“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)

Sue Newsome: 07866 520352

I want to share a recent experience which links me back to the start of my love affair with tantra.  Over 12 years ago, I clearly remember sitting in my first workshop and feeling that so many of the structures that I had learnt and experienced were so applicable to many people in my life.   Consequently I put on my tantric uniform of a pair of embroidered wrap-around trousers and a top adorned with beads and bells and eagerly tried to spread the word of tantra and persuade everyone to sign-up to a workshop.  When my enthusiasm was met with raised eyebrows, nervous giggles and the occasional damming judgement, I realised that this was a mirror of society’s confusion, shame and fear around sex.

I then focused on my own learning and, as my relationship with tantra deepened, I planted a very small seed of yearning deep within my being.  My dream was to be able to stand with confidence, authority and credibility and talk about how our work within Shakti Tantra can be translated and widely applied to individuals and couples with relationship and sexual difficulties.  I had a sense of translating the teachings to make them more accessible for different groups in society.  The gestation time for this dream has been long as I have learnt, questioned and re-learnt every aspect of my understanding.  Recently this dream was realised when I was invited to present to a group of NHS professionals who were interested in hearing how bodywork can be used as a therapeutic option.  This felt like a fantastic opportunity and I drew on all of my knowledge and experience to present aspects of our work as viable treatments for sexual difficulties.  During the talk, I used my nervousness and excitement to fuel my passion and conviction and I felt immensely proud as I presented to an attentive audience of doctors, nurses, psychologists and psychotherapists.  They listened, nodded and asked relevant and meaningful questions – it felt like such a breakthrough – a significant step in taking the work of Shakti Tantra to the NHS.

Sue Newsome, Shakti Tantra

September 2011

Procreation of the species might seem to be the main function of sex but it would be a shame to limit sexual activity just to this. Sex has many purposes. It can be a form of pleasure or fun, an expression of deep love or lust, great exercise, allowing couples or singles to vent energy and diminish frustration. Sex has the rare attribute of being something that one can do together, on one’s own, that is still free. Quite amazing in this day and age but don’t tell the government as they will probably start planning an orgasm tax.

But sex, or at least sexual energy is also a route to personal enlightenment and there is a whole heap of fun and pleasure to be had on this journey. I started my tantric journey about 9 years ago as a single person and I have been in a monogamous relationship for 4 years now – sharing my journey with a partner. Now I can’t tell you what tantra is, it seems to be many things to many people. It is indefinable on one level because it is a journey based almost entirely in personal experience – it combines body and mind, emotion and spirit, it is learning on a level far more profound than anything I ever got through formal education.

On my journey I have met quite a few people who tell you ‘you must go through the pain’, ‘need to swim the moat to reach the castle, or ‘have to climb the mountain to get to the top’. Ignore these people, they are simply trying to pre-empt your experience by imposing their own – in short, a power trip. Although tantra has highlighted ‘areas for adjustment’ in our relationship we have found it to be primarily an experience of pleasure, fun and joy.

So when the hot fire of your sex energy rises from your root chakra and the icy calm of the stars descends from your crown to meet in the crucible of your heart – you are as likely to laugh as to cry – maybe even both!

Sex for its own sake was great fun when I was young, but even then I yearned for something else I couldn’t see and didn’t know – a deeper connection. In middle age I am so happy to find an energy dimension to sexual activity with my partner which enhances not just my relationship but my whole being. Major religions just don’t seem to touch on this area and seem in complete denial about our physicality let alone sexuality as beings. Tantra has integrated my being in so many ways I couldn’t imagine life without it now. Although it is certainly not a religion it is a way of life that seems to open many doors, not least the one marked ‘Sex is for…’

Simon Mitchell

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

Thea Euryphaessa, Founder, Urban Deva

If there’s one thing that tires (read: bores) me more than anything, it’s the press’s mind-numbingly predictable, tittilatingly-sensationalised coverage of all things Tantra related. The words ‘Sting’ and ‘go at it for hours’ spring to mind. You see, when it comes to sex and sensuality we’re a prudish lot. Although we like to think we’re sexually liberated and laid-back, we’re mostly fearful, uptight, and embarrassed when it comes to sexual matters.

We’re also terrified of intimacy. Speaking from my own experience, it never fails to surprise me how insecure and inhibited men also are once they’re undressed and in a sexual situation. I’ve seen penises retreat so far inside bodies I’m surprised they’ve not popped out the other side. Men, it seems, carry as many sexual hang-ups and bodily insecurities as women despite their bravado to the contrary.

You see, no-one teaches us about sex. In fact, no-one even teaches us about our bodies and the intricacies of our intimacies. And so, we stumble and fumble in the darkness beneath the duvet or in candlelight (if we’re feeling adventurous). Although men regularly handle their ‘vajras’ (Tantric term for penis) when they pee, and women may entertain their ‘yonis’ (vagina) with a Rampant Rabbit or, horror of horrors, their fingers if they dare touch themselves ‘down there’, the potentialities of our sexual centres remain a relative mystery.

My interest in Tantra stretches back five years. In fact, it probably reaches all the way back to my early twenties (albeit unconsciously) when Sex and the City first ever aired in the UK. I watched the girls’ every move, eavesdropped on their conversations in an attempt to learn all they knew about sex. Why? Because I already knew something was amiss in my own sex life — I either wasn’t consciously connecting with partners, or was going through well-rehearsed techniques and rote routine. Whatever, sex was a tense, orgasm-focussed, BANG-BANG-BANG event rather than a juicy, sensually erotic opportunity to enjoy the experience in and of itself.

