This is one for the ladies. Gentlemen, you may use it to connect with your feminine energy or understand your woman better. Girl, you are doing great. It is not easy being female with no rule book, no guidebook. There is no template for an enlightened female except the mother figure who sits calmly and blesses those around her. How will you integrate your shadow, and become a whole being instead of the half you have been for millennia? How will you know which bits to choose, and which to let go? It’s all been repressed, and now it comes out. Don’t be hard on yourself. What does it look like when the woman who has come by the path of Wicca reaches divinity? What when the temple priestess dissolves identity and becomes oneness? The dakini? The warrior woman? Who is going to tell us what it looks like? We think we have achieved some freedom as women but look how few these years are in human history. Our karma is still screaming at us telling us that we won’t live to tell the tale. Think of it all - the stoning, the ducking, the burning, the consignment to mental asylums. Joan of Arc was condemned for the crime of cross-dressing in the end. She was just wearing trousers.... It’s all still there just lurking under the surface as soon as you begin to deviate from the narrow norm. Just a generation ago you were meant to suck it up and take Prozac. Sometimes Prozac still seems like the best option for the pain you’re not even supposed to feel, but you do. Because you are not recognised or valued for your feminine brilliance, you are dissuaded from exploring your essence. There is no template, no precedent, or very few. This is why we are all in love with Frieda Kahlo, why we are creating a scrapbook of others like her, to learn from. You are a pioneer. Sometimes it hurts, sometimes you will get labelled. You have to deal with the dual ‘blame’ of not being ok all the time AND breaking the mould. Why do you think you can go your own way when your mental or emotional state is not always well? Come back into the rigid constraints we have created for you. We care about you. We know what is best for you. What you feel is nonsense. And you silently scream... Girl, you are doing brilliantly. You are still alive. You are still breathing. Are you going to beat yourself up for your self management - your coffee, your wine, your other helpers? You know you’ll let them go when you get a better option. You know the yoga class is good for you, walking barefoot on the grass, the dancing, the talking with a soul healing friend. Open yourself more. Allow yourself to be vulnerable, an open wound. This is your work. Feeling something is wrong is important work. Think of yourself as a barometer of how well humanity is doing. Feel into what feels light. Be the change. No prophet is accepted in his own village, is what they say. Maybe ‘prophet’ feels a little heavy for you, but if you are guiding from your space of feminine wisdom - your feeling, give me a better word. We need to forgive ourselves for not being ok, for hurting, for being sick. Just because we feel it, and the other half denies it, suppresses feelings, does not mean we, they, are well. How do we make this less of a burden? If you had a broken leg, how would you treat yourself? If you had the flu? If we are happy to admit on a personal level that we are sick, and that this is not failure, we will open the way to allowing the masculine energy to let go. It’s not weak. It’s not failure. Take his hand. He can let go of some of that control. We can show him how to trust. We can show him the magic with confidence. Forgive, forgive, forgive. Angry people need forgiveness. For the limitations of form, of time, of ability, for being in dis-ease, for feeling cut off from what is sacred, for not being in love. Girl, you are doing great. It’s ok to have a bad day. We have to allow ourselves to flow with our emotions - around people, around family, around workmates. Find a way to express them, not pretend that we are not really happening. This is the role of the healer, the shakti. We have to be at peace with the feelings of pain and unease, and also find ways of not being overwhelmed by them. We don’t need to identify. Forgive yourself for being sick. You are carrying the burden of many. Know when to feel, and when to dive into no-mind and non-judgement. And allow yourself to heal. I wrote this letter to myself the other day. It was a challenging day - travelling, a 2.30 am start, many hours more than usual in an airport, many miles covered. This is difficult for a sensitive empath. I am experimenting with more raw posting. If it doesn't feel right, I may not keep it, so if you find this personally useful or encouraging, please leave a comment :)
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I have recently really tapped into the power of Reiki. It is just over three years now since I was first attuned. And not the first energy therapy I have ever practised. But it is the one I’m using now. They say that the more you use Reiki, the better a channel you become. I believe this is true, but significantly the shifts I have noticed recently are based upon understanding, letting the Rei Ki teach me how best to use it, and how to really step into its power. Not just using techhniques because I’ve been told they are useful, but being guided to pick exactly the right technique and know simultaneously that it will work. It’s not that nothing was happening before - I would not be without my Reiki for nourishing, balancing, relaxing, and healing of many issues has taken place over time, it’s just that it often felt as if I was nursing issues along, taking the edge off but not really getting to the bottom of the issue. I