Monday, November 12, 2012

Las mujeres de mi casa, por Erika Irusta Rodríguez


LAS MUJERES DE MI CASA, SANACION DE NUESTRO LINAJE FEMENINO

“La salud de la mujer es el terreno sobre el que crece toda la humanidad. Mejorar la salud de una mujer fertiliza y aprovisiona el terreno para todos, hombres, mujeres, niños, animales, plantas y el propio planeta. El vínculo madre- hija, en toda su belleza, dolor y complejidad, forma el cimiento mismo del estado de salud de una mujer. Esta relación primordial deja su huella en todas y cada una de nuestras células para toda la vida”

Las mujeres, como los hombres, nos creamos en el útero de nuestra madre. Bebemos sus emociones, sentimos todo aquello que acontece en su cuerpo, mente y espíritu. Es nuestro universo durante nueve lunas y constituye nuestra esencial referencia de la vida humana. En el caso de las mujeres, nuestros úteros son creados en el útero de nuestra madre y en él se imprimirán sus emociones básicas acerca de la feminidad. Así, en su útero, se albergan también aquellas de nuestra abuela y, si seguimos esta espiral, caeremos en la cuenta de que en este útero de creación y recreación, nuestro Templo Sagrado (útero), está construido sobre los pilares de todas las mujeres de nuestro linaje matrilineal.

El legado de todas estas mujeres hasta nosotras (o hasta nuestras hijas) está impreso en nuestro cuerpo, en concreto en nuestros genitales, nuestros órganos sexuales, nuestros senos y nuestro abdomen. Tener conciencia de esto nos ayuda a entender el porqué de tantos dolores “inexplicables”, de tanta ira contenida y de tantas lágrimas sordas anudadas en nuestra garganta.
Las mujeres de nuestra casa sufrieron miles de abusos, desde la imagen de pecadora que tuvieron que aceptar “gracias a” la Iglesia Católica hasta la reclusión “recomendada” en los fogones. Nuestras ancestras fueron niñas, fueron mujeres, fueron hijas, fueron madres como hoy lo somos nosotras. Sus miedos y sus contentos eran similares a los nuestros. Ellas tuvieron sus sueños cumplidos y sus sueños frustrados. Fueron algo más que cuidadoras, aunque ahora apenas lo recordemos. Tuvieron inquietudes y necesidades de brillar como las que hoy sólo confesamos ante el espejo o una mano amiga.

Leyendo el libro de Madres e Hijas de la Dra. Northrup pude poner palabras a lo que tantas veces había sentido hacía mi madre y hacia mi abuela. Esa necesidad de verlas como mujeres, sin el lazo específico de la sangre familiar sino con el lazo universal que nos une a las mujeres en manada. Llorando encontré que en el seno de mi madre residía una mujer llena de poder. Una mujer a la que podía admirar. El reflejo de la Diosa, que tantas veces ilustré con dibujos prestados, estaba ahí y era real. Todos estos años la buscaba y hasta que no bajé la espada del reproche y abracé nuestras sombras no pude ver el verdadero rostro de la mujer en la que me crié y acuné.

Mi madre también es hija, como lo es mi abuela y todas mis ancestras. Todas tenemos en común nuestra Fuente de Origen y sólo cuando pude llegar hasta ella entendí los misterios más inciertos y oscuros de mi. Comprendí que muchos no eran míos, supe que tantos otros no eran de mi madre y así fui deshilando la manta de los recuerdos, hasta llegar a Ellas. Las mujeres del pasado se manifiestan en nosotras a través de los pálpitos de nuestro útero.

Esta Sagrada Vasija contiene las aguas de todas las emociones, suyas y nuestras. Hemos de sentirla sin miedo para poder elegir qué es lo que queremos quedarnos y qué queremos desechar. Ellas nos acompañan desde la luz si así se lo pedimos. Simplemente hemos de nombrarlas con solemnidad, con el corazón y los brazos abiertos pidiendo su presencia y ayuda. Reconociendo el linaje de sangre lunar. Os invito a invocarlas. Así lo hago yo desde las profundidades de mi Ser:
En este caminar soy Erika, hija de Ana Rosa, hija de Lucila, hija de Eleuteria, hija de Pascuala, hija y nieta de las mujeres valientes que me precedieron. A vosotras, abuelas, os invoco desde el Amor, buscando la Sabiduría que reside en vuestro legado.

Con estas palabras reconozco su labor aún perenne en esta Tierra, pues ellas viven en mi sangre. Porque decido honrarlas, las nombro. Porque decido liberarme de aquello que no quiero, las nombro. Ellas son la fuerza que impulsa cada una de mis acciones. Ellas son la Savia de mi cuerpo.
De todas y cada una, una sonrisa y cientos de lágrimas recorriendo mi cara. De todas y cada una, el regazo acogedor. De todas y cada una de las mujeres de mi casa llevo la luz y la sombra. Son cientos y a todas ellas muestro mi veneración, porque del linaje de mis mujeres vine a este cuerpo, a esta familia en concreto. Como hija y nieta de tantas, decido caminar hacia las profundidades de sus úteros para encontrar el origen de la angustia y ponerle fin.

Siento que no estamos completas hasta el día en que tomamos aire y nos aventuramos a bucear en las profundidades de nuestro linaje femenino. El momento en el que nos reconocemos únicas es el momento en el que honramos aquello de lo que formamos parte. Sólo cuando pude sentirme cómoda y reconfortada en los brazos de mi madre, pude dar el paso hacia mi propio universo. Hasta entonces había sido una niña perdida, buscando la aprobación de una mujer que no sabía si amar u odiar. Fuera como fuera nunca tuve elección, sabía que hiciera lo que hiciera, siempre la amaría. Pese a todo lo que me dolía reconocerlo, era cierto. Mi universo fue esa mujer y como nuestra Madre Tierra, por mucho que trates de ignorarla ella siempre te sostiene. Quizás no es como esperas, pero Ella es el mundo que necesitas para aprender lo que has de aprender. Cuando comienzas a amar tus tifones, cuando entiendes tus cataratas, llegas a encontrarla hermosa. La miras y te reconoces en ella. Entonces sabes que sois Una, tal y como fuisteis hace años.

