We always love reading Dawn Cartwright’s offerings, and her beautiful Summer 2020 article was no exception. She wrote about the value of honouring our sexual centres, and rising in love. We wanted to share a sneak peek of her wisdom today!
From your hosts with the most, Orla Bass and Paul Congdon, we present to you an evening of speed dating with a special Tantric twist on Valentines’ Day – Thursday February 14th, 2019, from 7.15 to 10.00 p.m. in Bewley’s Cafe, 78/79 Grafton Street, Dublin 2.
Following our past successful speed dating events, we are ready to bring it to another level and help singles to connect once again.
Speed dating is a fun, action-packed way to meet a large number of new people in a short period of time. Singles will spend three to five minutes chatting to see if any spark of romance arises. When both people tick the box indicating that they would be interested in meeting again, we will put you in touch with each other. The possibilities are endless! This is an opportunity to meet your soul mate or just have a great evening’s entertainment.
While it would be lovely to secure a date after the event, please be aware that we are coming together to practice the Tantric principle of loving human connection. We will get together, chat, and mingle, all while fully connecting with each human being in front of us with an attitude of deep respect, compassion and integrity. The mind may go into judgement mode – as it so often does – but simply let it drift off and move into your heart space. Aim to see everyone you meet from this compassionate perspective.
Speed Dating from the Heart will take place on Thursday February 14th, 2019, from 7.15 to 10.00 p.m. in Bewley’s Cafe, 78/79 Grafton Street, Dublin 2. Click here to get your tickets.
We are pleased to announce that we have set the date for another of our ever-popular speed dating events! It will take place on Thursday February 14th, 2019, from 7.15 to 10.00 p.m. in Bewley’s Cafe, 78/79 Grafton Street, Dublin 2. During Speed Dating From the Heart, we aim to emphasise the importance of loving human connection and seeing everyone you meet through eyes of compassion. Read on to learn more.
Judith McAdam is our newest regular writer and we are thrilled to have her on board. If you haven’t seen it already, make sure you check out the visualisation track we created with her – it is available to purchase on our site right now. Below, we are sharing a sneak peek of her fantastic article on negative and positive momentum, which appears in our Winter 2018/19 issue. Check here for your nearest stockist, or subscribe to receive a copy direct to your door.
From your hosts with the most, Orla Bass and Paul Congdon, we present to you an evening of speed dating with a special Tantric twist on Thursday the 22nd of November, from 7.15 to 10.00 p.m. in Bewley’s Café, 78/79 Grafton Street, Dublin 2. Doors open at 6.45 p.m.
Following our successful speed dating events last November and April, we are ready to bring it to another level and help singles to connect once again.
Speed dating is a fun, action-packed way to meet a large number of new people in a short period of time. Singles will spend three to five minutes chatting to see if any spark of romance arises. When both people tick the box indicating that they would be interested in meeting again, we will put you in touch with each other. The possibilities are endless! This is an opportunity to meet your soul mate or just have a great evening’s entertainment.
While it would be lovely to secure a date after the event, please be aware that we are coming together to practice the Tantric principle of loving human connection. We will get together, chat, and mingle, all while fully connecting with each human being in front of us with an attitude of deep respect, compassion and integrity. The mind may go into judgement mode – as it so often does – but simply let it drift off and move into your heart space. Aim to see everyone you meet from this compassionate perspective.
Speed Dating from the Heart will take place on Thursday November 22nd from from 7.15 to 10.00 p.m. in Bewley’s Café, 78/79 Grafton Street, Dublin 2. Doors open at 6.45 p.m. Click here to book your tickets.
From your hosts with the most, Orla Bass and Paul Congdon, we present to you an evening of speed dating with a special Tantric twist on Thursday the 22nd of November, from 7.15 to 10.00 p.m. in Bewley’s Café, 78/79 Grafton Street, Dublin 2. Doors open at 6.45 p.m.
Following our successful speed dating events last November and April, we are ready to bring it to another level and help singles to connect once again.
Speed dating is a fun, action-packed way to meet a large number of new people in a short period of time. Singles will spend three to five minutes chatting to see if any spark of romance arises. When both people tick the box indicating that they would be interested in meeting again, we will put you in touch with each other. The possibilities are endless! This is an opportunity to meet your soul mate or just have a great evening’s entertainment.
While it would be lovely to secure a date after the event, please be aware that we are coming together to practice the Tantric principle of loving human connection. We will get together, chat, and mingle, all while fully connecting with each human being in front of us with an attitude of deep respect, compassion and integrity. The mind may go into judgement mode – as it so often does – but simply let it drift off and move into your heart space. Aim to see everyone you meet from this compassionate perspective.
