CAINED-AND-UNABLEmember
214 posts
Location: Manchester


Posted:
hi guys,not posted in a while but heres a morselof food for thought.Why do we all spin? what are our reasons or motivation for spending countless hours a week........ spinning stuff?Dont get me wrong, this post isnt the first sign of me becoming dissilusioned with poi.Quite the opposite.I fact i think for the first time in 3 and a half years of spinning, im clear on why i love to spin.Picture this: I was spinning (U.V comets) at the side of a club on friday, when as most times i spin, i becane enveloped by the music (in this case a fine example of Goa Trance), and my rituals/routines when i spin.After ???? minutes, i stopped, opened my eyes and began to look near my feet for my water bottle, when a couple came over to me. Now congratulations after a performance is good, but for once i managed to, i think, touch this couple who were watching. As they approached one of them threw his arms around me and embrace me in a giant hug. with a smile on his face he simply said to me: " that friend, was truelly beutful", and walked away. Never have i ever felt so deeply satisfied with a spin (wasnt even a planned routine ).so, just thought id share.any heart warming experiences smile ??

GlåssDIAMOND Member
The Ministry of Manipulation
2,523 posts
Location: Bristol, United Kingdom


Posted:
beautiful

_Stix_Pooh-Bah
2,419 posts
Location: la-la land


Posted:
I did my first fire performance in front of a crowd - bout 40 people at a free party this weekend - my boyfriend was on the decks at one end of the barn.. I was at the other spinning - it was beautiful, not only coz loads of people were coming up to me afterwards, it was because - between the two of us we were entertaining the entire crowd.. him with his music and me with the pois.. we could see each other from time to time across the room and there was fantastic chemistry between us - he looked dead proud behide the decks.. he kept playing all my fav tunes too to keep me swinging! Fab moment!

I honour you as an aspect of myself..

You are never to old to storm a bouncey castle..


PeleBRONZE Member
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA


Posted:
I was performing at a RenFaire back in Spetember. It was all day performances, which are great and all, but many of the people who worked the faire either only saw me spin during the day or didn't get to at all.One night sitting around the camp fire I felt the urge to spin. When I say urge, I mean the overwhelming feeling that it was something I HAD to do at that very moment or something funky would be amiss in me, like a starvation hunger.Instead of spinning by the fire, which was in a great circle of Nylon tents, I got my stuff together and went to this pitch black field enclosed by trees. I started to go, no music or anything. Just my poi painting the night with it's graceful and violent streaks, filling the air with it's enormous rushing noise and totally taking over my body. It was one of those perfect nights where it seemed the dew held her tears and the wind held his breath because they knew this was something I had to do. I closed my eyes against the strobe light effects and when it ended I don't know. But moments like that make it sooooo worth it.I do know that a bunch of the Rennies had come to watch. I remember turning and hearing them gasp with awe before they said anything. I had them all come and stand in front of me and I did "hugs" on them so they could understand what draws me to this, though they all admit to the beauty and transfixtion, still none wanted to try it. It went on this way for a bit and when I was done one of my friends approached me. She had this wistful look in her eye and even a couple of tears on her cheeks. She kissed me and hugged me and congratulated me. I asked her why and she said this (keep in mind both she and I are pagan): "Many people don't get to do something they love and you are lucky to have found that. Many pagans search but never find the gods, you not only found them, you touched them and I swear you became one, and then you shared it with us. Because you are blessed, and you are a giving heart, we are blessed. Thank you."She kissed me on the cheek and went to get her inhaler, followed by another friend who backed up those comments and added more of her own. That is amazing, what's more, I wasn't really "performing" either, per se. I perform, write and spin out of sheer passion, and to know that my passion is felt by others, whether in acting or spinning or dancing, then I know I am doing the right thing in my life.------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...https://www.pyromorph.com

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK


Ajaymember
158 posts
Location: Oxford, U.K.


Posted:
you can always rely on pele to give a huge answer smile

One fine day in the middle of the night,
Two dead men got up to fight,
Back to back they faced each other,
Drew there swords and Shot each other.


Kinudin (Soul Fyre)veteran
1,325 posts
Location: San Diego, California, USA


Posted:
Well said Pele. I had to read that many times over to just recollect what you said. AmazingEven tough I'm not the one that was doing the spining, I could see what you ment. *applauds Pele* grin(Oh... and why do I spin?)Because it's fun. Because it's different. And because it's pretti ^_^

gάrbǿ²addict
521 posts
Location: Bristol / London / Norwich / Chennai, India (UK) (...


