The birth of The Durga Tantra School, South Africa

Notes on the birth of The School of Durga Tantra, South Africa...

I have just returned from my second working visit to JHB, full of impressions, experiences, teaching and learning. It is a strange thing being taught by a teacher, then becoming a teacher one's self and allowing the learning through the teaching to begin. I stand, once again, in gratitude to the people that have entrusted themselves to my work. I want you all to know, as you grow I grow too. Each encounter with you, each massage experience, allows me to grow in the work and as an individual.

Have you ever experienced this? You are taught by a wonderful person, learn so much, are so grateful, continue on your life’s journey and one day, you see your teacher and know that you have departed from the teaching? The common ground is lost, the love once felt diminished, the respect you had perhaps even attacked - yet the deep feeling of recognition and gratitude for what you were taught and a love in your heart remaining still, strong and faithful…?

My work during the past months has taught me so much. I learn from every one of you coming for Tantra Sacred Massage for my teaching, for Tantra Sacred Massage sessions. I, the teacher, learn and you, the student, teaches. Is that not wonderful? Yes it is! I have learnt to express my understanding of Tantra, what it is, what it is not and how it works during the time since I began Tantra Sacred Massage, growing slowly into the teaching. Existence has given me knowledge and method at times when I, the person, could not have known what I needed to know. It was there, flowing through me and the work. At the same time, my mind watching, thinking, where did I get that from…? Well, Existence always supports one and what you need is there when you need it - if you have the willingness to receive.

With this all, has come a growing in me to the extent that I now leave one of my teachers with this heavy, yet open and willing heart. It is a hard thing to do. It has to be done in order to go further. There will be more teachers, I will always want to continue learning and I look forward to that immensely. I think most of us have gone through such a parting sometime in our lives. The love is there, yet you know you must move on. Your heart feels heavy, yet you know it is free. The gratefulness you feel, does not make the feeling of loss softer. You think you will fall, but you don’t. You walk away, strong and steady towards the unknown with a security that Existence, the Divine, God will always provide.

Tantra traditionally was always a woman’s teaching. As with so many things in our culture, women have lost their power to be what they actually are, lost the knowledge of what they actually know. I now claim this teaching as a woman’s teaching. Others have done it before me, I do it now. In so doing, my own school is in the process of being born: The Durga Tantra School, South Africa.

Durga is one of the qualities of the Mother Goddess. Durga rides a lion. She is strong, she is a warrior, she is full of passion, she is inspired creativity in every way. In fact she is far more than one aspect. She is the sum of all the feminine goddess energy and her story has a deep message for both men and women.

My name Leandra, means The Lion Woman. I was given this name in deep prayer a number of years ago. At the time, I did not understand the meaning it would later have for me. After coming through my own Tantra process, at the time that I took Sannyas with Osho, I remembered. I searched my computer for the document in which I had written it so that I would not forget, and when I found it, I immediately had an affinity to it. It now had meaning.

Then many months later I read about Durga, that she always rides a lion, I read that she stands for strength and creativity while being as passionate as Shakti, another aspect of the Mother Goddess. She carries a sword and has the ferocious quality of Kali, the destroyer of all that is not the Truth (yet another aspect of Mother Goddess) and I knew, I had found my home.

It has been some weeks of bearing now, the "pregnancy" has ended and my school, Durga Tantra School has been born. I claim these qualities for all the women of this world: the passionate lover, the ferocious warrior, the creative artist, and the feminine image of strength itself – the Durga that lives in us all. The lioness is the only animal that does it all by herself – except for pro-creation. The male lion mates with a number of lionesses in order to secure his genes for the next generation and after the period of mating, he goes his way…until next time perhaps. The lioness hunts and kills, loves and cares for her offspring, lives on her own with her children. She is strong, forceful, soft and gentle all at once.

Recently on a visit to the Eastern Cape, I saw lions close up. The urge to get out the safari van at the sight of such beauty, such softness, such grace, was strong. I wished I could get out and lie next to her and her young. I wanted to caress her as I do my beautiful tom cat at home. I wanted to feel her warmth, hear her breadth, feel her strength. Do you men know this with your woman? Oh yes, you do!

So why do you ask "what about the males, what about us..."? Well, just think of how your life is enhanced by such women! Some of you have forgotten the passions of the love you felt with your first real love. Some of you are blessed with the passion still, after long relationship years. You want this softness yet strength, this ferociousness yet tender passion, this capability to create the home you live in, to create and bear your children, the ability to endure, to withstand whatever hardship you entrust her with. You may feel fear at all this, and roar like the lion keeping his distance from her and her children, but you want it never the less! It is within encounters with such women that you grow, that you become your best….that is, if you are willing to receive from her and show the reverence she deserves.

