Mythology, Menstruation and the Land of Milk and Honey

 

I first became aware of the personal, cultural and religious significance of menstruation during my post-graduate research of the origins of male circumcision. Among other theories, the term “menstruation envy” – men’s desire to equal and imitate menstruation, creating parallel menstrual rituals - were suggested in studies of different cultures all over the world. This revelation was the opening to me to search for, and discover the Goddess. (First published in "Goddess Pages") Olympia The Temple of Hera at Olympia is thought to be by far the oldest and predates the temple of Zeus (470 BCE - completed circa 456 BCE). In fact the earliest Greek temple, according to Carl Kerényi, was that of Hera, and it was a prototype for the later, more "Olympian structures”. Hera’s first Temple - the Heraion of Samos - was a sanctuary on the Southern region of Samos. Research has revealed many of construction phases, the first dating to the 8th century BCE. The religion of Hera included menstrual rituals to follow the cycles of the moon and every four years the Goddess Hera was celebrated at the games & feast of the Heraia, where only women ran races. Runners were selected from three age groups representing the phases of the moon. These special games, Carl Kerényi believes, originated what became the Olympic Games. Pre-Olympian Myth: On the day of the new moon, women of the city walked together to the river Eleutherion (ελευθεριον - freedom) - the Water of Freedom. They bathed and then gathered branches from the lygos bushes, which they laid in a circle. With the blessing of Hera, the lygos encouraged the flow of their menstrual blood that would complete the cleansing. As evening approached, they called upon the Goddess in Her appearance as the Moon. Or as Carl Kerényi has called Her "the spellbinding moonlight of Greece", the "origin of all things". Gradually Hera drew forth the blood of purification and renewed fertility. ******** Working as a complementary therapist in London, I have seen a significant increase in the number of women seeking help for menstrual problems in the last few years. During the course of treatments, I have time and again observed an overwhelming need to talk in detail about the physical and emotional experience of menstruation, as if there was an unstoppable desire to make it a shared experience. Having read Comparative Religion at post-graduate level, I often see these occasions as an opportunity to recall the history of the Goddess as Her origin relates inextricably to the rituals and mythology of menstruation. Clients find these sessions especially healing, but Her story has not only engendered amazement, but often rage – anger, that this rich heritage is not in the public domain and is missing from general culture and awareness. During treatments, these conversations have repeatedly developed into integral part of some sessions, leading to requests to give talks on the history of the Goddess as it relates to menstruation. Consequently I have returned to the library of the University of London, my alma mater, to have another look at the literature and some of the archaeological, historical and etymological sources on this topic. The Moon   The phases of the Moon affect the ebb and flow of the tides on earth. The Moon also affects our mood as well. The gravitational pull of the Moon affects all bodies of water, including the human body system, primarily made of water. Most commonly, women tend to ovulate around the time of the full moon and begin menstruating just before or around the new moon. Many cultures throughout time have referred to a woman's menses as her "Moon time". From ancient times people recognized the connection of the Moon’s cyclic nature with the cyclic nature of women's menstrual cycles. Many creation myths follow the familiar theme that menstrual blood was the source, from which the World and humans were created. Greek, Roman, Norse, Celtic, Egyptian, Hindu and aboriginal Australian creation myths, all refer to the mysterious and sacred nature of the Moon's cycle and menstrual blood-flow as the very origin of life and Creation. While Genesis, the most familiar creation story to the Western mind, in the Bible does not appear to echo this premise - God creating Earth simply from chaos and later forming the first man, Adam from earth, breathing soul into him. A closer examination of the original Hebrew text, however appears to reflect earlier creation myths that place a kind of primordial blood as the fundamental source of creation. Thus an examination of the Hebrew reveal that words for earth - adamah - and human/man – adam - can be traced to the actual root word: dam meaning blood. It is also important to note that unlike English, in the Hebrew