Published: 124 days ago [ submited by Avi Answers ]
Today is a holiday weekend, so of course, people are swarming to the shop.
-A group of young girls walk in. As I ask to see their IDs, some try to hand me credit cards to prove that they are over 18. When I deny this as a verification of age, they whine and say they have never been carded before. I explain to them that you can’t go into a bar without an ID, just like you can’t come into a sex shop. The two without IDs decide to stand at the entrance to wait. I have to explain to them that they cannot be in here at all, since it is the law. They glared and walked out. I am in awe of how many people do not carry forms of ID.
-A man comes in and starts questioning me about where our vibrators come from and whether or not I can prove that they were not made in Chinese sweatshops. I explain to him that most companies use parts from China, though some like Vibratex (Japan) and FunFactory (Germany) are made in other places. He does not buy anything, but asks my name.
-A woman who came in the week before brings in one of her friends to show around. She thinks my name is “Angel” and refers to me as that even when I correct her.
-A woman swings around her laughing infant daughter and tells us that thanks to stores like this she is a mother.
-A young woman comes up to the counter talking loudly on her cell phone. This is a pet peeve of mine, I find it rude. She places a vibrator on the counter so I ask her loudly and clearly if she would like batteries for her toy. She blushes and tells the other person that she’ll call them back and then apologizes to me for being rude. Oh! A sensible person! Hooray!
-A bald man comes in and tells us stories about his transsexual friends using sex toys. While making a purchase he tells me he is a masseuse and then asks if we still give discounts for sex workers since he also does erotic massage. As I give him the discount, he whips out his phone and shows me pictures of him in dominating poses dressed as a female that strongly resembles Snooki. He then runs off to meet a client.
-A woman comes in thinking we are a furniture store. She tries to offer me money for the lamp in the window.
Published: 124 days ago [ submited by Dakini Bliss ]
Two young female clients were discussing the ABC’s of dattng and male-feamle etiquette in the 21st century. The topic of rejection arose.
Karen: ”How can an introverted 25-year-old woman get better at telling a man she is not interested in his advances. Why is it so damn hard for me to deliver a clear “No”. Recently, an older male co-worker developed quite an interest me. But I didn’t feel the same way about him at all. in fact, I have been in a fantastic relationship with my boyfriend for the last three years. Nevertheless, I was surprised at how difficult it was for me to be totally upfront about my disinterest in this relatively harmless guy. I worry about how I would react in a dangerous situation, like if I am cornered by a threatening male in a secluded area at night. This has been a wake-up call that I need to be more assertive with men for my own good.”
Lise: Yes, I know what it’s like to not want to upset people. Although I’ve become more confrontational over the years, I had to teach myself this behaviour. I used to be a real people pleaser. In fact, rejecting men was my least liked confrontational scenario. I forced myself to stop this compulsion to please because I began to realize that I don’t owe anyone anything. And any man who does take offence clearly doesn’t deserve my consideration anyway. I’ve had experiences in which guys immediately back off without any fuss like mature adults, but I show less tolerance when they simply refuse to take a hint. Aggressive men to whom you repeatedly say “no” to no avail have no excuses. Their refusal to take a hint is just rude, ignorant behaviour. I dislike being a bitch, but sometimes, people make me WANT to be a bitch.
For instance, last year I was traveling across British Columbia with a friend. On Wednesday, my last night in Vancouver, we went out with a large group of close friends, acquaintances, and the inevitable hangers on. This loud, heavyset man in his late 40′s kept asking me when I was going to “crash” and if I wanted to leave with him,. I repeatedly said that I was not leaving my traveling companion behind and I wouldn’t be sleeping anyway as I had a 6 a.m. flight. Now, what I should have said is, ” I AM NOT INTERESTED IN YOU”, but I chose to save him the embarrassment since he wasn’t a total idiot. Besides, I thought I was being clear that I wasn’t going anywhere. Then, after I blurted out “By the way, I have a boyfriend” card (which I hate doing because I should be able to communicate disinterest without resorting to this playing this card), he said, “Hey, that’s cool. I have a girlfriend. So what? Let’s just have fun anyway.” And that’s when I just walked away. Twenty minutes later, when he tried to dirty dance with me yet again, I was so annoyed that I actually turned to him, threw up my hands, and shouted at the top of my lungs, “HEY, LISTEN UP…NO. NO. NO. N-O, NOOOOOO!!!!! DO YOU UNDERSTAND NOW?!”
He understood. And so did everyone else on the dance floor!
I hope this story serves as a source of inspiration. I doubt your co-worker is as dense as this dude. Next time you are confronted with a pushy man, just think of all the incidents in which you blamed yourself for being too introverted, then flip it around and consider that perhaps the guy in those situations was being totally unreasonable by ignoring your disinterest and discomfort. And perhaps this is reason enough for you to get angry instead of apologetic. Because given the opportunity, there will always be some men who have NO qualms about violating your personal space and poking you until you just give in. That’s not cool and it’s totally inappropriate! And you should treat these rude, aggressive men no differently than you would a stalker who is trying to convince you to jump into his black van on a dark alley at midnight.
Again, I don’t know what happened with your co-worker, but it sounds like he’s just some harmless guy who you didn’t want to hurt. However, keep in mind that normal, decent people will never hold your rejecting them against you. It happens to everyone and it’s not something you have to feel bad about.
Published: 124 days ago [ submited by Dakini Bliss ]
This picture depicts a Ceremonial worship procession for the goddess Inanna within the Eanna Temple Precinct of the City of Uruk.
“Inanna”, is the Sumerian goddess of sexual love, fertilit, and warfare. Her Akkadian / Babylonian counterpart is “Ishtar”. Along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers were shrines and temples dedicated to Inanna. The temple of Eanna, meaning “house of heaven” was the greatest of these, where sacred prostitution was practiced. In addition, according to the historian Leick, persons of asexual or hermaphroditic bodies and feminine men were particularly involved in the worship and ritual practices at Inanna’s temples. The god of this 4th-millennium city was probably originally “An”. After its dedication to Inanna, the temple housed priestesses of the goddess. The high priestess would choose young male lover who represented the shepherd Dumuzid, consort of Inanna, in a sacred marriage, celebrated during the annual New Year ceremony, at the spring Equinox.
Dakini Bliss is an Ottawa-Based Tantric Massage Practitioner. You can call her at 613 878-8179 or email her at thetantrictouch@gmail.com
The word tantra evokes many different emotions for people; many marvel at it, while others get anxious at the sound of it.
This stems from a misunderstanding of what tantra is about, and the fact that many people practice tantra in many different ways.
As an experienced tantric practitioner, healer and sex therapist, I help lift the intimate covers from what Tantra really means and how you can benefit from it.
Is tantra just a word for adventurous sex in challenging positions with weird breathing, or is there more to it? Together, will unravel the mystery of Sacred Sexuality.
In a Tantric Touch session, you will…
Learn five ways to connect deeper with your self;
Find out what tantra is really about;
how and what tantra can heal;
Learn three ways to connect deeper with your partner sexually;
Learn how to introduce tantra into your current loving relationship
Discover what the many health benefits of tantra are;
Does practicing tantra mean being in an open or monogamous relationship
Learn how to practice tantra when single;
Learn how to have a delicious expanded orgasm;
Learn how to develop trust and communication with tantra in your relationship;
Learn how to incorporate tantra into your daily life;
Learn how to enhance your tantra experience;
Discover the easy non-freaky way to eye-gaze;
Find out what to do next on your journey with tantra;
Men! Get ready to peak!
And More!
Dakini Bliss is an Ottawa-based Tantric practitioner. You can arrange an appointment by calling her at 613 878-8179. You may also email her for more information at thetantrictouch@gmail.com
Published: 125 days ago [ submited by Dakini Bliss ]
Osho was born as Rajneesh Chandra Mohan Jain on December 11, 1931. One of the most renowned as well as the most controversial spiritual leaders of India, Osho came across as a rebellious, intelligent individual. Osho received Enlightenment at age of 21. Then, he completed his graduation and post graduation. For a brief period in his life, he worked as a professor of philosophy. In 1964, he organized his first meditation camp, which marked the start of his spiritual journey. He passed from this world on January 19, 1990.
Osho Philosophy posits that awareness, love, meditation and laughter are the greatest values in life. Enlightenment is a normal state of being. However, human thought and emotional ties to societal expectations and the consequent fears that one experiences distracts them from attaining this normal state.
Osho on Meditation …Meditation is nothing that is to be taught or learnt, it is inherent in every human being.
Meditation is just to be, not doing anything…no action, no thought, no emotion.
Just being is what will yield pure happiness. Osho recognized that it is hard to just sit and meditate.
So, he devised special program called the Active Meditation Techniques.
Visiting Colorado? The Osho Leela Meditation Center offers daily meditations, therapy groups, and personal growth workshops aimed at creating the experience of Zorba and Buddha in each individual. They are situated in the heart of the Boulder and Denver area of Colorado at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.
The enlightened vision of Osho lies at the core of the spirit and mission of the Osho Leela Meditation Center. Osho is a mystic who brings the timeless wisdom of the East to bear on the urgent questions facing men and women today. He speaks of the search for harmony and wholeness that lies at the core of all religious and spiritual traditions, illuminating the essence of Christianity, Hassidism, Buddhism, Sufism, Tantra, Tao, Yoga, and Zen. Osho does not, however, promote a religion or any fixed ideology. He has said, “I am neither for anything, nor against anything. My whole approach is that you should find a deep, relaxed contentment with yourself and existence.” He has recommended meditation as the path to self realization, and devised many meditation methods suited to people of the west..
