. A class at your local city college. Begin a diary—you'll be amazed as the results of writing down your hopes and frustrations. Walk your friend's dog. Take your camera out of the closet. Join a theatre group. Bake a cake from scratch.
It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you do it for yourself, and by yourself. Remember, art can be as simple and as private as you want. The most beautiful thing about this process is that the seduction of becoming self-aware never fades. Refreshed and renewed, we can take our energy back into the Collective and create a balanced, healthier state of existence.
Most of us are afraid to change and are afraid of discovering who we really are and who we want to become. By taking small steps towards awareness, we gradually lose fear and replace it with love. And what group of friends doesn't treasure love over fear?
So, dancers, let's Sparkle. Everywhere. And all the time.
Simple ways to enhance the self: Yoga, Tai Chi, Meditation.
SuggestedReading
Calling all dancers—Let's be realistic for a second. Why do we dance?
To forget? Because it's cathartic? Because we create our own world, and in that world, we are perfect? It's a world without words. We talk with our smiles and our bodies. We become the beat. We dance from night until sunrise, and our grins carry us from speaker to speaker, from friend to friend. We hug, we go crazy, we get fucked up, and sometimes we just chill.
We like to escape earth amongst our friends, but what happens when we're by ourselves?
Too Much People Time
When we're in a group dynamic, we feed off the Collective mass of energy that is created by every member of the group. The danger begins when we feed off collective energy more than we feed off our own. Then, by definition, we depend on the Collective rather than the Self, and over time, the Self becomes so obscured that we fail to be happy without constant doses from that Collective.
…And if we can't stand to be alone, if we are afraid of discovering our Self and are incapable of deriving happiness from within, then we are stifling our inner voice, and inhibiting the development of our Creative spirit. Inevitably, we will begin to decline into self-neglect and self-disrespect.
Signs of neglect begin with uncertainty. When you're alone, do you feel so confused that you can't ever make up your mind? Do you question your dreams and goals? Do you feel safer with friends than you do alone? Do you feel uncomfortable, fidgety and unhappy by yourself? Do you feel weak?
Inherent Problems Within A Collective
If we stifle our spirit, after time, our spirit ceases to talk back to us. We lose our vision of our own lives. And once devoid of life vision, it's no surprise that we seek group dynamics. We may say we just need the support, but the truth is that we can no longer function as a singular Self who derives pride and joy from within.
The irony continues—once this occurs, we become utterly useless to the Collective. We can't function as contributing members to any group because a group thrives on the collective energy of its individual members. If each of us fail to bring our personal energy back into the group, we become takers rather than givers, and this presents an unbalanced relationship. In extreme cases, groups of friends who have all become takers can barely make decisions together. Time spent in groups like this tends to de-evolve into merely using up time so that it fades from our conscious, so that we don't have to think about it anymore because we're too fucked up, too partied-out, or just too busy.
Every Dancer is An Artist
The label, Artist, seems to be the most difficult to swallow for people who aren't involved in the pursuit of traditional art, such as painting, sculpting, drawing, singing, etc.
Somehow, we forget that Art is creating. We're all capable of creativity, whether that includes the "look" we create when we get dressed, do our hair or decorate our apartments; or within the fluid freedom from which we dance. All human beings are Artists, and all dancers are especially Artists.
Some are more prolific artists, that's true, but it's through them that we can be inspired to include creativity in our lives, or to pursue creative dreams that we've allowed to lie dormant for years.
When we deny our creative abilities, we disrespect our potential as souls by not allowing our Self to grow. The problem with denying ourselves the freedom of creative expression and claiming that we're "just not creative," is that we are prohibiting our potential. And even more importantly, we are building our own spiritual jail cell.
Achieving Your Dreams
Without our individual Consciousness, we respond to situations habitually. The problem with habit is that it strips us of the potential to create—it's no wonder we can't even fathom the thought of being an Artist.
Remember Robert Frost's poem, The Road Less Traveled? The author took the path less traveled, and that made "all the difference." If we never stop to notice the road less traveled, we not only lose opportunities but we will eventually lose our ability to see a difference at all.
It all comes back to Consciousness. Once we begin to discover Self Consciousness, we begin to see the why behind our actions, and with this knowledge comes responsibility. And with responsibilitycomes awareness, love, and the power to create.
Feed the World Soul and Sparkle
When we re-discover those things that we love alone, and start doing them alone, we begin to act positively instead of negatively. People pick up on that. People will notice when you walk into the room. People will want to be around you. People will wonder why you're in such a good mood, when the answer is simply because you're learning about yourself and taking your life into your hands.
With the discovery of love comes the discovery of the World Soul within us all. By World Soul, I mean everything that ties us together. And the World Soul is fed every time we honor and respect our Self. And the more the World Soul is fed, the more we can take back from the World Soul and feed our Self. The more good we do, the more we exist in a circle of positive energy…and the brighter we sparkle, wherever we are.
We need to choose pursuits that spark the inner soul, that enable us to gain a sense of awareness and accountability and reason. We cannot contribute back to the Self until we are Conscious of the Self. And only when we are Self Conscious, can we give energy back to the Collective.
Too Busy for Yourself?
Becoming Self Aware doesn't mean you need to take off for a month of solid meditation or become a yoga queen. In fact, avoid anything that feels like "should." Instead, use those things that make you think, that make you lose your mind for a second and turn inwards.
As dancers, we all love music—so, next time you go out dancing, spend some time with your head. Next time you lose yourself in front of the speakers, next time you dance next to the DJ, your hands raised high, next time you go crazy with the glowsticks on top of a rocky cleft in the middle of the desert under a fool moon, next time you lose your conscious mind—Remember.
Remember that subtle shift in energy that made you feel so free, and try and hold onto that feeling. Try and become conscious of what exactly it is, so that you can recreate the energy in your everyday life. Be careful with substances. Substances enhance our experiences, but we must learn to consciously tap into that happiness. The more we tap into it, the easier it becomes to sparkle in happiness whenever we want to. Time is key. Most of us put in a tremendous amount of effort to get somewhere so we can dance all night. Some of us travel for hours, some of us, for days. If we're willing to put forth so much effort to dance and be with our friends, we should respect ourselves enough to expend at least a portion of that effort to be with our Self.
Obviously, we don't need to take eight-hour road trips to the desert to meditate alone all night—that probably isn't realistic. But we do need to respect the need for self-awareness with Time.
Easy solutions include using music to induce self-awareness while driving. A once-a-month visit to a museum. A walk on the beach. A good book. A massage. A class at your local city college. Begin a diary—you'll be amazed as the results of writing down your hopes and frustrations. Walk your friend's dog. Take your camera out of the closet. Join a theatre group. Bake a cake from scratch.
It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you do it for yourself, and by yourself. Remember, art can be as simple and as private as you want. The most beautiful thing about this process is that the seduction of becoming self-aware never fades. Refreshed and renewed, we can take our energy back into the Collective and create a balanced, healthier state of existence.
Most of us are afraid to change and are afraid of discovering who we really are and who we want to become. By taking small steps towards awareness, we gradually lose fear and replace it with love. And what group of friends doesn't treasure love over fear?
So, dancers, let's Sparkle. Everywhere. And all the time.
Simple ways to enhance the self: Yoga, Tai Chi, Meditation.
Suggested