I am pleased to announce that my latest eBook, “Ojas-Secrets of Ejaculation Control” is now available for download on my Store Page. This is a comprehensive and practical handbook for those who experience this condition. But you don’t necessarily have to suffer from erectile disfunction or premature ejaculation to derive benefits from this book. I would prefer to think of this as a guide book for men’s sexual health as the tips and techniques described in this book can serve all of those who wish to increase theirs or their partner’s stamina.
The term “Ojas” is a Sanskrit word that describes the balancing of our Essence for health and spiritual growth. Learning how to balance these energetic essences will result in boundless mental clarity and vitality that will unlock the keys to immortality. The techniques and practices in this book will show the reader how to safely re-harvest their energy through an easy to learn and fun to do daily practice. By performing these exercises along with some simple lifestyle adjustments anyone can achieve “Ojas”.
Here’s what the readers have to say about “Ojas”:
“Wow! What an eye opener! Thank you so much for this book. The techniques are easy to learn and fun to practice. A+!” – R. Prud’homme New Orleans, Louisiana
“My Partner and I would like to thank you for your efforts. This book had a positive impact to our intimacy” – K. Pernet, Toronto, Canada
“All my life I had struggled with this condition. I was at a loss for what to do until I found this book. Thanks” – G. Martinez, Seattle, WA
“Although ED and PE are not a problem for me, the advice in this book will be helpful to those who wish to enhance their sexual health.” – Jijo A., Dubai, UAE
To purchase a download of “Ojas”, please Click Here to be directed to my Store Page.
Maria de Naglowska was a Russian occultist and author who was the founder of the Brotherhood of the Golden Arrow in Paris. In this occult society she lectured and taught about the rituals of Sex Magic and how orgasmic power can be harnessed for spiritually transformative purposes. She led her group from 1932-1935 and immediately became the darling of the French Surrealist movement. “The Brotherhood” included likes of Man Ray, André Breton and many other notable artists of that time. During these years she published a newsletter called “La Flèche (The Arrow) that featured contributions from herself and other occultists. Her writings were considered so revolutionary that it earned her the name of: “La Sophiale de Montparnasse” (The Wise Woman of Montparnasse).
For someone who was so ahead of her time, Maria’s origins are decidedly bourgeois: She was born in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1883 and after being orphaned at age 12 she was raised by her aristocratic relatives who expected her to become just another pretty face in St. Petersburg society. But Maria was having none of that; she eloped with someone outside of her social economic sphere and ran away to Geneva, Switzerland. As fate would have it, her jerk of a husband abandoned her and she was forced to go to work as a school teacher. In order to supplement her income, Maria also began working as a journalist and it was around this time that she discovered the works of an obscure American writer named Paschal Beverly Randolph, who was the founder of the American Rosicrucian Order and a practitioner of Sex Magic. As a result of his teachings, Maria began to advocate the power of Sex Magic in her writings and it caused so much controversy in stuffy Geneva that she wound up being imprisoned and eventually deported from Switzerland, as if such a thing were possible!
Maria’s Lovers. Ritual led by de Naglowska at The Brotherhood of the Golden Arrow. Paris 1930’s
After her deportation, she continued working as a journalist first in Rome and then finally in Paris where her practice finally took off. She compiled and translated the writings of Randolph and had them published in book form. If it wasn’t for her proselytizing of his works, the world may have never heard of him, or Sex Magic. But again, the powers that be were out to get Maria and she found herself once again running afoul of the law. Fortunately the French were a bit more open minded than the Swiss and she was able to overturn her conviction for “outrage to public decency” in a court of law.
