Vagina Biography by Naomi Wolf

At last a mainstream author Naomi Wolf, who wrote The Beauty Myth twenty years ago, has written about the yoni and its central place in women's sense of identity, power and creativity. Gradually some of my work in tantra and bodywork is coming in from the margins! I first learnt yoni healing on my  extended tantra training in 1996. Since then, neuroscience has advanced so much that we can now begin to understand why this work is so powerful.

Of course, it is resisted. Naomi's new book was called "dotty" by a reviewer in The Observer. There is a huge resistance to any biological level explanations for everything; fearing that people are being put in to boxes and restricted. Tantra is clear that the masculine and feminine are radically different; but complementary and any one individual can have a mixture of both (never mind intersexual and all the different sexualites that exist). Tantra is also clear that the feminine is the active principle of creation; all of life and all abundance comes from her and the only true response to that, is one of honouring and worship.

Unfortunately, the yoni; or rather a woman's relationship; to it, to her sexuality and to her body, are fragile - particularly in puberty and therefore easily damaged by guilt, shame and fear from parents and society and the media's crazy and confusing depictions of women. Plus of course the overt sexual abuse that comes the way of a significant proportion of girls and young women.

Neuroscience has helped to clarify how trauma gets embedded in the body and some of important but hidden connections. For example did you know that you have more serotonin receptors in the belly than the brain? The vagus nerve, an ancient system separate from the spinal column nerves connects the primitive brainstem to the heart, to the belly and then in women, to the  cervix. Head, Heart, Belly and Sex really are connected.

The book looks at tantric massage as sexual healing and give her experiences of sessions. It connect this to history, mythology, neuroscience and to society.  So, huge congratulations to Naomi, who, through the accident of her particular neurological condition came to give her attention to her body in a new way and ask some questions that science and tantra can answer. The yoni and the belly, the creative second and third chakras are the keys to creativity and power for women. I have been doing this work for over 15 years; now it is coming in from the dark. For sessions see www.shivoham.asia .     Namaste.

Kumbh!

Right now in Haridwar in Northern India the Maha Kumbh is on, sometimes called the Kumbh Mela. It happens every three years and is a huge religious fetival of bathing in the sacred Ganges river to remove suffering and karma. It is huge - think a hundred times the size of the Glastonbury Festival. I am fortunately a long way away in South India.

A Kumbh is a pot which in Hindu mythology contains the nectar of immortality. It was in the depths of the ocean and when they stirred the ocean to try and retrieve it, the waters started to release many treasures as well as evil elements. Some poison escaped which threatened to contaminate the entire universe. At that crucial moment Shiva stepped in and swallowed the poison with one large gulp. He held it in his throat and as a result his whole body turned to a deep shade of blue. The waters of immortality from the Kumbh in the Ganges cleanse the soul and body on the ten ritual bathing days of the festival when many millions immerse themselves in the Ganges.

So why write this? Kumbh is a pot or container which holds the netar of immortality. Also in India there is a fire ritual done in a Havan Kund a fire pit where the sacred fire is honoured through mantras and offerings. The word we have from Medieval english which comes from these two words? Cunt! In tantra we often use the word yoni which in Sanskrit means sacred place or altar but we could well be reminded that the Old English (I think it is found in Chaucer) conncects directly with the ancient traditions and myths being honoured now in Haridwar. There are tantric texts which say that a man can become enlightened just by meditating on the yoni. You could start by meditating on it for one lunar cycle - 28 days. Now you didn't get homework like that when you were at school! Namaste from Tiruvanamali.