Thea Euryphaessa concludes her thoughts on her recently completed Tantra Women’s Training Programme.

Written by Thea Euryphaessa.

Think You Know Good Sex? (Part Two)

I did this women’s training programme because I always believed there was more to sex than the personal intimate encounters I’d wearily grown accustomed to. Didn’t matter how in love I was with my partner, how much sex I was having, there was always something missing. I felt a vague dissatisfaction, a longing for something ‘more’. What that ‘more’ was, though, I couldn’t quite put my finger on (no pun intended).

The confidence I feel in my sexuality, the fullness I feel in my womanliness, ay, ay, ay, it’s delicious. I feel vital, centred, ‘juicy’.

But aside from talking with girlfriends, surfing female-friendly porn, reading books, magazines, who can we ask questions of regards sexually-oriented issues?

Questions, for example, such as:

‘My new partner wants to jump straight into genital sex ― is it too much to ask that we slow down and explore other ways of getting intimately acquainted first?”

‘Is orgasm-oriented, penetrative sex the be-all and end-all?‘

‘Is it insensitive of me to stop my partner mid-action and say, “There’s no pleasure in this for me now; I’d enjoy it much more if you [insert sexual preference] instead“?’

‘Are there really men out there who take the time to ask what women want, what our pleasure is, and then listen, stay present, and respond on a moment by moment basis and take great delight in that?’  (No, no, no, and fuck yeah!)

I’m also aware there are women who’ll be thinking, ‘Yeah, yeah Thea, this Tantric malarkey all sounds well and good, but just what is it you all do? How can I trust you? You’re not telling us anything.’

That’s right, I’m not. It is a mystery school, after all, in the tradition of the ancient Greek mystery schools, say. But consider this: do you insist on knowing exactly how a relationship will pan out before you embark on it? Do you demand a full run-down on how another will treat you sexually before you tumble into bed with them for the first time? Well, I’m sorry to break it to you but there are no guarantees in life. When all’s said and done all we ever take are ‘educated guesses’ (or not).

Do this programme, though, and all you’ll wonder is, what took you so long to do it.

So has my sex life improved? Never mind my sex life, it’s improved my whole life. The confidence I feel in my sexuality, the fullness I feel in my womanliness, ay, ay, ay, it’s delicious. I feel vital, centred, ‘juicy’. I was dead from the neck down before. No more.

I no longer look at my body through the lens of a culture hell-bent on distorting the image we see staring back from the mirror. Where I used to pick and criticise and never felt comfortable, never felt ‘good enough’, today I cherish my body, revel in the skin I’m in, enjoy my erotic self with or without a lover. To borrow a line from Madonna’s Justify My Love, ‘Poor is the man whose pleasures depend on the permission of another’.

If you have something critical or bitchy to say about my body or anyone else’s, as far as I’m concerned, that says more about you and your relationship (or lack of) with your own body. If you were happily rooted in the ground of your own being, you’d be happy to let everyone else just ‘be’, too. When you’re able to receive all the parts of yourself, especially the previously unloved parts, you’re able to receive and celebrate the ‘other’ in all their magnificent, flawed humanness, too. In fact, my appreciation of, and love for men has gone through the roof since I did this programme. I relish their ‘otherness’ in a way I didn’t before. Not consciously anyway.

The polarity, the difference between us (men and women), ups the sexual tension for me. Probably why I’m turned off by these primped, waxed to within an inch of their cracks, metrosexual types. Give me a Jon Hamm man any day. So no-one will think you’re ‘silly’ or ‘stupid’ for asking those sexual- or intimately-oriented questions you’ve long harboured but have been too afraid to voice. I doubt there’s anything that could shock or surprise my teachers ― they’ve been doing this work a long time and are bottomless wells of experience, patience, and compassion.

When you rock up at level one (Women’s Invitation), you’ll be with other women who are in the same boat as you (shy, nervous, a bit awkward perhaps) but who’ll fast blossom and bloom in ways that have blown the socks off me. In fact, I’ve never known a workshop spawn so many entrepreneurs. It seems sexually awakened/sexually empowered women make for more creatively inspired, financially independent women. After the first workshop alone, several of the women went straight out and took back control of their lives, leaving jobs, ending unsatisfying relationships. They were no longer willing to be rationed on the meagre sexual/emotional/financial handouts occasioned them by insecure/incompetent/power-wielding bosses and/or partners, as though they should be grateful somehow for whatever scraps they got because this might be as good as it gets and/or they may not get any more. They now knew there was more, that they could be more, and, most important, that they deserved more.

