Corey Lolley
Enigma Body Piercing
San Diego, CA
The Concept of The ONE Project
I was introduced to modern ritual through piercing in 1999. At that time I had been piercing for 5 years. Through a long, arduous journey I landed myself in a city, which for the first time in my life I called home. I was caught in the arms of those who introduced me to community, piercing as ritual, personal and group ceremony and, most importantly, reverence for the sacred. I found my teachers. I realize now that, although a period of profound experience, all of the time that I spent moving around in my youth was a search for what I had found in San Diego: a tribe.
The shop was called Mastodon, and it was my experience at that studio that brought me to this place in my life. I had heard about Mastodon for years, about the work that they were doing with their clients, the incorporation of yoga, meditation and breath work into their personal and piercing practice. As with many things in my life I knew that this is where I needed to be learning how to pierce, as I truly desired, as a healer. What I quickly learned was that in order to heal one must first be healed.
There is a concept of the wounded healer. I believe that those who are truly compelled by a desire to assist others in the healing process must first endure a path of struggle and through this learn to heal themselves. How can one truly understand something until they have experienced it? It is at this project that we draw the line. We draw the line between piercer and shaman, between wounded and healer, where we are truly faced with what it means to be ourselves and not our label.
For me, piercing and the piercing community awakened this healing process. As a collective, at Mastodon, we began to explore ceremony together, meditating together, practicing yoga, and engaging in intentional gatherings. All of these things culminated in us participating in a community ritual together--a group pull. This was a life changing experience for me. We went into the ceremony very intentionally, performing the rite with reverence for the ritual and for the community.
With all of the research that I had done on body rites practiced by other cultures, nothing came close describing what I experienced that night. A doorway had been graciously opened, which I then stepped through. Many opportunities for the exploration of ritual began to unlock for me, the most poignant being a Native American sweat lodge. I spent the transition of 1999 into the new millennium in a Lakota lodge. In this house I was severally humbled, physically challenged beyond anything that I had experienced with ritual. I found myself capable of understanding prayer for the first time in my life. This experience for me magnified everything that I had been practicing with piercing. It awaked more deeply the connection between the spirit, mind and body and the acknowledgment of the ancestors.
Participating in this ceremony was a catalyst and an inspiration for me. I was instilled with additional knowledge of how other tribes, more ancient tribes then my own, practice and apply ritual. As I continued to investigate this acutely I realized a need to explore these tools within my community and that these practices could be, as they have been in the past, used to strengthen community. This knowledge I acquired became the momentum for ONE, a gathering where we could share knowledge of piercing, ceremony and, most importantly, build community. The seed had been planted and its root became this gathering of the tribes.
In his book Ritual (Arkana, 1997), Malidoma Som writes "A community is a place of self-definition. Any group of people meeting with the intention of connecting to the power within is a community. People who regroup under a different banner to take care of themselves are attracted to indigenous culture. In these new formations, people seek to explore what has frustrated, betrayed and constituted a deep wound in their hearts. What they are trying to do is restore their inner power, which had been tarnished. Because they are trying to fight the servitude in which corporate power holds them prisoner, they are redefining themselves. They are moving themselves away from the magnetic visibility of externalized power. But to regroup against the machine is to get out of control. However, one must not only be aware of this moving away, one must also be prepared to go all the way. To leave behind society and culture, one has to be prepared to do battle in order to be who you want to be."
"Without community you cannot be yourself. The community is where we draw the strength needed to effect change inside of us. Community is formed each time more than one person meets for a purpose. Development of community depends on what the people involved consent to do. What one acknowledges in the formation of community is the possibility of doing together what is impossible to do alone. This acknowledgment is also an objection against the isolation of individuals and individualism by a society in service of the machine. What we want is to create community that meets the intrinsic need of every individual. The individual can finally discover within the community something to relate to, because deep down inside each of us is craving for an honoring of our individualism."
In culture, ritual is often the medium used to bring people together. It strengthens the human bond through trial and tribulation, allows us to be humble with each other and to understand our role within the community. Ritual is also an individual rite of passage. Often this rite must be witnessed and acknowledged by the tribe; in this the tribe holds space for the individual community member. Above anything else ONE is an exploration of the self within community. What we practice at the project is an intentionally calculated unfolding of processes, which leads us to self. What makes this work is profoundly sharing oneself without ego, while the community holds space for the individual. There is not many times in our society that people truly remain present in what a person is sharing or participating. When we hold space we are creating a place for the person to expand within. This is similar to what we practice in the piercing room, when we stand with our client, coaching them through the process. We are holding space for their experience; sharing our space allows them to become stronger.
