Modern Goddess Affirmations ~ Video 3

Here's the Modern Goddess' third video in her series of Affirmation Videos. Don't forget to check out the series of journaling articles at Rainbow Dreams!

Modern Goddess Affirmations ~ Video 2

Here's the Modern Goddess' second video in her series of Affirmation Videos. Don't forget to check out the series of journaling articles at Rainbow Dreams!

Modern Goddess Affirmations ~ Video 1

As you all know, our very own Modern Goddess, Nicole, has created a beauty-full journal and meditation CD. If you're interested in learning more about journalling, Nicole has written a series of articles, which you can find at Rainbow Dreams.

But Nicole hasn't stopped there, she has created a series of Affirmation Videos. Here's the first one!

Interview with Nicole Graham | Business Goddess of Journals for Empowerment

A successful coach, facilitator and empowerment advocate, Nicole Graham originally hails from Australia but is now living in Hong Kong. Nicole is a qualified Adult Educator, Certified Soul Coach, Certified Past Life Coach, Goddess Facilitator and Reiki Master.

Her businesses, The Modern Goddess has evolved over time and evolved out of a passion to help women become empowered and inspired.

Nicole has co-written a guided journal and co-recorded the companion guided meditation CD, Journal for the Modern Goddess, with Gold Coast-based artist, Tara Spicer. Their business together is Journals for Empowerment.

What was the inspiration behind the Journal for the Modern Goddess?

Tara and I both have a passion to help women become empowered and inspired. For Tara she is doing this through her paintings and for me it is through my workshops and coaching.

As we bounced our ideas around, the more inspired we became and over a 6 month period we found we had created a beautiful journal we wanted to share with the world. Our passions fed each other’s passion.

Is it reflective of your own spiritual journey?

I look back over my life and am so grateful for the experiences that I have because I know that they have gotten me to where I am today. There have been a lot of changes in my life over the past 10 years and I’m now feeling that I’m in a really great space. I’m settled, I’ve been through the changes I have needed to go through and now I’m living my dreams.

I’m a person who reflects back over time and I can now see that birthing this journal has allowed me to really plant my feet on the ground and say, yes... all it good, all is just how it is meant to be, and I’m so grateful for this journey. Yes, it is a reflection of my own spiritual journey.

What is the purpose of the journal?

The purpose of the journal is to help women discover the beauty that they hold within them. It is encouraging them to uncover the beautiful, unique and powerful Goddess that they really are. Women are amazing and too often they forget how amazing they are. This journal helps them to remember.

What makes this journal unique?

It is a combination of things. The beautiful imagery, the specifically tailored sections for ‘self empowerment’ through guided self study, and the companion guided meditation CD. The journal takes its owner on a magical journey to find their own personal power.

What’s your favourite part?

It is hard to pick my favourite part because every time I look through the journal I am in awe of its beauty and I know I’m a little biased because as one of the co-creators, how can I not love what we’ve produced. However, having to pick a favourite part, I love the guided meditation CD. I remember being so nervous about recording the meditations and felt sick but when

How did you choose the imagery used in the journal?

It was an interesting journey because we originally were looking at Tara’s existing paintings and then at some point we both realised that the journal needed a goddess of its own, one that really represented the journal’s purpose.

Our goddess was created specifically for the journal. I asked Tara how she came to paint the image and this is what she said:

"This image is an image that, from my heart, honours the great Goddess within every woman. Three years ago, I gave birth to my daughter and it was a very powerful event that took more than I thought I could possibly give of myself. The following day (and every day since) I have had an overwhelming realisation of just how amazing every single woman is and how powerful she is, what she can give and what she can accomplish.

"I have been disappointed in how this incredible strength and light is never really honoured and recognised in our day to day lives and I really wanted to create something that made celebration of every woman’s inner Goddess a part of our daily lives. This painting is a reminder to every woman to spend a little time each day, to go within, discover and connect with the Modern Goddess that they are despite the great many distractions and demands that day to day living presents"


Why combine meditation with journaling?

Journaling is a powerful tool for self-discovery and so is meditation therefore combining the two felt very natural. We feel that the meditation CD compliments the guided writing sections, and at the same time has power of its own. Meditation can help you delve deeper, and to really listen to your intuition, your inner self. Combine that with writing and it allows you to really explore your own journey.

So, who should be using the journal?