language nouns are divided into feminine and masculine gender and interestingly both words (mother) earth (adamah) and soul(nefesh) are in the feminine gender. Researching and analysing this theme from entirely diverse backgrounds, Chris Knight , Judy Grahn , as well as authors of  ‘The Wise Wound’ and others, in their writings on different cultures and world mythologies, have shown that all religious ceremonies, rites originated from ancient menstrual rituals. Menstrual blood was considered by the earliest cultures to be one of the most sacred substances since it is the only kind of blood that's not linked to death and dying – but to the potential for new life. In ancient times, the obvious and visible relationship between phases of the Moon and the female cycle clearly indicated women’s special relationship with nature generally and uniquely with the Moon. It has been suggested that the very first religious rituals developed, when in harmony with nature, as the New Moon menstrual synchrony was celebrated in small communities by women. In various cultures the Moon became the symbol of menstruation and femininity. This is again reflected in language: in Latin languages - luna and once more in Hebrew - levanah, one of the expressions for moon is feminine. Wisdom A woman's cyclical life opens her to a vast elemental force that is both deeply intimate and at the same time cosmic; euphoric, creative, erotic and healing. She can enter the depth of this sphere monthly at menstruation and the menstrual cycle is itself can be the guidance for fully understanding and realizing this power, writes Alexandra Pope in the “Wild Genie”. For our ancestors this power reflected the rhythms of Mother Earth as the female body is also able to renew, nurture, give birth, nourish and feed new life. For early humans it seemed that it is by design that the menstrual blood, the only blood that is not the result of illness or violence, holds the blessing and wisdom of Goddess Earth and each and every woman carry within herself HER wisdom and blessing. The negative patriarchal attitudes to the Goddess, menstruation and women generally during the last 5,000 years are well documented today. Yet it is significant that in ancient Greece the Goddess Athena remained the representative of “Wisdom”. Later with the emergence of Christianity the very name Sophia, meaning “wisdom”, perpetuated this link between female blood and wisdom. In the English language the words “blood” and “blessing” has been traced back to a common root: bleodswean - “to sanctify with blood” - according to The Woman's Encyclopaedia of Myths and Secrets. Here, Barbara Walker suggests that the word has its origin in menstrual rituals. The Kabbalah teaches us the Scriptures are full of alluded meanings. So it should not come as a surprise that the Hebrew word for blessing - berachah - is feminine. Moreover, in Hebrew, words that represent wisdom - hochmah, insight - binah, knowledge – daat, are all feminine. Healing Menstrual blood was not only seen as fundamental and central part of ritual, and perhaps magic. It was also widely viewed as a universal elixir of life. Ancient Taoist teachings imply that a person consuming it, could achieve longevity or even eternal life. Ayurvedic medical practices recorded the use of menstrual blood, and in the past it could be prescribed, both for internal and external use. In Olympia the life of the Gods depended on ambrosia: the mixture of the Goddess Hera’s menstrual blood and honey ensuring their immortality. As well as the Moon, honey was also associated and used as a synonym for menstrual blood in many cultures. The word “honeymoon", according to The Woman's Encyclopaedia, refers to the lunar month following the wedding that would include a menstrual period, the real source of what was euphemistically called moon-honey. According to ancient beliefs, the groom had to be literally in contact with the source of life; the menstrual blood of the bride. There are similar expressions today in different languages. The Hungarian language has comparable traditions, calling this time mézeshetek - “honeyed weeks”. Milk and honey In popular thinking, the Jews of the Hebrew Bible shared a common belief system, ruled by a male God. The evidence from the Bible itself paints a different picture. Raphael Patai, the noted Biblical scholar and author of The Hebrew Goddess states: "... it would be strange if the Hebrew-Jewish religion, which flourished for centuries in a region of intensive goddess cults, had remained immune to them." Archaeologists have uncovered Hebrew settlements where the goddesses Asherah and Astarte-Anath were routinely worshipped. And in fact, for about 3,000 years, the Hebrews worshipped female deities. The enduring presence of the feminine facet of God, the