I wanted to say a little something about "Body Worship" in a blog because I think its an important topic in todays world. It is my belief that our bodies are sacred vessels in which our spirits or souls live and exist and therefor is something that we should treat with the utmost respect, dignity, honor and reverence. In Tantra, we believe that our bodies are something that was given to us by God, aka: The Divine Source of ALL Creation. In other words, our body is our temple, and just like any temple that you would go to to worship the essence of God, it is meant to be worshiped as well. In essence, we are all divine incarnations of God and Goddess... created in the likeness of the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine principles. Shiva (masculine) is seen as "Pure Consciousness" and Shakti (feminine) is seen as "Pure Energy" and together they create[d] the entire universe. All that is seen and unseen come from these Divine aspects of creation itself.  

As we become awakened beings, shedding off the many layers of illusion and conditioning brought on by many centuries of ignorance and naivety, we start to understand that we really are "one with each other". Encompassing both masculine and feminine qualities within our own bodies, we no longer have the need to extract these qualities from the "opposite sex" in order to meet some long forgotten need, because we start to understand that we are not really separate from one another after all, yet we are mirrors to reflect upon the understanding of the divine nature of creation itself.  

It is my belief that somewhere along the line the ego (which constitutes the mind) decided that is was more powerful then the spirit (which constitutes the heart and/or soul) and therefore created this "illusion of separation"... and that because the masculine aspect was physically stronger than that of the feminine aspect, it was somehow more "superior". As a resort, we have been out of balance with the natural cycles of the laws of nature. What do you think happens when we are out of balance with the "Laws of Nature"? Precisely what you see happening in our world today... war, famine, pestilence, death...  

Just as Shiva and Shakti created the universe, they to can destroy it. And because we are living incarnations of these masculine and feminine aspects, it is actually US that is creating and destroying OURSELVES simultaneously... because we have fallen out of balance with the very way things were always meant to be. If we wish to live in harmony with ourselves and others on this planet we MUST make some drastic changes in the ways we think, feel and act, and we must make them quickly before its to late. It is time to stop pitting ourselves against one another and work in unison to create a sense of camaraderie, equality and partnership.  

Therefore, that is exactly what we will be doing during a "Body Worship" session. Treating our bodies like temples where we would go to worship the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine principles of the universe. This is why Tantra is described as "Sacred Sexuality" or "Conscious Sexuality", because it is truly sacred indeed. A god/goddess given gift to humanity to help know itself or themselves so to speak.  

"Touch" is the main component of a "Body Worship" session. Conscious, loving, nurturing, healing, pleasurable, respectful and aware touch. We must ask ourselves before touching someone else, if we are really ready to give and receive in a way that feels "whole". Not in a way where we are trying to get something in return but in an unconditionally loving way. Where are only purpose is to share our love, our breath, and our energy with the receiver. We must learn to set aside any expectations, agendas or hidden agendas, pre-conceived ideas, and/or motives and learn to open our hearts and minds to the mystery of the moment. We must learn to allow the flow of energy to take over, guiding us from moment to moment in what to do next. Trusting our "intuition" to be our teacher and our "higher selves" to show us the way. If we are not in touch with these very basic elements, then we will only be able to come from our "lower vibrational energy centers", or "Chakra's", ( which I will explain in more detail soon ) and we will not be able to access the feelings of "ONE-ness" so often described in Tantric practices. It is vital to go SLOW and notice the subtle energies that one can experience from learning how to touch and be touched from an experienced and knowledgeable Tantra teacher. Just like any practice, it takes time to learn and truly understand the depths of this wisdom.