However she was not without controversy even within the parameters of her group. She was criticized for embellishing many of her rituals with satanism and the unsafe practice of autoerotic asphyxiation. Her explanation being that the latter helped the subject focus on their orgasm through sensory deprivation. I guess there are somethings which are too “out there” even for the French Surrealists. But I must say in her defense that there was an element of truth to her claim; Let me get one thing straight before going any further: I do not approve of the practice of autoerotic asphyxiation. It is too risky and we have lost many people as a result of this. (Can you hear me in the afterlife Messrs Bourdain & Carradine?) There is a safer way to practice sensory deprivation called the “Yoni Face Mudra” which allows the person to be in control of the sensory deprivation while preventing any unfortunate “accidents”.
Yoni Face Mudra-from my book “Tantra Massage for Lovers”.
Inspite of the prurient reputation surrounding her, Maria was a well travelled, cultured individual. She studied with many masters throughout the world, in Alexandria, Egypt she connected with followers of Madame Blavatsky and rumor had it that she became part of Rasputins inner circle when she was growing up in St. Petersburg. Maria was fluent in ten languages and in addition to publishing “La Flèche” she also authored over six books on the subject of Sex Magicand worked as a journalist/translator. Click here to be directed to her Simon & Schuster Official Publisher Page.
Towards the end of her life, Maria became the muse of the Swiss architect, Le Corbusier. He was a serious occultist himself and found inspiration in her teachings and how they matched his own interpretation of sacred architecture. But Maria was not meant to be attached to her mortal coil for very long and in 1936 she a premonition of her own death in a dream. She decided to return to Switzerland where she died a year later. Leaving behind this little known, but very powerful legacy.
Sacred Architecture: A church designed by Le Corbusier.
Nowadays Valentine’s Day is associated Hearts and Flowers. Friends, whether romantic or platonic, exchange cards, candy and ask “Will you be My Valentine?”. Maybe a romantic dinner between couples. Common knowledge is that it was an invention of American greeting card companies to create a holiday in order to fill the gap between Christmas and Easter. Its name is derived from an unfortunate Christian Martyr, Valentine, also known as the Patron Saint of Lovers. (more about this guy later). But did you know that Valentine’s Day actually has much deeper, darker origins? Origins which are highly charged with eroticism, Sex Magic and blood rituals?
Lupercalia was an ancient Roman fertility festival that was celebrated around the 15th of February (or the Kalends of February according to the Roman Calendar). It’s a festival that involved animal sacrifice, blood rituals, nudity, public flogging, anonymous sex with strangers, lots of wine and other inebriates. Did I leave anything out? No? Good. What was the purpose of this public display of debauchery? Well, to ward off evil spirts and to increase the fertility of the women of course!
Revelers celebrating Lupercalia
The festival was also to celebrate the founding of Rome and to honor its founders Romulus and Remus and the She-Wolf who suckled them in her cave. And of course it’s important that a festival honoring the founding of this auspicious empire be celebrated by warding off evil spirits and ensuring the procreation of its citizens.
The event began in the Cave of the Lupercal, the mythical cave at the foot of the Palatine Hill on the Banks of the Tiber, where the mama wolf suckled her foundling twins. There, a group of young men, Rome’s best and brightest sacrificed one or more male goats, smearing their blood all over their naked bodies. The blood would then be wiped off with milk symbolizing not only male sexuality but the nurturing female energies as well. I find this to be an interesting correspondence between the red/white, Shiva/Shakti energies of Tantra.
The Lupercal, as these young men where called, came from Rome’s finest families and some notable Lupercal where Marc Antony and Octavian Ceaser. If anyone reading this saw the HBO Series “Rome”, this festival was rather graphically depicted in the first season. All this blood ritual was followed by a feast involving lots of eating and drinking but it’s what comes next that is really interesting.
The She Wolf suckling Romulus & Remus
The drunken revelers then skinned the sacrificed goats and cut the leather into long bloody strips that where fashioned into whips. Yep, then they proceeded to march through the streets of the Eternal City flogging female revelers who would purposely get in their way so that they could receive a taste of the whip. And did I mention that all parties where naked? I believe this would probably get a lot of likes on PornHub! The belief here was that if their naked bodies where flogged by the whips of the Lupercal, it would increase fertility while at the same time ward off evil spirits. Makes total sense to me.