female deity, Sechina, in the Hebrew Bible also backs up Patai’s thesis. This is supported by evidence from wall paintings in the earliest known synagogue - built in the middle of the 3rd century CE at Dura Europos (in present day Syria). In the most sacred area of the building, the heroic women of the Old Testament are portrayed on the murals. Only one central figure is shown nude on the frescos. Raphael Patai, relying on early rabbinic literature, the Midrash, convincingly presents a case that the naked female figure is God’s female aspect - the Shechina. The eternally present, but never actually revealed divine feminine, never ceases to permeate the language - lashon, soul - nefesh and land – eretz, of the Hebrew Scriptures. Can it be just a coincidence that these words are all feminine? It is universally known that in Judaism, contact with menstrual blood is not permitted and consuming any kind of blood is forbidden as blood is believed to contain the (feminine) nefesh - soul (Leviticus 17: 14). The Kabbalah points out however that, after giving birth, the mother’s body transforms menstrual blood, to life-giving milk to feed the baby. The familiar biblical phrase in Deuteronomy (11:9) “A land flows with milk and honey” - 'eretz zavat halav udvash’ - appears several times in the Bible, and serves as the description of the land of Israel. This phrase can be understood at many levels. The simple meaning is - a rich and fertile land. In Numbers (13:23), we read that the scouts return with pomegranates, figs and grapes as a confirmation that it is a land 'flowing with milk and honey'. Here, repeatedly, the reader comes across an imagery of the feminine that was widespread in the ancient world. Pomegranates were a universal symbol of fertility because of their many seeds, and at the same time of menstruation because of the vivid blood red colour. In mythology, the pomegranate was a symbol of the Aegean Triple Goddess who evolved into Hera, who is often represented offering the pomegranate. The fig in early and oriental cultures was similarly a symbol of the feminine and fertility. In ancient Rome, where Hera has evolved to Juno, She was celebrated as Goddess of the wild fig tree. Ancient rabbinic literature also records discussions among the sages, suggesting that the “forbidden fruit” of the ‘tree of knowledge’ in the Garden of Eden was either the fig or the pomegranate that has given Adam and Eve sexual knowledge. It is difficult not to notice the rich sexual and clearly menstrual imagery here. The fact that milk and honey are both considered feminine substances, literally or symbolically, strengthens this argument. Additionally the word 'zavat' , which is translated as ‘flowing’ or 'oozing' , usually appears in the Bible within the context of sexual and body fluids, including semen and menstrual blood. There is further evidence to support this interpretation of the feminine. The sexual imagery of the Bible in King Solomon’s poetry uses similar expressions. In the Song of Songs (4:11), we read: 'milk and honey are under your tongue’. Later (5:1) the erotic imagery of the feminine or even menstrual, seems even more explicit: “I have come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh, with my spice; I have eaten my honey-comb with my honey; I have drank my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yes, drink abundantly, O beloved.” Searching for an additional layer of meaning, when exploring the word “honey” again the Kabbalah puts forward an effortless but compelling argument, simply by using numerology - gematria, the study of the numerical value of Hebrew letters to reveal hidden meanings of words of the Bible. It draws attention to the fact that the value of the letters in the word dvash - honey and the word isha - woman is equal. The numerical value in both words is 306. 3+0+6=9. Once again the timeless, pre-Olympian Hera comes to mind, Goddess of fecundity, renewing her fertility in the river at the new moon, revealing Her sacred number - 9. ©André Zsigmond References: Kerényi, C (1975) Zeus and Hera: Archetypal Image of Father, Husband and Wife , Princeton University Press Patai, R (1990) The Hebrew Goddess , (3rd enlarged edition) Wayne State University Press Knight, C (1988) Menstrual Synchrony and the Australian Rainbow Snake, In T. Buckley and A. Gottlieb (eds), Blood Magic: The Anthropology of Menstruation , California: University of California Press Grahn, J (1993) Blood, Bread, and Roses: How Menstruation Created the World, Boston: Beacon Press Shuttle, P; Redgrove, P (2005) The Wise Wound, London: Marion Boyars Publishers Pope, A (2001) The Wild Genie: The Healing Power of Menstruation, Sally Milner Publishing Walker, B (1983) The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets , HarperSanFrancisco

