Field tripping: Psychedelic communitas and ritual in the Australian bush

Abstract

In this paper, an emerging genre of psychedelic event known as doof is investigated and a definition is offered. The paper is based on fieldwork with psychedelic enthusiasts in Brisbane, Australia. An ethnographic description of a specific doof ('Stomping Monster Doof #3') is presented from an emic perspective, and the ritual techniques, processes and structures of doofs are discussed. The possible location of doof within a rich matrix of other religious, intellectual, and aesthetic/stylistic movements is explored, and a paradigm for a 'psychedelic morality' is outlined. The importance of 'earth-connection' and collective ecstasy as a source of meaning in the lives of 'post-seekers' is emphasised