Hemos de aventurarnos a recorrer este laberinto mágico que nos conduce a la Fuente. Nuestro primer pasadizo es nuestro cuerpo y de ahí se abren las puertas hacia las mujeres de nuestra casa. Pasamos a través de nuestro útero al útero materno y de allí al útero de nuestras ancestras. De una a otra tomamos conciencia de quiénes somos en realidad. Cada una descubrimos nuestros misterios y os aseguro, hermanas, que todos son bellos, sea cual sea su forma.
Para avanzar, no sólo hemos de comprender, sino también honrar nuestro origen. Gracias a Ellas palpitamos. Sólo Nosotras podemos elegir cómo.

Erika Irusta Rodríguez
Mujer, hija, doula, pedagoga especializada en energía femenina y sanación de Lo Sagrado Femenino

Friday, October 5, 2012

Regresé / I'm back!!

Finalmente después de una ardua labor, estoy de regreso. Como algunos saben, estuve terminando mi maestría, trabajando con mis clientes y decidiendo qué hacer con mi vida. Parece que mi vida en vez de unificarse en unas cuantas actividades, se diversifica constantemente. Además, con el tiempo y las diferentes experiencias, me he vuelto dolorosamente consciente de que la vida transcurre mientras hacemos otros planes. Mi intención es hacer una contribución, aunque sea pequeña, al mundo y dejarlo un poquito mejor de como lo encontré. Pienso que la mejor manera de hacerlo es seguir descubriendo más de mi misma y ayudar a otras personas a descubrirse también, para poder transformar lo que ya no  sirve.

Por el momento, solo quiero re-inaugurar mi blog y decir que estoy de regreso y contenta de haber salido en este viaje.

*************

Finally, after a lot of work, I'm back. As you mayknow, I was finishing my masters degree, working with clients and deciding what to do with my life. It seems that my life is becoming more complex and diverse, instead of becoming simpliers. Besides, time and some experiences have made me painfully aware that life is what happens as you are making plans. My intention is to contribute, even in a small way and leave it a little bit better than I found it. I think that the best way to do it is to know more about myself and to help other people to be aware of themselves, in order to transform what is no longer useful.

At this point, I only want to re-open my blog and say that I'm back and happy from my journey.

Imagen: math.byu.edu

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Feliz día de las madres

En México, hoy es el día de las madres y antes de que acabe el día, un abrazo y felicitaciones a todas mis amigas y conocidas. A las que tienen hijos, a las que los perdieron, a las que sueñan con tenerlos y a las que tuvieron que dejar atrás ese sueño. A las que educaron al hijo de su pareja, a las que consienten a sus sobrinos y a los hijos de sus amigas, a quienes quieren como propios. A las que nos ayudan a educarlos y a los que los cuidan cuando no podemos hacerlo. Porque a los hijos los gestas en el vientre pero también en el corazón.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Re-connect: Happiness


Our second Re-connect session this last Thursday was about Happiness.

I was surprised to see mostly guys in this gathering, but their participation and exploration of the topic was very interesting, too.

We started talking about how we felt at that moment, as well as recalling when was the last time that we felt happy. All of them had experienced happiness in the last week. We also described the different levels of happiness we experienced, from the quiet and peaceful calm to the exhilarating joy.


Happy comes from happ, icelandic for luck or chance. The Dalai Lama says we can train the psique or the spirit (also includes the mind) to be happy. Personal happiness can manifest as a simple willingness to reach out to others., create a feeling of affinity and goodwill.

Happiness is a mental state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Philosophers and religious thinkers often define happiness in terms of living a good life.

Happy people tend to be sociable, flexible and creative and are able to tolerate life-s daily frustrations more easily. Happy people tend to reach out and help others. Happiness is contagious.







People are happiest when are in flow, with other people, focused in another activity, focus on loved one, discovering, when they forget about themselves. Unhappy and suicidal people feel alone, isolation, hopelessness. self-focused attitude brings mood down.

Thinking about the blessings we have had through our lives brings us satisfaction, while thinking of what we don't have yet will bring us dissatisfaction. Notice how different is to say: I'm glad I'm not a (I'm glad I'm) ... vs. I wish I were...

We naturally try to be happy. When we are not able to be happy, we get drugs and anti-depressants. Depression and anxiety are rising, by 2020, depression will be the 2nd cause of disability. It's easier to notice the negative things: have a conversation with a co-worker, praise her work for 5 minutes, tell her 1 single little thing that she could do to improve, and all she will think will be that "negative" comment.

The same for a relationship. Researcher Nancy Etcoff says we should keep a 5-1 ratio for a good relationship. Say 5 positive things for each negative thing you need to point out.

If keep focusing in the negative things we perceive or are afraid of, we may soon enter in a mood of sadness, anxiety or anger, which, in turn may have an impact on everything else we "experience" as emotions change the way we perceive or remember things.


Some advices to live a happier life (found in http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Happiness_and_Life):


1. A Proactive Life is a Happy One
Happy people have positive goals and positive tasks. Proactive people are 15% more satisfied with their lives than more passive people. Happiness researcher Ed Diener explains, “happy people set goals for themselves again and again.”

2. An Active Life is a Happy One
Regular physical activity keeps the body healthy and makes the spirit happy. Daily walks raise the level of happiness 12%. David Niven says, “people who stay fit via sports are healthier, more positive, and more successful.”

3. Doing Good for the World is a Source of Happiness
Those who regularly do good things for others are 24% happier than those who only live for themselves. John A. Schindler wrote, “live as a giving person. Those who give are happier than those who only take. Those who give to others discover the beauty in the world.”

4. Rest and Relaxation Bring Happiness
The central point of a healthy and happy life is to find the balance between rest and activity. Besides, work, physical activity, and time spent with others, we need time to rest and relax. We need to get enough sleep. Scientific research shows that relaxed people think more positively and are happier. Every hour of sleep missed lowers the positivity one can experience during the day.
Where that point of balance between rest and activity lies, must be decided for oneself. Everyone needs to experiment a little to find this correct balance. We have to figure out who much sleep we need and how much relaxation time we need and at what speed we function at our best. We in the western world of „go, go, go“ who wish to stay happy and healthy, must also live extra clever. We need to organize our lives in an intelligent way to facilitate inner happiness and find one’s personal way to inner balance.