THE 50 MILLION MISSING: A Campaign Against India's Female Genocide

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjOasB4yUtI&feature=player_detailpage

http://www.causes.com/causes/74219-the-50-million-missing-a-campaign-against-india-s-female-genocide

Childhood abuse may stunt growth of part of brain involved in emotions

Many women and men who have been subjected to severe physical or sexual abuse during childhood suffer from long-term psychological and emotional disturbances. They may be invaded by nightmares and flashbacks, or conversely, may freeze into benumbed calm in situations of extreme stress. Recent studies find that survivors of child abuse may also have a smaller hippocampus relative to control subjects. If substantiated, the discovery could fill out the profile of an abuse survivor and help define what constitutes abuse.

The amygdala and the hippocampus are part of the limbic system. A study by Teicher et al. (1993) found a 38% increased rate of limbic abnormalities ('emotional brain') following physical abuse, 49% after sexual abuse.


Being sexually or emotionally abused as a child can affect the development of a part of the brain that controls memory and the regulation of emotions, a study suggests. Three key areas of the hippocampus in the brain were smaller in people who reported maltreatment in childhood.

The results add to the growing body of evidence that childhood maltreatment or abuse raises the risk of mental illnesses such as depression, personality disorders and anxiety well into adulthood.

Martin Teicher of the department of psychiatry at Harvard University scanned the brains of almost 200 people who had been questioned about any instances of abuse or stress during childhood. He found that the volumes of three important areas of the hippocampus were reduced by up to 6.5% in people exposed to several instances of maltreatment – such as physical or verbal abuse from parents – in their early years.

"The exquisite vulnerability of the hippocampus to the ravages of stress is one of the key translational neuroscience discoveries of the 20th century," wrote Teicher in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

India: No country for women?

Every 25 minutes a woman is raped in India !

20 women killed every day for dowry !

I have never envisaged a debate on Indian television suggesting that in India, the birthplace of Tantra, the home of the Dalai Lama, etc - India: No country for women http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/ndtv-special-ndtv-24x7/india-no-country-for-women/238869 http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/news/fromndtv/238869

The Body in Psychotherapy - a "touching" letter from 'C'

"Hi Andre,

Now I have had some time to reflect on our afternoon I could probably look you in the eye again!

It was a liberating experience. Im not sure what I was expecting but I enjoyed it, afterwards I felt really good. I had been going through a bad time but whatever you did really helped, I felt much more centred and happy.

Until now I had never thought about my formative years in terms of touch before. I only knew the abusive kind I guess... :(

I'm aware most childhoods are dysfunctional and mine's no different. Since you asked, and perhaps in a way this may explain some of my reluctance to let go; Im a girl with daddy issues! ...my father left my mother when I was very young not to return. After 18 months old my mother only ever fed me bread and water, as a consequence I have a severely limited diet and food problems today, although somewhat improved. I had a non-relationship with my stepfather. They had two daughters but I remained out-cast and used as a childminder. Soon after I made bad relationship and life choices involving sexual/physical abuse some of which I experienced while underage with my stepfathers friend... The first 20 years sucked!

 

 

... I thought as sexually open as I am I would be fine...However Ive come to the conclusion that there is no hiding here, what I experienced was authentic and real and all the while I can keep up with the best of them, truly surrendering is another thing all together... Thank you for your time, Tantra is definitely something I want to explore :)

I also need to return your umbrella!

Regards,

C "

Tantra, The Kama Sutra & the Song of Songs - שִׁיר הַשִּׁירִים: a comparison

Rape, Murder and Misogyny - The Real Revelations of the Kama Sutra 

“The following women are not suitable as lovers: A leper, a lunatic, an older woman, a woman ostracized by her caste..., a woman who is too black...” 

 Kama Sutra of Vātsyāyana (Part One, Ch:5)

  “I am black and beautiful, O daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Cedar, as the curtains of Solomon.” 
 The Song of Songs (1:5)

“How beautiful your sandaled feet...

Your graceful legs are like jewels, the work of an artist’s hands.

Your navel /vulva is a rounded goblet that never lacks blended wine

 Your waist is a mound of wheat encircled by lilies.

Your breasts are like two fawns, like twin fawns of a gazelle

Your neck is like an ivory tower

 Your eyes are the pools of Heshbon

 by the gate of Bath Rabbim. Your nose ...

Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel

 Your hair is like royal tapestry;

 the king is held captive by its tresses.

 How beautiful you are and how pleasing,

 my love, with your delights! Your stature is like that of the palm...”   (Song of Songs 7:1-7)

Read more: http://www.goddess-pages.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=807&Itemid=1&ed=25#ixzz2YSURZAaU

Girl Beheaded by Father in Goddess- loving India

AN INDIAN father has cut off his daughter's head and paraded it around his village after becoming enraged over her “promiscuity”.   Full story: the Telegraph

Ancient Tantric Goddess Worship - Past and Present

‘‘Women are heaven,women are dharma (truth); women are the supreme fire of transformation.
Women are Buddha; women are the sangha (community); women are the Perfection of Wisdom...”
(Candamaharosana-tantra, circa 8th century CE)

...in the birthplace of Tantra, ancient India, women occupied a very important position, in fact a superior position to men. It was a culture whose word for strength and power is "Shakti'', the embodiment of the goddess, meaning "power'' and "strength.''

Today however the position of women in India seems to be very different and it appears that women have little to celebrate, as observations made by Osho over 30 years ago, come to mind:

“The women of India are living in utter slavery; their slavery is doubled.”¹

Still, it came as a surprise, when last year an independent study placed India among the top five countries in the world, as the worst place for women to live and survive,² for several reasons.

