Image from Google Images
I originally wrote the following article years ago for an online magazine called: "Inner Cosmetics" under the byline of "Liaya Aneb Nua". I've updated the article. Some things have changed and others not so much.
At the end of the cycle of my career as a practicing Tantra yoga and sacred sexuality teacher (and student for about 40 years) I had came to the conclusion that in order for wombn to experience their full potential they have to appreciate and wisely use their sexual energy. This means healing sexual shame, fear, and guilt which means this healing has to include not only ourselves but our daughters and sons. It means honoring our natural sexual desire as a normal function. It means honoring our vulva and the rest of our bodies. It also means channeling this sacred energy toward self-love, creativity, learning to become self-contained, and taking more care in deciding on lovers. A tall order for many of us.
The challenge for many wombn is that most of us are uninitiated and unconscious of our Goddess energies. Unfortunately, by the time (if ever) a wombn, by life circumstances, begins to question social and mainstream religious attitudes towards sexuality there is usually an entire history of emotional and sometimes resulting physical pain to deal with and undo. How did we get into such a mess? My experience in my own life and in working with others—which is what led me to the Goddess path and Tantra have taught me that there are several paths which has led us here. The primary one being the submersion, demonization and/or elimination of Goddess teachings and the erasure of the importance of the cultures from which She emerges. These life affirming teachings have been under attack and therefore went into hiding from the mainstream. Thankfully, this part of our story is changing and a new cycle is upon us. I call it the Re-Emerging of the Divine Feminine culture.
What do we, in modern society, really know of the meaning of sexuality beyond procreation and doing an act which makes us feel good? What exactly are the Goddess teachings? For the purposes of this post we will explore the Goddess teachings which focus on the world culture’s body of oral and written teachings on the sacredness of the physical body and its connection to the Divine. Embodied in these teachings are techniques by which a wombn initiates a man into the deeper deeper mysteries of sexuality thus helping him to reach expanded states of consciousness where direct personal experience of the Divine happens.
Image from Devipuram Ashram
The oldest world cultures’ view of sexuality incorporated its mystical and practical nature. Through the touch of the Goddess in mystical sexual embrace it became possible to have direct experience of the Divine. Both male and female were honored as Deity and deemed necessary in the spiritual creation/evolution process on all levels. Clear examples are reflected in India’s Tantric teachings where Shiva is totally ineffective without Shakti. In ancient Kemet (Egypt) Atum would lie eternally inert without the blessed hand of the Goddess Iusaas.
In these teachings wombn have always had the honor of being direct conduits for Divine energy to enter into and embody the sacred. The priestesses were the initiators. This embodiment would manifest in many ways. As an example, our bodies are made for endurance (childbearing) and continual renewal (monthly menstruation). A lesser-known benefit of being born female is our unlimited capacity to experience pleasure through sexual expression. Wombn by nature are multi-orgasmic. Men are not but can be trained to become so. What these ancient teachings tell is us that the physical orgasm is the counterpart of the release of spiritual life force—different cultures call this force by name in their own tongue. The African Akan people call it Nyama,and ache' the Indian Dravidian Tantrikas call it Shakti, ancient Egyptians called this energy Shekm. This release of life force causes radical changes in both the spiritual and physical dimensions of our being. The physical responses are well documented. The spiritual responses are much more subtle but much more powerful.
Image from Google Images
In order to understand the previous statement fully you have to take yourself out of the mindset that we are only physical beings. In actuality we are much more. We are made up of non-physical counterparts of our physical form called subtle bodies. There are places or vortexes of energy in these subtle forms which stores, gives and receives energy. These energy centers are called wheels (chakras in Sanskrit). When orgasm occurs stored sexual energy is released from the base energy center. Where it goes is up to us. If we consciously use it we can, through our intent, send it upwards instead of downwards and out of the body to cleanse and purify our energy body and unite with Divinity. At the very least we can send this healing energy to any part of our physical body that needs it. We can also consciously exchange this orgasmic energy with our partner and help him heal various imbalances.
For wombn the orgasmic experience can be repeated at will. For some of us this will take practice, especially if there are ‘energy blocks’ regarding expressing our sexual nature or if there has been trauma. Self-love, deep relaxation and acceptance are the keys to allowing orgasmic energy to flow through you. It is a gift from the Goddess, and your divine right to experience it.
This gift has been abused due to the gradual demonization of female sexuality; the gradual destruction of Goddess centered cultures has left wombn with little information on how to celebrate their sexual nature. Unfortunately for most of us, there have been few safe outlets. Many of us are uncomfortable in expressing our sexual nature which can cause neurosis and physical problems. Others follow the path of reckless promiscuity in hopes of finding fulfillment. Still others settle for unfulfilling relationships rather than face our fear of aloneness. Again, thankfully, there is a resurgence of the Goddess teachings happening all over the world and Feminine Consciousness is once again on the rise.
From the above information you may now begin to see how important it is to stay connected to your Goddess energy as sexual self-expression. Where to start? It’s never too late to start developing a sacred relationship with your feminine energy. One way to do this is through a Taoist Yoga exercise called the Womb Stance. This exercise is very easy and can be done many times throughout the day. Below is my own beginning version of the womb stance:
Image from Google Images
Womb Stance: Stand with feet a little more than shoulders width apart, feet facing forward, knees slightly bent. Head should be erect and back should be straight but comfortable. Take a few deep breaths starting from the abdominals. Fill your lungs to capacity and then release the air starting from the top of the chest and pushing the air out until you can contract your abdominals where there is no air left in your lungs. Repeat the yoga breathing for a few moments. Now place your left palm behind you on your lower back. Place your right palm about an inch below your navel. Now visualize either a clear blue sky or midnight starlit sky above you. On each in-breath you breathe in that skylight into your abdomen, cleansing and purifying your womb space, exhaling all stagnant, toxic energy. You palms may become warm. This just means healing energy is circulating through you. A useful affirmation while doing the exercise could be: “I love and accept my feminine nature” or “from this moment on, I choose to honor the sacredness of my sexual nature.” This simple exercise will help you to start developing a grounded centered feeling of power and connection with your womb center.
My purpose in writing this is to assist wombn (and our male allies and lovers) restore sexual dignity, healing, and the knowledge applied as wisdom which are important building blocks to having sacred relationships. I welcome your questions, comments and suggestions.
Head to the sky, feet rooted in earth - Awakened Oracle