5. Positive Thinking
Those who think positively double their chance to realize happiness. Those who wish to be happy should think positively. The positive characteristics of wisdom, love, peace, inner power and joy in life should be set as the central point of one’s life. One should exercise a conscious decision to be positive. Fo example, we can ask ourselves, “ how can I go through the day in a positive way?”

6. Too Much Television Makes You Unhappy
Scientific research states, „ every hour of television lowers the general quality of life by 5%“. TV orients people around superficial things, and the concept of superficial happiness. It raises desire, increases aggression, and creates sorros. Those who would like to grow in terms of happiness, should stop watching TV. (David Niven: Die 100 Geheimnisse glücklicher Menschen. München 2000, Seite 32 f.)
The way to positive TV viewing consists of : a) choose your programs carefully. Avoid negative films. B) Find the correct amount of TV. Children should watch a maximum of one hour per day of television. C) After watching TV, one should practice some form of spiritual exercise (such as yoga, meditation, walking, reading, contemplating the meaning of life).

7. Foster Friendship
Build on your positive circle of friends. Women who talk to others reduce their worries by 55%. Cancer stricken women who met with a group once a week raised their survival chances to twice as high as those who didn’t meet with a group. In the western world, there is a strong tendency towards isolation. There are many single and lonely people. People who have a good circle of friends are happier and not isolated. We should take care of our friendships and practice positive activities with them.

8. Facilitate Joy
Those who can find little elements of joy in their lives can raise their overall happiness by 20%. Nils once felt bad and in order to raise his spirits, he ate a lot of sweets. His spirit brightened more and more. Then he visualized the sweets in his stomach and awakened his kundalini energy. He awakened a strong energy which quickly brought him back into the light. Nils learned to thus connect outer enjoyment with spiritual exercises. One then needs less sweets. Just a bit of outer enjoyment is enough for inner happiness.

9. Humor
Those with a good sense of humor raise their positivity by 33%. We should foster our sense of humor and learn to not take things so seriously. We should learn to laugh at our selves. Those who are able to do so, can live lighter and brighter. It is good to see cheerful films, read funny books, and to visit joyful people.

10. Self-Confidence
Happy people believe in themselves. They believe in their goals, their wisdom, and their power. They see themselves as winners. They know they will prevail in the long term. In a world of doubt, all followers of the way of bliss need inner strength in order to go about their way successfully. The followers of inner happiness need a clear anchor in terms of wisdom, self-discipline, and self-confidence to avoid being brought back by materialism and doubt.


After talking a little bit about the ways to increase happiness, we decided to be more practical and start experiencing with laughter. We did some simple exercises laughing with the sounds of the vowels, putting the hands together in front of the chest. Then, we repeated the laughter sensing it in the body. We started with hahaha, moved to hehehe and so on. Each exercise took us around two minutes per vowel.

If you want to try it out, look at this practice from Laughter Yoga.


Do not take things too seriously. Concentrate on the funny side of life. Go laughing through the day. Practice Laughter Yoga. Laughter is healthy.
1. Clap your hands = We clap our hands in front of the heart chakra. We focus on the stomach and laugh "Ho, ho." We focus on the chest and laugh "Haha." Third, we change constantly between the abdomen and the chest up and down and shout, "Hoho, Haha, Hoho ...

2. Body = We lay our hands on the head and laugh in the head "Hehehe." So we can clean the head of tension. Then we lay hands on the chest and shout "Hahaha". We lay hands on the stomach and yell "Hohoho". We concentrate on the feet and trample with our feet on the ground: "Huhuhu".

3. Laughing Wave = We bow the upper body to the earth. The hands are facing down. We focus on the ground. The hands go to heaven. We wail like a siren: "Hahahaha." We make the laughing wave several times. We connect through our laughter heaven and earth.

4. Welcome laughter = Within a group, we keep eye contact and laugh, until all people are happy. At home we look in the mirror and welcome ourselves. When we look into the mirror there is always something to laugh about.

5. Hands to heaven = We extend our hands to the heaven, concentrate on our chest and laugh a minute "Hahaha."

6. Happy Mantra = We think the mantra: "May all beings be happy. Let there be a world of laughing." We see all people in the world and ourselves as a laughing Buddhas, laughing gods or laughing holinesses.

7. Om Song = At the end of our Laughter Yoga we sing one minute the mantra "Om". We sing it in own our melody. We sense in which part of our body Om resonates best. We sing the Om until we are calm. Then we go optimistic through our lives.


I hope you enjoyed it.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Re-connect

I'm hosting a weekly discussion session to re-connect with our spiritual purpose. If you would like to participate, please, contact me and I'll give you all the details.

Here is this week topic: Re-Connect





“Why am I afraid to tell you who I am? I am afraid to tell you who I am, because, if I tell you who I am, you may not like who I am, and it's all that I have...”
― John Powell

We are born with the need to connect. When a baby is born, his interaction with the world makes him strive. We continue connecting with our parents, family, friends and later with colleagues and strangers. However, there are moments when we feel disconnected. The feeling of being different and unrelated from the rest of the world takes away our power.

According to Brene Brown, shame is a fear of disconnection. The fear of being perceived as flawed and unworthy of acceptance or belonging. Shame keeps us from telling our own stories and prevents us from listening to others tell their stories. We silence our voices and keep our secrets out of the fear of disconnection. We are wired for connection.

Our need for connection is about survival; this is one of our most basic needs. Babies that are not touched or held don't thrive. Everyone is longing for connection and by being available, we connect to the world.

We say we are aware of the importance of connection, but nowadays, real connection seems increasingly difficult. People seem to be connected all the time to different gadgets that are supposed to increase connection but keep contact to a minimum level.