But with sex education limited to a half-arsed book and a biology class on the reproductive system, I was pretty much left to my own devices. And so it continued until early 2007 when a friend emailed me details of a talk being given to a group of women about Tantra by an organisation called Shakti Tantra. Intrigued, I went along. Although my curiosity was piqued, it would be another four years before I finally wound up on one of their ‘Women’s Invitation’ weekend-long courses — last weekend to be exact.

Thea Euryphaessa,
Founder, Urban Deva

Can good sex be taught? – Psychologies Magazine – September 2010

Sex classes are not longer just for those with problems – or exotic tastes.  They can help anyone who wants to make good sex better, and more and more of us are signing up.  Viki Wilson discovers why.

What’s a sex workshop really like?

Nicci Talbot, 35, a women’s health writer (inrudehealth.com), attended a workshop with her partner Matt at Shakti Tantra.

Our sex life had become a little routine, so when a friend recommended a workshop, I persuaded Matt to try it.  I’ve tried sensual massage courses and was less embarrassed about the workshop, but it was out of Matt’s comfort zone to have a private session with just us and the instructors, Sue and Martin.  I did feel nervous for him because I knew he was there on my behalf.

The workshop took place in a light-filled studio covered with cushions, rich colours and sensual art.  Matt was wearing only boxers and I was wearing knickers and a top.  We began with a hugging exercise, designed to help us explore how we liked to be held, before moving onto written exercises where we presented in a positive way what we wanted from our sex life, acknowledged current obstacles, such as too much TV, and agreed to a realistic plan to make changes, including making time for massage.

The most intimate exercise was called Directed Pleasuring – touching and saying how we would like to be touched, which the other person had to follow.  We did this using different props – kissing, massage or using feathers and silk.

What was nice was that Sue and Martin did the exercises with us, which made us less self-conscious and intensified the session; I found it a turn-on to watch a couple who are really into each other.  I could see they were very comfortable with the situation, which was inspiring.  We were a little bit more inhibited, of course.  But it was rewarding and quite arousing to see how they communicate and to watch them touch.  Of course you don’t always have the time or energy to do a massage for two hours a night so we were given some sensual short cuts to try, such as ‘Meetings’ – (* see below), an effective way to stay connected and keep the energy flowing between the two of us.

The workshop revealed barriers in our sex life that we hadn’t thought were there.  I realised that I find it hard to ask for what I want in bed.  I tend to put Matt’s needs before my own, and this makes me feel frustrated, which build up to cause tension.  If I know that he doesn’t enjoy doing something, like kissing for example, then it’s hard for me to ask for it and relax and enjoy the experience.

We’ve made practical changes since the workshop, such as fewer evenings spent working and more time relaxing together, but we’ve also started doing more physical things together, such as running, walking and going horse riding.  The exhilaration and closeness that come from these activities transfer to our sex life.

A workshop is a great way to invest in your relationship and explore it.  We do courses for our career but don’t think about investing in our sex lives, or in each other the same way.

* Meetings – after a day apart, simply greet each other with eye contact and a hug.  It’s a small daily ritual that connects you physically and emotionally.

An Introduction to Tantra

The earliest record of Tantra was around 6 thousand years ago in India…..It is documented in the book “The Vijanabhairava” or Divine Consciousness, which is the story of Shakti [female quality or principle, sometimes called yin] inviting Shiva[ male quality or principle, sometimes called yang] to tell her the way of the world……….Of course she already knew all this, but Shiva was lying around lazily complete in himself.

For the benefit of us poor mortals she invited him to speak and share his wisdom creating the “The Vijanabhairava”, but not only that ……the two together created a whole, Shiva being consciousness, Shakti being energy, meaning the marriage of male and female within, which in turn allows the sacred experience to manifest…….the book “Zen Flesh Zen Bones” is a precis of the aforementioned scripture.

Tantra is a difficult concept for the highly trained intellectual mind because it’s more to do with feeling than doing. We are taught to be clever, think a lot about life, what it means and how to obtain and perform. What this approach doesn’t do, is to teach us to really live life, to feel,to make our choices from our own inner knowing of what is good for us.

Tantra invites vibrant aliveness from inside, not from our heads but from a totality in the body, emotionally rich and authentic in our expression. Tantra came into being as a spiritual discipline for the lay people, householders [married people]……who became increasingly fed up with the concept that the only ones able to celebrate the sacred path were the celibates……..the nuns or monks etc.

Although it was a strong spiritual discipline in the east, and now in the west, it is still a discipline but a lot of the emphasis is on the healing aspect of our sexual energy, the many issues around abuse, shame, sexual health and all the violence that is born of ignorance. Tantra is ‘The Tao’ [the way] that honors the body as sacred, celebrates the senses and allows pleasure and nurture as a way of life……..It teaches us how to relax, to choose to live totally and as intensely as we wish to. Tantra teaches us to trust ourselves, trust our inner guidance and judgments in our way of living, choosing and creating our lives with awareness.

Much has been written about Tantra and sex, it is most commonly thought that this is all…….in actual fact the Tantric path is about consciousness, sex is only one manifestation of our unique expression of life……love is another…..we have many expressions of living and at each point of meeting we can choose to be total in consciousness and awareness…….it is a skill, a discipline, invited by the model of Tantra ……The byproduct of all this, is that we can live a life with more intensity, more sustainable sexual pleasure and much deeper connected relationships.

Tantra is a non dualistic, a non prescriptive model, not making any demands on sexual orientation……..you can be with one partner or many, the choice is yours, it is leading a life of transcending all differences. Living life in awe, wonder, love and with the innocence of a child with the adult perspective, the miracle of our bodies and senses, being participants of our lives rather than spectators.

Hilly Spenceley