So consider this a clitoral clarion call, an appeal to the sexually underwhelmed masses to ‘get your freak on’ however you damn well please. Ladies and gentlemen, this is your permission to pleasure: from the down and dirty right through to the mystical, OM-infused end of the spectrum. To quote the late, great William Stafford in his poem A Message From the Wanderer:

Today outside your prison I stand and rattle my walking stick:

Prisoners, listen; you have relatives outside.

And there are thousands of ways to escape.

Because there’s nothing wrong, nothing shameful in wanting to explore the myriad aspects of your sexuality, the subtle nuances of your sensuality; to step into the fullness of your being; to demand more from your intimate interactions; to writhe and cry out in ecstasy. We’re here to enjoy our bodies, our intellect and to hell with anyone who tries to tarnish us with their frigidity, insecurity, or fear. Because we’re worth it. Because we deserve happiness, abundance, respect, fulfilment. Question is, do you believe you do?

For more details of the women’s training programme, visit shaktitantra.co.uk/women

To read Thea’s experience of each workshop, click on the following:

Women’s Invitation

Women’s Celebration

Women Behaving Badly

Women of Substance

Ecstasy

For more mind, body, and soul tips, follow Thea on Twitter @UrbanDeva

Visit the Urban Deva Facebook page facebook.com/urbandeva

or website at urbandeva.com/blog

You can read about Thea’s life in her book, Running into Myself, available from Amazon.

Original article at Body Confidential

“The body is an instrument which only gives off music when it is used as a body. Always an orchestra, and just as music traverses walls, so sensuality traverses the body and reaches up to ecstasy.” ― Anaïs Nin

This training makes a woman out of you.

W. O. M. A. N.

I’ll say it again.

Good job my follow-up book to Running into Myself (a memoir about my rite of passage from girl – to womanhood via three marathons) will cover these five workshops and all that’s happened in between ― I could write a book about level five alone.

Which is why, before I continue, I wish to make it clear that I speak only on behalf of myself and not the group. I came into this women’s training programme ‘consciously/unconsciously’ as a journalist with a view to just writing an article about level one (Women’s Invitation). Or so I thought. But once I was in, that was it. My intuition told me there was a truth to this training you’ll find in few other places in our modern Western culture. My intuition was right. Add to that my teacher telling me I was going to do all five levels, and I could do nothing but nod in agreement. But back to Ecstasy.

This is the level you realise you’ve been living a half-life, telling yourself half-truths, accepting half-realised, half-conscious relationships; the level where the wheat is absolutely, unapologetically separated from the chaff; the level where you’re introduced to your utmost potentiality, the fullness of your being; the level after which there is no going back ― which is why not everyone can go the distance. Some drop out after level one; others complete all the workshops up to level four. But Ecstasy is a level all to itself. You cannot begin to imagine the depth, beauty, and sacredness of what we experienced at this level. No wonder it felt like Last Woman Standing.

I was fortunate enough to be graced with several mind-shattering, ecstatic moments. However, as always, I can’t say anything about the structures, rituals, or ceremonies in which we participated. In the spirit of the ancient mystery religions, these aren’t experiences to be shared with the uninitiated. Even those who have gone as far as level four (Women of Substance) would be surprised at how much the ante is upped at Ecstasy. Which is what makes the group of women with whom I did this workshop all the more magnificent and formidable: these were women who had the courage to stand in the fire of their fears and finish what they started.

This was where ‘real’ Tantra took centre stage and we stepped into a timeless, sacred, ritual space of embodied wisdom steeped in numinosity and mystery; a space where the Other is consciously, lovingly honoured. Yes, this is the level where Shakti finally meets Shiva ― both without and within. And what a heartfelt, conscious meeting it was.

We descended into the depths, plumbed the bowels of our innermost being. You want to ride the lift to the topmost, transcendent floor of Ecstasy? Well, the only way in is at the ground floor. We’re talking base chakra, baby.

We revelled in love and acceptance, were honoured and honouring, were overwhelmed by blissful experiences that had us rolling about like sirens while wearing Cheshire cat grins. We travelled across space and time, through eastern and western cultures, sat with the ancestors, evoked the old time religions. We purged deep-rooted, unconscious hurts, worked through headaches, let go of heartache.