Women who want to connect with their higher self, their inner power, their inner goddess. Women who want to explore their thoughts and feelings to help them understand who they are and where they want to head in life. You do not need to be journaling frequently because it has been created to write in it when you feel like it and in the section that is relevant to what is going on in your life at that moment.

Do you have any special offers for those reading this interview?

Yes! We are currently on our Virtual Book Tour promoting our Journal for the Modern Goddess. Followers of the tour can enter our competition to win a Meditation Kit consisting of a ‘How to Guide’ to Meditation, a pack of incense sticks, gratitude /meditation beads, 5 Goddess affirmation cards, an amethyst gemstone (the stone of meditation). To read more, visit our competitions page.

So what are you planning next?

We are currently working on our ‘Journal for the Pregnant Goddess’ and she is coming along beautifully. This time you’ll see more of Tara’s gorgeous artwork not just with one image but with a series of images.

Michelle, thanks for interviewing me and being one of our hosts for our virtual book tour.

Nicole Graham and Tara Spicer are currently on a virtual book tour promoting their recently released writing journal, Journal for the Modern Goddess.

About the Journal for the Modern Goddess:

This beautiful hard covered, spiral bound writing journal helps women uncover the beautiful, unique and powerful Goddess that they really are.The journal features 6 coloured inserts with inspirational quotes, guided questions, affirmations and 204 lined pages for journaling. The coloured inserts divides the journal into sections - Gratitude and Happiness; Moving Forward; Dreams and Visions; Journal Pages; Guided Meditation; and Sanctuaries and Sisterhood.The companion guided meditation CD features 3 tracks that provide women with sacred journeys that inspire and encourage them to create positive life patterns. These tracks help them to recognise and invite magic, inspiration and loving energy into their lives.

The journal retails for $34.95 AUD including GST.

To view or purchase the journal, please visit Nicole and Tara’s website, Journals for Empowerment. Please click on the banner visit:

On Monday we head over to Rainbow Dreams, the official blog for Goddess Fire. We are moving into our last week of our virtual book tour so please visit us at http://virtualcircle.blogspot.com/

Southern Hemisphere Magick

By Frances (South Australia) www.ace.net.au/darkmoon

Despite what appears to be a wealth of information available on neo-Pagan traditions, one section of the community seems to be grossly under-represented and that is those of us who reside in the Southern Hemisphere - Australia, New Zealand and even South Africa, to name but three countries.

The majority of authors residing in the Northern Hemisphere seem to have little or no knowledge at all of the differences between the hemispheres. And if such a difference is acknowledged, it is usually limited to only the Sabbats.

It is no wonder that endless debates occur on how to "do things" down under.

The following is a suggestion based on my own personal observances as both a Wytch and magickian who resides in the Southern Hemisphere, which may be of assistance to others.

There are at least four major differences between the Hemispheres. The first is the obvious six-month difference in the seasons. When it is Midsummer in the Northern Hemisphere, we in the South are celebrating Midwinter (the "Christmas in July" theme is becoming a popular event even amongst non-Pagans). The dates, according to general consensus, of the Southern Sabbats are:

• Samhain - 30 April
• Midwinter Solstice (Yule) - 21 June
• Imbolg - 1 August
• Spring or Vernal Equinox (Eostre) - 21 September
• Bealtaine - 1 November
• Midsummer Solstice (Litha) - 21 December
• Lughnasadh - 1 February
• Autumn Equinox (Mabon) - 21 March

If we use the astrological signs in which the Sun moves into to determine each Sabbat date as opposed to actual calendar dates, then this too is changed by six months:

• Samhain - 15 deg Taurus
• Midwinter Solstice - 0 deg Cancer
• Imbolg - 15 deg Leo
• Spring Equinox - 0 deg Libra
• Bealtaine - 15 deg Scorpio
• Midsummer Solstice - 0 deg Capricorn
• Lughnasadh - 15 deg Aquarius
• Autumn Equinox - 0 deg Aries

This means that Northern Hemisphere-based festivals appear largely out of place in the Southern Hemisphere.

Our Morris Dances however still celebrate "May Day" on 1 May regardless of the fact that it marks the beginning of Winter; likewise the Christian Easter falls in Autumn as opposed to Spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

However, there are specific events that do align - in particular specific Southern Hemisphere-based public holidays. One good example is ANZAC Day, the day on which we remember Australian and New Zealand service men and women that died at war. This day of remembrance occurs on 25 April, close to the Southern Samhain on 30 April.