A spate of exceptionally brutal rapes of “untouchable”, Dalit women shocked India last year.³ The country is also ranked as particularly dangerous because of high levels of female infanticide. This practice has a long history in India: because of the widespread cultural preference for sons, many baby girls used to be killed soon after birth and today female foeticide - the sex-selective abortion of girls - has led to an alarming "gender gap" in the country’s population.

Moreover, India has been ranked the fourth worst country in the world for women in view of the fact that, in spite of legislation making dowry illegal, dowry demands still result in an estimated 25,000 dowry deaths/murders of women a year. Similarly, although new law now gives India's 45 million or so widows better protection, long-established social custom still rules out remarriage. Prevailing superstition throughout India links a widow - and even holds her responsible for - the death of her husband. Blamed for the fate of their husbands, they are culturally ostracized, socially marginalized. Traumatized by their personal loss, they are twice discriminated: as women and as widows. Domestic violence also affects a wide section of Indian society.⁴

Tradition still prevails with continued intolerance against menstruating women. During menstruation, women are considered to belong to the lowest caste, Shudra, and are thus prohibited from entering and worshipping in Hindu temples, with notices on temples reminding menstruating women not to enter.

Hindu religious authorities continue to debate if women are suitable to chant the Gayatri Mantra. It is believed that this mantra is one the most powerful mantras in Hinduism, which when chanted accurately will bestow strength, knowledge, bliss, right path, courage, success and glory. Traditionally women are banned from reciting it. Paradoxically, Goddess Gayatri is the personification of the mantra as she is considered the Veda Mata, the mother of all Vedas. So the prohibition on women is astonishing... 

Read full article: Ancient Tantric Goddess Worship - Past and Present

Are you this woman?

“Woman is the Creator of the Universe, the Universe is her form.
Woman is the foundation of the world....

There is no prayer equal to a woman,

There is not, nor has been, nor will be any yoga to compare with a woman,

no mystical formula nor asceticism to match a woman” (Shakti-Sangama Tantra II.52)

 “A man should meditate upon his female companion

As an embodiment of your [Vajrayogini’s] form,

Until intense practice produces

Clear, direct vision...

He should continuously worship Vajrayogini…

With palms pressed together.

He should gaze, touch and contemplate [her]…

Physically if he can, or mentally and verbally if he cannot…

I am identical to the bodies of all women, and

There is no way that I can be worshipped

Except by the worship of women…

 

 

Women are heaven, women are dharma (truth); women are the supreme fire of transformation. Women are Buddha; women are the sangha (community); women are the Perfection of Wisdom...”

(Candamaharosana-tantra, circa 8th century CE)

Are you this woman?  

Knowing or not, every woman has the potential to become a Goddess.  Tantra and tantric bodywork is potentially the best pathway to help a woman in the quest to reclaim her unique perfect divine femine self and regain her  status as a Goddess.

To phrase it differently - tantra challenges a woman to recognise her own divinity, while it requires a man to purify his vision and approach women with a deferential behaviour...

Female orgasm strenght - Theta healing

"When an orgasm has been achieved through sex, you can measure theta waves. These are also said to cause the "running high" feeling of euphoria experienced sometimes by marathon runners. If theta waves are taken as a criterion, the entire brain emits theta waves when women reach an orgasm that are close on 10 times stronger than when men climax. So, if theta waves are an indication of an orgasm's strength, then women experience an orgasm that is physically impossible for men to go through. Putting it a little crudely, if the intensity of a woman's orgasm was played through a man's brain, there's a danger that the shock to his system would kill him. That risk makes it impossible to experiment on a man at the moment." (Research by  Dr. Kunio Kitamura )

An obvious question arises: Can these Theta waves contribute to healing?

According to Tao, a brief burst of explosive energy occurs when a man or woman reaches orgasm. Western science has already established that, at the point of sexual orgasm, human brain wave patterns alter radically, literally putting the person into an 'altered state of consciousness'. Profound physiological and electrical changes occur throughout the system during orgasm, and a burst of energy is indeed emitted. Partners may absorb one another's burst of sexual energy at the moment of orgasm by following some guidelines:

·         Hug your partner tightly and maintain maximum surface contact between your skins. At orgasm, the entire body radiates energy from its surface contact.