We laughed and cried, argued and made up; went stir crazy from sleep deprivation; filled up on porridge and prunes while analysing the previous night’s dreams; crammed a sauna in the middle of the night and sang our hearts out; took midnight walks by the ocean and drank in the Milky Way while wishing on shooting stars. At times we were nervous as hell, but got on with it anyway and did so with grace, dignity, maturity, and a single-minded determination.

I’m still processing the events of the week. In fact, my memories are so precious to me, I feel any attempt to share even a smidgeon of what I experienced somehow desacralises, dilutes, and dishonours them. I want to draw a protective arm around them (memories) and hold them close to my heart away from the prying eyes and ears of others. I don’t feel it’s an exaggeration to say I feel grateful to be alive and experience what I did at this level. I’m grateful from the bottom of my being.

But, I do want to say this: if you want to live your life as fully as possible, then do this work. If you do this work, then go all the way. Then you will know how it feels to shine from the inside out, to be animated from soul to bone. Then you will know the truth of your Being and you will experience, not just your own magnificence, but the magnificence of the sacred Other. And when you leave the workshop, you will walk out the door and know this is just the beginning of a life fully lived.

Then you will know Ecstasy.

Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the Shivas for their humility, generosity of spirit, gentle reverence, and heartfelt presence. Without them, there would have been no level five, no Ecstasy. And so, with grace, love, and the absolute, utmost respect, I thank and honour each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for being, and continuing to be, such magnificent Shivas.

I’d also like to thank and honour the ‘Dream Team’: Sue Newsome, Sarah Robinson, Annabel Newfield, and Julie and Pete Baillie for your guidance, love, encouragement, humour and for helping us feel safe, supported, and, most importantly, ‘held’. And, of course, I’d like to thank the indomitable Hilly Spenceley, originator of Shakti Tantra, for having the courage, strength, and humility to allow this work to flow so freely, so honestly, so inspiringly, and so beautifully through her (I’m running out of superlatives!):

Dearest Hilly, long may you continue to do this work and change countless lives for the better, as you have mine. Thank you. I love you.

And to my Shakti sisters, long may you sparkle, shimmer, and shine! Go forth and burn bright: the world needs your luminescence, now and always.

Namaste.

(For further information on Shakti Tantra’s Courses for women and couples, please click this link.)

Thea Euryphaessa, Founder, Urban Deva

To buy a copy of Running into Myself, visit Amazon UK, Amazon US or, better still, order a limited edition signed copy direct from her publisher here (also ships worldwide). Also available to download on Kindle.

“Thea’s personal journey is utterly compelling. I couldn’t put her book down. Thea manages to make Greek mythology not only understandable, interesting, and relevant to our lives today, but shows how it can be utilised as a tool for self development. She introduces ideas and ways of thinking that broaden your mind, and lights the way for others to follow.”

— Melinda Messenger (TV Presenter)

“This is a story that truly reveals its author. You’ll discover her beliefs, her flaws, her loves, her fears, her mistakes, her drive and her compassion. And you’ll like her.”

— Rowena Roberts (Writer)

“And your body is the harp of your soul, and it is yours to bring forth sweet music from it or confused sounds.”

― Kahlil Gibran

Women of Substance is the fourth of five levels of the women-only workshops Tantra organisation, Shakti Tantra offers. For me, this level took a different turn ― inwards.

Up until now, each level has felt somewhat outward oriented. That’s not to say there haven’t been moments for reflection, introspection, and contemplation (there has); rather, this was the level where we began to explore ― within a beautiful, safely contained setting ― the deep-rooted mental, emotional, and psychological demons that deny our pleasure and constrict our relationships with ourselves and others.

As far as I’m concerned, just getting this far shows you’re a Woman of Substance. Everything we encountered and experienced during the three-day workshop took us deeper into the unexplored and energetically blocked recesses of our bodies and psyches.

You may wonder what we got up to. As always, my lips are sealed. This isn’t something you could understand from a cool, uninitiated distance. You have to breathe it, feel it, cry it, laugh it. You have to drop the shit, shake it off (which you do at each of the preceding levels). By the time you reach this level, you do wonder what else they could possibly throw at you, what stones are left unturned.

As per usual, they have plenty.