The root of ritual is intention. When we engage in ceremony we do it for a reason, with purpose. The first thing we share at ONE is our intention for being there. For some it is the most challenging aspect of the event. It is here that we experience having space held for us, where we speak our truth or prayers to our peers. I have learned that the louder and more clearly that one speak their purpose, the more quickly they will witness its manifestation. Everyone comes to the ONE project for a reason, whether they realize it or not. If you don’t know what your intention is, or are seeking intention, you will receive it walking through these rituals with purpose. I have witnessed what some many call miracles. I do not believe them to be miracles. ONE, more than anything in my life, has reaffirmed in me the power of intention, manifestation, visualization and commitment.
As with most ceremony, the ONE project is an unfolding process. In order to get to the root of one's intention, often we must release the veil of illusion that we have created. We must incorporate all aspects of self in order to get to this source. We must work with the spirit, the mind and the body. Although most of us are used to reciting the mind, body, spirit, I feel there to be a great misconception here. We can relate when we think about piercing and the work that we do with the body. The root of what we are attempting to get closer to in life is the spirit. Most often the things that limit us have nothing to do with our body, and what usually gets in the way of this process is our mind. The ONE project is three days, one held in honor of each of these aspects of self. The exercises that we practice together lead into each other through the next day.
The ONE Project has evolved with me. During the first few years of the gathering our main focus was body ritual. We would hold traditional Native American circles each morning and hold ceremony in the evening. The first night doing a fire walk, the second a group energy pull and the third for those who wished engaged in suspension. As the community evolved, so did the project. Although the event was built from the piercing community and still primarily attracts our peer group, there has been a shift in the people who attend. The type of people attracted to ONE are a mirror of its evolution. Among the current attendees are: healers of all kinds, activists, artists, people of all religious backgrounds, people of no religious background, hippies, punks, those who work 9 to 5 desk jobs, lawyers, and health care professionals. Each attendee of the project is by no means definitive. The intention of ONE is to remain expansive in who it attracts. We go there not only to learn, but also to teach. This creates a space where all kinds may share information. Although as piercers we realize the importance of diversity, I find that we often find ourselves rotating within the same social circles. If it is only our peer group who attends then there is no evolution of knowledge it's preaching to the choir. It is my foremost goal that eventually we have as many attendees who are not in our immediate community as are.
One of the most remarkable aspects of ONE is the space in which it is held. At its inception, you could imagine how challenging it was to find a space to hold a three-day outdoor ritual with all that it entailed. When I talk of Madre Grande, I can only say that this land found us. What used to be Native American land continues to be used for the Sundance, vision quests, sweat lodges and other ceremonies throughout the year. This land is a physical representation of space being held. The caretakers of the land are very selective with whom they allow its use, and for what. It is there that I have witnessed what some may call paranormal. One of my first nights sleeping there I heard the sound of OM, thinking it was power lines I did not see in the day. When I inquired about it upon awakening, I was informed that there are no power lines--I had simply heard the sound of the Universe. Others have had similar experiences, many people physically purging just stepping foot on its soil.
Ceremony most often involves sacrifice. Sometimes this sacrifice is given in what we find comfortable, sometimes we sacrifice for others--what we always sacrifice is some part of ourselves. When we step out of our comfort zone we are forced to look at ourselves and at our addictions and crutches with an inwards-facing gaze. There is a cleansing that occurs in this space. At the ONE project, all of our meals are prepared with attention to what we put into our bodies and how it will affect the energy of the day's activities. All of the food is vegan, with the option of eating completely raw. Although extremely difficult for some, this detoxification through diet can completely change ones constitution (and clearness of mind). Additionally, ONE is a sober event. For many of us this is also a sacrifice. When we find ourselves engaging socially as a community, it often involves the use of substances. To stand in a place of clarity together is one of the most sincere ways to respect each other and ourselves.
Most of the ceremonies that we engage in are largely based around the body. Stepping through these physical feats allows us to connect with our bodies, which becomes an opening to the spirit and mind. In these ceremonies there is also a realization that we are not our bodies. The strongest of the human senses is the sensation of pain. Some believe pain to be the resistance to change. We often register pain as a sensation that we must stop, when we choose to walk through these sensations we attempt to find the source of stagnation. In this, these rituals of physicality are gateways to our root.