But wait, there’s more!
The festival doesn’t end there, because after that the names of the celebrants would be pulled from a jar and paired with someone of the opposite sex. They would then have to engage in public sex in the Forum for the rest of the festival. Reminds me a bit of the “Swingers Key Parties” of the 70’s.
So how does this all tie in with the martyred St Valentine? Well, it appears that during the reign of the Emperor Claudius, christian marriage ceremonies were illegal and there was one individual named Valentine who defied the emperor’s order by secretly marrying christian lovers. The Emperor caught wind of this and before you could say “Isis Caliphate” had the poor guy beheaded. So once christianity spread through the Roman Empire, the festival of Lupercalia was appropriated by the new religion and it became “St. Valentine’s Day”. Now, I must say that by the time this conversion took place, the original festival of Lupercalia was only a shadow of its former self; gone was the nudity and public flogging and instead the acts were performed “symbolically”. Ie fully clothed, just a tapping with a hand and you could forget about pulling the names out of a jar. However you can still see some vestiges of these practices in modern day Mardi Gras events and in Holy Week in Spain.
So the next time you buy a Valentine’s Day Card or decorate your home with the colors of red and white. Remember the ancient origins of this Holiday and its earthy, pagan origins.
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David Bowie drawing the Tree of Life. His artist’s hand poised somewhere between Kether and Malkuth.
Or so go the lyrics from “Station to Station”. David Bowie was more that a musician, he was an artist and a mystic whose talents transcended those of mere mortals into an esoteric sphere most of us lacked the capacity to comprehend. But he somehow made it palatable for the masses, bringing those arcane realities down to a level that made it enjoyable for us lesser mortals to swallow.
The “David Bowie Is” exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum did not disappoint in terms of showing us not only Bowie the Artist, but Bowie the Magus; The Man who not only Sold the World, but travelled between several of them.
“Here are we, one magical movement from Kether to Malkuth
There are you, you drive like a demon from Station to Station”
So what are ‘Kether and Malkuth’ and what is the Tantric equivalency?
Table of Correspondents Sephiroth v Chakras
Kether and Malkuth are Are Sephoroth (spheres) on the Tree of Life in the tradition of the Kabbalah and they represent emanations/attributes similar to the Chakra Tree of Life in Tantra. According to Aleister Crowley in his book ‘777’, which contains multiple Tables of Correspondents referencing equivalencies form traditions to traditions, Kether would correspond to Sahasrara (The Crown) while Malkuth corresponds to Muladhara (The Root). So in essence, Bowie’s song lyrics represent the quest to achieve that Alchemical Wholeness that many of us strive to achieve yet seldom maintain. The “Stations” refer these spheres through which he alchemicaly transmutes. So you see, in the end it all comes together and David is the glue.
A highly symbolic pencil drawing by David created early on in his career. The occult meanings in the images later translated into some of his most popular songs.
David’s early life was fraught with fractionalization and conflict. These traumas were best expressed in his painting and I was particularly struck by one particular painting that looks like a collage with many occult symbols that translated into his future opera. There was one detail showing a man in a pierrot costume comforting a little boy who is obviously disturbed. I immediately saw the early of his Pierrot/Major Tom persona from the ‘Ashes to Ashes’ video.
A detail of the above mentioned painting showing an early incarnation of what was to become the “Major Tom/ Pierrot” persona from the song/video “Ashes to Ashes”.
Then there’s the little boy: Is that David or could it be someone else? Terry Jones was David’s half brother, who suffered from severe schizophrenia resulting from early childhood emotional abuse. He was a tragic figure who was in and out of mental institutions most of his life. David tried his best to be ‘his brother’s keeper’ but it was to no avail: Terry died by suicide in 1986. The fear of mental illness and a sort of survivors guilt was something that haunted David throughout his life and was the subject of many of his songs.