Posted:
Mr Cained.Havn't spoken/seen to you for ages. shocked I aint posted on this place for a long time.Alot of oldies seemed to have disappeared.has anyone spoken to simos in the last, like, 2 years. confusedin answer to your question.we spin cause we love it, we get lost in it and we'd be lost without it. Its a way of shaking off all the shit and retreating into ones self every now and again.outgarbo tongue------------------
quote:
"Be the change"Mahatma Ghandi
[This message has been edited by garbo (edited 07 March 2002).]

be excellent to each other: safe:


stickyfishmember
39 posts
Location: Lingfield, Surrey, England


Posted:
Slightly off topic but still about loving poi.For a long time now I've felt really self-concious about performing in public let alone practicing moves I cxan't do in public, but today while waiting for the train up to university I realised that windmill and corkscrew are very similar to weave and so one should be able to do 5 beat versions. After having this revelation I could not help my self and just got my practice poi (kept with me at all times in case I find a quiet corner) out and tried to do windmill with more beats in. I didn't even realise I was hitting myself and looking a complete fool in plain view of all the other comuters untill I finished and them I realised, it's not all that scary after all which made not being able to up the number of beats I can do on a windmill not so bad.The really great thing about this is that I will no longer feel self-concious about practicing wherever I am. If I'm waiting for a train, between lectures, in a que for the toilet or prehapse even when doing my weekly shop? The possibilities are endless.

CAINED-AND-UNABLEmember
214 posts
Location: Manchester


Posted:
Guys, thank you.Its wierd cos this is the only place that seems to have grasped the magnitude of the impact that spinning can have on our lives.Pele, you story was so emotionally similar to the one i described that, i could almost picture myself there. smilebut prehaps thats the thing.... just you and the fire.C'an'U.------------------------------------------Garbo, how have ya been fella?not been postin much myself will probably try keepin more upto date, now ive got over the initial shock of the massive influx of new spinners smile (However, how MORE people loving poi be bad wink )

CantusSILVER Member
Tantamount to fatuity
15,966 posts
Location: Down the road, United Kingdom


Posted:
I spin because it's one of the few things I'm actually reasonably good at.....*Tiptoes away quietly*

Meh


PeleBRONZE Member
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA


Posted:
garbo and CAU...it is very comforting to see you guys...and btw, Simos is doing well, he is just inundated with life to the point where he hardly spins anymore. I hear from him about once every other month.Anyway, along the lines of the impact spinning can have on a person's life, and new people learning...here in town we have a Mental Health Clinic (no, I am not a patient Cantus wink). I gave a presentation on Beledi (Bellydance) the other day at a luncheon, which included spinning, and about how spinning and Beledi really are good for emotional well being, self-outlook, etc...and how they have helped me. The guy from the clinic was there. I am now scheduled to go in and do a showcase and talk to these people about what a difference they have made in my life. If that goes well then they want to work with me to set up some kind of program where I work with them and a councellor as a form of therapy. While it is not an answer to all esteem and such issues, it helps and I think that is important. I am really excited and hopeful about this project. Maybe others now will appreciate these arts for all the good they can really do. smile ------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...https://www.pyromorph.com

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK


mezziSILVER Member
member
1 post
Location: Adelaide, SA, Australia


Posted:
Hey there,I'm newly born into teh world of fire and have meet some really great fire twirlers in Adelaide. I've wetted the passion for fire twirling and like many of the messages posted, it has become an obsession or a need!I was thinking about your message about Why we twirl and just thought I'd post my two cents here aswell.Twirling is a dance and its a way that we can feel our groove. I don't twirl for others, I twirl to feel the passion of it as well as teh rush. I think there is something so sensual about spinning in the dead of night with the beat reverberating through your body and the sounds of the fire poi painting the dark around you.You can see a persons passion through the movement of their spin and the stronger you feel the vibe or the sounds that thouch you, the stronger your passion becomes.I think even the passer by or the onlooker can feel it radiating from you.I am soooo hanging out for a massive doof that pumps the passion so far off the ground that the sleeping birds fall out of their nests!Sorry getting alittle too excited now. Ahhhh, love it! tongue------------------mezzitwirling twriling forever burning

mezzitwirling twirling forever burning


CantusSILVER Member
Tantamount to fatuity
15,966 posts
Location: Down the road, United Kingdom


Posted:
You know Pele, I wouldn't have noticed the clinic if you hadn't put my name in the text.------------------C@ntusDo you believe in a god that satisfies,Do you believe in a god that open eyes,Do you believe in a god that tells you lies,Or do you believe in me?Do you believe in a god that brings you down,Do you believe in a god that wears a crown,Do you believe in a god that makes you bow,Or do you believe in me?