Osho Leela Meditation Center includes live music in Sunday satsangs, events, and discourse meditation.
The Center hosts several therapeutic and meditative therapy groups like the Osho Mystic Rose and the Path of Love Intensive. Once a year the Center offers a 21 day Dynamic Meditation Intensive, and there are often celebrations on Mahaparinirvana Day, Masters’ Day, and Osho’s Birthday. Daily Meditations are offered including Kundalini, Dynamic, and Satsang. Osho books, CDs, and DVDs are for sale in the Osho Store, as well as many music CDs from the world of Osho.
Jan 19 Never Born Never Died Celebration
Live Music & Video Discourse January 19th, 2012, 6.45 – 8:30 PM OSHO Never Born – Never Died Celebration
Compiled interviews with World Media Watch OSHO interacting with “newcomers” from the press in this special video for this Evening Meditation
OSHO Never Born – Never Died Celebration Watch OSHO interacting with “newcomers” from the press in this special video for this Evening Meditation
“My speaking is one of my devices for meditation. Speaking has never been used this way before; I speak not to give you a message, but to stop your mind functioning.” Osho
The mind is constantly talking. If the inner talk can drop even for a single moment, you can have a glimpse of no-mind. That’s what meditation is all about. - Osho
Published: 125 days ago [ submited by Dakini Bliss ]
Welcome to the Tantric Touch where we honour universal wisdom and create a space to be free by removing inhibitions….Dakini Bliss
http://www.thetantrictouch.com
Maituna makes it possible to spontaneously perceive our relationship with the Universe. The actual “technique” of lovemaking is not primarily important because here there is no result to attain. In this approach, man and woman are spontaneously on the path of self-discovery, without judging or expecting anything in advance, but living passionately, in the Here and Now.
Tantra celebrates life in the present moment, the Balance of Spirit and Nature and Seeing the Spiritual in the Sensual.
Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some people move our souls to dance. They awaken us to new understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom. Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon. They stay in our lives for awhile, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never the same.
I honor those who try to rid themselves of any lying, who empty the Self and have only clear being there.
~Rumi
Although most spiritual disciplines insist on evolving into higher states of consciousness by controlling or denying the senses and lower states of consciousness. Tantra teaches that you cannot experience complete personal and spiritual liberation while restricting a part of your being. Everything in life is about that dance. When rain falls upon the parched earth, that’s sex in a sense, creation, merging. When the wind blows through the trees, that’s merging. Everything in life is always dancing with the polarities, with the interchangeable energies. And so expanding your understanding of Tantra beyond the body can open up a world where you’re truly living in a very ecstatic state. And then you just become a dancer in that dance. And it doesn’t even matter how it turns out, the joy of dancing allows your heart to celebrate daily. Those who dance are considered insane by those who cannot hear the music. Above all, the goal of any Tantric experience is joy, happiness and laughter. So much in our world and our lives is so serious. We even take sex so seriously, being a good lover is so important, having bigger and better breasts, Lingams and orgasms is so vital.
Put away your pointless taboos and restrictions on sexual energy. Instead, help others to truly understand its wonder and beauty, as you let go and realize this freedon this incredible lightness of being. Honor the many sense-filled moments, this Blissful Tantric unity, that arises from a mind that is free Sex is more than a pleasurable activity. Rather, it’s an ability to feel breathtakingly close to another, so connected and comfortable that you feel you can’t take it. At this moment, you become a part of them. What’s the difference between Normal sex & Tantric sex? What is important on the Tantric journey is to be open, to share and mostly, to love. For love is a choice that we make, every moment of every day. Remember There is nothing to attain! There is no effort, goal or path. The only thing that requires some effort is to give up, to unlearn our prejudices about sexuality. After this has been done, TANTRA is what remains. Two naked, entwined bodies, leaping over time, they are invulnerable. Nothing can touch them as they return to Source. There is no you, no I, no tomorrow, no yesterday, no names, the truth of two in a single body, a single soul, oh total being . Straight away, remove yourself from the field of spiritual progression, stay away from contemplation and skillful discourse, do not research or meditate on the divinity. Stop concentrating and reciting texts! Tell me, what is the absolute nature of reality which allows no room for doubt? Listen carefully! Stop holding on to dogma, inhabit your true absolute nature, and peacefully enjoy the essence of what it is to be alive! Once Lord Rama asked Lord Hanumana the epitome of knowledge “Gyaaninanaagraganyam” Who are You? ” O my master As the Son of AnJani (body Consious) I am your Slave (Dvaita). As a Jiva, I am A part of Yours (Ansa) (Vishishtadvaita) and in the light of Knowledge I am what you are O my Lord (Advaita). Thus it all depends what bhumi (stage) you stand. All Schools were started by avataras, nobody can be wrong and other right. All schools of thought are beautiful flowers of the garden of Vedanta. You’ve been walking in circles, searching. Don’t drink by the water’s edge. Throw yourself in. Become the water. Only then will you quench your thrust.
Published: 125 days ago [ submited by Dakini Bliss ]
What is the deepest, purest source of love available? Relationships? That is usually where we look for love. We seek out someone special to love us and return us to a safe, supported state.This may work for a while, but what happens after the “honeymoon period”? Does human love fulfill and mend our hearts? Or is there a more fulfilling love, a spiritual, unconditional transcending human love? If so, how do we access it?
Love is the motivation behind our dreams, actions and thoughts. People move across the country, quit jobs, stay in unhealthy situations because they desperately want love and believe their related actions will increase it. Yet we often have a lot of rules and ideas about love that stop us from feeling love for ourselves and others.
What rules do you have around love? Fill in the blank.
“When someone does or is ___________, it means they love me.”
You can expand your capacity for AUTHENTIC love by HONESTLY examining your own inner rules.
Determine which rules work and which ones actually limit your capacity to give or receive love.
Consider this: See the rules for what they are: attempts to make human love conform to the parameters of divine love. Our rules around love may be well-intentioned but they are usually stifling. Divine love is boundless and unconditional human love is bounded by conditions. We want others to love us as we are, but we usually put so many conditions on what love is in the first place.
We have to step out from the rules and move into Spiritual love. That Love which has no rules, conditions, limitations or neediness is spiritual love. Human love or the romantic notion of love dictates: ‘I will love you if you show up on time, take out the trash, dress up for more….” It’s fleeting; it depends on what people are doing and thinking. It gets mixed up with nonsense!
Conversely, spiritual love pure, infinite and unveiled. It is always present,regardless of our being are in a relationship or not. It resides within your own heart.
Take a deep breath and RELAX. Let’s access it now. Good meditation videos illustrate this point.
How do you increase spiritual love in your life?
You go for the source of it and you realize its source can never be outside you, that it MUST BE revealed from within.
This may sound bizarre, but part of you knows how to find and access love in your heart. Part of you knows intuitively what these next sentences means:
You travel nowhere to get more spiritual love. Nowhere. There’s nowhere to go but in your heart
Being present and studying people and circumstances in your life with fresh, curious eyes, fresh, reveals a shining love that was there all along. But it may have been seriously blocked. It’s available when you look at the your life with a gentle smile.
Realize the game of human love is a game of ideas about what love should be like and how others should act. It’s the age-old game of hide and seek.
Go for AUTHENTIC love instead. Or at least, put inner spiritual love alongside your pursuit of external love. Real love is the Essence of what you want and what you seek.
Do you crave chocolate? Ice Cream? Cheesecake? The essence you seek is sweetness. You want to be sweetness incarnate, to feel sweetness.
You want travel? A chalet in the Alps? Your own private yacht? The essence you seek is freedom.
You want to meet someone special? Feel more attractive? Connect with others? The essence you want is SPIRITUAL LOVE which never discriminates, in contrast to human love that only takes or needs.
Teach only love because that is what you are. What are you searching for in life? Love? But you ARE love, your desire is for Life itself. Your desire is for YOU! Capture the feeling of being yourself and you will feel like you are soaring heavenward.
Once your sense of worth exceeds your conditions, conditions shift to match your vision.
Trust that what you really want is the reality of your Self. This reality is the feeling of being vibrantly alive. When your trust in the reality of your Self becomes expansive and totally envelopes all your old thoughts, suffering falls away effortlessly. Darkness does not stand a chance in light.
Don’t fight the darkness with judgment, just bring in more light.
Breathe deep, Open your heart, and thrive.
The fulfillment that comes as a result of seeing that the source of love is inside you is not a compromise; it is not a substitute for your “real desires” in the world. It IS your desire in pure form.
Whenever you are seeking more of any thing, what underlies this seeking is an ardent wish to be your true nature, which is love. And under that wish is a pure knowing that you ARE this nature.
You ARE sweetness, freedom, and love. This realization may get covered over by thoughts and ideas, but YOU are still there.
Outer seeking of love is usually a striving to become one with the essence of a form or circumstance. For example, trying to attract a new lover may very well be an attempt to be “at one with love.” Similarly, wanting to buy a new car may be an attempt to be, or unite with, movement, freedom, or in some cases the feeling of status or attainment.