However, we are also afraid of connection. Probably because if I let you catch just a glimpse of my entire being, you won't know who I am and I won't disappoint you. It seems contradictory that nowadays, when more means of communication are available, we are even more disconnected. Disconnection, or at least a selective connection is the way we cope with the anxiety or fear of rejection. We see now people twitting or blogging about every single activity they do through the day.

We seem to be longing for real connection.

The first step to re-connect with other people is to re-connect with myself. I need to be aware of my thoughts, feelings, needs, fears and desires to be able to connect with someone else.

Then, I need to see the other person. I need to understand that she has different thoughts, feelings, needs, fears and desires. The Zulu greeting, "Sawubona" means "I see you" and the response "Ngikhona" means "I am here".

Inherent in the Zulu greeting and our grateful response, is the sense that until you saw me, I didn't exist. By recognizing me, you brought me into existence. A Zulu folk saying clarifies this, "Umuntu ngumuntu nagabantu", meaning "A person is a person because of other people".

To connect with someone else means to understand, accept and respect the other person. This is easier said than done. When we realize everyone is different, we may either accept the other person or reject her. If we want to connect we need to develop empathy.

Empathy is the capacity to recognize and, to some extent, share feelings (such as sadness or happiness) that are being experienced by another sentient or semi-sentient being.

Dalai Lama suggests to approach others with compassion. Empathy is an important factor for compasion. The ability to appreciate another's suffering. When dealing with others at any level, if you are having some difficulties, its extremely helpful to be able to try to put yoursel fin the other person'as place and see how you would react to the situation. Temporarily suspend your point of view.

Self Portrait by David Whyte

It doesn't interest me if there is one God
or many gods.
I want to know if you belong
or feel abandoned.
If you can know despair or see it in others
If you are prepared to live in the world
with its harsh need to change you,
If you can look back with firm eyes saying
"This is where I stand."

I want to know if you know how to melt
into that fierce heat of living
falling toward the center of your longing
If you are willing to live day by day
with the consequence of love and the bitter unwanted passion
of your sure defeat.
I have heard in that fierce embrace
even the gods speak of God.

Practice:

CS Lewis says: You dont have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.

Remind of yourself we are all human beings. We all have a contract with each other. There are no friends or enemies, just teachers.

Some time ago, I found this exercise online:
"One must not do this breathing exercise mechanically. This has to be done with the awareness of what it really brings you.

"First do three inhalations and exhalations with consciousness, i.e. inhale Light and exhale any shadow which still dwells within you. Do this three times.

"Then with a large deep inhalation, inhale Love. Hold your breath as much as possible to conserve the Energy of Love you have integrated, then exhale anything within you which is not Love. Do this three times as well.

"Thus, three times, you do three small inhalations and exhalations where you inhale Light and exhale all the shadow which still dwells within you, as well as three deep inhalations and exhalations where you retain Universal Love and exhale anything within you which is not Love.

"Do this exercise with awareness because it will have no value if you do it while breathing normally."



2. Connection with the Divine Self :

Connecting Oneself with the Divine Self
"Visualize your body of matter. Try to see your face, as if you were seeing yourself from an external projection, as if you were facing yourself. First mentally, say to your body that you love it. Utter your first name and say: 'I love you'.

"Then visualize within yourself a white room that is extremely luminous. The room is totally luminous although there are no doors and there are no windows. Inside of the room you will find someone who is sitting and waiting for you. This being is the Divine within you, he is the being who holds absolute power. Your consciousness is facing him and you will ask him for his help. Ask him to regenerate your body, to restore energy to any parts that are deficient. Still facing the wonderful being, remind yourself that your human consciousness is next to the Divine Being who is within you.

"You will now see emanating from yourself, from the Divine Child, a magnificent golden radiation. This golden radiation, this immense love will spread through your physical body, and your energetic bodies as well. This Love will permeate all your cells and absorb any vibratory frequencies which are too low.

"You may have a sense of being double, the experience of being both inside and outside your body, being yourself and something else. You may feel a gentle heat spreading through your body, an energy of Love which transforms anything. Try to keep your consciousness within yourself facing your Divinity, as long as possible.

"This exercise allows connection, connection between human being and Divine Being, vibratory harmonization, recognition.

"Say to the Divine within you, to this magnificent presence, how much you love him, thank him for regenerating your body and tell him that you will visit him back in your meditations to commune together in a mutual experience of love. Tell him, as well, how much you trust his immense power of Love and his potential to transform your physical body and your consciousness. He can act on all levels, whether they be physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual extending beyond the limits of time and space.

"Now put your consciousness back in front of you. If you cannot see it in front of you, try to visualize it. Once again, say that you love yourself by mentally uttering your first name followed by the words: ‘I love you'. "

A final word on connection:

An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break. -Ancient Chinese Belief


Sunday, February 5, 2012

A mis amigas en Monterrey

Querida amiga,

Te invito a formar parte de este grupo porque pienso que tienes una cualidad maravillosa que no puede seguir oculta más tiempo: la habilidad para sanar. He sido testigo de cómo en algún momento de tu vida has sanado algún aspecto en ti o en alguien más que causaba dolor; y creo que tu ayuda es un factor clave en la curación del mundo tan lastimado en que vivimos ahora.

Cada tragedia, grande o pequeña, nos lleva un paso más cerca de la destrucción de la humanidad y creo que es urgente cambiar el rumbo. He visto también con mis propios ojos cómo pequeños grupos de personas comprometidas pueden cambiar el mundo. Estoy convencida de que para sanarnos a nosotras y sanar a quienes nos rodean, necesitamos organizarnos y recobrar la sabiduría femenina. No es que los hombres sean incapaces de hacerlo, pero me parece que a los ojos de la mujer, hay cosas que son inaceptables. Hay hombres que reconocen que es necesario que la mujer tome el liderazgo y nos apoyarán sin importar qué pase.

Por favor, invita a quienes creas que puedan estar interesadas y participa de esta primera reunión. Si después decides formar un grupo diferente, está muy bien. Si quieres incluso seguir organizando este grupo, mucho mejor, ya que yo solamente podré estar en esta primera reunión. Solo te pido que conserves la esencia de este grupo: mujeres en edad fértil que se reúnen para celebrar la maravilla de ser mujer y compartir lo que está en sus corazones. Sin ninguna agenda política o religiosa para ser impuesta a las mujeres, solo el Sagrado Femenino que nos dió vida.