The next major difference between the Hemispheres is the direction in which the Sun moves across the sky. As in the Northern Hemisphere, the Sun still rises in the East and sets in the West, however on its journey across the sky in the Southern Hemisphere, it travels via the North because of the tilt of the Earth's axis. For this reason, most Pagans in the Southern Hemisphere cast their circles in this direction, via the North or in an anti-clockwise direction.

It irks me when authors refer to deosil as meaning "clockwise" and widdershins as meaning "anticlockwise." Not only does this not apply to the Southern Hemisphere, but also it is etymologically incorrect. According to the Australian Concise Oxford Dictionary, the word deosil comes from the Anglo-Saxon word meaning "sunwise" or "in the direction of the (apparent) motion of the sun," and in the Southern Hemisphere this is anticlockwise. The term widdershins comes from the Middle High Germanic word "widersinnes" meaning "against the sun." In the Southern Hemisphere, this is clockwise, representing the direction for banishing, winding down energies or even for darker workings. Of course, as English - as well as other European languages incorporated into the English language - stem from the Northern Hemisphere as opposed to the Southern Hemisphere, Northern associations are more dominant. For example, deosil is also said to come from the Irish word "cor deiseil" which means "auspicious right hand turn," while widdershins is akin to the Irish "cor tuathal" meaning "the mundane left-hand turn." To save confusion, however, for Southern Hemispheric Pagans, I prefer and recommend the first definition with respect to the Sun.

A further observance is that the energy flow of the Earth between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres is also reversed. Prior to spending time in England I was told to observe the direction in which the water drained down the plughole. In the Northern Hemisphere, energy moves in a clockwise direction, whereas in the Southern Hemisphere, it is anti-clockwise.If we take the above information into consideration when placing the elements around our magickal circle, it then seems logical for the placement of Fire to be in the North, while Earth is placed in the South. Environmentally, to the North is the Equator and from the North come the scorching Summer winds. North is also the placement in the sky of the Noonday Sun. In the South however, where the Sun never appears in the Southern Hemisphere, are the bitter cold Winter winds, as well as the frozen mass we refer to as Antarctica. However, this goes against the directional placements of the elements in more traditional Pagan groups.

I know a number of traditional Crafters who continue to place their altars in the North because according to their tradition (despite it being Northern Hemispheric-based) this is the "dark quarter." One reasoning behind this is that on the astral the directional placements of the elements do not matter. If this is the case, then when I operate between the worlds, it should not matter if my physical altar and circle casting reflects the land in which I reside. Surely, if the founders of Earth-based traditions such as the Craft and Wicca (for example, Gerald Gardner, Alex Sanders or even Aleister Crowley) were based, or had spent some time, in the Southern Hemisphere, would they not have taken the differences into consideration?

Some Pagans living in the eastern states of Australia not only swap the elemental directions of Fire and Earth around, but also Water and Air. When you take the environment into consideration, it is easy to see why they do this. East of Australia is the Tasman Sea or even the Pacific Ocean - large bodies of water. In the Southern Hemisphere our weather patterns move largely from the West (therefore the placement of Air).

Another difference between the hemispheres, which is often overlooked, is the direction in which the crescents of the Waxing and Waning Moons point. In the Southern Hemisphere, the Waxing Moon in the sky actually points to the right, while the Waning Moon points to the left. Therefore the symbol of the Triple Moon Goddess (the maiden, mother and crone) reflects an introverted appearance opposed to the extroverted appearance in the Northern Hemisphere. But there are times where the Moon decides to really throw the spanner into the works and the Waxing Moon can be observed lying on her back pointing upwards, and the corresponding Waning Moon pointing downwards.

For us Southern Pagan practitioners, there is more to take into consideration when we work our magick and our circles than simply swapping the Sabbat dates around. And with the varying opinions and reasons behind even basic circle casting, it is little wonder newcomers to the various Pagan traditions in the Southern Hemisphere find it all very confusing. Maybe Pagan book publishers should take this into consideration, and if anyone is interested in issuing a contract for such a book, I would be interested in writing one (shameless plug, but I couldn't resist).

In the Southern Hemisphere not only do we appear to do things standing on our heads but also working backwards as well - or maybe it is you Northern Hemispheric Pagans who have got it wrong!