Speed Dating from the Heart will take place on Thursday November 22nd from from 7.15 to 10.00 p.m. in Bewley’s Café, 78/79 Grafton Street, Dublin 2. Doors open at 6.45 p.m. Click here to book your tickets.
From your hosts with the most, Orla Bass and Paul Congdon, we present to you an evening of speed dating with a special Tantric twist on Friday the 6th of April, from 7.30 to 9.30 p.m. in Yin and Tonic, The Elbow Room’s vibrant new space. This is located at 32 North Brunswick Street, Dublin 7. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.
Following our successful speed dating event last November, we are ready to bring it to another level and help singles to connect once again.
Speed dating is a fun, action-packed way to meet a large number of new people in a short period of time. Singles will spend three to five minutes chatting to see if any spark of romance arises. When both people tick the box indicating that they would be interested in meeting again, we will put you in touch with each other. The possibilities are endless! This is an opportunity to meet your soul mate or just have a great evening’s entertainment.
While it would be lovely to secure a date after the event, please be aware that we are coming together to practice the Tantric principle of loving human connection. We will get together, chat, and mingle, all while fully connecting with each human being in front of us with an attitude of deep respect, compassion and integrity. The mind may go into judgement mode – as it so often does – but simply let it drift off and move into your heart space. Aim to see everyone you meet from this compassionate perspective.
Speed Dating with a Tantric Twist will take place from 7.30 to 9.30 p.m. on April 6th in Yin and Tonic, The Elbow Room, 32 North Brunswick Street, Dublin 7. The event’s Facebook page is here, while you can book tickets via Eventbrite here.
EventsGood LifeHappinessLove & RelationshipsMeditation & MindfulnessPositive NightsPositive TantraSpirituality
Sneak Peek: What is Neo-Tantra? Complementary Aspects of Old & New
Tonight, we wanted to share a sneak peek of this beautiful article written by our Tantra expert Dawn Cartwright. You can read the entire article in our new Spring issue, available in your local stockist or through subscription. Don’t forget to check out the details of Dawn’s special Positive Nights event with us on Wednesday the 25th of April too!
By Dawn Cartwright
“The Munis, girdled with the wind, wear garments soiled of yellow hue.
They, following the wind’s swift course, go where the Gods have gone before.”
Excerpt from Ke?in Hymn, 10.136 of the Rigveda, as translated by Ralph T. H. Griffith
Some of the earliest written evidence of Tantra appears in the RigVeda, the oldest of the Vedic Texts, dated roughly between 1100 and 500 B.C.E. The Ke?in Hymn, 10.136 of the Rigveda, describes dust-clad munis who cavorted with the wind. The muni, know for their pursuit of ecstasy, engaged in practices far outside the Brahmanical norm; defining evidence of an early Tantra tradition.
Defining Tantra
Tantra is a vast and controversial subject – to define it is a challenging task. Many elements of Tantra are also found in other Hindu and Vedic paths. Yet when we take the view that ecstasy creates the cosmos, Tantra is a path rich with possibility.
The origins of Tantra date back to the Upper Paleolithic Period, nearly 28,000 years ago. It is rooted in reverence for the microcosm-macrocosm view of fertility and the birth of the universe. The earliest traditions, much like the muni, were closely connected to nature. The Tantra sutras, revealing the secrets of existence, were songs sung by the wind, trees, rivers, oceans and mountains. These songs were translated by great mystics into Mantras, Yantras and Tantras.
The tradition we are most familiar with today is Neo-Tantra, the “new” or “revived” version of Tantra. Neo-Tantra is known for its embrace of sexuality: a perceptive that has drawn a great deal of controversy and skepticism. The Christian repressive attitudes prevalent even in India have enforced a separation between the spiritual and physical. Neo-Tantra weaves threads between the the sexual and the spiritual, the human and the divine, demonstrating, in very beautiful ways, that each exists in the other.
Scholars, Mystics & Lovers
“The Tantras most often tend to prefer more esoteric subjects: speculations on the nature of the Absolute, cosmogony, the creative nature of sound and word, micro-macrocosmic equivalence, the powers of speech, communication and handling of mantras, symbolic interpretations of words and names, construction of and initiation into mandalas and worship of deities therein.”
~Teun Goudriaan, History of Indian Literature Volume II
To explore Tantra is to experience a mystery that constantly unfolds without end. To understand Neo-Tantra and the ways this new tradition is complimentary to the classical traditions, it’s helpful to understand three perspectives: the scholarly, the classical and the new.
________________________
You can read the full article by picking up a copy of our Spring issue or subscribing today. Dawn will be a special guest at Positive Nights on Wednesday the 25th of April, from 7.30 to 9.30p.m. at Powerscourt Theatre, Dublin 2. The theme of her event is “Bringing Dating Back.” She will talk about how the sacred energy of ancient Tantric rituals called the Pancha Upacaras can be used to inspire greater devotion and intimacy in our modern-day dating lives. You can learn more about the event on our website, Facebook or Meetup, and book your tickets at this Eventbrite link.