Meh


swiftythefireguymember
61 posts
Location: abbotsford , bc canada


Posted:
i have found a word that explains our passion .satori . satori is enlightenment through action ! i also wrote a thread on this a couple weeks ago and it was pushed to the back of this site check it out

dont ever ask me whta time it is ?where are we? or are we there yet? because the time is now!we here !and we wil never be there !


utilitydeamonmember
33 posts
Location: Saline, MI United States


Posted:
I spin because its just great to see the lights going so fast, the power that i have, no non-spinners would ever understand. The smell of gasoline, and that noise the fire makes. Its great to see people enjoying themselves watching it, its something I enjoy because, above all, its a great stress-reliever. Ive met so many cool people just by getting inti this, theres so many reasons that i spin.

KyrianDreamer
4,308 posts
Location: York, England


Posted:
I don't really know why I spin.. other than that i love it... it was a rather bizarre combination of events that even introduced me too it, let alone made me brave enough to try it... I have no real self-esteem about most things, but then i got told that the only things i needed to spin were patience and a high pain-toelerance...
and i said shit, that's easy enough! and it is lovely... poi does not come at all naturally to me, i have to fight for everything, but it is still so very wonderful !
And about practicing in public, even the first half-hour i spent trying to master the concept of split time, my first burn, my first moves at all... everything was learnt in some sort of public or another (btb weave also comes to mind.. ouch!) so really, i find myslef in different public situations all teh time, and it doesn't bother me. i look like an idiot. yeah, i know. but it's fun.
I think i spin cause it's a natural high

Keep your dream alive
Dreamin is still how the strong survive

Shalom VeAhavah

New Hampshire has a point....


arashiPooh-Bah
2,364 posts
Location: austin,tx


Posted:
i spin for the satori.
also i spin because i am trying to spread the word-- that life is precious, and we must chase our dreams down and live life to the fullest! no compromises! no laziness! i hope to inspire people by letting them see all my hard work and meditation.
and also i have had so many beautiful experiences, dancin, making friends and rock-starrin all over the country.
also i have had SO many people say "wow, i needed to see that, you just changed my life!" that i knew i had to keep doing it. in humility. this is what the world needs to see! pat yourself on the back, we're doing "the good work!"

-Such a price the gods exact for song: to become what we sing
-Seek freedom and become captive of your desires. Seek discipline and find your liberty.
-When the center of the storm does not move, you are in its path.


Morganemember
102 posts
Location: Austria


Posted:
hmm i spin since what 4 days. i have hit myself in the face countless times, my knee is black (thank god the only 'shiner'??? vocab). i have nearly throttled myself ruined the lamp scared the cat looked like an ass.
and yesterday i forgot my poi in my friends car and now am nearly climbing the walls because I CAN'T SPIN RIGHT NOOOOOOOOOWWWW ack.
talk about instant adiction;).

anyways i find it wonderfully calming without making tired.
Huggles all Morgy

Out to Wrong Rights and Depress the Opressed.


master sodiummember
536 posts
Location: carson city, nevada


Posted:
I guess I do have one truly heartwarming moment involving poi.

I have a friend whom I've known for about as long as I've lived in nevada (7 years). now this guy had a problem with being sociable. you all know the stereotype computer nerd type. that was him without the glasses. every day he would spend countless hours playing video games online (what he said was the only thing he could do well).

some circumstance ended up happening where most of the group was smoking pot with his sister, which he translated into us not caring about him anymore, rather then our desire to go out and experience the world.

I was about the only one of the group that tried to get him to become invoved in our activities. I tried so much to get him out of the house. "come to a rave with us", you should hit up this concert", "party goin on saturday, ect. always the inevitable "no, I wouldn't have fun" or "I have a myth tournament"

after about 6 months I ended up moving to a town 20 miles away. since I didn't have a car getting in contact with him was an utter hassle. the line was always busy from constant internet usage so calling was not an option.

after about 3 more months, I got the news that he had tried (unsuccessfully) to commit suicide. I was torn up inside. I knew something needed to be done with the quickness. I set out on foot to his house, thumb stuck out towards traffic.

when I saw him he looked horrible. this was the most depressed I've ever seen anyone. after a brief talk with him, he asked what was dangling around my neck (strings with glowsticks attached to each end). so I showed him a few basic moves (everything I knew at the time) and handed them to him. he picked it up so quickly, and I saw something happen that hadn't happened in about 9 months. I actually saw him smile.

shortly thereafter, the two of us were spinning in a crappy park in the crappy town where he lived. a raver kid (I think the only one in existence in that town) came up to him, talked to him for a short time and handed him a flyer.

so we finally got him to spin in the rave, and it was amazing. utterly an overnight transformation. I saw my friend go from depressed anti-social, to a full on exhuberant raver type.

damn, I still get watery eyes thinking of that.

and that, my friends, is why I spin.

sodium

you can't have a war against terrorism because war IS terrorism.it's not about worshipping fire. its about making the fire want to worship you.


