As I approached my 21st birthday, I made two commitments I felt would change my life for the better. First, I vowed to quit drinking alcohol, which is funny since I rarely drank. But spent enough time in nightclubs and bars (yes, I was under 21 ;) during the heyday of the Bay Area rave scene to see that alcohol was a negative force that could infect the magic and spiritual nature of the gatherings. Next, was to find someone to lead me on a vision quest. I had learned about vision quests when I was 13 as a coming-of-age ritual for young adults transitioning to adulthood. I felt I was ready to make this transition.

I didn't drink alcohol on my 21st birthday and didn't drink any alcohol in the following decade. I also joined a traditional, week-long Native American vision quest in the Inyo Mountains above Death Valley. The experience was profound and transformative. When I returned from the quest I created this zine, which I called Rhythmos. The word rhythmos comes from ancient Greek dance culture, and refers to the momentary positions taken by dancers during ritual. I meant for the zine to capture both the magic I was experiencing in the rave scene and as a connection to a more expansive lineage of wisdom, teaching and celebration, where the rave scene was just one chapter.

You can download a PDF of Rhythmos Issue 1.