Eudaemony: Most of the dances have occurred in and especially around Dunedin with the notable exception of the Kaikoura parties. Peak period of shamanic intensity from 1995 till about 2002 although similar parties continue to this day in different guises and under different names such as The Mean Team and Rise and Shine although later parties have drifted further away from the original Eudaemony purpose.

Socrates' philosophy, as it is represented in Plato's early dialogues, contains two related claims about eudaimonia. The first is the strong inter-dependence of eudaimonia, virtue (aretē), and knowledge (epistemē): virtue is a sort of knowledge, perhaps 'knowledge of good and evil', and it is this knowledge that is required to reach the ultimate good, eudaimonia being the prime candidate for this ultimate good. The second, sometimes called "psychological eudaimonism" or "Socratic intellectualism", is the claim that the ultimate good, eudaimonia, is what all human desires and actions aim at. (From Wikipedia)
Eudaimonism is a philosophy that defines right action as that which leads to "well being." (From Wikipedia)

Eudaemony events historically had some characteristics which became loosely traditional:
non profit collective
non hierarchical structure (anyone can be the heirophant)
Crew and DJs do not get paid
the DJ is hidden from view of the dancers
the music tends to tribal trance with infinite variations and styles very sparingly deployed vocal samples
low key lighting and absence of visual effects
a location of natural splendour preferably elevated or grove-like

The group of Eudaemony Tribe individuals tended to share notionalisations...

Confluence: doing without doing, graceful confluence, moving with synchronicity
Grace: divine energy in human action
Notionalisation: idea is universally and innately transformative
Discourse: the sharing of ideas, camaraderie
The Ritual: the whole of the party experience
The Dance: sacred aspect of dance expression en-situ
Neurosis: transcended through the ritual
Ascension: peak experience through the ritual
Initiation: the inside track

Rave culture is ascentionist, ‘techno-rave anticipates a posthumanist awakening’ (St. John p.22) has many aspects of religiousity ‘post-ravers testify to their apparent achievement of Zen like states, familiarity with the Cosmic Christ, the release of anxieties, the generation of sympathetic resonance and the channelling of energy to engender spiritual growth and healing (St. John p.24) ...discourses of consciousness expansion, self empowerment and metamorphosis pervade the rave imaginary…the dance cathexis – a group cathartic psychodrama – on tribal, techno, beats offers a potent temenos (sacred space) for reintegration of disconnected parts of the self. (St. John p.24) The dance floor has hermeneutic depths that enable access to archetypal energies, self transformation and an exstasis akin to religious ecstasy.

St. John, Graham. The Difference Engine: Liberation and the Rave Imaginary, in Rave Culture and Religion. St John, Graham, Ed. Routledge, London 2004

If you have any stories (i.e. are prepared to give an interview) and especially video and photos please get in touch: petegorman at gmail dot com. I am colating material to make a documentary

At the moment all photos were taken by Alan Tansley - thanks man

The map below shows the locations of some past Eudaemonistic parties

Map of Party Sites (incomplete)

Google Earth KML file
(Use to view the sites close up in google earth)

People

Bucklands Crossing

Hooper's Inlet Hall

Karitane Winter Solstice 1998

Pyramids - Otago Peninsula 1999ish

Trotters Gorge 1999

Volco 2000AD

Misc