Good LifeHappinessHolistic HealthLove & RelationshipsMeditation & MindfulnessPositive StoriesPositive Tantra
Bringing Dating Back: The Transcendent Quality of Intentional Intimacy
In our Winter 2017/2018 issue, the Tantric writer, visionary and teacher Dawn Cartwright wrote a beautiful article on the ancient Tantric rituals that inspired modern dating practices, and why we need to bring the sacred, intentional qualities of these rituals back into our lives today. Here, we share this article in its entirety. Dawn will offer Fragrance of the Lotus Tantra Teacher Training from April 19th-28th, 2019, in Wicklow and Weaving the Beloveds for Couples during the May Bank Holiday Weekend on the Wild Atlantic Way. To book your place or learn more about Dawn’s work, go to her website dawncartwright.com.
Bringing Dating Back: The Transcendent Quality of Intentional Intimacy
By Dawn Cartwright
Where and when did the ritual of dating begin? Is it time to bring dating back?
Each morning, just before dawn, Tantric adepts in every Tantra temple in the world present five specific offerings to the deity. First, sandalwood powder is smoothed on the deity’s forehead and feet. Then, a mantra is sung while flowers, gathered from the temple gardens, are offered. Fragrant incense is lit, oil lamps illuminate the deity’s face, and sweets, dripping with honey and ghee, touch the deity’s lips. Sandalwood, mantra, incense, lamps and sweets: the Pancha Upacaras, a Sanskrit phrase that means, “five moments of access”. Five offerings purposefully chosen to awaken the five senses, allowing the devotee “five moments of access” to an elevated experience of the world.
Simple rituals such as this compose a twilight language rich in meaning and significance. Esoteric practices are known to reveal the extraordinary within the ordinary through simple means. While it may seem as if the Pancha Upacaras are offered to awaken the deity from her slumber, it is the adept whose senses are awakened, triggering a heightened state of consciousness – revealing the sublime within the mundane. Much the way one would greet an honoured guest in their home, the deity is welcomed into the temple each morning, and the devotee catches a glimpse of the divine within.
Perhaps owing to the romantic nature of the human heart, or the longing each of us has to touch the ineffable quality of love, the Pancha Upacaras, a ritual enacted since the beginning of time, eventually found its way into every corner of the world. These five offerings are the roots of hospitality and compose the traditional elements of successful dating.
In the chilly pre-dawn mist, the Tantric deity becomes more beautiful with each flower-laden moment. Beauty that exists because it is seen. Beauty seen because it is invited and welcomed, because it has already been awakened within the one who extends the invitation. Just as a tree that falls without a witness cannot make a sound, beauty, though it is certainly there, cannot be experienced without the observer. We create the beauty we see in the world and each other through our endeavour: in this case by awakening the five senses to see it. Dating and hospitality were originally meant to deepen our connection with those we revere, without expectation or goal.
Not so very long ago dating meant affection, flowers and chocolates. Candlelight, serenades and perfume. The very same offerings that compose the Pancha Upacaras. Today, dating has been reduced to “hanging out” and online chat rooms. Devotion seems to have gone by the wayside and the transcendent quality we all long for in dating has all but disappeared.
Is it time to bring dating back? If so, what would that look like?
It is time to bring dating back and here’s how. The Pancha Upacaras uplift the senses, open the heart and create loving connection. These five steps, created from the origins of love, thousands and thousands of years ago, bring the magic back.
1st . Sandalwood . Gandha . Touch
The ancient Tantra practitioners knew the importance of focused attention as a catalyst for transcendent experiences of all kinds. Once you’ve established you’re attracted, the next step is to turn your attention toward the one you’re attracted to. That might be the person you see every morning at the coffee shop, or the person sitting right across from you at breakfast if you’re married. Look up. Take in this glorious human. Touch with your attention.
2nd . Flowers & Mantras . Pushpa . Hearing
Do you have time for dating? Very few people do. Whether you’re single, in a relationship, or married for years, relationships, even budding ones, need time. Set aside time. Make a point to say the name of your date now and then when you’re speaking to them. Everyone’s name is their personal mantra, music to their ears. Bring flowers.
3rd . Incense & Perfume . Dhoopa . Smell
Does your date love coffee? Flowers? Spices? Create a date that’s a mystical journey of the senses, focusing on the sense of smell. Visit a coffee importer, a flower market, an exotic spice shop. Fragrance is the most powerful bonding memory of all.
4th . Oil Lamps & Candle Light . Deepa . Sight
The easiest step of all – make sure there’s candlelight. The soft glow of candlelight brings out the beauty in everyone, and has the power to open the heart.
