Connection Post Pandemic

 I’m usually not a fan of fireworks. The pollution and noise bother me and looking up hurts my neck. Even so, they sometimes stir emotions in me.

At first I wondered if this was connected to past lives. I had to sleep on it for the message within the shamanic journey to be revealed...

This place we call home is where it all began. Where I was initiated as someone who midwifes others’ transformative process.

Sometimes shamanic experiences are set up by my guides. Perhaps I also play a role in calling them in with my thoughts? They can be like prayers you know.

Vulnerable share....

Female archetypes surrounded me as I walked the streets on New Year’s Eve with my husband. We took in the energy among a masked crowd, all spaced six feet apart in their family or friends pods. Grasping at a little excitement, as the city was essentially shut down. Some could risk dining in a restaurant, but when we passed by bars, most were empty.

The single women who surrounded me and caught my attention gave me insights into my current relationship struggle and the choices I had before me.

A single woman my age walked along side us as we entered the main viewing area. She looked alone and vulnerable, but wanting something to do. Where we stood to watch the fireworks, off the sidewalk to get away from the crowd, a single mom with her older son was to my right. A single elder woman in her work clothes to the left. She was also alone. I, aside my husband, who I have struggled with a lot recently. We weren’t connecting or feeling much love that night.

The message was clear, do I work on this primary relationship or go it alone? Feelings of desperation surrounded me. The need for the stimulation of fireworks. Dodging strangers on the sidewalk for fear of Omicron. Friends and family testing positive daily.

It’s a new time requiring new skills. My New Years project was to begin the 2nd edition of Lighter: Living Tantra. Tantra yoga, qigong, communication and connection exercises are similar. I also explore new approaches to intimacy and connection during pandemic times.

That’s my New Year’s 2022 story. What’s revealing, or has revealed, itself to you about yourself during this dark time? Let’s be real and feel...& even, dare I say, celebrate the darkness within you. When we become aware of these parts of ourselves, we can begin to accept and transform them.

The teachings of Lighter: Living Tantra came to me while doing a fire purification ceremony. I symbolically tossed into the fire what was not serving me, expressed deep gratitude for all the blessings in my life, sat in meditation and called in support in assisting my community. I lived in a community where addiction is a common issue. I had endured my share of suffering being around it and attempting to offer support. I feel a strong sense of compassion for those who feel trapped in addiction. It was so present in my life that I felt a powerful call to ask for guidance.

In my meditation, I saw a grid of light connecting Sky and Earth. The diamond-shaped grid crossed and created a diamond body within my center. The base of its upper point came from the Earth and ended at my heart center. The base of its lower point began in the Sky and ended at my root center. I was then sent a clear message that what is required is to balance Earth and Sky energy and seal that energy in one’s center. This translated to me as a combination of Tantra yoga and Qigong practices that are now the foundation of all the intimacy, connection and sacred sexuality programs I offer. This balancing of Sky and Earth energy, while strengthening one’s true identity, was clearly a healing practice for more than just those overcoming addiction, but for all choosing to transform.

An intentional Tantra yoga and Qigong lifestyle, guided by an experienced master-level Tantra yoga educator, can balance Shiva/masculine/yang/Sky energy and Shakti/feminine/yin/Earth energy and seal this new way of being in one’s center.