“Ashes to Ashes” costume for the music video by the same same. The costume was exquisitely designed by David’s long time collaborator, Natasha Korniloff.
David was an accomplished painter and he used this medium to help him overcome his drug addiction during his “Berlin Era”. As has been documented elsewhere, towards the end of the 70’s he felt washed up and had run out of ideas. He was addicted to cocaine and his marriage to Angela was on the rocks. Bowie’s idea of rehab was to move to Berlin and to bring along his friend Iggy Pop. Seems like an extremely counter indicative approach to getting the monkey off your back but it worked for Bowie; He cleaned up his act and produced some of the most innovative music of his career. He even managed to elevate Iggy Pop to a new level of respectability.
Disturbingly intense portraits by David of his friends Yukio Mishima and Iggy Pop.
The exhibit showcased many of his paintings and two that really caught my eye were the portraits of the Japanese Nobel laureate Yukio Mishima and the portrait of his friend, Iggy Pop. The solarized colors used in these paintings seem to bring out the demons that possessed these two very different men. Mishima was a controversial figure during his lifetime and rather than getting into details about his life, I will refer you to this link here to read more about him. Iggy’s portrait, like Mishima’s, looks like David was trying to draw out the inner demons that possessed both men in their lifetimes.
“Like Some Cat from Japan”. Kansai Yamamoto discussing his collaborations with Bowie. He felt that costume was the best media through with David could express his music.
David Bowie Is showcased a lot of his iconic costumes too. Some of which are pictured here. According to designer Kansai Yamamoto, the man who collaborated with Bowie on the creation of the “Ziggy Stardust” character, costumes where David’s favorite medium for expressing his music. And it was evident in the wide range of styles and characters.
A bonus for my readers: The original, unexpurgated “Diamond Dogs” art work by Dutch artist Guy Peellhaert created for the controversial album by the same name.
So in conclusion, the exhibit was a culmination of David’s quest for Alchemical Wholeness that I think came to a full circle towards the end of his life with his revisiting of the Major Tom character in his final album “Black Star” and his opera “Lazarus”. Come to think of it, almost all of Bowie’s albums seemed to have an operatic narrative anyone of his albums would work well as a stage adaptation.
Periodic Table of David Bowie. An interesting Alchemical interpretation of David’s evolution and the people influenced by him. (Hint: Iman is listed as one of the noble metals)
Here is an early interpretation of his quest for wholeness in an early song from the 60’s called “Karma Man”. Click on the image below to have a listen:
Our Karma Man in a meditative pose. Click on the image to listen to this absolutely delightful early composition.
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Welcome to the Dinner Party!
The Brooklyn Museum, which hosted the David Bowie Is exhibition, is also the permanent home of a permanent installation honoring the Divine Feminine. “The Dinner Party” by Judy Chicago showcases a virtual dinner party in which the guests are influential women who were overlooked by history.The artist chose to highlight skills which traditionally been derided as “woman’s work” skills such as sewing, weaving, embroidery, pottery making, cooking. By including these media within the parameters of the installation, she brought them into the realm of “Fine Art”.
Guess who’s coming to dinner? The iconic installation by Judy Chicago celebrating the Divine Feminine.
Each place setting offers a unique vulvic plate and like all vulvas, each one is unique. The fabric embellishments echo a them related to the dinner guest. This exhibit is so overwhelmingly feminine that one “art critic” crudely referred to it as “vaginas on a plate”. But to walk into the installation has a very moving effect on the observer, its as if one where to walk into the Sistine Chapel or the Taj Mahal. Please enjoy these images and the provenance behind them.
Snake Goddess: because you can’t have a Tantra Blog without a reference to Kundalini Energy!Primordial Goddess, the Universal Soul who is the Creatrix of All Life.
~ All Roads Lead to Bowie~
So this New York Trip was not without its Synchronicities. It seemed that everywhere I turned the roads led back to Bowie or to a particular aspect of my past.