Si este mensaje resuena en tu corazón, por favor, contáctame para hacerte llegar la invitación.

Un abrazo,

Marxe

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Casa de la Luna en Mexico (Red Tent Temple)


El Templo de la Tienda Roja o la Casa de la Luna es una celebración de lo femenino, de la mujer, de la menstruación. Diferentes tradiciones hablan de una tienda roja o casa de la luna donde las mujeres de las tribus o aldeas se reunían por el período de la menstruación. En ese tiempo, las mujeres se dedicaban a sí mismas: a conversar, comer, apoyarse mutuamente y descansar. También era el tiempo de aprender sobre el ser mujer, los ciclos de fertilidad, salud femenina y otros temas más.

Además, en la tienda roja las mujeres aprendían artes curativas y místicas. Era el santuario de los secretos compartidos y la sabiduría adquirida mediante la tradición oral.

En la actualidad, las reuniones de la Tienda Roja o de la Casa de la Luna nos permiten estrechar los vínculos de hermandad con otras mujeres, recuperar nuestro espacio sagrado y tener un lugar donde sentirnos seguras y disfrutar de la compañía de nuestras hermanas. Tradicionalmente se hace cerca de la luna nueva, y está abierto a todas las mujeres que han tenido ya su menstruación. Aunque no hay una agenda fija, una reunión así puedes esperar plática, compañerismo, danzas, tés, comida, reflexiones y en general, lo que el grupo de mujeres necesite para sentirse a gusto.

Para saber más, puedes leer la novela histórica la Tienda Roja de Anita Diamant: http://www.hislibris.com/la-tienda-roja-anita-diamant/
Vé también la película Red Tent Temple (redtentmovie.com)

Consulta los siguientes sitios:

Monday, January 16, 2012

Red tent temple in Montreal

Please, join us for the first Red Tent Temple reunion I'm organizing. Here is our group page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/324046704281321/

Take a look to more RTT info: http://www.starofishtar.com/red-tent/


Participa en la primera reunión del Red Tent Temple que estoy organizando. Este es nuestro grupo en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/324046704281321/

Revisa más informacion sobre el RTT: http://www.starofishtar.com/red-tent/

Saturday, January 7, 2012

We are all one - another post

Please call me by my real names

Thich Nhat Hahn
_________________________________

Don't say that I will depart tomorrow --
even today I am still arriving.

Look deeply: every second I am arriving
to be a bud on a Spring branch,
to be a tiny bird, with still-fragile wings,
learning to sing in my new nest,
to be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower,
to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone.

I still arrive, in order to laugh and to cry,
to fear and to hope.

The rhythm of my heart is the birth and death
of all that is alive.

I am the mayfly metamorphosing
on the surface of the river.
And I am the bird
that swoops down to swallow the mayfly.

I am the frog swimming happily
in the clear water of a pond.
And I am the grass-snake
that silently feeds itself on the frog.

I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones,
my legs as thin as bamboo sticks.
And I am the arms merchant,
selling deadly weapons to Uganda.

I am the twelve-year-old girl,
refugee on a small boat,
who throws herself into the ocean
after being raped by a sea pirate.
And I am the pirate,
my heart not yet capable
of seeing and loving.

I am a member of the politburo,
with plenty of power in my hands.
And I am the man who has to pay
his "debt of blood" to my people
dying slowly in a forced-labor camp.

My joy is like Spring, so warm
it makes flowers bloom all over the Earth.
My pain is like a river of tears,
so vast it fills the four oceans.

Please call me by my true names,
so I can hear all my cries and my laughter at once,
so I can see that my joy and pain are one.

Please call me by my true names,
so I can wake up,
and so the door of my heart
can be left open,
the door of compassion.

We are all one


A short story:
"The Egg" by Andy Weir

You were on your way home when you died. It was a car accident. Nothing particularly remarkable, but fatal nonetheless. You left behind a wife and two children. It was a painless death. The EMTs tried their best to save you, but to no avail. Your body was so utterly shattered you were better off, trust me. And that’s when you met me.

“What… what happened?” You asked. “Where am I?” “You died,” I said, matter-of-factly. No point in mincing words. “There was a… a truck and it was skidding…” “Yup,” I said. “I… I died?” “Yup. But don’t feel bad about it. Everyone dies,” I said. You looked around. There was nothingness. Just you and me. “What is this place?” You asked. “Is this the afterlife?” “More or less,” I said. “Are you god?” You asked. “Yup,” I replied. “I’m God.” “My kids… my wife,” you said. “What about them?” “Will they be all right?” “That’s what I like to see,” I said. “You just died and your main concern is for your family. That’s good stuff right there.” You looked at me with fascination. To you, I didn’t look like God. I just looked like some man. Or possibly a woman. Some vague authority figure, maybe. More of a grammar school teacher than the almighty.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “They’ll be fine. Your kids will remember you as perfect in every way. They didn’t have time to grow contempt for you. Your wife will cry on the outside, but will be secretly relieved. To be fair, your marriage was falling apart. If it’s any consolation, she’ll feel very guilty for feeling relieved.” “Oh,” you said. “So what happens now? Do I go to heaven or hell or something?” “Neither,” I said. “You’ll be reincarnated.” “Ah,” you said. “So the Hindus were right,” “All religions are right in their own way,” I said. “Walk with me.” You followed along as we strode through the void. “Where are we going?” “Nowhere in particular,” I said. “It’s just nice to walk while we talk.” “So what’s the point, then?” You asked. “When I get reborn, I’ll just be a blank slate, right? A baby. So all my experiences and everything I did in this life won’t matter.” “Not so!” I said. “You have within you all the knowledge and experiences of all your past lives. You just don’t remember them right now.”