You are never seeking for the reason you think you’re seeking.
However, the good news is that you are not trapped. You’re not even trapped in seeking. You can find love where you are. There’s no need to stop seeking new circumstances or things in order to find essential love. You just have to be who you are.
Seeking is never an obstacle to knowing yourself.
Even with the knowledge that authentic love comes from deep within, outward seeking may still continue. However, it will likely become less important and more surreal.
You will see that relationships are spiritual teachers, not true sources of love and fulfillment.
Do you feel you are trapped in seeking love on the outside? Remember that the more you see freedom within your trap, within your prison walls, the more you will know looking outward for love is a game. Access love where you are. If you want freedom, see freedom. Be freedom. Step out of the game of looking for love.
Published: 126 days ago [ submited by Dakini Bliss ]
The Yoni, the gateway of the womb, is a seat of absolute divine presence and power. Mankind’s life has been an eternal search to know the truth. The truth of existence, and all religious practices, methods and meditations are an effort to open the gates of the realization of this truth. It may take practitioners several lifetimes to accomplish on his own the same realizations which can be attained with union of a Yoni filled with love and openness towards life.
A woman’s activated yoni can brings her man to new heights and depths of consciousness. The only requirement is Love. To awaken the divine element within the yoni, a woman must first understand the role the feminine plays in creating this universe and nourish its manifestation. A woman must truly embody the ultimate potential of her being and dissolve herself into the divine energy of the Goddess.
Unfortunately, woman has just been used as an instrument of sensual entertainment and as an emotional trash can by Mankind. Whenever the penis of an emotionally negative man penis enters her yoni, the damaging residual stay in her Yoni. This stagnates and blocks her serene flow of energies and compromises her inner sense of peace.
The power to create and nourish existence of life is not easy. Yer, the very form and heart of woman is built by universe so that it can behold that power and this ability in the direst circumstances. But what manifests out of that power depends upon what state the woman is in. If the woman feels joy, a hut carries more beauty than a palace, when the woman is in distress even a palace carries the fragrance of ruin. Woman is the ultimate beauty; she intoxicates her environment with it. At the core of her being resides the environment around her with it. At the core of her being resides the Source of the universe. Within her she carries the very element which all religions worship, her essence carries that soothing flame which is revered in every house of worship.
Women whose heart and Yoni have opened fully have the power to change the face of the Earth.
The first step towards this absolute embodiment is to cleanse the Womb and Yoni from the energetic residue of conditioning and emotions left in it by the outer world and her sexual experiences. A Yoni is the source from which the universe emerges; it nurtures existence and dissolves matter back into the universal blackness.
The divine formative energies of the universe reside within the Triangle of the Yoni.
A man who fully grasps the Yoni’s nature requires no other understanding of any other cosmic phenomenon; every gate of realization is open to him.
Every religious practice strives to attain a state whereby the light of understanding radiates upon every aspect of existence. This ultimate realization is known as enlightenment. But mankind forgets that the actual birth of this universe has taken place out of Supreme Darkness. When the Supreme, divine Yoni willed to create, and out of that absolute nothingness, the light of creation manifested. Everything in the universe, even light and matter, results from this desire to create, creating spasms of vibrations. It All life forms emerge from this throbbing desire.
These vibrations gave birth to the primal sounds of Universe. The manifested universe is not created with light; in fact the roots of creation abide in these primal sounds that arose out of this primal vibration of manifestation. And these sounds have infinite power to create and manifest and transform something baser like matter and something refined as a consciousness too. These sounds exist in the deepest frequencies of universe and are still available for us to ‘tune-up’ ourselves. The moment we are able to allow our bodies to resonate with these sounds we become one with the very power with which the universe was created, the very frequency of the element from which all is born.
These Sacred sounds are in each of us. It is each and everyone’s born potential to resonate and arise in these sacred sounds because we are made of that. These sounds cleanse the garbage accumulated in our mind, body and soul. Every Mantra in every religion utilized one or more of these Sacred Sounds to activate a certain point of consciousness within a being. The very chanting or singing or uttering of these sounds brings us back to the state in which everything is utterly pure and crystal clear.
How do Sacred Sounds, Chants cleanse the Womb and Yoni? What is a womb? The womb is the vessel of receptivity. Whatever we sow there grows. It gives a nurturing ground to growth of every thought, matter, emotion that is implanted there. It does not discriminate; it simply provides space and nourishment for growth and preservation. Unfortunately mankind has totally forgotten the important role the womb plays in shaping this world, and they have distorted women to such an extent that even women no longer have memory of what a divinity they carry within themselves.
As the divine gate of power for the universe, the Yoni is a receptive doorway, containing the thoughts and emotions we put into. As the the direct opening to earth, th Yoni is receptive to the earth’s subtle frequencies that spin and pulsate, giving her a constant sensual relationship to nature. Today, women and men alike have lost their understanding of true power, woman’s power. Women have been regarded as a mere instrument and mankind has been feeding the woman’s yoni with mental garbage. And the woman has been giving birth to the same frequency of civilization as a result of it. The luster of her being is covered under the dust of centuries-old conditioning. Sadly, this distortion dulls our humanity, filling us with diseases of the mind heart and body
*Peruquois’ invokes each woman to open her voice into the primordial sounds of the universe and the primal sounds of Earth which possess the power to cut through layers and release the negative energy that is held on cellular level as a result of emotional shocks traumas and pains. It transforms and cleanses the yoni and the womb from the wounds it carries. And It also gives voice to the collective pain of woman. It makes a woman reconnect to her divinity and direct knowing of herself as love.
Peruquois grounds a path to accelerate spiritual growth of an individual. The innate Seed Sounds or Sacred Sounds of the universe activate the same divine qualities in the women who chant them. Instantly she is taken on a journey deep within herself, where her heart and being remain eternally virginal, uncorrupted, unpolluted, undistorted. Only from this pristine state of purity can something authentically holy arise.
Peruquois helps women to consciously dissolve destructive qualities of jealousy, anger, hatred, malice, loneliness and helps them regain their ground in the purity of their Yoni which gives birth to qualities of life like grace, love, compassion, receptivity, wisdom, nourishment, acceptance, strength and creativity. She inspires women to give voice to their deepest essence in every aspect of life whether in the bedroom, home, office or environment. To live in constant communion with the source through her own body and being.
Hindu Images have always been striking in nature to the Western eye. When one thinks of a Hindu image one pictures multi-limbed gods, exotic figures with blue skin, and images with sexual overtones, such as gods in each others embrace. What do these images mean? Here we will examine the nature of these images, how they are used, how they have progressed through history, and try to understand the theology behind the images within a Hindu context.
In art, the term iconography is used to describe complex imagery and representative art. The dictionary defines iconography as “the art or representation by pictures or images; the description or study of portraiture or representation. Using iconography a researcher can decipher those elements, messages, and ideologies, communicated through the art. Those who study iconography do not do so without a related discipline. The most recent misnomer was the “Symbology” Professor in the Da Vinci Code. There is no such science. The most closely related field is semiology, the study of signs. Symbolism and iconography, conversely, are used often within academic fields such as Art History, Religious Studies, or Archeology. Unlike abstract art the Hindu imagery examined here is not designed on a whim; instead the images are designed with the intent of delivering a theological message.
Art has always had the ability to transmit information in this way, and this method of communication can be considered a superior way of transmitting information when contrasted with other mediums. One reason is that art can transcend time, since it is a fixed image. While texts, written history and stories change, once a specific image is made, it remains frozen in time. Information outside temporal evolution helps us understand history. Art can transcend many learning barriers, such as literacy. This is significant, especially for Hindus, because most HIndus are still not literate. Anyone can learn from these images, as long as they are taught the iconography of the image. The third major reason why art is important as an information source, and to Hindus, is because images can be made of the Gods and Goddeses and used as devotional images. These images are used to meditate on, as a place to focus ones attention. Such images are called icons.
A practicing Hindu can make a connection to Vishnu through an icon of his likeness. This method of connecting is called darshan. Darshan means seeing, but can sometimes be translated as the auspicious sight of the divine. The divine sees the devotee through this image just as the devotee sees the god within the image, and they exchange darshan; this magical glance which transmits each others essence. In this respect, the idol is animated and the divine is thought to live within this icon where it gives the darshan to the person while they simultaneously receive it. In Hinduism the sacred is seen as present in the visible world. A western mind may find this odd, but it’s best to realize that the icon, once made, gathers a life force of its own; gaining the ability to make a spiritual connection with the devotee. The God or Goddess does not live in the icon as if it were trapped inside the image, but through the icon. The icon becomes one of the many manifestations of the God or Goddess.
These animated and living icons have two main forms or classes, aniconic and iconic. Iconic images are images which have a form…human, anthropomorphic or theriomorphic. Aniconic images are those which do not take a form; this might be the aniconic instance of a rock or a cave. The image of the lingam is typically depicted as aniconic, as well as the many images of the yoni, but sometimes the yoni and lingam are depicted as attached to a God or Goddess and then they become iconic because they take a form.
