This reading honestly made me rethink what I even consider “technology”. I usually think of it as something digital: code, software, devices, but here shamanism is described as a kind of technology too, just one that works through the body, ritual, and consciousness. That shift made me see technology as less about tools and more about methods of accessing and shaping experience.

One idea that really stuck with me is this idea of being in between states – what the reading calls a kind of dual consciousness. When you’re livecoding, you’re writing code in real time, but you’re also reacting to what the system outputs. You’re not fully in control because the code can behave unexpectedly, but you’re also not just observing. You’re in this feedback loop where you’re thinking, feeling, and responding all at once.

That’s where the connection to technoshamanism felt really strong to me. The reading talks about artists becoming a kind of “channel”, especially in the example of Pauline Oliveros, where music flows through her rather than being completely controlled. Livecoding can feel like that too – sometimes you’re not just writing code, you’re kind of listening to it, adjusting to it, almost collaborating with the machine. It becomes less about executing a plan and more about staying present in the moment.

I also think livecoding has a similar performative and even ritual-like aspect. There’s an audience, there’s real-time creation, and there’s always the possibility of failure. But instead of hiding errors, you incorporate them, which feels very similar to the idea of entering altered or expanded states where unpredictability is part of the process. It’s not exactly spiritual in the same way, but there’s definitely a shared emphasis on experience, presence, and transformation. At the same time, the reading made me a bit more aware of the risks of borrowing ideas from shamanism. It’s easy to take concepts like “ritual” or “expanded consciousness” and apply them to digital art in a superficial way. So I think the challenge is how to engage with these ideas meaningfully, without just turning them into aesthetics or metaphors.