Don’t let me give the impression it was all hard work, though. There was one structure that made me so happy, so grateful to be alive, I cried smiles. Never has my body felt as nourished as it did after experiencing this particular exercise. Never. I sparkled and shimmered, undulated and laughed. Damn it felt good. I’ve long intuited the body harboured many delicious secrets; that it was capable of producing melodies and harmonies so sweet, so skin-tingingly exquisite… but only if you’re open and relaxed enough to consciously receive. And therein lies the challenge ― to believe yourself worthy and deserving of receiving the loving, undivided attention of another (which is what the work at each of the previous levels is all about ― preparation, preparation, preparation).

The other thing about being open to receive, is it spreads its tentacles and doesn’t remain contained in just one area of your life. As I always say to clients, transformation cannot be conveniently compartmentalised ― change changes everything. So, since level three where the nut was finally cracked and I finally understood, experientially, that it takes great strength and courage to be vulnerable and open enough to receive consciously, my mantra today, albeit quiet, is ‘I do deserve’. And in believing I deserve, my life has begun to blossom.

This workshop also further reinforced that the body isn’t something ‘bad’, something to be punished, flagellated. It’s a magnificent, beautiful, sacred manifestation of the divine. It’s worthy of being respected, celebrated, enjoyed.

Throughout this process I’ve gradually come to love my body. Little by little, step by step, I’ve fallen in love with her. And I don’t mean that in a trite, clichéd way ― I mean that from depths I never felt before I did this work. Where I once beasted her with arduous exercise regimes, hid her in shame, filled her with junk, I now revel in her beauty, marvel with a heart wide open at her sensuous nuances.

Bring on the fifth and final week-long level in September ― Ecstasy.

Thea Euryphaessa, Founder, Urban Deva.

To buy a copy of Running into Myself, visit Amazon UK, Amazon US or, better still, order a limited edition signed copy direct from her publisher here (also ships worldwide). Also available to download on Kindle.

“Thea’s personal journey is utterly compelling. I couldn’t put her book down. Thea manages to make Greek mythology not only understandable, interesting, and relevant to our lives today, but shows how it can be utilised as a tool for self development. She introduces ideas and ways of thinking that broaden your mind, and lights the way for others to follow.”

— Melinda Messenger (TV Presenter)

“This is a story that truly reveals its author. You’ll discover her beliefs, her flaws, her loves, her fears, her mistakes, her drive and her compassion.

And you’ll like her.”

— Rowena Roberts (Journalist)

“The symbol of Goddess gives us permission. She teaches us to embrace the holiness of every natural, ordinary, sensual dying moment. Patriarchy may try to negate body and flee earth with its constant heartbeat of death, but Goddess forces us back to embrace them, to take our human life in our arms and clasp it for the divine life it is ― the nice, sanitary, harmonious moment as well as the painful, dark, splintered ones”.

Sue Monk Kidd, The Dance of the Dissident Daughter

Venus of Willendorf

Women Behaving Badly is the third of five levels of the women-only courses that Shakti Tantra runs. This was the level I was most looking forward to even if I had no idea what it entailed. After all, who can resist a workshop entitled ‘Women Behaving Badly’?

You see, back in my early twenties I put my ‘badly behaved’ self in the proverbial bag. Over the years, my bag has steadily grown and has now evolved into ‘baggage’; or, to be more specific, an innocuous looking, hand-luggage set that had been stored at my parents’ since 2007. When mum wheeled it into the centre of the bedroom she was redecorating (the irony of the symbolism isn’t lost on me), it seemed like the right time to take it home, empty it out, and wash it off ahead of a new set of adventures. When I discovered a notepad in it, though, with a piece of writing which forms Part One of this blog, I was shocked to say the least. Seems it was really was time to get my issues back out of the bag. Fate, it seems, isn’t without a sense of humour.

The difficulty I face in writing about these workshops, however, is that I can’t disclose our exact shenanigans. Our work is of a similar ilk to the ancient Greek Eleusinian or Dionysian mysteries in that it’s a Mystery School ― a Mystery School that helps you discover your inner mysteries; a Mystery School that helps you unfold, blossom, be all you can be while surrounded by the love, care, tenderness, encouragement, and support of the most inspired, generous, and courageous women I’ve ever known.

I’m a heady person. I’m a writer and scholar of depth psychology. But the thing about these workshops is they challenge you experientially. They draw you down from the lofty, abstracted, disassociated heights of your head and into ― what is for most folk ― the unknown quantity that is the body.

