A friend and I have been talking lately about the Dark Goddess (or goddesses) and what She represents. As my ecstatic dancing is always exploring my relationship to the divine feminine, I wanted to express some experiences of Her darkness that I've had lately when I dance - the "below" that I connect to when I dance low to the ground and the energy I call up into myself from Mother Earth.
Once I read a book about Hatha Yoga that invited practitioners to use their imaginative minds when they held a pose to uncover the hidden meaning of that pose. Tree pose has always been a favourite of mine and I began visualizing myself as a tree, half of myself visible, above ground, half invisible 'below' the ground, a root system that is a mirror reflection in terms of scope and importance. As I balance in that position, one foot firmly 'planted', I visualize my roots extending down into the earth. My trunk becomes an extention of those roots and I no longer begin at the surface of the floor I stand on. My physical balance improves but so does my spiritual balance as I reflect on some deeper part of myself.
The Dark Goddess is here for me, in the unseen underworld. When I stomp or skip on the ground, I am awakening this part of myself the same way humans have awakened the fertile earth with dance for milleniums as part of their spring planting rituals. When I let my chest beat with the rhythm of the drum and I direct it towards the floor, bending away from my "head" and concentrating on my body connection to the earth, I feel goddess energy fill me and I can move into a "trance" state that is very restoring. I end the session feeling connected, alive, my mind cleared of debris.
I also want to tell readers about a local musician who has launched a successful new album that has some great meditative dance music. Elyse Bruce has teamed up with Gerry Dere to produce "Dreamtime", a project that is raising funds for the Make a Wish Foundation. Her son has an incurable disease, Myasthenia Gravis, and his life has been touched by the foundation. If you want a copy of the cd, Elyse can be reached through Centre Stage Performing Arts, Peterborough at (705) 745-5573. Mayeline and I are now holding our classes at their shared space in Peterborugh Square (with the Tai Chi Assn) and I'd be happy to get you a copy.
I need to feel that Dark Goddess energy fill me. I hope to before I die.
ReplyDeletePole dancing has been around a lot longer than many of us would think, but how did pole dancing originate and where did come from? The form of pole dance we know today and its origins can be traced back to exotic performance dance arts.
ReplyDeleteSoul Motion
Hello Soul Motion. Thanks for the link to Ecstatic Cafe, some great discussion threads there. I am curious about your pole dancing comment however; this is a dance performed for spectators, unlike ecstatic dance which is done for the self and shared as a community.
ReplyDeleteWhile I have seen circus acts on poles that were stunning in their power and grace, pole dances are generally about seduction and have no relationship to the nature of this blog. Please respect the focus and intention of my personal blog.