wasn’t even sure if Reiki was the right tool for this. Lately I have started using it slightly less, but more consciously, and increasingly only when I know it is targeted where I need it. I have been listening to my body, going deep within myself, and realising I can manifest what I need from there in terms of healing. Recently for one slightly daft example, I asked my body what it needs right now, and a packet of chia seeds came to view. I had just left for 3 weeks hols to Turkey where to my knowledge, chia had not yet taken off. So instead of worrying about it, I laughed and said well if you need chia seeds you’ll have to manifest some in your direction, because I’m not going to think about it. Shortly after, I remembered that I had brought some coconut snacks with me in the suitcase, and indeed, they had chia seeds added. Is that enough chia I asked? The next day at breakfast I reached for the gluten-free wraps that I’d brought along. Without realising, I had bought the seeded version which also includes chia. A day later we visit the supermarket and I find there are two brands of chia seeds to choose from in huge packets. More chia than I know what to do with. I should just be quiet... So this is not really about chia seeds, but about me teaching myself not to stress over things that I think I need. If a voice out there, no matter who this is, however much you respect them, tells you to do something, or that this or that is the best, or if you are in your rational mind which has taken any of this in, you will not be in your power unless this resonates deeply with your inner knowing. If you go deep within, the requirement, the ‘what we are working on next’, the ‘do this now to achieve ....’, is effortless. If you get your mind out of the way, it happens. The need and the having are the same thing #askanditshallbegiven. Your body knows how to do tantra. It doesn’t need any lessons. It knows exactly what to do for your current healing. Even if it’s one simple thing. It’s the one simple thing you need to do until you get another impulse bubbling up. Your body knows how to do yoga. I have experienced my body making postural adjustments from a deep meditative state of body consciousness. Your body knows how to heal itself and release trauma. Your body consciousness will not ask you to do any more at any given time than you can manage. Your task is to access this inner awareness, but in the knowledge that it is there. And that is not all. I have been identifying and targeting some deep-seated issues. You know - the ones you have to tackle or you just can’t move forwards. And it’s as if the universe was just waiting for me to identify these underlying causes instead of picking off symptoms. The healing has been so profound and rapid that I’m sure that I'll be sharing this with others in due course. You can only really share what you have healed in yourself, and this healing goes very deep. So what am I saying? Go within. Let your soul, your body consciousness teach you. Feel into the areas of tension and resistance and really listen, but not with your mind. Equally, listen to what feels peaceful, and good. Practise tantra with yourself - sit quietly in a state of acceptance and compassion. Feel loved. And then see what bubbles up. If you are in tension with your mind, or a belief adopted by your mind, you will know which part to let go of, and which to keep. Your power is within you. Your soul knows its way home. Can you trust it to take you through? Find out about Body Wisdom Training here I have been taught not to trust ecstasy. That ecstasy cannot be my teacher. That ecstasy is in conflict with what is good and moral. That it is selfish. That it is lust. That it is temporary. That it is unruly and unreliable. That it is not social. That it is not compatible with a good life, an ordered life. I have not been taught that ecstasy is something to aspire to. If you experience it, fine, but it’s not the be all and end all. Always limit it. Only in specific circumstances. Only in private. I have been taught to be suspicious of ‘experience’ in spiritual contexts. ‘Charismatic’ always comes with a warning. Nothing in my spiritual experience taught me that ecstasy was a goal. There were surely warnings about letting go, being taken in, trusting the wrong teachings, trusting the wrong guru, suspicions of trance like states (samadhi) and being possessed by demons or negative energies. Some saints experienced it, perhaps, but it was often touch and go whether to burn or beatify. And as a woman, what is the messaging? Don’t enjoy your sexuality for yourself. Like ever. Or submit to condemnation in some form. The fewer partners the better. Not before marriage. But when with your ‘ok’ partner, make sure you look as if you’re having a good time. You are a failure if not. We don’t let women own sex. They are too often first introduced to sex on the back foot, forced into either a defensive or ‘pleasing’ position, and will spend x amount of years re-discovering it in a way that includes their wisdom. Why are we shutting ourselves off from ecstasy with SO much unconscious intention? On some level we know that once we’ve experienced true sacred ecstasy, we are finished as a limited being. There is no going back once transcendent states have been experienced. We cannot be controlled and made to dance to another’s tune once we have accessed our inner knowing. Even if we are momentarily swayed, we just know and can reconnect with that sense of communion. We know which ‘rules’ bring us closer to that, and which push us away. Ecstasy comes with a big fat happy warning of too much freedom. No wonder why it is so elusive. and some of the best advice I ever had....