Many of us ‘think’ we’re consciously connected to our bodies. We may ‘think’ we’ve got our bodies sussed, know what they’re up to, what they like to eat, how they like to be exercised, are aware of the issues in the tissues. But once you’re in a workshop like this, you fast realise you haven’t got a clue about the shame, guilt, loathing, fear, [insert issue here], you’ve been lugging around for years, perhaps even decades. And the thing with issues is they stick. They stick to our bodies. And they hurt. They also numb. And they eat away at us. They eat away at our relationships with others, too. Worst of all, they eat away at our authenticity. You want to get real with yourself and others? Then do this work.

So what did I get out of this particular workshop? I tell you what I got ― I got permission. I was celebrated. I, and my fellow Shaktis, got to be funny, powerful, deliciously wicked, curious, awesome, total, magnificent, playful, commanding, sexy, naughty, expressive, mischievous, magnetic, mothering, nurturing. We rocked it. We had presence, we were outrageous. Beneath the light of the (almost) full moon, we frickin’ ripped it up.

Yeah, we kicked ass.

Thea Euryphaessa, Founder, Urban Deva

To buy a copy of Running into Myself, visit Amazon UK, Amazon US or, better still, order a limited edition signed copy direct from her publisher here (also ships worldwide). Also available to download on Kindle.

“Thea’s personal journey is utterly compelling. I couldn’t put her book down. Thea manages to make Greek mythology not only understandable, interesting, and relevant to our lives today, but shows how it can be utilised as a tool for self development. She introduces ideas and ways of thinking that broaden your mind, and lights the way for others to follow.”

— Melinda Messenger (TV Presenter)

 “This is a story that truly reveals its author. You’ll discover her beliefs, her flaws, her loves, her fears, her mistakes, her drive and her compassion.

And you’ll like her.”

— Rowena Roberts (Journalist)

“If such a consciousness truly is set loose in the world, nothing will be the same. It will free us to be in a sacred body, on a sacred planet, in sacred communion with all of it. It will infect the universe with holiness. We will discover the Divine deep within the earth and the cells of our bodies, and we will love her there with all our hearts and all our souls and all our minds.”

Sue Monk Kidd, The Dance of the Dissident Daughter

Let me tell you something else: to witness a total, fully conscious, completely authentic woman at her most magnificent best is one of the most numinous, most dynamic, most awe-inspiring spectacles one can ever hope to behold. I saw it again and again and again during our long-weekend together. And each time I was humbled to the core. These were women with the ovarios to stand, dance, and strut from the centre of their womanhood.

Our culture has a lot to say about femininity, about women. And, however well educated we think we are, however conscious and spiritually enlightened, many of us unquestioningly accept culture’s definition of the ‘slut’ without ever stepping into the actual energy and trying it out for ourselves. Once you’re given permission to ‘behave badly’, though, you discover a vital, dynamic wellspring of strength that’s always been in you but has languished under millennia of scorn, judgement, loathing, fear, and control. You see, above all else, what I discovered during this weekend was, a woman in possession of her slut energy is a woman who is one-in-herself. She is who she is, because that is who she is. Her back is straight and she looks the world in the eye. She’s the one-woman party where all the fun’s at. Put another way, her cup runneth over.

Our patriarchal society knows the immense power of slut energy and so, to keep it under control, has labelled and loaded the term itself with judgement, shame, and scorn. But the myopic, parochial label and the actual, physical reality couldn’t be any more different if they tried.

So, during my weekend on the Women Behaving Badly workshop with Shakti Tantra, I got the fragile bird that is my slut back out of the bag. I told her I was sorry for ignoring her, for being ashamed of her, for listening to other’s opinions first and misunderstanding her. And, despite being repressed, shunned, and ignored for fifteen years, she told me she loved me and kissed me on the lips. Then, she took the steering wheel and drove me home.

 We’ve not stopped dancing since.

Thea Euryphaessa, Founder, Urban Deva

To buy a copy of Running into Myself, visit Amazon UK, Amazon US or, better still, order a limited edition signed copy direct from her publisher here (also ships worldwide). Also available to download on Kindle.

“Thea’s personal journey is utterly compelling. I couldn’t put her book down. Thea manages to make Greek mythology not only understandable, interesting, and relevant to our lives today, but shows how it can be utilised as a tool for self development. She introduces ideas and ways of thinking that broaden your mind, and lights the way for others to follow.”