Bio: Frances has been studying the occult arts for over 15 years and is trained as a ceremonial magickian as well as being initiated as an Alexandrian Wytch. These days she finds herself drawn to pre-Gardnerian Craft, as well as experimenting with various magickal techniques. She resides in Adelaide, South Australia, where she writes for various mainstream magazines as well as Pagan publications.

How to create your own Goddess Party

If you feel you're only functioning from the eyebrows up, get thee to a Goddess Playshop," says goddess.com.au creatrix, Anita Ryan-Revel.

Whether it's a goddess workshop, sacred retreat or women's circle, any event that connects women in a safe space is invaluable for a healthy state of being," she says. "This is by far the most beautiful way to awaken the heart, body and soul."

In fact, such activities are vital to the mental wellbeing of women, according to Leonie Young, CEO of beyondblue: the national depression initiative.

With the erosion of the traditional family structures and the surge in single women and working mothers, such gatherings can replace the traditional support systems a partner and family would normally have provided.

"Women who remain isolated are at greater risk of developing depression," says Leonie. "Meeting other women for fun and enjoyable activities not only boosts motivation, it provides a social environment for them to communicate and problem-solve. Ultimately this leads to an increased sense of belonging, reduced isolation and empowers them to deal with whatever life throws at them."

A survivor of depression herself, Anita developed her Goddess Playshops as one such enjoyable and empowering activity.

"Self-empowerment doesn't have to come through self-help books and dreary seminars. I use lots of easy and fun methods to help women connect with their ultimate source of power - their inner goddess."

Such gatherings allow women of all backgrounds to explore their weaknesses, strengths, psyche and soul.

"Women are enabled to reach spiritual depths and new levels of enlightenment they may not realise exist otherwise. In my Playshops, women remember that they are beautiful and powerful beings capable of achieving great things."

Lyn Volare is a New York-based facilitator of goddess workshops and events that celebrate the Divine Feminine.

"We all have the right to live a happy, empowered, spiritually fulfilling life, so I created events which bring magic back into women's lives. They encourage women to visit that peaceful inner sanctum where they can find the source of their strength and wisdom," she says.

Any woman is eligible to attend a gathering, says Anita. "It doesn't matter what your race, religion or culture is - the energy created by a group of strong, creative and compassionate women creates a new, all-powerful set of guidelines to live by."

Lyn concurs. "I have had all sorts of women attending my events - pouting priestesses, boardroom babes, earth mothers, Amazon women. Every woman should have the opportunity to connect with self and others to create a magical and fulfilling existence for herself."

A gathering doesn't have to focus on spirituality alone, however.

"I have conducted Playshops that are about nail polish, silk, chocolate and glitter," says Anita. "There are hundreds of activities that women can do in a gathering to help them connect with their higher consciousness and inner selves. Whatever they do, it all helps save them from being the Serial Soloist in the workplace or the Alone Ranger at home, and that's a good thing for everyone."

Below are some suggested activities women can do in a group together to celebrate the feminine divine.

Setting Up

Lyn sets the mood of her workshops by creating a lavish space using fabrics in rich vibrant colours, candles, flowers and essential oils.

"When women walk into this space, their jaws drop," she says. "It's like they're entering their very own 'Red Tent'. One woman likened it to re-entering the womb, which I suppose is quite appropriate."

If sumptuous fabrics don't fit the budget, Anita suggests setting the scene with crystal chips, candles and comfortable chairs.

"Aim to transform your ordinary lounge room into a magical space. The coffee table, for example, could be made into an altar using crystals, feathers, wooden statues, flowers, floating candles and a wand - these are all things that can come from nature at little expense. Choose an item from each of the elements to make it significant and special."

Prepare the Space

Even though every woman has gathered for the same purpose, it is important to decide on a set of behavioural ground rules and ensure the group agrees on them.

"I remind participants that they are in a nurturing and safe space. Crying is allowed, as is laughter, but judgemental attitudes are to be left at the door," says Anita. "Guidelines let everyone know what is expected from them, thereby adding to their security."

Once the space has been prepared, Lyn calls in the energies of the goddess with a short prayer and the lighting of altar candles. Sage or rose water is also used to cleanse the space and to uplift the participants.

"I then declare the circle opened," says Lyn, "and the real fun begins."