The lingam represents the phallus. Lingam, (occasionally referred to as linga) according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, comes from the Sanskrit root and means sign or distinguishing symbol. The lingam represents the Hindu god Shiva in most instances of the image. The yoni is a stylized vagina, which means holder. The word yoni has many etymological connections in Sanskrit, relating to the words source, origin and lair. Its derived from the root yu, which is to join or to harness. Indeed, the word yoni comes from the same root as yoga, signifying yoga’s tie to the feminine principle. The depiction of the yoni commonly signifies the Goddess in many forms of the Devi, and also Shakti, Shiva’s lover.
Many common forms of the lingam and yoni exist. Lingams are sometimes shown with a single face, other times four or five faces. Each of these heads convey a particular characteristic of the deity like wrath, beauty, ascetic power. However the lingam is usually fashioned as a plain standing pillar which is circular. While usually carved of stone, they can be made from almost any material (large rock formations, stalagmites or other natural features).
Sometimes the lingam can be made temporarily, as out of sand on a shore. The simplest example of the yoni is the downward pointing triangle, and the lingam at its simplest form is the upward pointing triangle. This specific image has been used conjoined as well as in a hexagram to represent the everlasting sexual conjunction between Shiva and his Shakti. Their sexual union maintains the existence of the Universe. The most common depiction of the yoni is as a round base in which the lingam cylinder sits, projecting outward and upward from it, not penetrating it. Another Hindu image which relates to the yoni is the yantra. Yantras are geometric designs which are used by some in the worship of the Goddess and they are often made of rock or crystal. They are the visual versions of aural mantras and are thought to embody supernatural power. The symbols on them are generally a series of circles, most commonly two, surrounding a triangle with the triangle inside representating the vulva. These icons can be dressed with garlands and flowers, often bathed in milk and honey.
Why are sexual organs depicted in Hindu art as objects of worship? Do Hindus worship sexuality? Such questions are asked by many when first confronted with Indian art. Actually, throughout history many were offended by these sexual images. Aryan invaders complained that the Indus Valley god had a penis. More recently, the British invaded India in 1498 for resources, and occupied it for many centuries. During this time the European-Western mindset of sexuality conflicted with the Hindus depiction of the yoni and lingam. The British invaders said they found these depictions obscene and shocking, mostly likely due to their Christian background, which regards the body as unholy. Meanwhile, Hinduism does not immediately view the body as unholy. In fact in some HIndu traditions, the body is incorporated into religious practices in order to reach the divine. Given its diversity, the majority of Hindu traditions have a more liberal view of sexuality than that of Christians. However, the question is not how tolerant Indian society is of overt sexuality, but rather can sexuality in an image represent something other than itself? Humans have a tendency to associate the symbolic phallus with the physical phallus, as well with the symbolic vagina to the physical vagina, but maybe they are not just mere representations of our organs.
Hinduism is not alone in its representation of sexual symbolism. Sexual organs, especially the phallus, have had religious significance throughout a myriad of traditions. For instance, in Greek mythology, Chronos castrated his father and threw the phallus into the sea, resulting in the birth of Aphrodite. And in Egyptian mythology, when Set destroyed Osiris, he cut up Osiris body and Osiris allies were able to find all the pieces to put him back together, except for his phallus, which was eaten by a fish. He could not be brought back to life until Isis made him a new phallus out of clay and gave it life through magical incantations. Only then was his power renewed. Much of this religious sexual imagery may simply refer to base level sexuality, such as reproduction, fertility, and prowess but there may be another level to it. Within the Greek and Egyptian myths the phallus functions as a creative source of life and spiritual creative power. Is this what the lingam and yoni mean within Hinduism
Jitendra Nath Banerjea, a scholar on iconography states Iconography does not just mean the mechanical description and identification of an image but also requires a study of the various mental and social processes, which lead to the growth of a cult or of a particular iconic type. So, the historical growth of the yoni and the lingam through time must be looked at in order to properly frame them properly and correctly interpret their meaning.
Indian society has its roots in the Indus Valley Civilization, which occurred 2500 BC -1500 BC. Elements of Hinduism may be traced back to this period. The agriculturally based Indus Valley civilization was a Goddess-centric society. The most well-known artifact is the seal of the seated Shiva-prototype, featuring a figure in a yogic-looking posture with an erect penis. There were also stone replicas of the phallus about 2 ft. long, round ring stones depicting the yoni, and other artifacts such as terracotta mother Goddess figures. These artifacts are prototypes for Devi and Shiva.
Around 1500 BC the Indus Valley civilization declined and an Aryan civilization arose in its place, giving way to the Vedic period which lasted until 500 BC. More information is known about Hindu culture in the Vedic period because the Vedas provide written records of Hindu society. There were no temples during the Vedic period so any instance of yoni or lingam in a temple dates to after this period. Likely yoni or lingam worship was discouraged by Brahmans at the time.
A timeless image of the yoni is the cave. The beginnings of yoni worship in a cave might have been practiced during the Vedic period. Yoni practices could be kept discreet in secluded caves. A famous instance of a cave being representative of the yoni is in the area of Assam, at the shrine of Kamakhya Devi where a natural cleft in the rock is said to menstruate annually. This period of menstruation coincides with the primary festival of the Goddess.
After the Vedic period, the next period in Indian history was the Epic and Puranic period. This was from the time of 500 BC to 500 AD in which the Epics, Puranas, Shaivism and Shaktism arose. This is one of the most important periods of time for the development of the icons of the yoni and the lingam because Shiva became intensely associated with the lingam, while his Shakti, and the Devi in general, was associated with the yoni. Until this time, the yoni and the lingam were depicted individually, but from this period on the yoni and lingam were usually worshipped together as representative of Shiva and his Shakti.
Shiva means the good hearted or the kind.He is one of the three main gods of the Hindu pantheon; the others being Vishnu and Brahma. Shiva is the god of destruction of those who are ignorant and of what is impure. He can also be an infinite beneficial force as he often removes avidya, the shroud of ignorance which produces suffering . Shiva is the god of yogis and renunciants who wish to transcend samsara and achieve moksha. He lives as an acsetic hermit in the Himalayas and is often depicted when not in the lingam form as sitting on a tiger skin with snakes coiled around his neck with a crescent moon in his hair. Although he can take on this iconic form, the form of Shiva most commonly seen is the aniconic lingam. The lingayats, a Shaiva sect, acknowledge no human icon of Shiva and instead carry a lingam in an amulet box with is hung around the neck. In a temple it is common to find a single linga although sometimes there are rows of them, especially in groups of 108, a number sacred to Shiva.
As a god, Shiva is NOT all powerful without his counterpart. His counterpart, Shakti, is sometimes attributed to different Goddesses. Sometimes to Kali, sometimes Parvati who is his wife, but most commonly to Devi, a wide term that means mother Goddess which includes all Goddesses. This variation of attribution of the specific Shakti comes with different branches of Hindu thought. Shiva’s Shakti constitutes 1/2 his body. He is thought to be powerless without his Shakti. In the Saundaryalahari it says, “Only when Shiva is united with Shakti does he have the power to create.” Shiva is the unchanging consciousness called nirguna, that which has no form or shape. This unchanging consciousness becomes saguna, with form, when his Shakti joins with him. So the yoni, Shakti, manifests the intangible power of Shiva, the lingam, grounding it and giving it to the adherents of Shiva.
Devi is the great mother Goddess, worshipped under many forms. Any female deity can be brought under the fold of Devi. The lingam is depicted as rising up out of the yoni, not penetrating it; and the yoni is seen as symbolic of the divine womb,associated with the Earth. In the Earth, seed transforms into fruit or grain; in the cave/womb of the earth death transforms itself into life and in the womb of a woman the male and female sexual fluids transform into a human being. The Hindu conception of the womb is seen as the originator of life and death and this concept is elucidated with the Hindu saying, “Again birth, again death, again sleep in the mothers womb.”
In the medieval period of Hinduism, 500 AD to 1500 AD, the development of the lingam and yoni became even more expansive, due to the birth of the Bhakti movements of Shiva, Devi, and Shakti. Much devotional poetry was written during this time period. It also marked the beginnings of Tantra. Some examples of the yoni at this time were in 7th and 8th century temple sites, such as the one at Alampur. Here sculptures of the goddess in partly-human form are shown with her thighs widely spread and displaying her genitals.
This sculpture symbolizes fertility, emphasized by her head being replaced with a lotus blossom another symbol of fertility. People made long pilgrimages just to touch this idol in order to gain some of her fertility. The Bhakti movement within Hinduism emphasized personal relationships with dieties and encouraged people to petition dieties for help with such issues as health, fertility and luck.
The Bhakti movement was a radical movement which became wide spread throughout India. Its emphasis was on individual dedication and love to a chosen God or Goddess. Its first appearance was in the Bhagavad Gita when Krishna had a personal relationship with Arjuna. It resulted in individuals being able to officiate their own religious practices, as opposed to the previous era when religious practices were determined by the Brahmanical upper class. This movement was open to all castes and gave birth to multitudes of devotional hymns and poetry which were written in the vernacular, therefore being approachable by more people. Through this movement, deities became more sagunic where they had previously been nirgunic.(Lec.) Bhakti gave birth to the growth of public temples, which featured lingams and yonis as well as altars in homes that featured the yoni and lingam.