I'll admit it. I'm finding it difficult to be 'out there' balancing my inner authenticity with awareness of others' perspectives. I'm one of those perfectionists who hates criticism, but you know, this is exactly why I'm here doing this. It's something I need to get over. How much of this is gendered? As a woman, speaking with authority is something that must be learned. Do so many women ‘channel’ because it’s easier than owning it as coming from them? A man is more likely to claim it: I AM. I am getting tired of being too careful. Afraid of getting things wrong. I have absorbed a lot of trauma over the years from spiritual paranoia and fear of getting things wrong. How dasterdly is the punishment or consequence (same difference) for getting stuff wrong in this or that belief system? How do they conflict with each other, agreeing only in how much fear they engender? How about I trust my journey and my impulses and trust the ONE who carries me through it all? I am sometimes impetuous, trying to unstifle, break down barriers, I try things, I test things over and over from all different angles. I am trying to find the highest version of me. I don’t want to be too cautious. Some of the greatest blessings and truths I stumbled upon by letting my guard down, by breaking rules, by being ‘spiritually incorrect’ but embodying extreme compassion. To me this is the essence of tantra - taking the profane, the everyday and making it sacred. Using what you need to get yourself to the next stage. To keep the story moving. To own your journey, your process and weave all the threads into a beautiful pattern. If you have not woven these threads, you will simply not have much capacity for ecstasy. You won’t have developed those energy pathways. You will have one or two threads to play with, a couple of notes instead of a symphony. The key is to remain conscious and compassionate throughout everything you do. To shine the light rather than try to wrestle with demons. We need to own our shadow bodies. Integrate them fully. Without this, we are only half alive no matter how peaceful we are and how well we have suppressed them. Our shadow bodies contain the key to our greatest potential, our divine selves. We need to allow ourselves to be angry, to break down barriers, to try things out without fear of getting it wrong. We need to look our more primal traits in the eye and accept them as part of ourselves while opening to the highest manifestation of these. We need to accept and honour our desires as things which do not originate from us, but as winds passing through. Take the role of the observer of these and choose whether to act on them without identifying. Do they originate from our most conscious place? Can we invite in a more conscious desire? My shadow body is a genius at trying to keep me ‘in my place’. But I am getting smarter. Any time I do anything to push my boundaries to invite more unity, wonder and higher understanding it will scream as I integrate more of myself into operation. I am in a permanent place of discomfort as I open to more of myself. Tantra Mataji is helping me find my truest alignment. I write some posts and then am led further on, to a higher understanding. I ask myself if I should edit/delete those posts or let them stand as a testament to the journey. So far, I have been doing a bit of both. When I start to feel uneasy about particular pieces of content, I have to ask - am I really testing my ‘now’, the new perspective I have, or am I falling back into self-doubt? How does it look in the perspective that allows all with compassionate understanding, that absolves all? This is the question that I asked a couple of years ago when I first caught sight of the inner me that was trying to get out. Am I going to keep punishing myself for being my true self even if it's not perfect It's mischief polemical, challenging it sometimes can't resist a prod It's passionate or it's not there at all It feels spitting fury that blows over to calm Do I constantly need to worry what others will think of me that their reactions will come back at me that I shouldn't provoke shouldn't pick a fight I might be thought cocky called flirtatious observed too closely I can't stand up to that much scrutiny What's the answer? It's still a work in progress, although plenty has been made.... But look at the beautiful advice I got straight back afterwards: Make yourself beautiful God loves you is in all Opposites attract even unseeing snaking between you Babaji admires you What is wrong with cocky or flirtatious? None of these will stick on you Humble is your true flavour Allow flickers of pride They will subside Actions done in love even if mistaken will awaken what needs to be awakened People make fun it is only ego that is untamed You should not be ashamed of taunting it You are not careful It is not your way Blunt speak raw verse honesty in all This is beautiful Anger suits you Don't repress it You are not even tempered happy-go-lucky You are free This is the way it should be Anger will fade love will overcome pain will cease I love you -Babaji I find myself wanting to be more playful, less serious, less careful, more flowing and expressive, and more than anything, more compassionate to myself and others. Don't sweat it. Hold on to love and let the rest fall away. Let's be like children, and let's PLAY. I am mama and child I call for baba while called your beloved but daughter? It's fine that I don't get this and I'm calmly losing my mind Your mother when you suffer sister-friend to take you