·         Press and rub the public regions closely together. The biggest burst of sexual energy during orgasm naturally occurs in the region of the 'Sea Of Energy' (chee-hai), located below the navel

Women's Sexual Satisfaction Often Rises With Age: Study

Sexual satisfaction increases with age among sexually active older women, according to a new study. The study included 806 older women who live in a planned community in the San Diego area and whose health has been tracked for 40 years. The study participants' average age was 67 years and 63 percent of them were postmenopausal. "Despite a correlation between sexual desire and other sexual function domains, only one in five sexually active women reported high sexual desire," lead investigator Dr. Elizabeth Barrett-Connor, chief of the division of epidemiology at the UCSD School of Medicine, said in a journal news release.

 "Approximately half of the women aged 80 years or more reported arousal, lubrication and orgasm most of the time, but rarely reported sexual desire. In contrast with traditional linear model in which desire precedes sex, these results suggest that women engage in sexual activity for multiple reasons, which may include affirmation or sustenance of a relationship," Barrett-Connor said. Sixty-one percent of the women in the study were satisfied with their overall sex life, regardless of whether they had a partner or were sexually active.

 Older age is considered a predictor of low sexual satisfaction, but the percentage of sexually satisfied women in the study actually increased with age. About half the women older than 80 reported sexual satisfaction almost always or always. Not only were the oldest women the most sexually satisfied overall, the oldest women who were sexually active had orgasm satisfaction rates similar to those of the youngest women.

 "In this study, sexual activity was not always necessary for sexual satisfaction. Those who were not sexually active may have achieved sexual satisfaction through touching, caressing, or other intimacies developed over the course of a long relationship," first author Dr. Susan Trompeter, an associate clinical professor in the division of general internal medicine at UCSD School of Medicine, and a staff physician at the VA San Diego Healthcare System, said in the news release.

 "Emotional and physical closeness to the partner may be more important than experiencing orgasm. A more positive approach to female sexual health focusing on sexual satisfaction may be more beneficial to women than a focus limited to female sexual activity or dysfunction," Trompeter concluded.

SOURCE: The American Journal of Medicine, news release, Jan. 3, 2012

Om Mani Padme Hum

A devoted meditator, after years concentrating on a particular mantra, had attained enough insight to begin teaching. The student's humility was far from perfect, but the teachers at the monastery were not worried. A few years of successful teaching left the meditator with no thoughts about learning from anyone; but upon hearing about a famous hermit living nearby, the opportunity was too exciting to be passed up.  

The hermit lived alone on an island at the middle of a lake, so the meditator hired a man with a boat to row across to the island. The meditator was very respectful of the old hermit. As they shared some tea made with herbs the meditator asked him about his spiritual practice. The old man said he had no spiritual practice, except for a mantra which he repeated all the time to himself. The meditator was pleased: the hermit was using the same mantra he used himself -- but when the hermit spoke the mantra aloud, the meditator was horrified!

"What's wrong?" asked the hermit.

"I don't know what to say. I'm afraid you've wasted your whole life! You are pronouncing the mantra incorrectly!"

"Oh, Dear! That is terrible. How should I say it?"

The meditator gave the correct pronunciation, and the old hermit was very grateful, asking to be left alone so he could get started right away. On the way back across the lake the meditator, now confirmed as an accomplished teacher, was pondering the sad fate of the hermit.

"It's so fortunate that I came along. At least he will have a little time to practice correctly before he dies."
Just then, the meditator noticed that the boatman was looking quite shocked, and turned to see the hermit standing respectfully on the water, next to the boat.

"Excuse me, please. I hate to bother you, but I've forgotten the correct pronunciation again. Would you please repeat it for me?"

"You obviously don't need it," stammered the meditator; but the old man persisted in his polite request until the meditator relented and told him again the way he thought the mantra should be pronounced.

The old hermit was saying the mantra very carefully, slowly, over and over, as he walked across the surface of the water back to the island.

Authentic Tantric Massage for Women

In tantric bodywork, the entire body is first lovingly massaged - deeply, and therapeutically. This is the way you’ve always longed to be touched, but never believed that this kind of touch had really existed.

The therapist has no personal needs whatsoever, and he is not doing it to meet his own sexual needs. His joy is tuning in to you and the flow of your energy. Suddenly you find yourself unable to distinguish between body parts - you’ve been experiencing a gradual progression in the massage, which feels absolutely right and natural as every part of your body awakened. He isn’t asking anything from you – you’re not expected to reciprocate in any way, other than to soften and receive any pleasure that happens. He knows how to touch and when hold you, when to stop and do absolutely nothing. He remains still, resting, gently tapping in to an energy and transmitting it back into the core of your body.