Meet a Goddess Patron

"As modern life focuses on 'doing' rather than 'being', I like to start off with a guided meditation to settle everyone into their bodies," recommends Anita. "This way the outside world can be left behind while we look inwards for a goddess patron to guide us through the next stage."

To find a goddess patron during a guided meditation (the visualisation in Anita's book, The Goddess Guide to Chakra Vitality is ideal), the hostess should introduce the group to several goddess archetypes and ask the women to listen for a message from each of them.

"Whichever message comes through the strongest should be taken as the goddess patron," says Anita.

"Music or gentle drumming or rattling can be used to deepen the meditative experience," suggest Lyn, "but pace them so they are no longer than 20 minutes."

Affirmation Quest

Once the meditation is finished and people are back in the 'now', Anita suggests developing affirmations to promote a longer-term positive state of mind. Affirmations are precise statements that describe what you want to happen in your life.

"I get my workshop participants to build their affirmations based on the message they heard from their patron goddess. I also do it during a pampering exercise - it becomes a more free-flowing right-brain activity when the mind is being distracted by massaging hands, painting toe-nails or applying henna tattoos."

"Affirmations are powerful tools for changing your traditional attitudes to problems and outlook on life," says Lyn. "They can also be spoken as blessings for others which can be very transformative. But like motivational speaker, Anthony Robbins, warns, a repeated affirmation becomes embedded in the subconscious mind and eventually becomes your reality, so be careful what you wish for!"

Dancing Diva

Since ancient time our ancestors used dance as an expression of God and nature. By dancing they could become the spirit of the sun, moon, animals and plants and be empowered with their attributes.

"Movement is a primal language that doesn't need words or specific rules," says Anita. "It helps clear out the cobwebs, get the blood flowing and tones the body. It can be skilled like ballet, or free-form like rolling in grass or jumping around a lounge-room table. As long as the dancer allows instinct to drive her limbs she is transmitting a message from nature and thereby allowing a connection."

Recent years have seen a resurgence of belly dance in mainstream culture. Lyn introduces belly-dancing in some of her events, but takes it one step further and uses a blindfold.

"A blindfold shuts down the source of distractions and outer stimulation to the brain," she explains. "It gets people back into their bodies without being embarrassed about being watched or judged. It also lets the dancer see inner visions and find hidden meanings to their burning questions."

Mask-Making

To get an ever-lasting reminder of the special energy gained, organise a day-long gathering and create a mask.

"Masks have the power to make things larger than life and transport you into the realm of the archetypes," says Lyn. "The wearer can expand her consciousness and explore new possibilities, taking her out of the square in imagining a new life map."

Masks can be made in papier-mâché, plaster, leather, metal or wood. "Plaster is good because it can be used to fit the face, torso, or even a pregnant belly for posterity!" says Lyn.

"If time is short, decorate a standard plastic mould that you can buy from any craft store," suggests Anita. "Go wild with feathers, sequins, shells, glitter, beads and paint - this way you can feel exquisite when you put it on and travel to amazing places within yourself."


More information:
Anita Ryan-Revel Goddess.com.au

Beyondblue For more information on depression, available treatments and where to get help: beyondblue.org.au

Shaking those chakras

A new year, a new term ... I'm leading Chakradance at OmShanti College this year, and I can't wait. Classes start in less than two weeks!

OmShanti is a natural therapies college, so there's a lot of synergy between us.

For those of you who don't know, Chakradance is a dance, meditation and therapy. Best of all, its a dynamic and delightful way to chane your life.

Chakradance directly works with each chakra - energising, rebalancing, soothing and stimulating the entire system. Its unique blend of dance and sound, spiritual understanding and sacred space can hlep us to dramatically rework our own energy, to the point where we begin to transform how we look, feel and think. Our intuition can be ignited, and we make better choices in our lives as a result of this healing and balancing process.

Dance is an ageless, natural form of expression that allows you to experience freedom, ecstasy and a closer relationship with the Divine. All movement connects us to our own spirit. Athletes often speak about being 'in the zone', a place where their sense of self dissolves and merges with the Creator. Similarly, all action has an energetic spiritual and physical impace on us - from swimming, to running, walking and whirling, to the wildest of movements, dance can be ecstatic. And of all the hearling forms of movement, dancing is the one which can transform us energetically, physically and mentally. When we dance with joy and spontaneity, it becomes uplifting and deeply cleansing.