down brother with the others defender to the end You always have an answer and it's different every time Who am I? Who are you? Who are we not? The ‘I’ is confused but I AM loved and that is all the explanation available at this time My reality. Just me. If I AM ok, but you are not, what difference does it make who is who? Divine confusion. Which part of the whole of humanity did you pick up when they were giving out slices of karma? Your concept of 'self' is a part of that karma too. Hmm, this looks interesting, I'll explore what happens when..... Oops. Did the game you were playing collide with someone else's? Can you hear the cosmic laughter? WE are looking pretty funny. And we are looking pretty awesome. And cute. We are the sweetheart - mischievous angels. How many lovers can we hustle? What happens if we melt all the parts of ourselves together, take little leaps of faith towards each other? How many 'serious' players can we wrestle to the ground in a heap of giggles? We might have to get closer. It might feel more intimate than we're used to. It might start to look a little like ecstasy. I am the breeze that plays about your lips You kiss me back Softly your essence gives itself up to me: tender, treacly pleasure Butterflies lightly meeting in the air circling apart, then touching Undisclosed, beaming joy provoking bubbles of inner laughter feeling each other this intimately a startling, delicate delight I am your slave not servant There's no choice in this Where you go, I am there also Your will, my will one and the same Let me be at your feet soaking up the rays of divinity This is not a show just the fact of my existence Born from you, to you Where is the choice? You move, I follow You lead, I dance There is deep magic here vast oceans of pleasure being bonded together We are one Surrender... Your ‘free will’ does not exist. It is the state of not remembering. Of experiencing separation. Instead of 'free will', try exploring executive action. This is choice from a state of empowered union. The minute you re-member the Lover from which you came, your illusion of free will is finished. The bottom falls out of ‘you’ leaving only ‘is-ness’. Falling into the embrace of many lifetimes. Dissolving into totality, unconditionality, surrender. Lots of people talk about 'surrender'. They say they're doing it. They point to it. they talk about how their life has got better. And some of them, some of the time, are getting close. But you will know when you've truly surrendered because you will be nothing but bliss and ecstasy. You will have the 'problem' of so much pleasure in your life you don't know where to put it. Try giving up. Stop manifesting, stop intentioning, stop co-creating, and become empty. Become a living orgasm. Helpless, reckless, yet full of creative power. And enjoy it. *Pes mi? (Turkish) 'Do you give up?' or 'Do you give in?' When love itself comes to kiss you, don't hold back! When the king goes hunting, the forest smiles. Now the king has become the place and all the players, prey, bystander, bow, arrow, hand and release. How does that feel? Last night's dream enters these open eyes. When we die and turn to dust, each particle will be the whole. You hear a mote whirl taking form? My music. Love, calm, patient. The Friend has waded down into existence, gotten stuck, and will not be seen again outside of this. We sometimes make spiderwebs of smoke and saliva, fragile thought - packets. Leave thinking to the one who gave intelligence . In silence there is eloquence. Stop weaving, and watch how the pattern improves. Whispers, whispering at three, four, five in the morning....seemingly on repeat.
What does it look like? What does it look like - The Feminine Christ? I get up. I write. Did I get it? What does it look like: The Feminine Christ? I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours The men with life in them stay The men in their egos keep away Others waver, when they see the murder in my naked eye The women? The women.... fail to recognise how soul can be divine Sisters, can you unmask your face and smite a man with just your innocence? Put it down your preciousness and let him know The Bride ‘What does it look like?’, he asks. ‘It looks like my love for you’, she answers ‘Remember...’ Run your fingers through my hair feel the trust from me to you Be gentle with me as I know you are How do you speak to me over the eons? Did I love you before? How many times that I would watch you like a star? Run your fingers through my hair and let me touch your cheek golden winds playing between us Lay beside me and gaze deeply It's astonishing that you're here and yet so simple Destiny that we would love each other Run your fingers through my hair and share the view with me Infinity, pink on the horizon Will we join with it all? Come, love me draw close to me and run your fingers through my hair It was the first day of Ramadan last Thursday, and my eldest daughter, who is nearly 12, decided to fast for the first time. This is kind of a big deal. For those of you not familiar with Islamic fasting, this means no food OR drink from sunrise to sunset. And with it being May, that’s quite a long time. It evoked some unpredictable reactions in our family - I am a big fan of liquid only fasting, but my initial reaction was to recommend she save this for a weekend. She had two school assessments that day and we didn’t know what effect it would have on her. My husband, who is Muslim, but often not the most enamoured with my free-spirited fasting, decided it was ok