All roads lead to Bowie: Nikola Tesla Corner in Manhattan. Bowie played Tesla in the film “The Prestige”, his final film role.
Case in point was stumbling upon “Nikola Tesla Corner” in Manhattan. Bowie’s last film role was playing Tesla in “The Prestige”. David was one of those actors who totally disappeared into his role and this was no exception. Witnessing this coincidence also reminded me of an older Blog post “Tesla and Tantra”.“If you want to understand the secrets of the Universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.”
World Trade Center Memorial. This fountain is one of the ‘footprints’ of where the towers one stood.
A couple of days later, there were some further synchronicities when I visited the World Trade Center Memorial. What an event. As many of you may already know, I lost some friends, during the attacks. I blogged about in in “The Transcendental Delegate”, but going to the memorial and seeing their names inscribed in the walls of the fountains had a profound impact. Perhaps this New York visit served as a bit of a closure for me as well.
Linda Loves Bingo!
But I don’t want this post to be a complete downer. My visit ended on a high note with my reunion with a dear friend from college, who is now the Doyenne of the New York Drag Scene!
Linda Loves Bingo at the Poisson Rouge!
I’m speaking of course about Linda Simpson whom I have known for almost 35 years. I think that I would like to take a little bit of credit for giving her some make up tips early in his career, but her achievements are all her own. Congratulations Dear!
What becomes a Legend most? Drag Icon Linda Simpson and her assistant Ragamuffin make me a sandwich at Le Poisson Rouge.
I have always been a great admirer of Drag Queens because of their originality of style and their openness. This fits in very well with the concept of duality in nature and the unification of opposites. I feel that DQ’s are one of the fortunate few who have managed to reconcile these polarities and what emerges is a beautiful rainbow of infinite possibilities. Reminding me of that other Tantric Deity: Ardhanarishwara. The God/Dess who is both an ultimate man and an ultimate woman.
“Tantric Marriage” by George Atherton depicting the trans deity Ardhanarishwara
But back to Linda, we met up for dinner shortly after I arrived in town, then she invited me to her Saturday night show “Linda Loves Bingo” at Le Poisson Rouge in Greenwich Village. Of course I could have always gone to see an overpriced Broadway Show like any other tourist. But how often can you see NYC’s #1 Drag Queen Bingo Show?
~*~
So in closing, I think that my return to my beloved New York served as a kind of Self Realization and a raising of consciousness that can only be achieved in an environment where so many diverse points of views can come together as a cohesive whole. This was something I observed when I would visit the corner deli in the Central Park West neighborhood where I was staying with friends. As I watched the Palestinian employee in the Jewish deli prepare a lox with shmeer bagel for an African American customer and her Asian American friend, I said to myself: This is the real America, not the “Make America Great Again” bullshit barfed up by the knuckle draggers in the flyover states. The real America is this diverse group of humans living together on this tiny island Manhattan. Each person is unique and different from the other but they manage to make it work and live in harmony.
This is the beauty of the Real America. Somewhere between Kether and Malkuth.
by Robert Venosa, oil on canvas, 1975, 35 x 70 cm / 14” x 26”
(link is embedded in image)
Pranic Breathing is a technique that helps to awaken and balance the Mind, Body and Spirit. I will often begin my workshops and private sessions alike with a series of breathing techniques that fall under this category such as Nadi Sodhana and Hong Sau Breath Mantra. The classic Prana Breath is the most commonly known and has also been referred to as the 6-3-6-3 Cycle.
The approach is easy to learn and reaps a multitude of benefits:
* Place the tip of your tongue at the roof of the mouth behind your teeth. This is known as the forward Kechari Mudra and it helps to quiet the mind.
* Now, inhale through your nose for 6 counts
* Then hold your breath for 3 counts.
* Now exhale through your nose for 6 counts
* Finally, hold your breath for 3 counts.
* Repeat the 6-3-6-3 cycle until your mind is completely relaxed. Usually about 12 cycles will suffice.
