Fierce Love

There is time enough for solitude, a cautious heart, and gray reflections of the past. This is not that time. This is time for the fierce love of God-Goddess, Shiva and Shakti.

Surrender everything to this love because it will demand everything of you. And it will not hold you, not the way you think. There is no other way. No other direction but “Yes.” The path out is always through (although you waste so much precious time arguing and pretending otherwise). You want to go back to a time when things made sense. You want to retreat to safety but it doesn’t exist. You go back but it’s all different now; no one remembers you.

There is only surrendering to this moment. This heart cracking open to the Beloved. Letting go of everything including the having of You. When I follow the long wet tunnel of wanting, to the end where the light is, I arrive at the beginning. At the Source, the origin of you-me-we.

The Shiva Shakti union is the epic love that generates the stars and snails. Ancient Tantrica’s making love in the carnage of the burial grounds. Life defying death. Death eating life. Sun illuminating the moon. Red blood swirling into the white pearl drops of semen. We see them dancing together in every microcosmic orb: spinning, ecstatic, erotic, disintegrating into wholeness, whole-yes, holiness.

Shiva sits on the earth, crown to the sky, a column of pure presence. Shakti straddles him, her back to us, piercing his heart with her own, undulating with life inside of his immense embrace.

I am learning how to sit with my back to the door at restaurants now. Learning to soften and surrender to your skillful means, protective care, watchful eye.

Celebrating the authority of Shiva, author of presence and clear direction. Celebrating Shakti as she wraps herself around him, fleshing out the story with her vibrant light-color-beauty. A love story. A tale of origin. We cannot write it alone.

Love fiercely, Dear Ones.

In this time of thanksgiving, I bow in gratitude to you.

Shakti You Were Made For These Times

We Were Made For These Times

So I heard years ago from Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, wise words that continue to comfort me.

I gave myself the gift of a break this summer to “breathe out,” lay on hot rocks by the river, and relish precious time with my daughter before she left for college.

It’s why, although I’ve been sending y'all my heart energy regularly, you haven’t seen much in the way of electronic communications from me lately. Shakti is back with creative juices flowing.

I spent three days after settling my daughter into her dorm in a frenzy of cleaning and organizing my nest, as if preparing for a birth (my own obviously). In purging a decade of papers and files, I cried over handmade mother’s day cards and the photos of us in what seemed like more simple times (but of course they weren't then).

I’m sitting in an even emptier nest now. Feeling into the stillness. Breathing in my solitude. Letting go. Letting go again. Wondering who I am now. Excited and so curious about what is coming next.

I feel the satisfaction of a job well done. I know exactly where to find all my documents, neatly filed and thoroughly labeled, precisely where they are supposed to be. My daughter, a brilliant young goddess, is happy and off making her music in the world.

I also feel anxious. Although there is not a hurricane bearing down on my neighborhood at this particular moment, I am part of this human family. Nothing like mother nature to knock the legs out from under any illusion we have of control.

But I’m telling myself that maybe it’s not so crazy to arrange the deck chairs when the ship is heading for the iceberg. Maybe that’s exactly what needs to happen to bring in the light of sanity, beauty, faith. Maybe that can even help us steer clear of calamity.

We seem to be arriving at the place we’ve all been talking about and preparing for: times of change and shift and transformation, whether that’s your daughter leaving home, your home mortgage being upside down, or your home literally being blown across town.

What I know is that we were made for these times and our survival depends upon our loving connection to the earth, ourselves, each other, and Spirit.

The Awakening Shakti teachings and practices I have to offer you are all about cultivating your inner resources for staying connected and navigating these times. The LOVE, SPIRIT and ENERGY that is your Shakti power will light your path, ground you, and help you tap you into gratitude no matter what comes your way. It's alive in your feminine body and you can awaken it.

Stop trying to do it alone. No more time for that nonsense. It’s your feminine nature to be in sisterhood. More efficient too because transformation happens deeper and faster inside sacred circle together. We long to laugh, cry, celebrate and grieve together--it’s so much better that way.

Two big things coming up to support you with awakening more of that Shakti power. Come to Northern California and take your place in our sacred circle of 12 women at the annual Fall Shakti Women’s Retreat Level 1 in my beautiful temple home on the river. Wow. Words cannot describe what awaits you here.

If traveling is out of the question or you’d prefer to be in an intimate, on-going phone coaching group with sisters from around the world, the next Unleash Your Shakti Power Initiation Program launches on Sept. 22. Profound and utterly beautiful what's happening in these Initiation groups.

Want to work one-on-one? Contact me for a private phone Coaching Session and let’s go deep together. We’ll wake up that goddess in you and get her rolling, exactly at your pace.

With big love and blessings to you,

Lisa

Increasing Your Abundance with Lakshmi

Part of our Awakening Shakti practice is to balance our mental and masculine “do-do-do” with our embodied feminine power of deep receptivity. The more we practice, the more we effortlessly magnetize to us what’s desired from our feminine radiance rather than exhausting ourselves trying to make it happen.