The Tantric movement also arose during this time period. Tantras aim was to extend knowledge beyond restrictive teachings of the Vedas, which ended up subverting the Brahmanical social order. Some Tantric adherents used sexuality as a means to attain liberation. This is where the imagery of the lingam and yoni become most literal. Tantra has never been a mainstream Hindu practice, but a movement where some employed these practices. In mainstream Hinduism, adherents to Shiva or Shakti would not hold a literal view of the lingam or yoni. Instead most would see the lingam and yoni as a representation of Shiva and Shakti.
The upright standing pillar is not a sexually charged image. The reverse appears to have been the case originally. For instance, an enshrined linga today will be lovingly garlanded and attended by young women and matrons alike, without overt suggestions of sexuality. In traditional Indian society, the linga is instead viewed as a symbol of the energy and potentiality of the God.
Tantra centers on the concept of the union of Shiva and his Shakti, or the union of the lingam and the yoni. This union may be taken symbolic or literal. Sexuality is seen as a powerful union within tantric philosophy, and this union is seen to be the creative energy that sustains and destroys the Universe. Tantric ritual seeks to harness and use this power, as a means to spiritual liberation as well as a means to worldly benefits like wealth, and supernatural abilities. Sexual union is utilized in some traditions as one method to awaken and harness this power; but it is not the only way to harness the power.
Some may find the imagery of an erotic ascetic as contradictory. The ideals of an ascetic are typically those of restraint and denial of comfort. But the Tantric sees sex as a cure for desire. The reason for utilizing sexual practices was to remove the conflict between sexual and ascetic behavior by equating them, and using sexuality in a yogic way. In stories, Shiva was said to have an insatiable lust, which he quelled by partaking in sexuality in a controlled form. The solution for Shivas sexuality is to satisfy him instead of imposing chastity on him. ls. Lingam and yoni worship is a way that Tantric Hindus can unite with their sexuality so as to not be consumed by it. Rather, they utilize its power in a transformative way.
The modern period from 1500 AD today sees the origin of India as a nation unto-itself and it also sees the Hindu renaissance. Hinduism as a global religion developed as a reaction to colonialism and Christianity, which tries to discover its ancient origins and reformulate Hinduism. This reaction is partially characterized by the rejection of icon worship that is regarded by Christians to be idolatry. The rejection of the icon within Global Hinduism is an immense loss as it excludes and rejects thousands of years of cultural and spiritual evolution. However, icon worship is still practiced in private homes and temples, throughout India, North America and Europe. With the lingam and the yoni, attempts have been made to de-sexualize the images, although the West seems to want to sexualize Hinduism, specifically with Tantra, more than Hindus themselves do.
Since Shiva and Devi do not function simply as fertility gods, the icons of the lingam and yoni must not be solely used to depict sexuality, or fertility. This fertility or sexual interpretation is by no means necessarily the case, for in Shaiva doctrine concerned with yoga, emphasis is laid on the importance of chastity and the retention of seminal fluid, rather than its expulsion. The lingam and yoni then symbolize the denial of purely sexual energy, and the transmutation of this sexual energy into a divine energy. In traditional Indian society, the linga and yoni are rather viewed as symbols of the energy and potentiality of the God.
Finally, the lingam and yoni represent creativity on many levels.The artifacts from the Indus Valley Civilizations artifacts were more associated with fertility. Later on the symbols of the lingam and yoni melded into representing Shiva and Shakti in sexual union. Some took this imagery literally using the image of the lingam and yoni and sexuality as a means to liberation, while other saw the lingam and yonis union as symbolic of divine creation and destruction. Still other Hindus feel that the lingam and yoni in conjunction function as being apotropaic (warding off evil) and are placed on the exteriors of temples to protect the temple and its people in this protective instance they are thought of as creating a sacred space for the people. The lingam and yoni in conjunction have also been seen as having the power to confer blessings of fertility or wealth. The lingam and yoni stand for creativity biological, psychological, and cosmic forces. They are symbols of the creative seed which flow into creation that can be restrained, transmuted and absorbed.
Most Hindus agree with the meaning of the lingam and yoni as being creativity on many levels, Hinduism has no one specific direction or belief system. There is no one way to perceive anything within Hinduism. And this diversity, inherent within Hinduism, gives many diverse meanings attributed to the icons of the lingam and the yoni. The meaning of the yoni and lingam has transcended and evolved throughout history and will continue to evolve; functioning as repositories of human knowledge and ideas transmitting their information for many future generations.
Published: 126 days ago [ submited by Dakini Bliss ]
1. Honor your body as a Temple; treat it with PURE love and DEEP respect.
2. Breathe deeply with Awareness to detoxify the body, support your immune system and calm the mind.
3. Do regular daily movement practices like dance, yoga, walking, qi gong or aerobics. This increases vitality, releases endorphins and connects the body with the breath.
4. Live in the NOW! Shift your awareness away from the past and future. This supports you in being more conscious, connected and in the flow. Every moment is a chance for you to show up and be FULLY present.
5. Spend time in prayer or meditation. Discover the Emptiness Within as your true nature.
6. Experience pleasure daily by fine turning your senses and savouring all the beauty around you.
7. Offer gratitude for the wonders and miracles in your life. Understand that you are a co-creator of your life experience.
8. Eye gaze with your beloved and breathe together. If you are single, do this in front of a mirror as you honor the Beloved within. *Rumi and many others used this technique to become enlightened.
9. Celebrate life, make love often. Practice compassion and welcome whatever is arising.
10. Commit to creating an ecstatic life for yourself and SHARE this gift with others.
Published: 126 days ago [ submited by Dakini Bliss ]
Prayer and Tantra
“Every woman has an inherent right to be erotic for Herself. A woman’s erotic energy is Her core growth energy. Acknowledging this core energy within Herself leads her towards greater sexual and personal empowerment. Every desire of Her body is holy.” Dakini Bliss.
“Tantra says that before you make love to a woman or to a man, first pray — because it is going to be a divine meeting of energies. God will surround you. Wherever two lovers are, there is God. Wherever two lovers’ energies are meeting and mingling, there is life, alive, at its best; God surrounds you. Churches are empty; love-chambers are full of God. If you have tasted love the way Tantra says to taste it, if you have known love the way Tao says to know it, then by the time you reach 42, love starts disappearing on its own. And you say goodbye to it with deep gratitude, because you are fulfilled. It has been delightful, it has been a blessing; you say good-bye to it.” ~Osho
“Its time we saw sex as the truly sacred art that it is. A deep meditation, a holy communion and a dance with the force of creation.” ~ Marcus Allen
“Trust, love, what we call sexy, who we trust in a business situation, are all based on how open we are. Openness is bodily openness, muscular relaxation, heart openness as opposed to hiding behind some emotional wall, and spiritual openness, which is actually feeling so fully into the moment that there’s no separation between you and the entire moment.” ~David Deida
“The beauty and wisdom of Tantra is that it enhances sexuality as a doorway to the “ecstatic mind of great bliss”. Truly, at the peak of orgasm, we pierce through the illusion of fragmentation and separation, and glimpse the unity and interconnectedness of all beings. And through the other–our partner–we fall in love with life. “ ~Margot Anand
“A good orgasm is satisfying, but a great orgasm can be a revelation of your deepest being, unfolding the truth of who you are in ecstatic communion with your lover.”~David Deida
Quotes on Orgasms
“You can prolong orgasm through effortless Breathing. Breath is the simplest and surest key to tantra there is. It is responsible for energy movement and flow and heart openings. Keep it circular and relaxed. In the nose out the mouth.” ~Jim Barnes
“It is not so much about taking deep breaths… though that can help. It is more about taking conscious breaths, being Present and Centered as you breathe. Let your breaths be effortless….” ~Jim Barnes
“Can’t take a deep breath? See if you can bring depth to even a shallow breath….” ~Michael Alperstein
“Breath is life. Connect to life through the breath. How? By gaining a greater sense of self though touch, sex and pleasure. Self awareness is the ultimate goal of sexuality, knowing your God-like Divine Self. Merge with your entire Being… your Universal You…” ~Unknown
“Be totally okay with not having an orgasm, and then see what changes. You’ll be amazed. Purposely not having an orgasm is an incredible opportunity to find ecstasy in the present moment. “ ~Todd Stone
“Realize orgasm is not an all or nothing thing.. You can have mini ones. You can take baby steps… a small wave… or a ripple of energy…. these are bridge builders…” ~Ben Tarlow
More Sacred Sex Quotes
“It is the movement between the negative and positive poles that creates electricity. It is the attraction between the male and the female that creates new life. The dynamics of the universe are dialectical, apparently in a conflict, but occurring within a larger context of unity and wholeness. This is the understanding of the Tantra vision.” ~Margot Anand
“The feeling of being alive and at One with everything is available through the path of Tantra. When your heart is open and you are making love, there is no separation between you, your partner and God. This is healing sex. This is connecting with the Divine. And the important thing to develop is the sense that this sacred experience is available in all instants. It is not limited to sex. “ ~Philip Smith
“There is no big mystery to Tantra. It is in the allowance and grace of the breath. Breathe easy and naturally and you will open the door to a sacred intent. With this sacred intent, love making becomes spiritual and holy. You open the gateway to total joy and you embrace the divine, erotic impulse. So breathe… and relax. This is tantra.” ~ Janet Robertson
Published: 127 days ago [ submited by Dakini Bliss ]
When tantric techniques of meditation and awareness are woven into our experience of lovemaking, we open the door to a realm of intimacy that manifests as spiritual ecstasy. This level of intimacy with our lover is beyond space and time, a place we enter and are simultaneously entered by the true nature of reality. Here we find that lovemaking is and always has been a sacred weaving of spirits. In my sessions for couples and singles, you will learn tantric practices, partner yoga, loving communication, acupressure for lovers and more as you discover the ecstasy of the heart.