But just don't take my word for it ... see it for yourself!

www.chakradance.com

Sacred Dance ~ My Sacred Life Day 8

Everyone wants to be more radian, passionate and healthy! Eastern philosophies accept that vibrant chakra health is the key to all these desires and more -- and this book shows ou how the seven chakras can be tuned through Chakradance.

Music and dance have bee used throughout the ages for enjoyment and ceremony. Chakradance utilises our natural desire for movement to balance the energy centres. The result is an enjoyable method of fine-tuning your mind, body and soul.

Energy is a dynamic life force that begins with movement. Natalie and Douglas have discovered the ultimate way to build your energy levels through Chakradance and to generate the momentum that will bring your seven chakras into balance.

Chakradance offers greater well-being and harmony. Its completely stress-free, dynamic and lots of fun.

Chakradance

Many of you have asked me to tell you more about Chakradance, so I asked Douglas Channing to send me their latest media release:

You’ve just arrived home after a hard day at work; your back hurts, your shoulders are tense, and your mind’s racing. You feel restless, stressed and unable to relax. Sound familiar?

At this point, you could slump in front of the telly and try to blank it all out with mindless visual garbage. Or, you could allow yourself a pure, blissful freedom that will make you feel refreshed, calm and truly alive. And it’s as easy as closing the door, turning off the light,
putting on a CD, opening your mind and allowing yourself to move freely and uninhibited in your own space.

Chakradance is a fusion of Eastern and Western Philosophies that offers a complete workout for the body, mind and spirit. It aims to relieve the stress of modern day living. It is practised in workshops with qualified Chakradance instructors all over Australia.

Currently being touted as the next pilates, there’s no doubt in the minds of the thousands of
already existing devotees that Chakradance is destined to take Australia by storm!

The beauty of uninhibited dance is that you don’t need to follow a set routine to feel the benefits; you just let the music take control. And there are so many benefits: other than it being a very creative cardio workout, it can also be a moving spiritual experience, because what you’re actually doing is dancing your chakras.

Just ask Australian psychotherapist Natalie Southgate, creator of Chakradance and co-author of a nifty new book to be published in June titled Chakradance: Rhythm for Your Soul (Hay House, RRP $26.95).

Natalie says that the very best thing about Chakradance is that "you don’t need to know anything about dance or Chakras to take part. Chakradance is not about ‘steps’ or performance’; it’s totally about freedom and your own self-expression and experience."

The forthcoming book is the essential guide to Chakradance; from the Crown Chakra at the top of the head to the Root Chakra at the base of the spine, this beautiful little book provides readers with suggestions on how to move to enhance and align each of the seven major Chakras of the body.

Significantly, the book also comes with an accompanying CD of specially composed modern dance and world music with specific musical tones that resonate with each of the Chakras. The forthcoming publication of Chakradance: Rhythm For Your Soul, says co-author Douglas
Channing, "will make Chakradance even more accessible, as it can be easily experienced in the comfort of your own home."

If you’ve got the book and the CD, you’ve got everything you need to begin your Chakradance experience. Try it - you’ll be amazed by how it makes you feel!

For Further information on Chakradance visit: www.chakradance.com.au

Shaking my chakras

I'm heading off tomorrow to to shake my chakras at a Chakradance Retreat, and will hopefully come back with my instructor certification.

Natalie and Douglas explain Chakradance best:

As a healing art form, dance can be traced back thousands of years. In ancient cultures dance was used in celebratory, ritualistic and spiritual ways. Primitive man danced the shifting of the seasons, the waxing and waning of the moon, and the transitional moments in life -- birth, death and rites of passage.

Long before any formal religions existed, man danced to connect to his spiritual source, to commune with his Gods, to find meaning from life. As formal religions developed, they too embraced the spiritual nature of dance and it became a significant part of many religious practices. For example, in Hinduism, many of the great epics are taught through dance, whilst in Sufism, the whirling dervishes surrender their individuality and dance into spiritual 'oneness'.

One of the oldest references made to religious dancing comes to us from the Old Testament: "Let them praise His name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre." (Psalms 149:3).

As a metaphor, dance symbolises the rhythm of the universe, divine 'play', the eternal dance of life (birth, death and re-birth). As one of the most evolved healing art forms, dance weaves together all aspects of human existence.

