Tantra III

A strong sense of something missing is often what drives both women and men to explore other approaches to sexuality. The awareness of all the possibilities, all the different levels of experience we could have in love-making, and the knowledge that exquisite, divine feelings are left untapped, are what brings us to Tantra. In orgasm we have a glimpse of eternity, letting go into something far bigger and more spacious then our orgasmic gratification. It is this experience of something vaster that keeps us fixated on sex, striving to repeat experience. Tantra is the practice that allows you to attain that state without immediately loosing it again. It allows you to maintain and extend it. Women and men are prevented from making love to our full potential, because we have not learned how to make love with consciousness. Tantra teaches ways to make lovemaking more aware, and techniques for assimilating the energies of your partner in love-making.
Tantra sees your connection as a meeting of divine energies, rather then two ego-bound psyches destined to act out past patterns and ways of relating that stem from your family background. A psychotherapy-based way of looking at relationships can be of limited use, and Tantra replace it with a more spiritual model. It teaches you how to unlock the energies within yourself and to use them to transform your experience of world into one of bliss.
Tantra is not no-holds-barred excuse for sexual experimentation-it assumes that any work on sexual development is grounded in an egalitarian, committed and loving relationship. Within a relationship with a strong heart connection you can do the work of transforming sexuality into a more integrated way of being. 
Tantra changes one's way of relationship. Couples become less dependent, jealous or neurotic. They tend to be more harmonious, fun and energy-filled. In the way of Tantra, you also discover that the relationship you seek outside is already within you. 
And this all from me on the subject of Tantra. If I had got your interest, and I hope I had, there are many places you can read or learn about practicing Tantra. And you don't have to be "believer". You simply need to learn about and cultivate the Tantric vision: a vital, bliss-filled approach to sex, love and life in general.

Tantra II

Many women are literally outside themselves, not daring to inhibit their bodies. We don't feel comfortable in our bodies because of cultural messages we receive throughout our life time which prevent us from revelling in them, whatever shape or size we are, and from enjoying the experiences our bodies bring us.
It is rare to see a young woman who revells in her body, with the pure joy of just being alive. Young women in our culture don't learn how to be in their own power sexually, and it is a long journey before they feel they can be themselves, rather then what media images, peer pressure and men want them to be. Many of us do not come into a sense of our own sexual power until mid-thirties, when we already have a lot of negative experiences that need to be released and healed in some way. Many women say they become mothers before becoming women!
Men also have a difficult relationship with their sexual power, often feigning a virility that masks luck of confidence underneath. Our culture expects men to assume a dominant sexuality, pursuing potential mates and initiating sex, yet it castigates men for just doing that. Many men carry a lot of fear and insecurity over their sexual prowess and find it just as hard to inhibit their bodies as women do. A Tantric attitude is to see the beauty of each aspect of life in a non-judgmental way and meet everything in an attitude of respect. Anything that rejects the body rejects the innate beauty of the person.
For those of us who have problem relating sexually in this culture of repression and denial, sexual healing is needed to free sexual energy from its distortions, and associations with power and violence. This traditionally masculine need for power over another person is replaced by more mutual way of framing a relationship, based on care and respect.
Too many of us have been going through motions sexually. Many of us experience deep dissatisfaction around our sexual lives. We all are looking for real intimacy and tenderness, and deep connection...To be continued:)

Tantra

What is Tantra? Tantra literally means a tool for expansion. In spite of the Eastern terminology, Tantra is easy concept to grasp. At its heart is the knowledge that a powerful current of energy flows through us all, which needs to be harmonized. Tantra involves expansion on an energetic, psychological and physical level, and the teachings have been used for thousands years as a tool to expand the boundaries of consciousness. Tantra aims to harmonize life energies and resolve contradictions and conflicts in order to experience life as a flow of intense energy. 

Tantra aims at total surrender-letting go of mental, emotional and cultural conditioning, so that universal life energy can flow through us. It is finding our way back to our existential roots, letting go into sense of wonder and oneness with universe, which spiritual teachers of all paths describe simple as love.

Tantric practices involve a meeting on the sexual level. Sex is the beginning rather then the ultimate step in the journey you are taking together. Sexual practices are performed with consciousness of what are you doing, and why. More important than what are you doing is how you are doing it, and the intention you have when you are making love. Love making with the intention of exploring real intimacy and connection with your partner, and allowing yourself to see where that connection takes you, rather then limiting your focus on genital pleasure and orgasm, creates the right space. But Tantra is not just about sex, it is about the free flow of energy within yourself, as well as others. It is more about this flow of energy then about sexual intercourse or fancy postures of love making. The emphasis in Tantric love making is on non-doing-relaxing into pleasurable experiences and the energy connection you have with your partner, rather then trying to build excitement and make something specific happen (orgasm)...To be continued:)

