The Elements of Mastery column explores the art, craft and spiritual practice of Dance leading and mentoring through the reflections and perspectives of individual mentors. Past articles in this series can be downloaded here. Comments and discussion are welcome by writing directly to us or posting on our Facebook group. Send ideas for future topics to the Executive Director.

When we talk about mastering the Dances of Universal Peace, we might assume that our beautiful practice is like a door we wish to enter and that we simply need to find which keys fit. Perhaps that's true when we begin to learn the original Dances of Murshid Samuel L. Lewis, which hold a great deal of his direct transmission and baraka. But Murshid really left us an "unfinished symphony." The Dances have changed and evolved over the past 45 years. As they change, they prompt further change in us. Looking back as well as ahead might help us see more clearly the challenges and opportunities we face today.

"What must remain is the sacred phrase...." Given Murshid's expression of the centerpoint, the number of phrases exploded rapidly in the first ten years. The original Dances mainly represented the Sufi and Hindu traditions, although Murshid clearly planned for more but did not complete them (for instance, a sketch for the "Moon Dance of Goddess Isis," which appears in his writings). In the first decade, we saw new Dances birthed representing the Zoroastrian, Buddhist, Sikh, Hebrew, and Christian (Aramaic and Greek) traditions with some tentative attempts to honor native traditions.

These new outer doorways, however, opened new inner worlds. Concentrating on an unknown sacred phrase requires one to confront the depths of oneself in a new way. Each "tradition" carries a bundle of impressions, full of both light and shadow. When a person has the courage to ask, "use us for the purpose that Thy wisdom chooses," this necessarily includes the willingness to face what might arise within oneself from the reflection of that part of humanity in the soul's mirror. Chants that go deep require more than words, music and movements. They evoke a feeling-attunement, a type of channeling that can be the equivalent of the shamanic journeying of pre-religious cultures. This why we always experience long-lasting mantric Dances more strongly when led by the originator, or someone who has danced frequently with her/him. The inner pathway that the Dance creates is like a vapor trail in the unseen; the words, music and movements are like the Zen "finger pointing to the moon." (more)

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