This is an honoring, loving full body massage, in which every part of the body is held, massaged, explored and healed. Feelings of repressed sexuality and traumas, as well as low self-esteem, poor body image, (eg. due to abuse, disability, radical breast surgery, etc.) can be treated and healed. You will emerge with a new-found confidence. All the receiver has to do is just relax into the moment and enjoy the healing, the energy shifts. Tantric massage, given with the right intentions, never leaves the person feeling lonely, or empty. It doesn’t try and manipulate, or please. It is profound, emotional and spiritual and heals on a cellular level. The therapist has to be exceptionally experienced, sensitive, confident, with a great degree of emotionally intelligence.

In tantric massage. the empathic presence of a male therapist is in itself a reparative relationship, particularly where there is a history of abuse or traumatic sexual experience, where the quality of the masculine presence creates safety. In this safe space healing can happen.

Tantric Touch - the divine feminine

From its inception, Tantra was radical as it challenged the Indian caste system by its inclusiveness. Moreover, by honoring women, Tantra highlights the female aspect of divinity as integral to the creative/sexual life force. In fact original, authentic Tantra is the worship and cult of the feminine . Tantra is not about separation and limiting life through boundaries. Rather, it is about challenging those boundaries and the accepted social mores.

"Constantly take refuge at my feet, my dear…
Be gracious, beloved, and
Give me pleasure with your diamond scepter.
Look at my three-petaled lotus,
Its center adorned with a stamen.
It is a Buddha paradise, adorned with a red Buddha,
A cosmic mother who bestows
Bliss and tranquility on the passionate.
Abandon all conceptual thought and
Unite with my reclining form;
Place my feet upon your shoulders and look me up and down.
Make the fully awakened scepter
Enter the opening in the center of the lotus.
Move a hundred,thousand,hundred thousand times
In my three-petaled lotus of swollen flesh.
Placing one’s scepter there, offer pleasure to her mind.
Wind, inner wind-my lotus is the unexcelled!
Aroused by the tip of the diamond scepter,
It is red like a bandhuka flower.
...he (man) sees the woman as a goddess
The woman [sees] the man as a god.
By joining the diamond scepter and lotus,
They should make offerings to each other. There is no worship apart from this."
 Candamaharosana-tantra

From the book: Renowned Goddess of Desire:Women, Sex, and Speech in Tantra

“Together with a woman, there (he should) reflect (on the mantra or practice); the two of them together in this way (they do) worship. Without a woman, the practitioner cannot perfect (the mantra) at all. he should mentally evoke (the mantra) together with a woman and together with her, he should offer into the sacrificial fire as well. Without her the practitioner cannot perfect (the mantra) at all. Women are gods; women are the life-breath.”

Celestial Musician Tantra

Desire for Enlightenment and the Feminine in Early Buddhist Myth

The mantra: Om mani padme hum¹, is regarded as one of the most important in Buddhism.^* Volumes have been written by monks and religious leaders throughout the centuries about it, without ever revealing the true meaning of the mantra.

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The human soul has a unique experience with sexuality, perceived within the body. No religion or holy men can replace and occupy our individual human experience of sexuality. The experience is an overwhelming spiritual and physical experience; it needs no bizarre belief system. At the same time the experience is ecstatic and unique between two people. Because of the intimate nature of the sacred and seemingly secret sexuality of humans, a lot of confusion has taken place. This has resulted in euphemisms or nebulous symbols and expressions of sexuality instead of clear speech or words. Thus, since ancient times, people have expressed their joy in the bliss of sexuality in symbols, myths and imagery that are universally recognisable metaphors.

In light of the above it is worth looking at the mantra that the Dalai Lama considers one of the most important in Tibetan Buddhism. The mantra Om mani padme hum originates from ancient Tantric tradition, which has always celebrated female sexuality and the sexual union between the Goddess and Her Divine Consort. The literal translation of the word mani is jewel, the traditional term for the lingam - the male sexual organ. The word padme (lotus flower), is universally known in eastern cultures as the word for the yoni, symbolizing the vulva - the female principle of the sexual union.

There can be little doubt that the original meaning of Om mani padme hum - Hail, the jewel in the lotus - refers to the high esteem in which the harmony of sexual union of male and female was held - fundamental to tantric thought and religious rituals that pre-date Buddhism by thousands of years.