It’s important to inhale deeply and exhale completely as you perform these breaths. Feel the 3 lobes of your lungs filling incrementally: First the top third, then middle and finally the bottom third. Pump the air out of your lungs in a similar fashion as you exhale. Inhaling and exhaling deeply and completely.
This breathing technique can be practiced during meditation to keep the mind focused and it can also the practiced prior to performing your Kriya Asanas. Of course, it’s important that as you perform Pranic Breath, to also hold your fingers in the Prana Mudra Gesture.
The Prana Mudra Gesture helps to quiet and center our energetic channels. It can be a ‘stand alone’ exercise that can be done at any time when some grounding is needed. Whether you are getting ready to speak in public or board an airplane, the Prana Mudra Gesture can help to stave off a panic/anxiety attack.
Practicing these techniques on a regular basis will help to impart a positive shift in your life.
Questions about Workshops:
I have been getting a lot of inquiries as to when my workshop schedule will resume: At the moment I find myself involved in a lot of other projects, so for the time being workshops will be on a sponsorship basis only. If you are interested in having me lead a workshop for your group please contact me directly for more details:
And Finally:
Martina Hoffmann and Robert Venosa exhibit at the HR Giger Museum!
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It is my distinct honor to share the news of this upcoming exhibit at the HR Giger Museum in Gruyere, Switzerland by my dear friend and mentor Martina Hoffmann and her late husband Robert Venosa. H R Giger, was best known as the creator of the ‘Alien’ monster from the film of the same name and for which he was awarded an Academy Award for Best Achievement in Visual Effects. The theme of the exhibit is ‘Transmutations’ and I think it is only fitting to include this with the theme of the newsletter. I hope that my friends reading this who live in Geneva and its environs will be able to attend this most auspicious event. Please click on the imageto be directed to the Giger Museum Website.
For more information about the artists please visit their websites:
Please join us for the final workshop of the year. This is my most popular workshop and space is limited. In this workshop you and your partner will share sensuous Tantric Massage techniques that will awaken and deepen your relationship in a safe, non judgmental environment. This event is open to couples only and advance registration is required.
~*~Space is limited so please register early.~*~
When: Saturday, November 11, 2017 ~ 7:00pm to 10:00pm
Where: Universal Tantra Temple, Houston
(location will be provided upon registration)
Registration Fee: $150 per couple, $100.00 repeaters
All participants will receive a complimentary copy of my eBook:
‘Tantra Massage for Lovers’
For more information or to register please call : 281-832-1191 or email:
The political conventions are over and I am glad they are. They remind me of a beauty contest for very unattractive people directed by Leni Riefenstahl. The only thing worse than the conventions are the ensuing elections – not because I am particularly political (but I do vote and encourage all of my readers to do the same) but because election years take me back to the year 2000 when I was visited by a Transcendental Delegate. At the time my practice was located in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Mount Washington, a canyon community known as the home of the Self Realization Fellowship, The Builders of the Adytum and many other esoteric organizations.
The following story is true. A few changes have been made out of respect for the memory of the incidents and people described herein.
If we remember our history, then we know in that particular year, Los Angeles hosted the Democratic Convention featuring the ill-fated Gore/Lieberman ticket. About two weeks prior to the convention, I was contacted by a gentleman from New York City who said he would be visiting Los Angeles as a Delegate to the Convention and that during his stay in LA, he would be interested in procuring my services. We spoke at length about his interests in Tantra and other forms of spirituality. As a stockbroker, he held a very high profile, high pressure position with a very well know brokerage firm. and the fact that he was chosen to be a delegate for the convention only served to lend even more to his sense of gravitas. It was obvious that he took the responsibility of being a delegate with the upmost seriousness. He liked the fact that my Temple was in close proximity to the location of the convention (Mt Washington is one of LA’s best kept secrets in terms of locale and beauty). But his greatest concern was the aspect of privacy and discretion. Being who he was I am sure that a spa on Hollywood Boulevard was out of the question. I assured him that he would be visiting a quiet bucolic venue where he would be able to temporarily escape from all the craziness surrounding the convention and the pressures of his job back in NYC.