Chakradance drawws inspiration from the true origins of dance, and puts us back in touch with the 'sacred', both within ourselves and with the universe. Dancing through the ancient chakra system awakens not only our bodies, but expands the mind, and calls out to the soul. Dancing the seven chakras is like dancing into seven different worlds, each with their own lessons, meanings and stories. although the dance of each chakra is a unique dance for each of us, we can draw inspiration from the dance roots of each chakra.

The dance of the base chakra draws inspiration from tribal dancing, as found in the indigenous cultures of Africa, Australia and North America. These tribal dances were linked to the issues of the base, including one's roots, survival and grounding. In Chakradance, emphasised movements of the legs and feet connect you to the solid earth. Many envisage dancing around an ancient campfire, bringing the primitive tribal dance to life. These ancient cultures also had imitative dances, emulating the movements of animals. Again, one can draw inspiration from these roots and dance in an animal-like way. In this wild and raw animal dance, our innate instinctual self is reclaimed.

The dance of the sacral chakra can be inspired by the feminine dances found in the Middle East, South America and Hawaii. Dances from these regions celebrated many of the qualities associated with the sacral chakra, including feelings, emotions and sexuality. This sacral dance can be slow and sensual, or flirtatious and erotic, with fluid movements of the hips and lower belly. Throughout this dance we transform into a gypsy, a belly dancer, an ancient goddess, as we surrender to the serpentine movements of the feminine.

To dance the solar plexus chakra is to call on the warrior dances of ancient Greece, Morocco, Spain, Mexico and Brazil. These warrior dances were masculine, powerful, althletic and virile, as they rhythmically mimicked the art of the fight. In Chakradance we enter this dance with dramatic movements, strong, purposeful and clearly defined. As the energy builds, movements can become more complex, even frenzied. Through this dnamic movement, the solar energer ignites, and your inner warrior emerges.

To dance the heart chakra is to move with joy and compassion, reflected in dances from ancient Spain, Egypt and China. many of these dances used exaggerated arm movments to gently whirl into deep states of joyful harmony. Other dances of China symbolised balance, where mimetic movements expressed the union of heaven and earth. In Chakradance we draw inspiration from these dances, and move the arms to feel uplifted, light and free. Inspired by the whirling of the ancient ones, we dance a soaring journey of love, compassion and joy.

The dance of the throat chakra can be inspired by many ancient dances, where the voice and dance were woven together. The Gree word 'XOPOC' (HOROS), referred to both dance and song, and is the origin of the word 'chorus'. In Ancient Egypt, performers often danced while reciting poetry, while in Hawaii, chant and dance were combined to communicate the story. In Tibetan culture, mystical rituals performed by monks would combine chanting and sound (gyaling horns, symbols and bells), with delicate movements of the body. In Chakradance we weave sound and movement to intensify self expression and creativity.

At the third eye chakra, one can life up into ecstatic and altered states of consciousness through trance dance. This practice is still common throughout the world, and existed in many of the ancient cultures of South East Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and theAmericas. There were numerous reasons, ritualistic and medicinal, for entering into transce. In Chakradance trance dance is used to open the third eye chakra. Each dancer drifts into his or her own visual universe ... images, colours, insights ... the third eye has no boundaries.

The dance of the crown chakra is a deveotinal dance. Cultures from every continent have embraced some form of religious or spritual dancing. In ancient Shamanic practice, dance was used to commune with the Spirits, whilst in Ancient Egypt there were certain ritual dances that wer crucial to the successful outcome of religious rites. The Tantric Buddhists of Nepal have an ancient dance tradition known as Charya Nritya, a Sanskrit term meaning 'dance as a spiritual discipline'. In Chakradance we open the gateway to the soul through a meditative sacred dance. This is the most paradoxical of dances: it is the dance of stillness. Often there will be little physical movement visible to any observer. The dance is internal, for now it is the sould which dances, dancing with the gods.

Chakradance is all about finding your own free authentic movement to express the energy of the chakras. Just as each chakra has its own unique energy, and its own inflence, the way in which we move and the experience we have during the dance are inteensely personal. In Chakradance we guide participants in to each chakra with a simple movement designed to stimulate the energy. From there the process involves letting the movements emerge spontaneously. The beats of the music may move your body, the images in your mind may play out their roles, physical sensations are often expressed, and the energetic flow dances your body to life. The experience is like being moved, dancing from the inside out, an unfolding, an awakening, freedom.

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