5th . Sweets & Chocolates . Naivedya . Taste
Hand-selected chocolates or macaroons entice the senses and ignite feelings of attraction and desire, whether your date is a woman or man. Sweets nourish the spirit and elevate the experience of love.
Dawn Cartwright is a Tantric visionary, sacred writer, world traveler, and innovator in bio-energetic Tantra fusion. Dawn will offer Fragrance of the Lotus Tantra Teacher Training from April 19th-28th, 2018, in Wicklow and Weaving the Beloveds for Couples during the May Bank Holiday Weekend on the Wild Atlantic Way. To book your place, go to: www.dawncartwright.com.
Imagine yourself suspended in space, wrapped in a cocoon of silence. A subtle vibration exhilarates every cell in your body – and everything around you also vibrates at that same exhilarating frequency. Your senses are sharp and expanded. You feel as though you are seeing with a thousand eyes. Hearing with a thousand ears. The air you breathe feels alive, almost fluid, most certainly intelligent, creating an acoustically perfect medium so that the even faintest of sounds are clear as crystal. You are alone and a part of everything at once. You are in ecstasy.
(Remember to catch Dawn at our Positive Nights event tomorrow, Wednesday April 19th. Click here fore more info!)
By Dawn Cartwright
If we were to imagine how Tantra feels, this would be what we’d envision. We search for this feeling in everything we do. When we meet a lover. When we go on holiday. When we choose a home. It’s a feeling that is familiar to us, a feeling that tells us we’re in the right place, with the right person, at the right time. There is a pervasiveness to this feeling so that it fills every part of who we are, in fact, it’s much more than a feeling – it’s a state of being. The very core of who we are. The journey we take, each one of us, whether we choose to call it a spiritual one or not, is a journey toward this state of being. There are many paths and ways to find it; Tantra is one. The journey toward ecstasy often appears to have a beginning, yet rarely has an end – a prospect we may find inspiring, overwhelming, or both. Let’s look at the beginning of the journey, deep into the middle to discover how Tantra feels.
Euphoric – The First Feeling
There are many ways to explore Tantra, from complex yantras, mantras and rituals to breath work, massage and intimacy practices. You may undertake these explorations solo, with a partner, or a friend, yet no matter how, when, where or with whom you take the first step, you are likely to discover that Tantra feels euphoric, alive and confident, joyful. Tantra is, in its most fundamental form, an invitation to be completely free. The yantras, mantras and rituals will ask that you sit for hours with a single focus,
unlocking hidden places in your body and psyche, places where you’ve left parts of yourself behind. The intimacy practices, the breath work and massage will teach you how to be truly intimate with another so you can finally be truly intimate with yourself. When you sit for the first time, alone or with someone else and ease yourself beyond the limitations and criticisms you’ve held for so long, you’ll discover the freedom of being yourself. An experience that is truly euphoric.
Challenging – Overcoming Barriers
Soon after the euphoria, it’s not unusual to find that Tantra feels challenging. Just as the commitment to exercise and fitness quickly reminds us how much work there is to be done, the road to ecstasy is not without its challenges. You may find yourself distracted by endless random thoughts while practicing a Tantra meditation, or suddenly shy while eye-gazing with a partner during a Tantra workshop. If you remind yourself these very experiences are actually highlighting the progress you are making, they’ll come as welcome challenges, rather than barriers. To grow into a greater experience of ourselves it’s necessary to release what’s in the way. Challenge, when approached this way, begins to feel exciting.
Radiant – New Body, New Mind
As challenges are met and barriers dissolve, muscular tension you didn’t realise you were carrying begins to melt away. At this stage, Tantra feels radiant. Tension held in the body represents thoughts and beliefs that are not our own. These thoughts and beliefs are often very old, sometimes held over from childhood. As our body becomes more subtle and open, our thoughts change and vice versa. The energy and intimacy practices of Tantra support this opening, creating a new body and mind. When this occurs, life energy – Kundalini energy – begins to flow more freely. It is widely known that the yantra, mantra and ritual Tantra practices awaken Kundalini energy by removing obstacles that block the primordial energy flow in the body. The breath work, massage and intimacy practices amplify this same energy whenever we share intimate space with another. The energy present in our sexuality, when allowed to flow freely, is the source of our radiance.
Devotional – That Sense of Belonging
When our energy is embraced with integrity, respect and honour, it naturally expands to fill the body, opening the heart and Tantra feels devotional. The meaning of the word devotion is “to belong”. Here, in fact, in all the stages above, we have the opportunity, if we are willing, to feel that transcendent feeling of connection that is – ecstasy – the full acceptance and celebration of who we truly are.
Dawn Cartwright is a Tantric visionary, sacred writer, world traveler, and innovator in bioenergetic Tantra fusion. dawncartwright.com.
Newer Posts