More

I got inspired to write this post by watching a TV program. It was about life in Hong Kong and one of the interviewed people was a British man who has been living in Hong Kong for the past 15 years. When he was young, he had a dream that one day he would have a coffee shop by the sea. His dream came true. I had a feeling it was about two by two meters in size, nothing big, but the way he was talking about it, I  thought he was a very happy man. He could ride his bike to work, he had time for his dog and long walks on the beach. This man said he didn't need more. 
How did he manage to pull the line? How could he stop himself from wanting more? Why is it that we always want more? I understand that it was a good move on early humans to move from the trees to grass, I understand that it was a good thing to invent a language and tools. To learn and grow is what makes us human. And as our ancestors were hunting for food we are now hunting for knowledge. Knowledge that should improve our judgement. Knowledge that would give us a pleasure through new experiences. But does it? Or is it just wanting more that gives us pleasure? The "more" we are wanting always seems like "more" when we don't actually have it.  Wanting more for the sake of more seems to be part of human nature too. Learning and growing as a part of our nature and wanting more don't seem to be in agreement. We spend so much time in belief that we can have something. We may not have that something but we have belief that we can have it. We put our hopes and ambitions and in our mind we make our dreams alive. But what about things that we already have? Are we grateful for them? Think about the time when what is your life now was just a dream? Did it worth more then now? Is that a future of every fulfilled dream of ours? That once it comes true it loses its value? Maybe we should aim to have less?  Maybe then we could see real value in things we already have. Or maybe then we could think about what truly makes life better. Is it just stuff, empty, soulless and worth nothing actually, or people and experiences, actual knowledge and understanding. And not blame the world we live in, but look at ourselves and change how we react to things around us.

Miniature Art

Vlagymir Anyiszkin is a Russian artist who took a miniature art on absolutely new level. For his art you can not even say "See it, believe it" as it is impossible to see it with your naked eye. He uses microscope for making his miniatures. Wakes up early every morning to work on his projects before he goes to his every day job. He says, heart beating is what cause the biggest problem during the creating of miniature piece of art. He overcomes this problem by working only between two heart beats so that his hand wont shake. The other problem is static friction that can occur between material and the tool. Other problems he doesn't have:) Here are some examples of his work...

This is the flea Vlagyimir found on his cat and decided to make shoes for it. Shoes are
 0, 05 mm wide.

 

Sorry for the bad quality photo but you will understand...The whole ABC on the end of one piece of human hair 0, 09 mm. thick.
The human hair is anywhere between 0, 05mm and 0, 13 mm thick.

3, 5 mm chess table with 0, 15 mm chess figures on. Made out of one matchstick.

Christmas-New Year decoration standing on half of the poppy seed size 0, 055 mm.

Rose on one piece of human hair. 

Create

Do you feel sometimes that you are not giving enough to this world, that you are just consuming and not creating? Maybe you feel you are to old to learn new things or that if you had not made your big mark in this world until now, you will never? And that you are just not one of those people history is going to write about. Even if that is the case, there are still many, many things you can do that can possibly change you from consumer to creator in your own small world. Just think, whatever you start now, learning or doing, in a year or two you will know much more about it then you know now.  Here are some suggestions:

• Help someone nobody else cares to help
• Learn about another culture
• Learn to cook another culture's food
• Learn new language 
• Write poetry, share it with others
• Take photos
• Meet new people, make new friends
• Learn from others then pass it on
• Get to know your neighbors
• Make clothes
• Make something new from old
• Learn to play instrument
• Start ongoing project
• Make surprises for people
• Paint a picture, the bigger the better:)
• Volunteer for something you feel strong about
• Observe people around you, be open minded
• Plant a tree 
• You must have some talents, use them 
• Talk to children, talk to old people
• Instead of buying make presents for others
• Help somebody achieve their dream
• Dare to be different
• Start a blog:)

Best job of all

"We don't stop playing because we grow old, 

we grow old because we stop playing"

George Bernard Shaw

I have the best job of all! What else could I say about a job where you smile and play all day? No day is same, and you see results of your efforts constantly. You get hugs, kisses and presents every day. Conkers and dry leaves in autumn, flowers in spring and mud and sand cakes all year long.  What can I say about a job where I would pay to do it?! (I am sane enough not to say this publicly) :) But with this job comes the day like today when I had to say good bye to one of my little friends. For me this is the hardest moment of all. Once somebody told me, "You must never get attached to children you work with, they grow up and leave". I answered, "My own children will grow up and leave, should I not be attached to them either?" (Yes, I always say what is on my mind). In whole honesty I believe that person like this would have very hard time before children would grow up and leave. More precisely, any person  would have very hard time working with children if not attached to them to the some extent. Carpenter gets attached to the piece of wood he works on. How could you not get attached to the alive being, full of love and trust? And yes, they do leave your life, they move on. Things are changing fast when you are child. I have been complete mess today, I am never prepared for the emotions that come when the moment to say good bye is there. Tears were running my face but I smiled as I look at confused face of the gorgeous girl I had a pleasure of working with for two years (sorry, playing with for two years). I smile because I know it is time to say good bye. It is time for change. And I am grateful for trust of her parents, I am grateful for being part of her life, for being right there at the beginning of her schooling time. And I am happy that she left us ready for new challenges and feeling that school is great place to be.