— Melinda Messenger (TV Presenter)

“This is a story that truly reveals its author. You’ll discover her beliefs, her flaws, her loves, her fears, her mistakes, her drive and her compassion.

And you’ll like her.”

— Rowena Roberts (Journalist)

Women’s Celebration

“The feminine has slower rhythms, meanders, moves in spirals, turns back on herself, finds what is meaningful to her, and plays.” — Marion Woodman

So, my Tantra journey continues with level two of Shakti Tantra’s workshop for women, Women’s Celebration. I’ll be honest, after doing level one (Women’s Invitation) I was surprised to discover there were four more levels. ‘How much deeper can the work go?’ I thought. Turns out deeper.

Much deeper.

This work reminds me of Russian dolls: you crack open one to find another woman nesting within. Each doll represents a deeper, more authentic, more passionate, juicy, and vital self you’d have never discovered had you not done this work.

You could spend years talking through your issues with a counsellor, analyst, or therapist and you’d make progress for sure. Alternatively, you could work through your issues in what I consider to be the most powerful experiential setting available in the UK today with the most courageous, supportive, and inspiring women you’re ever likely to meet.

From my ongoing studies of depth psychology I’m familiar with Jungian analyst and bestselling author, Marion Woodman’s BodySoul work and its offshoots. As a staunch believer of the dictum ‘Talking is fun, but doing gets done’, I know the value of consciously including the body when it comes to facing and tackling deep-held conscious/unconscious issues. Talking will carry you so far, but when it comes to certain psychological issues there are times when you just have to bypass the rational logical mind and approach it physically.

I’ve seen countless folk talk themselves out of relationship with their bodies, terrified of feeling, terrified of being fully present in their bodies. I know because I was one of them. They retreat up into the safety of the head and stay there. Meanwhile, the body becomes nothing more than an unconscious stick used to prop up the head, a mass of unconscious flesh. Thing is, the mind isn’t located in the brain. The mind is located in every single cell of the body. And that’s where this work comes into its own.

Even if you don’t consciously know what the issue is — what’s holding you back, restricting you, inhibiting you — it doesn’t matter. This work goes straight to the heart of the matter — that ‘matter’ being your body. And remember, the word ‘matter’ shares its roots with ‘mater’ which means ‘mother’. This, therefore, is healing at the deepest, most profound level imaginable.

I love this work because it cuts to the chase and releases you from any false illusions you may have had about yourself, leaving the mind reeling in its wake. That doesn’t mean you can’t consciously reflect on what you experienced afterwards and draw your necessary lessons etc. My point is, once you do this work your relationship with your Self and your body is changed forever and will never be the same.

Bring on level three.

Thea Euryphaessa, Founder, Urban Deva

To buy a copy of Running into Myself, visit Amazon UK, Amazon US or, better still, order a limited edition signed copy direct from her publisher here: Running into Myself (also ships worldwide). Also available to download on Kindle.

“Thea’s personal journey is utterly compelling. I couldn’t put her book down. Thea manages to make Greek mythology not only understandable, interesting, and relevant to our lives today, but shows how it can be utilised as a tool for self development. She introduces ideas and ways of thinking that broaden your mind, and lights the way for others to follow.”

— Melinda Messenger (TV Presenter)

“This is a story that truly reveals its author. You’ll discover her beliefs, her flaws, her loves, her fears, her mistakes, her drive and her compassion. And you’ll like her.”

— Rowena Forbes (Journalist)

Comments

Thea, you are so right, I wish I could have put it so well myself, as a fellow traveller and marveller. All women really ’should’ do this – yeah, I know, that word, but hey, I’m old and can say what I fuckin’ like!!!

Comment by Jill Greig — June 21, 2011 @ 6:12 pm

Ha ha ha, love it! But you are so right – every woman ’should’ do it. I banged on about that in my first Shakti Tantra workshop review (Women’s Invitation) ‘Of Womanhood, heir’. It’s a privilege sharing this wild ride with you chica. xo

Comment by urbandeva — June 21, 2011 @ 6:56 pm

Hey Thea, Love reading your thoughts on Women’s Celebration. The Russian Dolls analogy is beautiful. I fell into a dream on Monday night following return from the course – and had the words ‘psychic avalanche’ in my dream! It is beautiful & powerful & opens all chakras. What a privilege to meet you & to have stumbled across your captivating energy – and huge, happy smile. I am so excited to continue reading your book. It is gorgeous – and is giving me the insight to write – as a journey of personal transformation. Thank you Thea. My petals are unfolding & my soul is healing and deepening following our women’s mystery retreat. Lets play out together real soon honey xxxx