A few of the practices and techniques follow that will expand your sense of sexuality, spirituality
and intimacy as you open to the ecstasy of the heart.
The Yoga of Love
Dissolve into the beauty of life and loving as you activate streams of ecstatic consciousness in your body through these yoga asanas for lovers. Alone and with others you will explore the strength and power of the sensual, as you discover waves of bliss that weave us together; body, heart and soul.
Fire Meditation
Ignite the 7 chakras from root to crown; forging a pathway between earth and spirit. The fire meditation is a dynamic bio-energetic experience…opening and surrendering your body to the intense current of orgasm within you and throughout the cosmos.
Sacred Spaces
Awaken your potential for living a life of ecstasy and surrender as you learn ways of focusing your awareness to create a space within you, around you, and in the world where bliss is sustainable and expansive.
Radical Truth
Experience the intimacy that is possible when communication, truth and respect are the foundation of your practice. Experiential communication techniques create a loving foundation for trust, joy and expansion.
The Breath of Ecstasy…
Enliven your body and awaken your sensuality with this ancient breathing practice designed to increase your full-body capacity for ecstasy, pleasure and connection.
Acupressure for Lovers
Discover the vital acupressure points for love, intimacy and arousal, allowing you to experience the free flow of sexual energy through your body, heart and spirit.
Chakra Puja
Experience the mystical space of Tantric ritual in this sacred celebration of love and awakening
Dakini Bliss is an Ottawa-based Tantric Educator who conducts private sessions in her Sacred Urban Sanctuary. She travels periodically and announces her schedule on this blog. http://www.thetantrictouch.com
Published: 128 days ago [ submited by Dakini Bliss ]
I honour the place in You
In which the entire universe dwells.
I honour the place in You
Which is of love, truth, light and peace.
When You are in that place in You
And I am in that place in me,
We are One.
The Divine Mother brings the Tantric Blessings for the awakening, healing and empowering enlightenment to those who embrace Her Love.
The Divine Mother offers the gift of sure strength in one’s identity and in a love that keeps one unblemished from all harm.
She teaches the power of a Divine Love through a process of self discovery within one that defines, creates and sustains the follower.
It is the same Divine Love that has torn away the veil and revealed that the presence of annimosity and adversarial threat was only a mere reflection of one’s own internal conditions of doubt, there to be outgrown and cast aside as the Divine emerged within one as the empowering love.
The greater purpose of a Divine Tantric Calling is to bring an ultimate enlightening and peace on our Earth in our World that must begin within your own Divine Being and Self.
The Divine Mother is Life in the equation of Creation.
She gives life to the Divine Mind that defines creation.
She is the Holy Word that is with God and is God/Goddess, out of which all that is created.
She is the Rhythm of Life made manifest, born to live and die and live again.
She is the gift through which all that is Divine can know and experience Its Self!
Tantra is where Sex and Love become one with each other, and with Spirit. Where we as lovers are invited to step into something larger than our everyday ordinariness. Sex is the original act of nuclear fusion where chemistry becomes alchemy. As we bring our limited everyday selves into lovemaking and step beyond this self into the magical WHOLE OF WHO WE ARE, finding the Divine within.
Too often sex can become nonexistent, routine or boring as we limit it to the last thing at night scratching of the itch, a bit of foreplay, her orgasm (maybe), his orgasm, outcome achieved, roll over and go to sleep.
Tantra is about sex in ways you may have only suspected up until now. Where our hearts can be open without fear and sexual pleasure becomes unlimited bliss. Where the conscious awareness, energy & passion in the bedroom can become the way in all areas of your life. And it is only a FEAR of, lack of awareness and skill in INTIMACY & VULNERABILITY that keeps us from it.
Tantric sex is a form of spiritual sex practiced in Hinduism. In its original form, it is highly ritualized. The ritual is necessary to ensure a correct attitude and spiritual-emotional atmosphere.
The ceremony starts with cleansing, meditation and giving each other prescribed foods and drinks. Then they assume the maithuna position, scissor position or basic position. The man lies on his left side to the right of the women who lies on her back. She raises both knees towards her chest and the man moves his lower body to bring his lingam in contact with the yoni while his upper body moves away from her. She lowers her left leg and places it between his legs while her right leg rests bent over his body; sides may be reversed.
Now he gently penetrates and they remain motionless completely relaxed while they visualize in a meditative state the flow of pranic or sexual energy between their bodies and especially between their sexual organs. For non-ceremonial situations sides as described above may be reversed. For them this is not a sexual act, but the bodily and spiritual union between a god and a goddess.
There may be a rising tide of pleasurable sensations or a sudden and explosive release of energy that is supposed to occur after around thirty-two minutes. This produces a blissful state and possibly glimpses of enlightenment. The lingam may have been limp during most of this encounter but that does not matter. The success depends on the quality of the visualizations and the degree of the meditative state.
If you want to experiment with this, I suggest that you abstain from intimate contact for several weeks beforehand to build up a strong sexual charge and perform some ritualistic ceremonies before the sexual union that are meaningful for both of you. You may choose a time close to ovulation, preferably when both are full of vitality.
In its modern western form tantric sex is just another name for spiritual sex. There is, however, a price to pay for spiritualizing sexual energy. According to yoga teachings, initially the rise of the kundalini energy from the base to the second chakra results in a period of greatly increased sexual desire and potency. But after the energy breaks through and remains permanently above the sex-related chakra, sexual desire greatly diminishes while potency may or may not be affected. This applies also to other methods of spiritual development. However, in a committed relationship tantra is as an enjoyable fast path for spiritual development.
Published: 128 days ago [ submited by Dakini Bliss ]
The pole dancing TREND has heated up over the past few years. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Tori Spelling, Paris Hilton, Jessica Alba and Jessica Simpson helped grow the popularity as they have been seen gliding around on a pole.
According to pole-reviews.com, pole dancing started around the American depression era, when traveling fairs would set up side shows in small tents adjacent to the main tent. One tent was set up for the erotic Hoochi Coochi dancers, who performed hip moments similar to the belly dancers and the exotic bump and grind movements of burlesque dancers. Due to the small tent and large crowds, the Hoochi Coochi dancers would approach the tent pole and begin to dance with it. Eventually, tent poles evolved into dance poles and pole dancing was born.
Often called the Neo-Tantra Workout, Pole dancing is a great way to get a total body workout along with getting in touch with your exotic, sexy side. Pole dancing used to have a stigma with the association of stripping but is now expanding to be a mainstream fitness trend. Celebs like Carmen Electra tout it as an amazing all-over body workout. Electra even has her own at-home pole dancing workout kit called Peekaboo, complete with a portable pole and instructional DVD.
Pole dancing combines erotic dance with highly acrobatic movements that work together to create a fun, aerobic, full-body workout, targeting the upper body, core and leg strength
Body benefits with pole dancing
1. UPPER BODY…Pole dancing develops your upper body because of the constant climbing, hanging, swinging and spinning on the pole. Movements involve supporting the weight of your body (like weight training except you use your body instead of weights) against the pole.
2. THE CORE…While supporting the upper body to lift and support your body weight, you also work your core abdominals and back—great for toning the tummy! 3. LOWER BODY…Thighs and buttocks also get engaged during the pole dancing workout. To accomplish the various moves, you must use your thigh muscles and buttocks, giving your lower body the toning it needs. Overall pole dancing requires control. Fully engaging each part of your body to support the moves allows you to gain the full benefits of the workout. You get a fabulous workout with noticeable results. Not only will you get toned but it help boosts your self-esteem and sex drive! Trust me, this is one dance your significant other would not mind a private performance…and then some!
Published: 128 days ago [ submited by Dakini Bliss ]
An erection lasting for hours may sound like a dream come true but in reality priapism, a condition where your erection lasts for more than 4 hours is a nightmare
A Matter of Size…Except when it lingers to the point of discomfort or damage. Priapism is a condition in which the penis (it can happen to the clitoris too) is continually erect for at least 4 hours, not returning to a flaccid state despite the absence of physical or psychological arousal and stimulation. The name comes from the Greek fertility god Priapus, who is often depicted with a disproportionally large and permanently erect member.
Bravado aside, priapism is a medical emergency with long-term consequences, including tissue damage (and potentially permanent erectile dysfunction) and dismemberment. Rarely, gangrene has actually occurred, and the only cure for that is to remove the offending tissue. This often-painful condition is classified as either low flow or high flow priapism. Low flow problems, a fancy way of say that the blood isn’t adequately returning from the organ back to the body, so it’s trapped inside the chambers of the spongy tissue. High flow priapism refers to a short-circuiting of the blood vessels along the organ, so the blood can’t circulate properly. Lack of blood flow, called ischemia, to any part of the penis can lead to tissue death (hence the gangrene mentioned above).