I stopped walking and took you by the shoulders. “Your soul is more magnificent, beautiful, and gigantic than you can possibly imagine. A human mind can only contain a tiny fraction of what you are. It’s like sticking your finger in a glass of water to see if it’s hot or cold. You put a tiny part of yourself into the vessel, and when you bring it back out, you’ve gained all the experiences it had. “You’ve been in a human for the last 48 years, so you haven’t stretched out yet and felt the rest of your immense consciousness. If we hung out here for long enough, you’d start remembering everything. But there’s no point to doing that between each life.” “How many times have I been reincarnated, then?” “Oh lots. Lots and lots. An in to lots of different lives.” I said. “This time around, you’ll be a Chinese peasant girl in 540 AD.” “Wait, what?” You stammered. “You’re sending me back in time?” “Well, I guess technically. Time, as you know it, only exists in your universe. Things are different where I come from.”

“Where you come from?” You said. “Oh sure,” I explained “I come from somewhere. Somewhere else. And there are others like me. I know you’ll want to know what it’s like there, but honestly you wouldn’t understand.” “Oh,” you said, a little let down. “But wait. If I get reincarnated to other places in time, I could have interacted with myself at some point.” “Sure. Happens all the time. And with both lives only aware of their own lifespan you don’t even know it’s happening.” “So what’s the point of it all?” “Seriously?” I asked. “Seriously? You’re asking me for the meaning of life? Isn’t that a little stereotypical?” “Well it’s a reasonable question,” you persisted. I looked you in the eye. “The meaning of life, the reason I made this whole universe, is for you to mature.”

“You mean mankind? You want us to mature?” “No, just you. I made this whole universe for you. With each new life you grow and mature and become a larger and greater intellect.” “Just me? What about everyone else?” “There is no one else,” I said. “In this universe, there’s just you and me.” You stared blankly at me. “But all the people on earth…” “All you. Different incarnations of you.” “Wait. I’m everyone!?” “Now you’re getting it,” I said, with a congratulatory slap on the back. “I’m every human being who ever lived?” “Or who will ever live, yes.” “I’m Abraham Lincoln?” “And you’re John Wilkes Booth, too,” I added. “I’m Hitler?” You said, appalled. “And you’re the millions he killed.” “I’m Jesus?” “And you’re everyone who followed him.” You fell silent.

“Every time you victimized someone,” I said, “you were victimizing yourself. Every act of kindness you’ve done, you’ve done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was, or will be, experienced by you.” You thought for a long time. “Why?” You asked me. “Why do all this?” “Because someday, you will become like me. Because that’s what you are. You’re one of my kind. You’re my child.” “Whoa,” you said, incredulous. “You mean I’m a god?” “No. Not yet. You’re a fetus. You’re still growing. Once you’ve lived every human life throughout all time, you will have grown enough to be born.” “So the whole universe,” you said, “it’s just…” “An egg.” I answered. “Now it’s time for you to move on to your next life.” And I sent you on your way.

