The Methodology of the Sacred

Arguing that altered states of consciousness are not spontaneous ruptures of grace but
intentional, embodied methods, this book explores the question, ‘what if ecstasy is not a
loss of control, but instead a form of knowledge?’

Moving between Eleusinian mystery rites, Afro-Brazilian possession ceremonies and
Amazonian shamanism, to Mediterranean tarantism, Anastenaria firewalking and
Santo Daime, the book reveals how ritual, rhythm, movement, and myth operate as
sophisticated pedagogies — ancient technologies of transmission developed across
cultures and centuries.

Written from both observation and participation, and drawing on immersive research
with Indigenous, Afro-Diasporic, and women-led communities, Marianna Kokkinaki
repositions ecstasy as a radical curriculum — one that awakens ecological consciousness
and restores relational ways of being at a moment of urgent global crisis.