The renewal of love continues as we rush through the month of January – the month of new beginnings, setting goals, looking at new horizons, and re-creating our life once again for the New Year.

February comes in with a recommitment on Valentine’s Day to receive our beloved with an open heart and all our relations. Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Last year some of you might have read it, I wrote about the different stories of Valentine’s Day and why we celebrate. Valentine was a priest and great saint who while in jail, married many couples in secret and was excited about their commitment to love. This year I want to speak on Divine Romance and Tantra in search of the Beloved.

TANTRA - IN SEARCH OF THE BELOVED
THE HUMAN DILEMMA

We live our lives in quiet desperation, looking for something or someone outside of ourselves to some how fulfill us. Even as we search for the mythical Mr. or Ms. Right, we operate from a degree of self loathing, created by past misinformation, misconceptions, conditioning and guilt. How can we love or be loved if we don't love ourselves? How can we break the grip of our past to create a glittering new reality? Fortunately our modern dilemma is ancient. It has been the challenge of all peoples in every age. Tantra offers a solution; to begin the search for the beloved.

ANCIENT WISDOM FOR MODERN HEALING

From within the legalized structure and rigidity of Hindu society emerged a group of rebels who believed that personal and human evolution lay beyond the restrictions of traditional castes and laws. They proved that freedom could produce excellence while
Legislation only produced stagnation. They became masters of themselves, discarding moribund traditions for self-knowledge.

They included scientists who postulated atomic structure, astronomers who understood the solar system, mathematicians who created the concept of zero, negative numbers and the decimal place, and metaphysicians who discovered the aura, astral travel, and the chakras. They became masters of every craft and art. They called themselves Tantrics, which refers to expansion and weaving of energy. Their wisdom is a gift of 3000 years. By rejecting empty ritual and rigid dogma they were able to recapture the true essence of Hinduism.

Tantra and Hinduism both utilize a triad of forces to be used by the seeker: creation, transcendence and preservation. These forces symbolize steps, realizations or stages of initiation for the Tantra practitioner in the search for the beloved.

The Beloved - A Tantra Experience

Tantra is the art of being one with your beloved. It is the weaving together of your energies, from body to spirit and back again.

Tantra offers the opportunity for true intimacy, and promotes the ecstatic celebration of sensual expression.

Tantra views the creation of the world as an erotic act of love. Joyful divinity exists in all living beings, and all the activities of life are considered sacred.

Tantra asserts that your true nature is blissful and that ecstasy exists within you at all times.

Tantra affirms life, embraces everything, and encourages you to integrate all aspects of your life.

Tantra means, "expansion.” Tantric sex expands your focus from the limitations of physical orgasm to the boundless heights of total body
bliss.

"May your life be the reflection of the Ecstatic One within.
May this Ecstatic One be the instrument of love without end".
- Marge Anand, "The Art of Sexual Ecstasy"

Tantra, a disciplined practice of energy awareness, teaches how to open to the forces of the universe, which pulsate through your body. Derived from Hindu and Buddhist traditions, Tantra is an approach to living that joyously links the physical universe to the cosmic whole.

All activities are influenced by the joy you are able to express. Ayurvedic practitioners inquire about the state of your intimate relationships, knowing that your vitality and your state of well-being are dependent on the harmony within your family life.

Western research shows that a loving and supportive relationship has measurably positive effects on the body's health.

A family that lives Tantra has healthy values. With openness of mind and heart, the whole family thrives and grows into a maturity of being.

Sexuality, the most physical and intimate of human interactions, is considered by Tantra to be a sacred activity, continuously reenacting the original creation of the universe. The First One, separating from Itself to know Itself, embracing Itself to experience Itself.

Tantra occurs only in the present moment; yesterday's experience has no relevance. In each moment that we shift from overt physical pleasure to an internal joy, to a focus on the intrinsic movement of energy, the subtle nature of our being is exposed and Tantra takes place. Nor does Tantra exclude experiences that are not overtly pleasurable; this same internal shift of focus can take place as we experience outward pain, even death.

Tantra is about mastery. The study of Tantra not only benefits personal relationship, it creates focus and vision in all aspects of life. Ancient Tantra communities discovered and developed astronomy, mathematics and the chakra system.

Tantra describes a movement of energy, a welling up within you, of joyous excitation. Unlike forms of meditation that cause you to withdraw from the world of senses, Tantra encourages you to start with the senses, building on their ability to focus you in the present moment.

PANCHA KARMA AVAILABLITIES

Feb 14 – 21 Sarasota, FL Pancha Karma – Light & Bryan - Spaces currently available.
March 1 – 7 Sarasota, FL Pancha Karma by Bryan – Spaces available.
July 7-13 Sarasota, FL Summer Pancha Karma Cleanse & Rejuvenation– Light & Bryan

I want to thank all of you who supported me with the purchase of my new Ayurvedic Curative Cuisine Cookbook. We are ready to do another printing and for those interested, call Kathy at 941-894-8678 or through the website www.ayurvedichealers.com. The cookbook contains an introduction to Ayurveda and body types and 300 recipes. It describes the history, uses, tastes, what foods mix well with, and therapeutic indications of various foods. Quick, simple, and enjoyable recipes that everyone will love.

We are updating our website with new products, books, herbal mixtures, teas, special blends, and a Tantra line of Valentine gifts.