This figure of the God Priapus was discovered when they escavated Pompei. Many men cannot maintain an erection even for a few seconds. Others cannot get rid of it. Priapism is prolonged penile erection in the absence of sexual arousal; the penis does not return to its flaccid state, even if there is no excitation, within about four hours. Even kings have been affected by this, like Carol II of Romania. A new research has connected priapism to adenosine, a molecule involved in energy transfers inside the cell.
Priapism and it is potential side effect of the erectile dysfunction drugs, certain medical conditions such as sickle cell anemia, trauma to the spine or genital area, carbon monoxide poisoning, cocaine use, cancer or tumors as well as a few other odd things.
Boner Tidbits..One of those is a super-sized arachnid called the Brazilian Wandering Spider, or the Banana Spider, a daunting creature whose leg span of 5 inches and venomous bite are a potent combination. Listed by Guinness World Records 2012 as the most venomous spider in the world, among the evil side effects are loss of muscle control, difficulty breathing and severe pain. In Brazil, emergency room workers look for the tell tale sign — priapism. Left untreated, a perpetual boner isn’t all you must worry about — this spider bite has been known to kill.
It’s not all bad news. Scientists are studying the complex makeup of the spider’s venom to see if they can isolate any magic compounds that would improve upon the current cadre of erectile enhancers. A recently published a study on the potential use of spider venom to treat erectile dysfunction suggest that one isolated toxin, PnTX2-6, normalized function in male rats who had erectile issues. The authors examined the mechanism of action and found that the toxin acted in a different pathway compared to other ED drugs. Clearly, this is good news for those patients who do not respond to conventional therapy.
Not What Rumi had in Mind…The latest news on perpetual erection comes from Iran, a region in the world one never associates with sex-positivity. A young man reportedly had his girlfriend’s first initial tattooed onto his regal lingam with ugly consequences. Getting his penis inked must have been painful enough, but not as damaging as the 24-hour erection he sported a few weeks later. According to reports, blood vessels in his organ were punctured leaving him with a perpetual case of a priapism.
The Iranian doctors wrote on their report, ‘based on our unique case, we discourage penile tattooing.’
Treatment Options for Perpetual Pup Tents…What should a guy do if he’s faced with a perpetual, painful hard-on? The goals of all treatment options are to preserve function while making the current erection subside. Ice backs, surgery, aspiration, surgical shunts (for low flow priapism) and drugs known as alpha-agonists can help. Priapism is not a DIY self-care scenario, and warrants an immediate trip to the ER.
So, men, there is more to pleasure than being able to engage in bouts of sexual intercourse, back and forth, in and out for a long, long time to enhance pleasure and performance. Besides the potentially embarrassing pup tent you may sport for the rest of your life, there’s no guarantee your love interest will stick around. Then, you will be left with priapism and a very awkward explanation.
Published: 128 days ago [ submited by Dakini Bliss ]
Tantra for Couples Keeps Your Lover Happy and at Home
100 Ways to Keep monogamy Red Hot.
Discover what music your lover likes and play it.
Sing to each other. Listen to a song that you like and memorize the lyrics.. Then minus any music sing it as a surprise gift to your lover. Watch the tears flow.
Find out what scents your lover likes, e.g., perfumes and especially essential oils. Get an essential oil diffuser.
Wear the clothes your lover likes. Try something wild in latex…OO la la!
Serve the food your lover likes.
Select locations for lovemaking that your partner likes.
Prepare yourself for stimulating conversation. Do homework if need be to have interesting items to discuss.
Give lots of compliments on a regular basis.
Compliment you lover in front of others…this keeps the bed warm.
Tell each other what you like and appreciate about each other. Do this each and every day.
Show your body to your lover. Let them look as long as they like. If you have body issues, work on it!
Take your clothes off …slowly…while your lover watches.
Tease your partner with partial nudity at unexpected times, like when your in-laws are in the other room. Be artful and naughty so only your lover sees you.
Explore each other’s bodies with hungry eyes, hands and tongues.
Hold a mirror for your partner to look at their own genitals.
Women, touch your lover’s genitals, sighing with desire from time to time, even in public but Be discreet,
Men, nibble on your partner’s neck with sighs of desire from time to time, even when out in public.
Give each other a sensual massage. Try short 5 minute full body massages on a daily basis, as well as longer versions when possible. The BodyShop has an excellent line of affordable sensual massage oils.
Create a sanctuary, a sensual love space, in anticipation of your lovemaking. Make your space beautiful. Keep it simple.
Create your own rituals & ceremonies. Keep it simple.
Tell each other what turns you on. If they don’t know, they can’t indulge your desires.
Read and/or write erotic poetry and stories.
Watch erotic, romantic movies and videos.
Take a bath or shower together. Even small tubs are great fun. Make a mess.
Wash each other’s bodies. Be kind and gentle and provocative, or raucous and wild, whatever you’re both into.
Wash each other’s feet. Use a basin and some wonderful natural soap. Rub on an aromatic foot lotion.
Suck on your partner’s squeaky-clean toes.
Feed each other food and drink. Use your fingers. Make a mess.
Read stories out loud to each other.
Wear costumes and masks as part of your foreplay. Oooh, mystery!
Tie each other up. Men especially love to be tied up.
Paint each other’s bodies. Use washable/edible body paint or chocolate sauce you make yourself or buy.
Wash each other’s hair.
Give each other pedicures.
Prepare sensual meals together. Fondle and tease each other as you work/play.
Watch the sun come up or go down, or the moon go across the water.
Lie out under the stars. Sleep out under the stars.
Make flower arrangements together, fresh or dried.
Send each other erotic post cards without any special occasion.
Write passionate love letters to each other. Text “I love you’” from time to time.
Say the words “I love you. I need you. I want you.”
Whisper words of adoration in your lover’s ears before, during and after love making.
Talk dirty in your lover’s ear during the heat of passionate lovemaking.
Hold hands in public.
Go on picnics.
Call each other pet names.
Make foreplay go on and on and on and on and….
Men, help your woman come to orgasm before intercourse – at least some times!
Men, be sure she is wet, before you put your golden rod into her fig pocket!
Romance each other for hours, with intercourse on and off the whole time. Men, learn to delay ejaculation!
Cuddle after intercourse. Look into each other’s eyes. Say words of love and adoration. Thank the God and Goddess for their favors.
Cry in front of each other.
Share what you are feeling. Risk being vulnerable.
Try different lovemaking positions. Experiment.
Use love toys. Experiment.
Laugh during, before and after intercourse. Joy, humour and playfulness are sexy qualities.
Offer unexpected gifts. Keep it simple, but thoughtful. Pick the right thing, not the biggest or most expensive thing.
Remember special occasions. Special occasions should be special!
Say please and thank you for sexual favors and for many small things each day. “Whether the pretty woman grants or withholds her favors, she always likes to be asked for them.”
Surprise your lover with the unexpected. Experiment.
Try something new. Experiment.
Try something dangerous. Experiment.
Try something outrageous. Experiment.
Try something kinky. Experiment.
Try something you are afraid of. Experiment.
Try something forbidden. Experiment.
Share your fantasies. Act them out with each other. Don’t ever share fantasies about someone else with your lover!
Masturbate each other.
Masturbate in front of each other.
Dress up for a romantic dinner.
Eat dinner by candlelight…then Make love by candlelight…simply divine.
Put on little skits (acts) for each other. Experiment.
Be foolish and playful. Experiment.
Drop something that is really important for you to do, and make love instead.
Call when you are away and say “I miss you terribly. I can’t wait to get home to hold you.”
Talk “dirty” over the phone to each other.
Shop for sex toys and lingerie together.
Ladies, wear garter belt and stockings instead of pantyhose.
Put blindfolds on each other during foreplay and intercourse, sometimes.
Role play: innocent high school student, slut, nurse, stripper, master, slave, bad boy or girl, etc.
Look into each other’s eyes, if possible until tears follow the opening of your heart in love.
Match the rhythm of your breathing during lovemaking; Breathe rapidly to heat up your excitement.
Take long, deep, slow breaths to maintain a high level of excitement without going over into orgasm. Prolonging the orgasmic excitement leads to ecstasy.
Just hold each other.
Talk where one only listens. The one who listens does not try to take any responsibility, does not try to intervene or “fix” anything. Just listen. This is harder to do than it sounds.
Give each other a 10-second kiss when coming and going.
Make out like high school kids, without intercourse.
Practice Tantra Sacred Sex muscle control, breathing and visualization together. If you don’t know how, take a workshop together.
Give each other flowers regularly. Men love to receive flowers too! Keep fresh flowers around as often as possible.
Keep lots of green healthy plants in the house.
Notice all the little things you do for each other, that you regularly take for granted, and let each other know how important they are to you. Show your appreciation.
Spend time remembering wondrous past experiences together when you were happy and joyous.
Take turns leading when dancing slow.
In conversation always use loving names when referring to your genitals, e.g., jade stalk, wand of light, mystery cave, succulent flower. Make up some of your own.
Make plans for the future and discuss how you wish to spend the rest of your lives together.
Write out your vision of the relationship you want to create together.
Display your relationship vision/dream where you will see it often.
Serve each other breakfast in bed.
Sleep together NAKED! Curl around each other like spoons.
In the morning when you awake lying naked together, he goes between her legs. If not aroused, use a soft entry by wetting his lingam with a lubricant and insert it into her yoni. Lie still with your eyes open and match your breathing for 2-5 minutes.