On the appointed day of our assignation I waited on the front deck of my home for my visitor to arrive. The convention had kicked off the night before and it was fraught with controversy and violence. There was the controversy surrounding the hundreds of stray dogs near the convention center that were rounded up and destroyed and then there were the usual suspects who were rioting and setting garbage cans ablaze in order to prove their point. It was a pity they didn’t suffer the fate as those poor dogs. To add ‘fuel to the fire’, that same evening the ubiquitous Jay Leno cracked the following during his ’Tonight Show’ monologue ‘Well folks, the Democratic Convention is in town, LA is ready and so are all the hookers’.
Ha Ha.
Finally I heard a car pull up outside my front gate and even though I couldn’t exactly see who it was because of the tall bougainvillea covering the entrance, I was pretty sure it was him, so I went to open the gate to let him in. Sure enough it was a Yellow Cab and out from it emerged a vision that had to be seen to be believed: This guy was decked out in full convention drag which included the following:
~A straw boaters hat with a Gore/Lieberman banner, festooned with balloons and tinsel
~A garish red white and blue sash with the name of his State (New York) in bright bold letters.
~Hie was nicely dressed in a suit and tie but his jacket was completely covered with party buttons and ribbons with of course, Gore/Lieberman on it.
~He was carrying a convention ‘goodie bag’ that was carrying a horn because it made an obnoxiously inadvertent squeak as he emerged from the car.
So much for discretion….
It took every muscle in my face to not let my jaw drop agape at the sight of this apparition. As I tried to force a smile, I nervously glanced up to the house across the street where I caught sight of my neighbor, Mark, glaring down in disapproving silence from the second story window of his house. He stood there in shocked disbelief for what appeared to be an eternity. Until he finally shook his head as he slowly turned and walked way from the window.
I had a sinking feeling that Mark had watched Jay Leno’s monologue the night before as well.
But back to my visitor.
As he walked towards me from the cab, his face lit up with a smile of recognition. I choked down a loud giggle and welcomed him to my home. It wasn’t his fault that he didn’t have time to change on his way back from the ‘office’! We went into my home and prior to the the session beginning, he regaled me with all of the political meanings behind the various pins and sashes he was sporting. I was especially amused by one particular pin which showed a Democratic Donkey doing a Republican Elephant doggy style. How prosaic. He even gave me a goody bag of my own, full of all sorts of cute pins and signs to display on my front yard/car etc. But I don’t want to judge the poor guy unfairly., Obviously this was a major milestone for him and I am sure he needed to take some time out for himself. The session went very well, we discussed his interest with the impermanence of life and how kundalini helped to balance and bring about acceptance of whatever was inevitable. It was over all it was a very satisfying session according to him and I would concur.
Once the session arrived to its conclusion, it was time for him to return to the reality of the electoral process. He called for a cab to come pick him up and return him to a scheduled luncheon at the Hotel Figueroa hosted by non- other than Congressman Barney Frank!. (For those of you who don’t know who he is, Barney Frank was the first openly gay elected representative in U.S. history.) We sat and chatted on my deck while we waited for the taxi to arrive. He mentioned that after the luncheon he was then off to a meeting with the Log Cabin Republicans (the gay branch of the Republican Party-really) at their offices in West Hollywood and did I know how to get to West Hollywood from the Hotel Figueroa. I replied that perhaps Barney Frank would be the better person to ask.
