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