Comment by Paula Hickman — June 22, 2011 @ 11:14 am

Hey Paula, thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to share – I really appreciate your gorgeously generous words. Just want to squeeze you! ‘Psychic avalanche’ eh? What a fabulous dream! Sounds as though you’re getting more deeply acquainted with your own ‘intimate noise’ and reconnecting with yourself at an even deeper level? So wonderful to hear of your continued blossoming. I’m honoured to walk this path with you and feel very humbled. Your courage has been, and continues to be, inspiring.

Let’s definitely play out soon. It’d be lovely to go to my Reiki teacher’s place with you and enjoy an afternoon of healing and relaxing. I reckon you’d revel in the energy.

Sending you oodles of love and kisses darling. xox

Comment by urbandeva — June 22, 2011 @ 3:46 pm

Thea Euryphaessa, Founder, Urban Deva

I signed up for the course at the end of January somewhat absent-mindedly. I knew I wanted to do it but was busy with other stuff so didn’t really pause to consciously consider what the workshop might entail. ‘It’s with a load of other women’, I thought. ‘It’ll be fine’. Hmm…

To say the workshop was life-changing would be the understatement of the millennium. One of my very first thoughts was if every eleven year old girl did this workshop in secondary school our culture would be transformed overnight; pregnancy rates would drop and the number of sexually transmitted infections would fall as young women’s relationships with their bodies were given a solid, confident foundation from which to grow.

Contrary to the British media’s parochial fixation about Tantra solely enabling folk to have sex for hours on end while withholding orgasm and/or ejaculation, it’s actually about far more than that. It’s about healing broken relationships with the body by consciously reconnecting with oneself from the neck down at a physical and emotional level. It’s about carving away the many layers of long-held, mostly unconscious fear and bullshit, and coming into one’s true essence.

For reasons of confidentiality and in the spirit of the ancient Greek Eleusinian Mysteries, I can’t reveal specifics of what took place; suffice to say the women I attended the workshop with were among the most courageous, most supportive, most inspiring individuals I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. Like me, these were women who were tired of trying to be something they weren’t or no longer wanted to be. These were women who wanted to drop the guilt, shame, and fear and face all future sexual interactions with every single cell in their body consciously engaged and with an open heart and generosity of spirit. These were women with whom I laughed and cried and am now proud to call my friends.

To be clear, none of the workshops Shakti Tantra run are for the faint of heart; rather, they’re for those who are ready to drop the crap and connect with themselves and others at the deepest, most profound level possible. Let me put it like this: Hilly, co-founder of Shakti Tantra and our workshop leader, had more presence and sexual magnetism in her little finger than many so-called glamour models have in the whole of their silicone-pumped, surgically-enhanced bodies. One seriously sexy dame. Her assistants, also, were bottomless wells of support and compassion guiding us through all the exercises with the utmost tenderness.

And the food? Did I mention the food? I don’t think I’ve ever seen such an erotic looking spread. It was the sort of stuff you want to lay all over someone and lick and pick off them at leisure. Everything about the overall experience was class. Nothing seedy or cheap. The venue, the food, the accommodation, and the teachings were all top drawer. I can’t wait for the next-level residential workshop in June.

They also run men’s, couple’s, and mixed-group workshops. Whether you go alone or with your partner; whether you’re single or in a long-established relationship, please — do yourself the biggest and best favour you could probably ever make in your life and book on one of their workshops. I guarantee it will change your life.

Thea Euryphaessa,
Founder, Urban Deva

Our first ‘The Rose and The Thorn‘ workshop from Shakti Tantra proved a tremendous success and was completely full with a waiting list of people wanting to attend the workshop.

It incorporated teaching into the different aspects of BDSM and provided plenty of time to experience these aspects in a safe and nurturing way.

Some of the quotes we received were:

‘The most important thing for me was the safety in the group, allowing me to experiment in a way I would not thought possible‘

‘This workshop showed me that if you apply the Tantra priciple, that all actions come from the heart, the BDSM world has nothing to fear – best Tantra workshop I have been on’

‘The weekend was a very deep and profound experience. I feel changed, lighter, more in my body and more accepting of myself. I also touched a space of stillness and clarity which I am still feeling now. Thank you’.