Published: 128 days ago [ submited by Dakini Bliss ]
What does it really mean to be a truly integrated, awakened man? A fully integrated male must assimilate in his body the divine female energies that woman can only release to him through right physical lovemaking. But he has to be man enough to be able to love her enough. In other words, he must be able to love her selflessly during the actual act of lovemaking. He has to be able to absorb and express sufficient love in his body to reach the highest part of her, and love enough to extract the divine energies from her deepest centre. Being able to love in this way is the authority man has lost…his only true authority over woman.
A woman’s ultimate purpose is to be radiant love and to break open her lover’s heart no matter what the resistance until he surrenders to her love and allows himself to be love.
The Latin term for whore had its root in the Vedic, an early Sanskrit language, wherein the word puta is defined as pure and holy. The cave, the hole, and the bottomless black lake were metaphors for the Great Goddess, She is the Everything and The Nothing-Hole-y, Holy, Wholly. Sacred Whore at work was, in fact, the manifestation of the Great Goddess.
In ancient societies where the feminine principle was honored, the temple priestesses’ primary function was to be a source of Divine Feminine energy, radiant love, for the men who came into the temple for healing of the heart and reconnection to their own feminine energy. These women were known as Sacred Prostitutes or Sacred Whores.
These women could actually express “divine love”, radiant love, and knew themselves to be a transmitter of this love. They were taught the Arts of Love, and developed mastery over their sexual energy. They learned how to be a channel for their Shakti, (feminine creative life force), and how to share that energy with men through the act of lovemaking. These women transmuted any sense of personal self and completely surrendered their identity to the Divine. They were nameless in this Holy Act of Love. And through this act the man was healed, he reconnected with his heart energy and was once again open to love. The men who came to the Temple for healing were often returning from wars that disconnected them from both their feminine side and their heart. By spending time with a Sacred Whore, he became whole once again, holy made whole, and could then go out and rejoin society.
Indeed, it is the woman’s role, once she herself has awakened to the love that she is, to help him come to a greater knowledge of God, which is love.
A famous man once said, “I have been taught by the divine principle of woman, led by her and crucified by her. But mostly I have been loved by her.”
Today there are no temple priestesses. Yet these teachings are available to us through the practice of Tantra, which teaches that a woman’s prime responsibility is to awaken the heart of her man. One way she can do this is through lovemaking.
Now, a woman can begin to learn these things by first accepting that she need do nothing else but allow her own heart to open. The natural state of woman is to be LOVE so the only thing she has to do is to let go of any resistance she herself has to being love. To be love means that she is allowing herself to feel love for the sake of love itself. If her natural state of Being is love, then she is love incarnate. As a woman, she has already been blessed with being able to feel that love deeply in her heart. When she is with her lover, she can pour that love into him, to penetrate his heart whenever he shuts down. Moreover, she is willing to break through any part of him that is not allowing himself to feel that love, which in reality is him too. A man just does not feel this quite as easily as a woman does.
Men are spaciousness. Their gift is to learn how to be fully present in every way possible. A woman’s gift is to radiate love to all, especially to her beloved. Thus, a man allows himself to give himself fully to a woman and to feel her inside him. He can then embraces his feminine energy and becomes integrated and more whole.
He has to be able to love her enough; i.e., love her selflessly during the actual act of lovemaking. He has to be able to absorb and express sufficient love in his body to reach the highest part of her, and love enough to extract the divine energies from her deepest center”
When a man allows himself to do this, he can then give himself the transformative gift of Love.
Published: 128 days ago [ submited by Dakini Bliss ]
In our fast-paced world, most couples struggle to find time and energy for sex amidst work, friends, family, and all other life responsibilities and commitments. Slow, sensual lovemaking is one element of life to fully savour when so little time exists.
What makes love and sex luxurious is taking the time to slow down and really enjoy it. When you can immerse yourself completely into the experience of either giving or receiving, time ceases, trust increases, intimacy deepens, and you reprogram the way you imagine, breathe, gaze, move, taste, touch and connect. DAKINI BLISS (http://www.thetantrictouch.com) teaches couples new, fun, and exiting ways to reincorporate erotic and sensual techniques to their lovemaking sessions. Examining ancient sexual practices and philosophies, such as Tantra and the Kama Sutra, as well as modern sexual conventions, DAKINI instructs you on how to explore each other’s bodies through sensual head-to-toe touching, kissing, erotic massage, oral sex, masturbation, and other playful turn-ons.
It’s time for you to inflame passion and s-l-o-w down your sex while ultimately extending your pleasure. Classy, sassy and wise with vast sexual experience, Dakini graciously shares her expertise in the most delightful ways. “A session with Dakini is totally relaxing, great fun and sexy, sexy, sexy… guaranteed to enhance absolutely anyone’s sex life.” ~ Ted, Toronto
Published: 129 days ago [ submited by Dakini Bliss ]
Sometimes it’s good to be a quitter.
Can hypnosis help you quit smoking?
Is it easy to break free from this addiction?
No, trying to break the nicotine addiction is as hard to break as heroin addiction. Happily, hypnosis makes your chances of succeeding much stronger.
Research consistently shows that 95% of smokers who try to kick the habit will ultimately fail. Even if they quit in the short term, they will eventually end up smoking again. Such continual failure makes it more and more difficult to quit smoking, as they believe that they cannot do it. Through hypnosis anyone should be able to quit, including you. Here’s how…
Analzye Why You Tend To Smoke
People have different reasons for smoking. One common reason is because most of their close friends are all smokers. Once they understand WHY they had started to smoke in the first place, it is then easy to use hypnosis to help them quit. By then, they have found a new circle of non-smoking friends, which greatly increases their chances of enjoying a happy, smoke-free life for many years to come. Some folks have other reasons for smoking; some claim that it is fun, a pleasure, a friend, a way to deal with stress. All reasons for smoking though come back to “Tendency” and the human belief that undertaking an activity will be affording you something positive. As far as smoking goes, those people who believe it to be a positive action will continue to smoke. ASK YOURSELF…what do you actually gain by inhaling and exhaling smoke? Is it really a pleasure? If you think so, you are letting yourself be deceived. It is vital that you rid yourself of this false belief; no pleasure can ever be had in smoking.
How Hypnosis For Quitting Smoking Can Help You
As far as reprogramming your mind, hypnosis is definitely the most effective tool. When you smoke you are already unknowingly undertaking a form of hypnosis. But smoking is harmful for your health, so you can use hypnosis in a much better way to break the addiction that you are facing. Hypnosis works by dealing with the root cause of the problem. Your mind has been slowly conditioned over a long time, so that now you believe smoking gives you pleasure. At this moment, your unconscious mind is focused on smoking. Your mind says that you need a cigarette, but you can hypnotize it so that you can quit smoking. The quit smoking hypnosis focuses on reconditioning your mind, something it does by implanting suggestions into it. These suggestions lead you to remove all desire that you have to smoke. Hypnosis can totally transform your life. If you believe in it, and use it intensely and correctly then you will very unlikely to fail. It has consistently been proved to be more effective than any other method when it comes to quitting smoking.
The Deep Breathing Method
The Deep Breathing Method is an interesting, effective way to release you from tension and addiction. Working as a revitalizer, all you do is close your eyes and breathe deeply when you desire a cigarette. As you breathe out, visualize that you are releasing the tension from your body, and as you inhale, visualize that you are becoming light and relaxed. This process kills your existing mental conflict and destroys the desire to smoke.
This is the basis of the ancient method of yoga and meditation.
Along with tantric massage, you will discover that this is one of the best relaxation techniques.
Dakini Bliss is an Ottawa-based Tantric teacher who uses hypnosis is her Tantric Massage Practice.
Published: 129 days ago [ submited by Dakini Bliss ]
The focus of Tantra yoga is more on spiritual healing while bringing into balance a mind-body-soul integration.
In India, sexuality has long been an important part of being able to achieve a level of enlightenment that is not possible without this aspect of your development. This notion differs from Western civilization’s thoughts on sexuality, which is disregarded as a vital aspect of spirituality.
It can also help to enhance your sex life with better sexual performance from the improved physical condition, energy and control. For woman this can also increase the levels of sexual enlightenment by being able to control and concentrate the energy levels towards a more fulfilling experience.Along with these benefits, Tantra Yoga can also assist in the health and well-being in other areas. The exercises help to improve circulation that can reduce the incidence of prostate cancer by helping the prostate to function better and to remain in a healthier state.
Retraining the mind and body through Tantra yoga also helps to reduce anxiety which once again assists in helping to achieve a better sexual experience. This can help to strengthen relationships and not only make for a healthier and happier love life but affect all aspects of a couple’s life.
Tantra yoga helps release the energy that this celebratory philosophy of sexuality relates to. Those who do get involved and practice Tantra yoga find it to be an awesome experience that is therapeutic, relaxing and stimulating.
When a couple practice Tantra yoga, applying the techniques with one another and focusing on satisfying the other, both parties benefit far more than could otherwise be expected.
Dakini Bliss is an Ottawa-based Tantric Practioner who offers Tantric Massage and Yoga sessions in her Sacred Urban Sanctuary. You may schedule an appointment by calling her at 613 878-8179..Visit her website at http://www.thetantrictouch.com.
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