if she really wanted to test herself. He, after all, started fasting with his family from a similar age. Not that it mattered what we thought. Her mind was made up. Why did she want to do it? Mainly to keep company with one of her best friends who was fasting. Also, to see what it feels like. To see if she had the willpower. To manage her intake. And she did it. We didn’t even get up for a pre-sunrise meal in the early hours as many do. At just before 9pm when I got her favourite dinner ready a little victory shimmy was happening in the kitchen. Sometimes life just throws out a surprise. The daughter who grazes every time she walks past the fridge or cupboard managed something most adults would find challenging... The funny thing is, I have been fasting a lot recently, just not this kind of fasting. Initially I thought I might get the blame for setting a 'bad' example, but as we've seen, this wasn't the case. I find fasting more effective than almost any other practice, for almost everything: being present and in the moment, peace, increased levels of bliss and balance, clarity of guidance, clearing karma without struggle, letting go, slaying demons, breaking patterns, increasing devotion, self acceptance, manifesting something outside my comfort zone etc. etc. When I say 'fasting', some people think this is quite extreme, for others my kind of fasting is probably a little tame, but generally, a not too arduous fast for me is 3 - 7 days of fasting until evening meal. Plant-based gluten free. No caffeine, alcohol, refined sugar, or chocolate. I also avoid soy. On a couple of occasions I’ve gone all the way through without evening meal making it around 48 hours in one go but this is rare and depends on not having people around who are alarmed by this. I’d like to do more, if only out of curiosity, as after a fast that long I start to feel ready for pretty much anything. And it’s easier to keeping going once you’re in the groove and feeling the benefits than it is to get started. But people get concerned I'll waste away so what’s to do? Anyway, I guess what I’m trying to say is that I always knew that one day I’d try a Ramadan-style fast. What I didn’t know is that my daughter would beat me to it. So on Monday when she decided to do it for a second day, I joined her. Verdict: It’s not that bad. After all those years of concern over the lack of liquids for so many hours (I drink a lot compared to most people), it just wasn’t that hard. I didn’t really feel that hungry or thirsty. It was quite revealing - just how much of a displacement activity eating and drinking is. I have never sat at my desk and focused for so long - no tea breaks, no toilet breaks, just working and not thinking too much about it. Coming home and not getting dinner ready immediately was also challenging as this is something I look forward to. By the time sunset at 20.57 arrived we had amused ourselves by preparing more food than we could eat and arranging it on the table beautifully. I was struggling after half a plate which doesn’t happen during my usual fasts. Admittedly, this would be a lot more difficult in a hot climate, or as a manual worker, and this is nothing on those who do this every year for a full 30 days, but it was an experience. And there are benefits to not drinking, as even water carries a certain energy which can be positive or negative depending on the source. When you consume nothing, you have your breath and nothing else. So now we know what our Turkish relatives experience every year, and will be prepared to join them if our visits coincide with Ramazan. And we’ll probably test ourselves a few more days before the current month is complete. In case you haven’t noticed, I highly recommend fasting. As long as you’re fit, healthy, not insulin diabetic, pregnant etc. it's a great practice with many benefits. It’s not to be confused with a health detox or diet as the attitude and goals are different although some of the benefits may overlap. Fasting as tapas (austerities) is to be carried out with a humble attitude and devotion for a spiritual purpose. Intermittent fasting for can also be used for weight management - you will reap many benefits from this as well, but it is good to be clear about your purpose before starting. If you’ve never tried it before, I’d recommend trying a 1-3 day fast with water and evening meal as described above. When I first started, I this I was still eating fish, dairy and wheat and still found it to be highly beneficial, so I wouldn't worry too much about the content of meal you use to break the fast as long as it's 'clean'. Give it a go, and see what changes in your life.
Two and a half weeks into what I'm calling my personal retreat. Fasting, simplifying, streamlining, grounding, forgiving. The healing is intense. We are letting go of violence and drama at a core level, embodying ahimsa. We are acknowledging the 'we' that we have remembered we are. We are finding peace and presence at a much deeper level, surrendering to what is. We are finding that we are ok. New and interesting questions are surfacing... What does the woman in me want? What do the women in me desire? Standing by the side of the lake looking out: I am complete I am enough I am compassion I am peaceful I am exploring myself as woman I am not looking at you though you are pretty - you will not distract me There is too much violent activity in you You are too worldly I am in love with me |
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Tantra Mataji | confidence - freedom - passion |