Hyperstition describes the effects and mechanisms of apocalyptic ‘phase out’ or ‘meltdown’ culture. As a neologism it combines the words ‘hyper’ and ‘superstition’ to describe, in the words of the renegade academic Nick Land, “a positive feedback circuit that includes culture as a component.” According to Land, “superstitions are merely false beliefs, but hyperstitions – by their very existence as ideas – function causally to bring about their own reality.” Like neo-Darwinist Richard Dawkins’ concept of memes, hyperstitions work at the deeper evolutionary level of social organisation by influencing the course taken by cultural evolution. Hyperstitions, however, fall into a very specific category of eschatological ideas (or, rather ‘forcefields’), namely, they describe an “experimental techno-science of self-fulfilling prophecies.”

Trance parties, festivals, squat-parties and ‘alternative’ cultural events’ are highly contested spaces. Aside from the invariable troubles they pick up with authorities, they are often prone to internal conflicts over overall meaning, impact, and construction. Disagreement does not arise exclusively between inhabitants (organisers) and non-inhabitants (punters or participants) but often amongst organisers themselves. This is so, opines counter-culture commentator Grahame St John, because these types of events are realms of "competing discourses and practices." They are "alternative cultural heterotopias, rushing toward consensus and harmony, but also yielding discord and division."

The sacred dance, in Maya cosmology, was represented in the sinuous curves of the Vision Serpent - a symbolic representation of the axis of communication between the human world and the numinous otherworld. It is a symbol of the world-tree – the roots of which extend into the past and the branches of which extend into the future. In Mayan temples, the vision serpent is often associated with the most sacred of trance-inducing rituals. These included public dancing or private blood-letting (if a king or his wife sought specific knowledge from the otherworld).

November 2008's Mandala Project was a massive success, with official numbers well exceeding the 2000 mark. On the main floor, under specially commissioned Mandala-themed banners, guest-stars Logic Bomb and Tranan played awesome Nordic-flavoured live-sets. Meanwhile, the SA contingent cranked out some splendid psy-trance, proving that the local scene is well up to the international par!

On the alternative side of things, the Viral Lounge cooked up some super voodoo electro beats (cut short when the speakers blew on Sunday morn!) and set the precedent for an even bigger experiment this time around (with a new sound rig!). Collectively, the vibe was psychedelic, the energy was awesome and there were plenty of big smiles everywhere! Many thanks to all who attended - hope to see you again in March! Click here to view pix

Mandalas function by re-tuning perceptual phenomena. As cosmic tuning forks, they attune minds and hearts to the frequency of the infinite. As diagrams, they retune reality by acting as visual aids for directed contemplation and metaphorical temples for transforming everyday experience.