source: http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread617475/pg1

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

The art of worshiping women - by Arjuna Ardagh

Modern Man's Response to the Emergence of the Goddess
Back in July, I published a piece here on The Huffington Post called "Why It is Wise to Worship a Woman?" That article emerged in a very personal and spontaneous way. I'd been out for a walk with Chameli, my wife, one evening. Overwhelmed with the feeling that it just couldn't get any better than this, I popped a little update on Facebook in celebration of the goddess I'm married to. Surprisingly, by the morning there were dozens of comments. A lot were appreciative comments from women, but many were also from men, either wondering where they could also have the good fortune to find a goddess similar to mine or, perhaps more important, wondering how they could discover the same spirit of deep appreciation of the feminine.
That article was my answer to that question. It reflected on the wisdom of being in worship of the feminine. Not just get along with, or tolerate, or befriend, or cooperate with. Yes, I said what I meant: to worship the feminine.
That article generated almost 1000 comments on my blog as well as here on The Huffington Post, with a variety of flavors. There were women who said, "Finally, you see me." There were women who said, "I don't want to be worshipped. Leave me alone." There were men who said, "Yes, I've discovered the same thing in my own life," and there were men who said, "You must be kidding. Women are all witches in disguise." There were men who said, "This sounds amazing. Show me how."
One of the people who read that post was my old friend Gay Hendricks, who, together with his wife Kathlyn, wrote the book "Conscious Loving" back in the '80s. It was my bible back then and taught me a great deal about the practices that create healthy relationship.
Every Meeting Is Happening in the Collective
Gay and I have been in continuous dialogue over the last several months about this topic. We recognize that whenever a man and a woman meet in any way, the meeting is happening within a context of a relationship between the genders that has a history of thousands of years. I'm sure you remember the play "Romeo and Juliet." The young lovers were smitten by Cupid. But this was not just boy-meets-girl in a bubble, because each was a member of a family that had been in a feud with each other for generations. This was not just Romeo meets Juliet; it was Montague meets Capulet. Whether they liked it or not, they were carrying the inheritance of a conflict that they had each done nothing personally to create.
The same thing would be true today if an Israeli fell in love with a Palestinian, or if a Tea Party member fell in love with a Muslim, or if a Roman Catholic from Dublin fell in love with a Protestant from Belfast.
None of these meetings happen in a bubble. They all sit within the context of conflicts that have been generated in the collective. This same is true whenever a man enters into relationship with a woman. Of course, the man himself has likely never raped anybody, or burned any woman as a witch, or denied anyone the right to vote, or forced a woman to hide her face, or barred her from religious or political office, or forced her to perform subservient chores. "No, no," such a man might say, "I'm a conscious man. I'm respectful of the feminine. I'm fully supportive that you do your thing." Whether he likes it or not, that man still carries within himself the echoes of the collective masculine and, like it or not, every woman is an incarnation of the collective feminine.
What Is the Conscious Man's Response?
The elephant is in the room. Now comes the question of what to do with it. One response to this situation, becoming less popular everyday but still prevalent nonetheless, is to carry on with business as usual, the same business of the last 5,000 years. The post from the summer evoked many such responses here on The Huffington Post. The man carries on cleaning his gun and watching football, waiting for his woman to bring his dinner and his beer. The woman, still locked into millennia of enforced subservience, acquiesces, but bitter all the time, and holding back the treasures of her real love.
The second possibility, which began to be popular in the '60s and '70s but still is in full force today, is dominated by shame and revenge. The man becomes meek and subservient. He may even grow his hair and his beard, play the guitar, and banish even the faintest whiff of his macho past far beyond the frontiers of consciousness. He distances himself as far as possible from the brutish behavior of his father and his ancestors and bows sheepishly to the newly emerged feminine power. The woman, now rebounding in resentment of how her mother and ancestors have been treated, becomes dominating. She becomes militant, unforgiving, and even castrating. The sad thing is, no one really enjoys this game either.
The third possibility started to emerge only in the last few years.
We discover that masculine and feminine are energies, not just biological genders. Every man has some masculine and some feminine energy and so does every woman. The balance we seek is not only between men and women but between the masculine and feminine energy, which are to be found everywhere in life. The feminine way is neither inferior (as we had deemed it for thousands of years) nor is it superior (as some have claimed in the last decades), but it is different. Through a synergy of masculine and feminine strengths, we find the emergence of a whole that is far, far, far greater and the sum of it to individual parts.
The restoration of dignity to the feminine has happened in three stages over the last century. The first took place less than 100 years ago with suffragettes demanding the right to vote. At that time men moved from denial and ridicule, to violent opposition, to acquiescence and finally to support.
The next wave came in the 1970s when women stepped forward to fully participate in the world man had created on his own terms. Margaret Thatcher and Indira Gandhi became heads of state (both in a woman's body but doing things in a very masculine way). Women became judges and politicians and engineers and doctors and lawyers and ministers and construction workers, all roles that had previously been mainly reserved for men. Again, men's response began with ridicule in the '50s and shifted to acquiescence and then awkward support.
The third wave of the restoration of feminine dignity has really happened in the last few years. It is sometimes called "The Goddess Movement." We are, all of us, recognizing that there is a feminine way of doing things just as valid as the masculine. Women are realizing that they don't have to compete or even participate in the world that man has created on his terms. We realize that there is a feminine expression to spirituality, a feminine expression to ecology, a feminine expression to leadership, and each has a huge gift to offer.
And still most men stand awkwardly aside, like a shy teenager at the school dance, wanting to join in but not knowing how.
Three Shifts Men Can Make
As men in transition, Gay Hendricks and I recognize that there are several possible shifts that men are called upon to make today, in order to reboot and to enjoy a completely new adventure.
First, the elephant in the room must be recognized. Women have been disenfranchised for thousands of years. Feminine energy has been given very little respect, and we have all lost out as a result. Even if you've never disrespected the feminine yourself, the first step is still to say "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what we have done. I'm sorry for what my gender has done. And I come to you with a fresh start." This is not the stance of shame, but of honesty and self-respect. Please take our words for it, and that of thousands of our colleagues and students: women love to hear this being acknowledged.
The second shift that today's man can make is to fully experience and release the hurts that he has experienced in his relationship to women. It is those very hurts, both personally and collectively, that cause men to dishonor women, if they remain banished out of awareness.
The third shift is for man to recognize how much he really loves feminine energy: how much he loves her beauty, her capacity to love, her laughter, her freedom to feel and express emotion. In some senses, she brings vivid color to his world, which can easily become black and white.
Man can discover, and then learn to worship, the feminine face of the divine. People sometimes object when Gay and I use the word "worship." They hear the hierarchy of a subservient relationship. Worship has been like that in patriarchal religions because it was a one-way street. The devotee worships the deity, but the deity doesn't return the favor. We use the word "worship" in a completely different way, one we found in our dictionary as: "to pay extravagant respect and admiration." This kind of worship can easily be a two-way street. Gay and Kathlyn and Chameli and I endeavor to bring this quality of extreme respect and worship in both of our marriages, and it overflows into the rest of life.

Original post can be seen here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/1969/12/31/the-art-of-goddess-worshi_n_772726.html

