Last night, I went to A State of Trance 750 celebration in Toronto--7 hours of dancing to some of the best electronic dance DJs in the world. I've always viewed dance as intermingled with my love work: I've used mixes like Universal Religion Chapter7 as drops for ritual work, and use dance and electronic music as a way to live in the moment.

On the way back from the restroom, Andrew, a "big trance fan," stopped me and talked for a bit. Soon, i found myself initiated into the trance family. Andrew wanted to offer me a bracelet but first I needed to share a hand-sign with him. I felt awkward: making and interpreting hand signs has never come easy to me. However, Andrew never doubted my ability. Once he realized it was going to be harder for me, he patiently walked through the peace sign, the love sign, a sign for respect and unity, explaining the symbolism and helping me make the sign. Then he handed me a friendship bracelet. I have no doubt that similar rituals have been used by many communities over the years, but in that context, he was welcoming me to the Trance Family and sharing its core values. "If you commit to peace, love, respect and unity, then I will welcome you to our community with this token." Like the best music, each element stood as a symbol and wove into the broader intent. In just a few seconds he'd said so much about the community, including the importance of crisp, well-crafted intent.

In my experience in Toronto and at other shows, the Trance Family lives up to these values. Last night, each DJ was welcomed with the same formula: roughly "I'm in a State of trance with name." Towards the end of the DJ's set, the host of the event, Armin Van buuren would ask the crowd the to show their continued appreciation for the DJ. This set the tone of positive enjoyment, of being the best we could be, of making music and energy together for the crowd. Like any energetic working it was dynamic, interactive, and spontaneous. Even in a crowd of thousands, people were helpful, nice, and unbelievably open. It was a safe space for growth.

Moments after Andrew walked away, I regretted that I had not offered the Venus community's message of love back to him in return. It was meant to be. Later in the evening, our paths crossed again, and I told him three true things. So, for me it was also about Venus love meeting Trance Family. Our goals are overlapping, our joy shared.