 It is very revealing however, that his holiness the Dalai Lama, who is generally seen as the epitome of humanity and kindness, and who for many people represents true and authentic Buddhism, chooses to interpret this important mantra entirely stripped and deprived of its original meaning: "...Thus the six syllables, OM MANI PADME HUM, mean that in dependence on the practice which is in indivisible union of method and wisdom, you can transform your impure body, speech and mind into the pure body, speech, and mind of a Buddha…”
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Tantric Bodywork

Tantric bodywork teaches us that tantra is where men and women feel worthy of nothing but the best...

...where women understand, by example and accept the gentle teachings their own bodies.

...where men understand how to love and honour women and are loved and adored in return.

...where people aspire to excellence in their sexuality and love relationships, expand and enhance their feelings about sexuality and their sensual nature.

Religious and social conditioning has and is still depriving women of their birthright, to embrace fully their radiant sensuality. Part of the problem is that we live in a culture which worships male energy which has led women who are struggling for recognition, to act in a masculine way disconnecting from the power of their female energy. The power of the feminine is not acknowledged and unconsciously even feared. Women have been driven away from their own bodies and sexuality and often fail to recognise and articulate their own needs, desires, creativity and sensual nature.

The fact is, that we all suffer, men and women, if women feel cut off from important aspects of their internal creative lives and sensuality. Because if aspects of the creative feminine appear inaccessible to women, then this unique feminine creativity is not available to men either and this is a double tragedy.

In tantric bodywork, the entire body is first lovingly massaged - deeply and therapeutically. This is the way you’ve always longed to be touched, but never really believed that this kind of touch had really existed.

This is an honouring, loving, full body massage, in which every part of the body is touched, held, massaged and healed. Feelings of repressed sexuality, traumas, low self-esteem, poor body image, (e.g.: due to abuse, disability, radical breast surgery, etc.) can be treated and healed. You will emerge with a new-found confidence. All the receiver has to do is just relax into the moment and enjoy the healing, the energy shifts. Tantric bodywork, given with the right intentions, never leaves the person feeling lonely, or empty.

 

Here the empathic presence of a male therapist is in itself a reparative relationship, particularly where there is a history of abuse or traumatic sexual experience, where the quality of the masculine presence creates safety. In this safe space healing can happen.

In Conversation - Menstruation, Tantra, Neo-Tantra

... Jane wanted to be reassured, that the session would NOT include meditation, breath-work or intimacy exercises. During the past 2 years, she has spent over a thousand pounds on workshops retreats - angry and fed up with, what she called the "tantra industry" in England, having read books on authentic, original Tantra.

It is true that fundamental aspects of ancient tantra, relating women, remain taboo subjects. Menstruation and menstrual blood has occupied a central place in tantric practice and ritual. This is hardly ever mentioned today, yet just by talking about it, menstrual mythology and iconography for women (and men) can be a liberating, empowering, and healing experience.  (Particularly, as in our culture a negative view of menstruation, social and religious conditioning has left a deep scar on women's psyche and body image.)
   

‘‘Blood is the female (Vama) elixir. Mixed with wine and semen, it is the Absolute.’’

‘‘Sri Sankara said: The first menses appearing in a woman who has lost her virginity is Svayambhu blood. In a maiden born of a married woman and begotten by another man, that which arises is Kunda menses, the substance causing the granting of any desire. Devesi, a maiden begotten by a widow gives rise to Gola menses, which subdues gods. The menses arising in the first period after a virgin becomes a married woman is the all bewildering Svapushpa.’’
‘‘A brahmin goes to heaven by endless washing of the feet and mouth, whereas a person repeatedly making a forehead mark of Kunda, Gola or Udbhava menses destroys various ailments such as leprosy and smallpox and is free from all disease in the same way that a serpent sloughs its skin.’’

Menstruating Dakini

Tantric Massage at the Full Moon Yesterday

Nothing is more transgressive, than the playful unbounded pleasure a woman may take in her own body. Yesterday, during a tantric massage session I have witnessed again, how women's desire have been repressed, as "S" was describing how she has been driven away from her own body, sexuality and nature by emotional abuse and violence.  

Yesterday, as I was holding "S",  she was taking back the power of pleasure, rejoicing in ecstasy,  in tears, blood and moisture. 

The passion and sexuality of women is not essentialist, not bound by taboo, not dependent on the phallus. It is multiple, oceanic, inexhaustible.  Taking pleasure in their own bodies, in what is cyclical, recurring, wet, luscious and irreducible power of the erotic, the liberation of surrender. As a man being part of it and actually bearing witness to this liberation in tantric massage, is a unique experience...