I offer you the Hindu goddess, Lakshmi, as one of the most magically feminine avenues for calling in the abundance you seek, whether that looks like the gold coins that fall from her hands, loving your own beauty, or knowing your own divine wealth.

With the tulip bulbs bursting through the soil and sunshine back full force after months of chill shadow, the audacious sexy exuberance of springtime mirrors Lakshmi’s abundant energy.

As the goddess of both material and spiritual prosperity, Lakshmi delights in the sensual pleasures of the earth realm so she hovers quite near to us. She loves your perfume, the swell of your breasts, the mango juice on your tongue, how happy you are when there’s plenty of money and your generosity flows.

Allow yourself to see your world through her eyes--the beauty color texture everywhere around you. Offer your daily gratitude, like rose petals at her feet, for all that is expanding in your life.

Several years ago I had an intuitive reading and the practitioner told me, “Some goddess named ‘Lakshmi’ really wants to make sure that you know she is one of your primary allies; I’d never heard of her so I asked her to spell her name so I could get it right.”

Although I was familiar with Lakshmi, I started taking our relationship much more seriously after that. Shortly after, I received a large stone statue of Lakshmi as a gift and placed it on the Fung Shui “wealth” corner of my deck. She is surrounded by flowers now and her lap is filled with crystals, special stones, coins and other offerings.

Perhaps your gremlin mind says, “It can’t possibly be that easy.” So spoken by the entity in you that thrives on struggle, negativity, pain and chaos. Consider the source and don’t let that voice stop you.

More of Lakshmi’s abundance, grace and beauty is yours when you remember to ask for it. Remember to praise her lavishly (she loves that). Keep reassuring your heart that’s it’s really safe for you to open and receive life’s bounty.

Maybe you’re not done mucking around in the old story of lack and not enough and it’s all up to me to make it happen, if only....

That’s OK. We all hang out there sometimes until it gets too painful or just plain boring. Lakshmi waits patiently.

When we call on her, a manifestation of our own abundant Shakti life force energy, we co-author an entirely different story. We’ll have new challenges of course and new questions to be with: “How do I manage all this abundance? Who will I share it with? How do I get used to feeling all this orgasmic joy?” I personally find these to be much more interesting questions to grapple with.....

Mind the company you keep and put yourself in community with those who create and attract abundance. The Awakening Shakti community is a great place to begin. Join this sisterhood of awakening women committed to a new earth and the full expression of our feminine power, embodied love, and sensual energy.

Please share this post and your comments below--we’d love to hear from you. And click any of these links for more info about upcoming Awakening Shakti programs:

Starts May 26: Six Month Unleash Your Shakti Initiation Program

Shakti Women's Retreats Level 2 in May and Level 1 in Sept

Schedule a Private Phone Coaching session with Lisa

When Things Fall Apart...

“It is only the extent to which we expose ourselves over and over again to annihilation can that which is indestructible arise within us. "

(Based on a quote by Karlfried Graf von Durkheim)

I light a candle next to me and ask that this little flame carry love, courage and hope to my brothers and sisters in Japan.

Last week I shared with you a poetic manifesto celebrating the sensually alive woman, titled “She Who Cannot Be Contained.” Now She shows us another facet of her awesome power, reminding us, once again, that we’re like flea-sized Lilliputians busy erecting buildings, monuments and nuclear reactors on her back. We forget that she can awake from her slumber at any moment and, with one lazy stretch of her spine, shake us all to oblivion.

Maybe you’re having trouble finding the relevance in all those extremely important items on your To-Do list. Maybe you find yourself slipping into fear, feeling a little short of breath, anxious about nuclear fall-out and thoughts of impending chaos. Maybe your heart feels heavy with sadness or your mind’s a muddle with confusion. Maybe you also feel awake, alert, eyes wide open.

In moments like this, I’m reminded of a phrase from Carolyn Myss: “I smell God.”

Shake up. Wake up. Hello Heart. Hello Fear. Hello Faith.

We might not be in Japan but we’re all in this together. And what I’ve learned from navigating fall-out in my own life is that when things fall apart, it’s time to focus on that which abides. What is that for you?

For me, it’s my SHAKTI practices of Love, Energy and Spirit. Connect with my heart, feel my feelings, expand my capacity to love, reach out to others. Pray, meditate, give gratitude, serve, be humble, plug into my essence, go to Source and Spirit for soul connection. Get grounded, take care of my body, tap into my divine life force energy for nourishment and miracles.

Listen to your heart--she will tell you what to do. My heart told me to light a candle, talk to my mom, pray, write this blog to you, and eat a big salad for lunch. I also donated to the American Red Cross for the relief efforts. http://www.redcross.org/

I also know in times like these that it's important to come together, pray together, open our hearts together. The annual Spring Shakti Women’s Retreat begins in about ten days. We only have a couple of spots left. There has never been a more important, auspicious and powerful time for us to gather. The waves of change will keep coming: will you meet the surge with your own deeply surrendered and awake feminine power, fully tapped into your guidance? Join us, dear sister. We're holding a place for you in our circle. MORE INFO & REGISTRATION

Be good to yourself.