TwirlyVicnorthern monkey
235 posts

Posted:
i havent had any life changing moments through staff, but i spin because of the adrenaline and to be honest because of the exercise.

i do go a little crazy when its lit though. Last nite everything got a little domed in, just me and the fire type thing but i'm not sure i have a strong enough faith to believe it was spiritual.

Maybe thats something i'll build up to

vic xx

ex-hop-aholic, now inconsistent lurker...


clairebearmember
52 posts
Location: jersey - Little rock, not quite there and almost h...


Posted:
Why do we spin?

I know that for me it's something I do because I can, not because it's different or "cool" or any other reason, apart from the fact that for the first time in a very very long time, when I started to spin I had found something I could do, and then discovered I could do it well.
Plus there is the total absorbtion, the oneness that seems to grow slowly and spread outwards from a centre that builds inside you. A connectedness,(sorry I'm not terribly good at explaining stuff)
I guess it's also because it makes me smile. I pick up my fire-chains, or my practice commets and I smile, even if I don't spin them straight away I get a grin on my face and I feel lighter and bubblier.
Lets spread it like a disease!! one smile will always lead to one more smile!!!

Be Cautious of who you sniff, they could be an EnemyBig love and fluffy rainbow light in bundles. Bear xxx xxx xxx


PeDeymember
189 posts
Location: nevernever land


Posted:
Thankyou!!! reading this thread so far has been wonderfull, I spin because it makes me feel free, I've been spining for 5 weeks and already it's an addiction there's always some move I'm thinkin about and I can't wait to get home and try what I've been thinkin about. The best moment for me so far was when I first did the weave and held it for more than 3 beats without hitting myself. It's insperational hearing your stories I hope good things keep happening to us all .

Thanx for the uplift on this rainy English Afternoon

life is good, life is free

Spike

ask yourself this??.......... When was the last time you dug a hole you could be proud of???
answers on a post card


Maverickmember
8 posts
Location: London


Posted:
I spin cause I luv the peace it brings. Total imersion within ones art. Its like meditation and at last I found an exercise that cleans the spirit. Unlike other sports its non competitive and is sociable.

Mainly I luve the peace it brings after a stressed work day.

Mav

looking at the dismal weather

Morganemember
102 posts
Location: Austria


Posted:
i found the perfect space to practise yesterday.
there's this terace on the roof of the university building i work at. lovely view over the town. everything blooming and green. so i just stood there twirling going calmer and calmer just enjoying the peace....sigh can't wait till its monday:)
Morgy

Out to Wrong Rights and Depress the Opressed.


MrConfusedBRONZE Member
addict
529 posts
Location: I wish I knew, United Kingdom


Posted:
I remember the first time I saw anyone spinning. Last easter, I hitched out to Morocco. Whilst there, I met up with a fantastic group of people, none of whom I knew particularly well. One night, we went out into the Sahara, not too far, a couple of hours camel ride, and got quite stoned. A couple of Berbers started playing some drums, and someone got out a pair of poi. I remember being utterly transfixed, and thinking how amazing it would be to do something like that. I didn't actually have a go then - it all looked far too complicated (even though I realise now he wasn't doing anything particularly difficult - weave and overhead butterfly is about as far as it went, I think). That, more than anything, stuck with me from Morocco, and after a couple of months I finally got myself a set.

I realised last night that I now have that same effect on people. I was in the union spinning a couple of glowsticks in a corner, which I don't normally use (too light for my taste), and, in my opinion at least, making a bit of a hash of it. I didn't have enough room to really spin properly, couldn't seem to hit the beats right and even managed to set off a fire alarm with a flailing glowstick (a friend switched it off quickly, though, thank god). I decided to stop and dance normally after about 15 mins, so I wrapped the strings around my hands and looked around, and realised almost everyone near me was just standing there watching me. I was getting quite paranoid (as I said, I thought I was a bit shite), until three or four random people seperately came over and said how amazing it looked, and started asking all about it. Such a great feeling to know that you've affected people in a good way I was on a complete high for the rest of the night.

As for why I spin fire, I don't think I really need to go into any detail about the feeling after you've had a good burn. It just leaves me with a stupid grin on my face for the rest of the evening. Tried fire wraps for the first time last night. They certainly add an extra adrenaline rush! Like I needed any more

J

If you're not confused, you're not thinking about things hard enough.


MikeGinnyGOLD Member
HOP Mad Doctor
13,925 posts
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA


Posted:
Why?

1) It's beautiful.

2) It's fun.

3) Because I can.

All work and no play made Mike a dull boy. So I learned to play.

Peace.

-Mike

Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella



A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura



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