Durga Tantra is born for women and for men.

Tantra is a woman’s teaching. I am a woman. I teach Durga Tantra to men and women alike. Let us all be strong, creative and deeply passionate about ourselves, about life, about our loved ones!

Namaste
Leandra

New premises in Johannesburg and thoughts...

I am in the middle of my second session of bookings in JHB and it is proving, once again, to be a wonderful experience with really great and interesting people. I never thought I would grow to love JHB so much! Everyone is asking if I like the rain and I have to answer, "No, not really, on the KZN south coast we have plenty of it all the time!" But I do love the way the JHB people become really joyful when it rains. One massage session was held in my rooms with a background of thunder outside overriding the soft, sensual and relaxing tantric music that I play throughout the massage. The atmosphere was quite dramatic and the rumbling of nature's force enhanced the massage environment greatly.

The best news however, is that I now work from my own centrally situated premises. It has been a whirlwind visit this time. I arrived on Wednesday, took out a lease on a flat on Thursday, moved in on Friday morning with next to nothing other than a few drapes and a futon bed bought the day before and had my first booking on Friday afternoon. Since then, it has been quite a feat to get the flat set up in the atmosphere I want for my work. Between bookings, I was rushing out to local shopping malls to get sheets, towels, cushions and curtains. It is actually quite amazing how easy it is to set up a sacred, very special space. You can do it easily at home and I suggest you do exactly this. Just think how this will enhance the sensuality and sexuality in your relationship! A few drapes, special towels, a bit of oil or massage crème, soft music in the background and off you go on a magical, sensual journey with your spouse or lover.

Tantrikers don't have sex in the bedroom - which is actually for sleeping. Just think of the difference it can make: instead of leaving sexual activity for the time you actually need to fall asleep, give it a special space and time! Set up a room in your home for this, or take 30 minutes to transform your bedroom with some special drapes, ornaments, flowers and incense and then go into being together lovingly, perhaps massaging first, doing some deep breathing to get your sexual energy grounded (all taught in Tantra Sacred Massage sessions) and then approach the sexual as only a god or goddess should, with reverence for and gratitude towards the other and yourself and see what a difference these few changes make, not only to the expression of your sexuality, but to your relationship in general!

And singles do not have to miss out on this. Do the same for your self-loving. In fact, I teach my clients that self-loving is the first step to tantric sexuality. What is taught in the massage sessions should be practiced alone and then together. Take the time for this - I know life is always busy, but is this not an important aspect of life? Of course it is. So much revolves around the sexual that we should be more earnest in going about making these experiences special indeed.

While I was out shopping today, accompanied by a female tantric friend, we giggled and chuckled at the thought of how many people around the globe were having orgasms at that very moment in time! We brought to mind how we are surrounded by the sexual constantly - the birds and bees, trees and flowers outside, constantly busy with sexual activity, granted in matters of pro-creation but then also all (well, most) men always gazing longingly at women, (just look around and you will see their eyes turning this way and that), women chatting about their lovers (if they have one) and then of course, the yearning for intimacy in those who do not live this.

So yes, take the time for sensual and sexual activity, make it special and experience how spiritual this can be. After all, we are all sexual beings and would not be here if sex had not taken place.
Tantra is not all about sex. But it focuses on the sexual as the special quality of life uniting us with the Divine, if we will only allow for this.

Namaste
Leandra

Wise Words - Swami Jnaneshvara

Today I would like to share some very wise words with you by Swami Jnaneshvara, an ordained monk in the Himalayan tradition and the order of Shankaracharya, now living in the USA and an independent emissary of Swami Rama and the Himalayan Tradition. His website is the very best site on meditation and spiritual teachings that I have found on the web. It is well worth visiting, particularly if you are a seeker of the Truth about who you are in relation to Existence, to the Divine. His teachings are easily understandable with many visual diagrams explanations. He also has great info's on how to start meditating from scratch. If you would like to read more, go to www.swamij.com. I highly recommend his website.

WISDOM TO LIVE BY AND SHARE WITH OTHERS

Swami Jnaneshvara

There is only one highest reality and many teachers.

All humans and life arise from the same one source.

All countries, religions and institutions arise from that.

There are many books of wisdom from many ages.

Thinking there is only one way comes from ignorance.

Coercive conversion is violence against other peoples.

The goal of life is found within, not in institutions.

Wisdom, joy and freedom come from inner stillness.

Love all, as we are all waves of the one ocean.

Beautiful is it not? So true and yet we forget these wisdoms so often in our daily lives.

Write this up and past it somewhere where you can read it every day.

Namaste,

Leandra