With great love,

Lisa

She Who Cannot Be Contained

A little something to melt in your mouth, in honor of the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day....

By Lisa Schrader

In celebration of her Too Muchness.

Big hipped, loose lipped, sassy swagger, fierce hearted, emotional roller ocean all over, wanting more more more...

She Must Move,

gypsy girl spirit undulating snake rhythms hypnotizing,

slipping through your fingers, rattle you awake,

soul whisper wise woman running with the wolves

and lurking in the corners of your dreams

Women are Wet: joy teary, heart weary with weeping, blood mooning,

milk letting down, down, down

on pink petals, sweet nectar glistening

Giving, tending, mending, gathering the seeds,

sowing the cycles of blue sky, green harvest, fire burn and dawning dew.

She calls: worship me, open me, love me,

be warrior enough to penetrate my tender trust with your presence,

unleash the blinding magnificence of this she-beauty,

the jewels in the temple are yours...

Or don’t.

You’ll find me here the same

and ever changing,

luxuriating on the rose petal bed,

dipping my fingers in honey,

sipping wine song, and

dancing in the sacred, throbbing heart of Yes

Celebrating the mothers, grandmothers, sisters, girlfriends, daughters, and women we are. Celebrating the men, fathers, grandfathers, and brothers who love us.

Join us for the annual Spring Shakti Women's Retreat in the Northern California Sierras March 25-28 and luxuriate in your sacred feminine essence. Only 2 spots left in our circle of 13 so reply or register asap if you want to join us.

Abundant blessings,

Lisa

Do I Need a Partner for Tantra?

I often get the question, “Do I need a partner to practice Tantra?” either from singles or from those in partnership with someone uninterested in or resistant to exploring sacred sexuality.

The short answer is, “No, you don’t need a partner to practice Tantra.” Think of it like dancing. You can have a rocking good time by yourself getting your groove on. And dancing with another can magnify the experience: your energy together could rise into ecstasy or descend into something all bumbly and awkward.

As a dancer and a Tantrika, I’m practicing being in my own energy and wholeness first, before engaging with others. I’m learning to create my own bliss and take responsibility for my own turn-on. This allows me to move through my day in communion with the orgasmic tremor of life, pulsing all around us with sensuality, sexuality, mojo, beauty, and love. This is what the work of “Awakening Shakti” is all about.

It feels really good to live this way; it keeps my body healthy and makes me happy; I have a lot more energy for my family, work and community. It’s also taken some practice to realize that this experience is not dependent on my relationship status, my bank balance, how I look in my jeans—or anything else that fluctuates dramatically in my life.

Yes, it is exquisite to dance with and love another. We were born yearning for this kind of communion and it can be beautiful, sacred, and holy. My feminine body hungers for the masculine--we’re talking the real, sweaty, salty, beautiful body of a man, not some concept. Tantra with another can be an unsurpassed, ecstatic celebration of physical and spiritual union.

All that, however, begins with the individual. Whether you find yourself single or partnered, a space for miracles opens up when you begin to cultivate a deeper relationship with your own divine life force energy or Shakti. Explore the erotic dance of your inner marriage of masculine and feminine aspects. Make love to yourself, make love to life, know your heart as the Source of love. Expand your capacity to receive pleasure. Bask in your own radiance not as a strategy to get the attention of another (although doing so authentically will make you irresistibly attractive) but simply because it’s your essence to exude the “perfume of fermenting joy.”

Ready to unleash more of your sensual power and radiance? The next Six Month Unleash Your Shakti Power Initiation Program begins Thursday Jan 27 (like, tomorrow) and we still have a few spots open. All calls are recorded if you miss one. Join us. MORE INFO

Perfume of Fermenting Joy

When she walks into the room,
everybody turns:

some kind of light is coming from her head.
Even the geraniums look curious...
We're all attracted to the perfume
of fermenting joy,

we've all tried to start a fire,
and one day maybe it will blaze up on it's own.
In the meantime, she is the one today among us
most able to bear the idea of her own beauty,
and when we see it, what we do is natural:
we take our burned hands
out of our pockets,
and clap.

Tony Hoagland, from "Grammar"

I found this piece in an Oprah magazine many years ago. It's been tacked up on my fridge, posted next to my desk and copied for friends many times. It never ceases to touch something deep within me: a devotion to the embodied feminine, a longing to be seen, a hunger to love myself with total abandon, a falling into the sacredness of beauty in me, in you.

What does it touch in you?

In two weeks, on January 27, the next Six Month Unleash Your Shakti Power Initiation Program will launch with a maximum of 20 women who are ready to know and embrace their own sacred sensual power. We still have a few spots left. Is one of them for you? MORE INFO

Blessings on your loving, on your beauty.