Why is wise to worship a woman? by Arjuna Ardagh

A few days ago, after a particularly exquisite evening with my wife Chameli, I put this post up on Facebook before going to bed:
"I have had many, many great teachers in my life. A super abundance. No one and nothing comes close to the woman who is now asleep in the bedroom. My marriage has become the guru, the salvation, the muse, the crack through which the divine shines through."
When I woke up the next morning, there were the usual offerings of people who liked the post as well as comments. One man had the vulnerability and courage to post this on facebook:
"Thank you Arjuna for this sharing, I feel like [I'm] in front of a choice which is between feeling envious of what you have and I don't, or instead to decide that 'I want that too,' and, as you show, it is possible..."
I was touched.
Over the next days, I got several more messages like this from men: vulnerable men, honest men, rare and courageous men. They came in as private messages on Facebook or through our website, and they all said basically the same thing:
"I read your Facebook post. I want what you have. Show me how to get it."
So, friends, here it is. The short guide on how to worship a woman, and why it's the wisest thing that a man can do. First of all, lets pop a few very understandable doubts that you might have. I'm familiar with all of them.
1. "I'm wounded and damaged in my relationships to the feminine."
So am I, dear brother, so am I. My parents divorced in a messy way when I was four. I grew up alone with my mother. She did her very best to provide for me, but she was unhappy and insecure. By the time I started to have relationships with women myself in my early teens, I discovered that I had a mountain of resentments, fears, and separation in my relation to the feminine. The conscious practice of worship can become a part of healing the wounds.
2. "Arjuna, you're lucky. You've got an incredible partner. I'm together with a woman who's not like Chameli."
I really don't have the ultimate answer to that doubt or question. It certainly could seem to be the case that I've been lucky in finding a great woman, but here's how it happened for me. I've had a lot of less lucky connections in my life. I've experienced my share of the manipulative side of the feminine: the victim, the rageful, the vengeful. And I have seen the ugly side of the masculine psyche in myself. A few weeks prior to meeting Chameli, my wife, something deep and profound shifted in me, which I believe can shift for anyone in the same way.
3. "I don't have a partner at all, and I sometimes doubt if I'll ever meet anybody."
Being with a partner where worship is not flowing, or not being with a partner at all, are basically two aspects of the same situation: you've had an intuition or a glimpse of the possibilities of a deeper love, and you want more of it. The solutions are the same.
4. "I feel my heart is closed down. I live in my head a lot, and I wouldn't even know what worship was if it broke into my house at 2 o'clock in the morning and held me at gunpoint."
That's where the whole thing starts for all of us, when we realize that we don't yet know how to love. And that's that the big question that you have to consider: "Is that okay with me?" Never mind how much money you make, or how many friends you have on Facebook, no matter how nice a house you live in, or no matter how big a car you drive, no matter how impressive your partner's bust size, or how much you meditate and become spiritual... have you loved for real, in a total and undefended way? If not, and here's where you have to be honest with yourself, is that OK with you? Is it OK to die one day without the heart's gift having been fully given?
Eight or nine years ago, I came to that question in myself, exactly that, and I discovered that the answer was, if I was was raw and vulnerable and uncomplicated, that it was actually not OK. If I died one day without having fully loved, it would not have truly been a life well lived.
Many many years ago, I went to Bali for a vacation, on my own. I met up with some other young travelers there and we hired a Jeep to take us on a tour of the island. We drove up right to the highest point of the island, where Tourists don't usually go. Our guide took us to one of the most sacred temples. It was surrounded by a big brick wall with an ornate entrance. After removing our shoes and wrapping scarves around our heads, we stepped together through this entrance. Inside, there was a short courtyard and then another brick wall with another entrance. After more preparations of lighting incense and giving offerings, we stepped through the second entrance. We were allowed to go through the opening in one more wall, but that was it. All together there were ten walls around the deity in the middle. Hindus could go beyond the fourth wall. Devotees of that particular deity could go beyond the fifth wall, and so it went on. The only people allowed to approach the deity directly were those who had given their lives completely and totally to its worship. Everyone else could come a little closer, a little closer, to the innermost beauty, but not all the way to the center.
I'm not a big believer of the worship of statues, but there's a beautiful symbolism to what I saw there, because a woman's heart is just like that. At the essence of every woman's heart is the divine feminine. It contains everything that has ever been beautiful, or lovely, or inspiring, in any woman, anywhere, at any time. The very essence of every woman's heart is the peak of wisdom, the peak of inspiration, the peak of sexual desirability, the peak of soothing, healing love. The peak of everything. But it's protected, for good reason, by a series of concentric walls. To move inwardly from one wall to the next requires that you intensify your capacity to devotion, and as you do so, you are rewarded with Grace. This is not something you can negotiate verbally with a woman. She doesn't even know consciously how to open those gates herself. They are opened magically and invisibly by the keys of worship.
If you stand on the outside of the outermost wall, all you have available to you, like many other unfortunate men, is pornography. For $1.99 a minute, you can see her breasts, maybe her vagina, and you can stimulate yourself in a sad longing for deeper love.
Step through another gate, and she will show you her outer gift-wrapping. She'll look at you with a certain twinkle in her eye. She'll answer your questions coyly. She'll give you just the faintest hint that there is more available.
Step through another gate with your commitment, with your attention, with the small seedlings of devotion, and she'll open her heart to you more. She'll share with you her insecurities, the way that she's been hurt, her deepest longings. Some men will back away at this point. They realize that the price they must pay to go deeper is more than they are willing to give. They start to feel a responsibility. But for those few who step though another gate, they come to discover her loyalty, her willingness to stick with you no matter what, her willingness to raise your children, stick up for you in conversation, and, if you are lucky, even pick up your dirty socks now and then. And so it goes on. You've got the gist by now.
Somewhere around the second wall from the center, she casts the veils of her personality aside, and shows you that she is both a human being and also a portal into something much greater than that. She shows you a wrath that is not hers, but all women's. She shows you a patience that is also universal. She shows you her wisdom. At this point you start to experience the archetypes of women, who have been portrayed as goddesses and mythological figures in every tradition.
Then, at the very center, in the innermost temple itself, all the layers of your devotion are flooded with reward all at once. You discover the very essence of the feminine, and in a strange way that is not exactly romantic, but profoundly sacred all the same, you realize that you could have got here with any woman if you had just been willing to pass through all the layers of initiation. Any woman is every woman, and every woman is any woman at the same time. When you love a woman completely, at the very essence of her being, this is the one divine feminine flame. It is what has made every woman in history beautiful. It's the flame behind the Mona Lisa, and Dante's Beatrice, and yes, also Penelope Cruz and Heidi Klum. You discover the magic ingredient which has lead every man to fall in love with a woman.
When you learn how to pay attention to the essence of the feminine in this way, you fall to the floor in full body prostration, tears soaking your cheeks and clothes, and you wonder how you could have ever taken Her, in all of Her forms, for granted even for a second.
So just a couple small questions remain. First, do you get what I'm talking about? Does it jive for you? Does it make sense? And second, if yes, how are you going to get from where you are now to being able to the full capacity of your heart to love for real? I'd be glad to share more about this if we get to know each other better, but here's how you get started.
First, do what I did, and create an altar in your room dedicated to Divine Feminine. Put only symbols of the feminine on it. I have a painting called "Beatrix" by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. I have a statue of Quan Kin. Populate your altar with anything that reminds you of the feminine, and spend a few minutes of the day in worship. Yes, worship. Adoration. Devotion. Offer up rose petals. Offer poems. Offer everything, and beg Her to reveal Her innermost essence to you. This will work miracles whether you're single and waiting to meet the right woman or whether you're already in relationship and long to meet your woman in a deeper way.
The second way to get started: make a practice, a discipline, of telling your woman, or any woman, ten times a day something which you adore about her. "I love the smell of your shampoo." "I love the way you laugh." "The color of your eyes is so beautiful." Of course, you need to keep it appropriate. You can go as far out on a limb as you like if you're in relationship with a woman, but with anyone else remember the gates. Keep you communication appropriate to the gate number that you find yourself at. Appreciation the curve of a woman's breast, for example, if she happens to be the cashier at the supermarket, would equate more to harassment than worship.
So here's enough to get started. Of course, there's a lot more we can say about this. Feel free to post your comments below, and I'll use them as the foundation for future blogs.

See original post here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2010/07/29/goddess-worship_n_660896.html