After a good long time had passed, we were still chatting on the deck and still no taxi; a call to the cab company revealed that the driver was lost and would be late in arriving. The news came as no surprise, Mt Washington was a labyrinth of narrow winding roads and my street was no exception. My visitor began to express concern that he would miss his lunch with Congressman Frank and the all- important follow-up with the Log Cabin Republicans. Downtown Los Angeles was not far from my home so I offered to give him a ride back. Being that security would be very tight around the convention area, I couldn’t guarantee that he could be dropped off the door of the Hotel Figueroa but I could get him as close as possible. Deal!. We hopped into my little Ford Fiesta and off we went. After a few minutes driving, it was obvious we were approaching the Convention site because of the increasingly large numbers of National Guards milling about with their machine guns in tow, protecting the barricades that blocked the streets leading to the Center. Once we approached the first barricade I pulled over and we said our goodbyes. Being that I was once a resident of New York myself he gave me his business card and said that if I was ever back in NYC etc, etc… I glanced down at the card and it revealed that he worked for a company called Cantor Fitzgerald located at One World Trade Center.
The significance of the information on that business card came thundering down on me like a ton of bricks that fateful day of September 11th almost a year and a half later. It didn’t dawn on me for a few days. Since I was living in L.A. at the time almost everyone I knew had been directly affected by the event. In fact there was even a ‘game’ called ‘Six Degrees of 9/11’ patterned after the other one ’Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon’ . It would take too long for me to name all of the people I knew who were killed in the attacks. Having lived on both coasts only doubled the loss. I truly believe that it was the overwhelming loss from that horrible day that triggered my decision to leave Los Angeles for good.
So try to imagine my complete shock when I was straightening out some papers and I came across his card. At first I hoped and prayed that he had survived, I no longer had his cell number or email because that was back in the day that when you switched phone contracts or email servers, your data did not.
Calling the number on the card only gave me a disconnected number. So as the tragedy of the fate of the Cantor Fitzgerald employees began to unfold in the news, it became obvious that the poor soul had perished in the ensuing conflagration of the burning towers. The fact was confirmed once the company had set up a memorial website honoring its fallen victims.
It is painful to think about his ghastly fate and to be distraught for the terrifying final moments of his life. Even though I had made fun of his ridiculous attire in light of his concern for ‘discretion’, ultimately he was a human being with a beautiful soul, no better no worse, just a loss of potential for a life so violently interrupted. I hope that in those final moments that he was able to go into the stillness that we experienced during our time together. That stillness that he said he said he would disappear into during times of stress and confusion. Knowing that in the eternal stillness where there is no ‘I’, no ‘you’. Stillness of being one with everything. To be a Transcendental Delegate.
For more information regarding my practice please visit my website: universaltantra.org
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. In it you will find information and updates about the Inner Alchemy of Tantra. There are a lot more questions than answers about the mystery of Tantra and I hope that this blog helps to answer some of them. In the West, seekers seem to be obsessed with the erotic nature of Tantra and how it can help to improve endurance etc. Nothing wrong with that but if that is your primary focus, then you are probably better off asking your doctor to prescribe a little blue pill. Tantra is a lot more than just trying to set a record, yes endurance is one of the positive side effects of practicing Tantra, but there is a whole lot more to it than just that.
With Tantra, one must look at the big picture. Tantra is about balancing your energy. In particular the polaric energies in our bodies manifestations. The balancing and merging that creates the universal alchemy of life. But we will get a bit more into that later on. Right nowI just invite you to enjoy my blog and to feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
A bit about me:
My name is Antonia~Arabella and I am a Certified Tantra Kriya Yoga Teacher who has studied this sacred mystery for over twenty years. Throughout my journey it has been my privilege to travel the world teaching and guiding those who are ready to explore and discover their Divinity. The process itself becomes a give and take between myself and my seekers. I have learned so much from all of you and this only serves to create a better experience for all.
At the moment I am living in Houston, Texas but I am available to travel for private sessions or group workshops. Please contact me directly if you have any questions regarding this. I am also an artist writer and educator with a natural curiosity for life and new experiences. I thank you again for allowing me to share with you and I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Finally about this blog: Comments and suggestions are welcomed and encouraged. But please keep them positive and constructive. Any comments deemed to be abusive or negative will be deleted to the fullest extent of the law!