In addition to the physical activities that we participate in we also have invited guests who come and speak. Over the years we have hosted many wonderful people. For the first project we had a Lakota gentleman who stopped by on his drive home from Sundance in South Dakota. His emotional state was still so high you could feel power emanating from him. He spoke to us about his personal struggle and how he used the power of the Sundance prayer to come closer to overcoming that. Last year we were blessed to have a Lakota Chief named Hawk join us. His message was remaining present with our ability to choose our destiny. This year we were pleased to host Dr. Barry Green, an author who has written on the topic of holding space. He shared with us knowledge on breaking down human development, how that effects our perception as adults, and how we can weed through these learned behaviors to create an unpolluted way of being.
Each facilitator chosen to speak at the project is selected based on the premise of each year's event. Some of our intentions in the past have been: creating community, self-realization, leadership, transformation, and this year: holding space. Holding a theme for the event is a simple way to intentionalize and focus the group.
What we have been concentrating on over the past few years is moving past physicality. I believe these physical things that we engage in to be tools. Once we are able to understand how these tools work we can then get to the same point without being so aggressive with our bodies. We learn that there are other modalities that allow us to get to the same outcome through a more gentle approach. Some of these that we use to unlock the body are: yoga, meditation, intentional conversation and the simple act of slowing down.
The ONE project is a not-for-profit event. Although there are monies collected, this event is run primarily by volunteers and group participation. As anyone who organizes knows, this is one of the most difficult aspects--estimating how many people will attend, what amount of supplies to buy, budgeting, etc. Each person attending the event pays a registration fee, which is used to make the event possible. It goes back to the concept of community: everyone contributes to for the greater good of the whole. This money is used to pay for the land, facilitators, medical, and supplies. Without the support of the community this event would not be possible. At the inception of ONE, it was only me attempting to make this possible. As other people began to hear about what I was doing they stepped up to help. The first year there was only 5 of us: Eddie Castro, Spike Darajorn, Bhava Das and the woman who encouraged me to follow my vision: Mary-Lynn Price, activist turned criminal defense lawyer. Since then those contributing has grown exponentially. This year I had a crew of around 20 who would meet at my house for monthly meetings, workshops and gatherings. In this we were able to keep our small group alive and in practice.
One of the most unique things about this event is that the community is responsible for its creation. What we are essentially doing is building a village for our tribe to create ceremony. The event is literally run on the participation of the attendees. In fact, our peer group facilitates most of the ceremonies held at the project. Allowing us to teach each other creates a space of indifference to the separation between teacher and student. It is amazing to watch the process unfold. As people return each year they become increasingly involved, eventually stepping up into a role of leadership. We walk amongst an amazing tribe. Each person who comes has something to share and it is this village that we create which brings this out of people.
Many people donate hundreds of hours of their time to see this project come to fruition. We also receive contributions from local farmers and co-ops, generous donations from My Med-Source, and each year our needles are donated through Industrial Strength Needles. These people, and businesses, have our enduring gratitude. Thank you.
One of my main intentions with ONE is to inspire others to realize and act upon their purpose, to feel empowered, self-realized and to step into a role of leadership. I believe self-realization to be the key to personal triumph. In this country we are blessed with abundance and opportunity. I feel that many of us do not realize the responsibility we have to do something with this affluence. With the amount of excess we hold, volunteerism and sharing should be instinctive. I wish to be a mirror for other’s truth. To see the reflection of others creating due to the inspiration given by this project is the highest gratitude I could receive.
Many of us feel that we are living in what can be seen as the most profound time in history. We are witnessing an acceleration of humanity that is increasingly difficult to keep pace with. In this, many of us are searching for where we stand, why we are here, and how we can be most effective in shifting things for the greater good. The ONE project is a catalyst for the understanding of the answers to the question: who am I?
As piercers, we facilitate this process for our clients every time that we work on them. We are the catalyst of change for many people. What people realize while going through this process is that they are more powerful than they once believed, that they are responsible for themselves and their bodies, and that they possess freedom to choose what and who they want to be. In that moment they are acting on what they inherently know themselves to be. The ONE project is an opportunity for us as piercers to give that back to ourselves, to our community, and to the world.
The One Project is not a festival about piercing. In truth, it is not a festival at all, but a ceremony not about, but inspired by piercing and the piercing community. The ONE project is a realization of our path. It is a collection of teachers and students who view each other as equals. The ONE project is a place where we recognize each other and ourselves for what we truly are. The ONE project is a gathering of the tribes.
