I'v been getting itchy feet recently. I'd love to just take off and go awandering.

Your Travel Personality Is: The Adventurer

For you, travel is how you learn about the world. And you like to learn the stuff that's not in guidebooks. You truly have wanderlust. When you're not traveling, you're dreaming about where you'll go next. And your travels are truly legendary - they leave you with stories you'll be telling for the rest of your life!

What's Your Travel Personality?

Virginia Woolf said that every woman needs a room of her own to be able to write. I would go further; everybody needs some sacred space of their own to survive daily life. We all have to retreat from the mundane at times and get in touch with our Spirit.

As a child, I always wanted a treehouse. It seemed like the perfect sanctuary to me, high up and hidden away from sight. In my imagination, I decorated my treehouse with exotic wall hangings and huge fluffy cushions. Unfortunately, my father had two left thumbs and couldn’t put up a shelf, let alone embark on a dwelling, however minor. Ever the resourceful child, I looked for the next best place and found it behind the Freemason’s Lodge. Nobody ever went there and it seemed sufficiently magical to qualify as a sanctuary. I spent a lot of time just sitting and dreaming and also set up a graveyard for dead birds there. I particularly enjoyed holding funerals for the poor birds. My mother called me a morbid child…

When I hit my teens, I had to go to school camps a couple of times a year. I hated communal living and always carved out a space for myself in the room by throwing an Indian shawl over a chair and setting up some kind of altar. I usually had some incense and a little figurine of some kind. The centrepiece in those days was a little box where I kept my illegal “mind-enhancing” substance …

Even as adults, we need a sanctuary from the world. A place where we can retreat and heal ourselves by getting in touch with our souls. A place to meditate and relax, to get in touch with the Divine. A physical spiritual retreat centre.

This place can be indoors or outdoors. It can be difficult to create a place of your own if you are living with others, but it is possible. If you have a spare room or a basement, consider turning it into your spiritual sanctuary instead of a guest room. If you’re more pressed for space, even a corner of your bedroom, perhaps partitioned off with a screen or curtain will do. If you don’t even have enough room to swing a cat in, a cupboard or a shelf can serve as sacred space in form of an altar. Even the tiniest space can be a focal point for your meditations or prayers.


An outdoor sacred space could be a flat rock situated in a grove of trees, a sheltered part of your garden or a corner of your balcony. A large or small Zen garden might give you peace and tranquillity. Sacred space “on the go” might be an impromptu altar on a tree stump in the woods or a rock on the beach.


Decorate your sacred space with an image that symbolizes Divinity, some candles, a mandala … whatever your intuition tells you to put in the area. I usually like to represent the four elements of fire, water, earth and air as well as Spirit. Then I’ll add on bits and pieces that I am intuitively guided to place there. Also, if I want to manifest something, I will put a vision board or something representing my desire on my altar.


Some people like to consecrate their sacred space with a ritual. I personally feel this isn’t necessary; the intent and setting up is usually enough consecration. Spending time in your sacred space also adds to the energetic charge of the place. Try and take a few moments to meditate or just “be” in your sanctuary every day.

And who knows, you might even get inspired to write a book or two in your room of your own…

You don't have to be an ascetic to become enlightened. On the contrary, if you don't know what you are doing, celibacy can be harmful. You won't actually get blue balls, but suppressing your sexuality without properly sublimating it, can lead to the repressed energy surfacing in destructive ways, both on a psycho-spiritual and physic level. Many a war has been waged due to individual or mass sexual frustration and suppression. Think Crusades, think Troy, think contemporary wars and violence on the streets ...

Although most of the major religions have advocated a path of asceticism as the preferred path to enlightenment, there has always been another path for the more hedonistically inclined amongst us. Humans thousands of years ago cultivated the art of pleasure to transcend into higher dimensions of consciousness. The ritual of hieros gamos (sacred marriage) with temple prostitutes in India, the Near East and even in Ancient Rome. was a way to achieve union with the Divine. More recently, Alistair Crowley and other ceremonial magicians used sex magic to "manipulate consciousness" and reach a higher state of awareness. Pagans participate in the Great Rite, Native Americans practice a form of sacred sex known as Quadoshka and Tantric Yoga of Indian origin and Chinese Taoist sexual practices are gaining popularity in the West as a means of spiritual transformation.

Sacred sex is not about having better orgasms or about becoming a better lover (although both are nice side effects). Sacred sex is more a philosophy of Divine love, a letting go and surrendering with the goal of merging with the Universe. The basic idea is that, if the world is an expression of divinity, then all in it must be Divine, worthy to be worshipped rather than renounced. And this, of course, includes seeing and worshipping divinity in and through the "Other".

"Someday, after mastering the winds, tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of sexual love. Then, for the second time in history, we shall have discovered fire!" -Teilhard de Chardin

Spiritual transformation through sacred sex is achieved by making love with the heart, not just the genitals and involves a co-mingling of physical, emotional and spiritual love. Think of it as a mutual meditation and turn the sexual act into a ritual. In Tantra, this ritual is called Maithuna.

Take a ritual bath together. Light candles, scent the room with sandalwood, play some soft or meditative music. Massage each other with aromatherapy oils. A mixture of sandalwood and ylang ylang is a wonderful aphrodisiac for both body and soul. You could also try a yoni massage or lingam massage as part of the ritual. Use your imagination and try and "feel" your partner's desires. Give love whilst engaging all your senses. After gentle penetration (the yab-yum position shown above is very relaxed), remain motionless and concentrate on the energy flowing between you. Breathe deeply, synchronizing your breathing with your partner's, whilst gazing into each other's eyes. Contract your pubic muscles and visualise energy flowing from your genitals up your spine to the crown of your head. Remain relaxed and hold the energy within, resisting the urge to orgasm until the orgasmic energy is overflowing. Finally, when you can no longer contain the energy, let go and surrender into union. Let barriers dissolve to envelope your partner as you both merge into one. Feel the energy spread through your entire being and bask in the afterglow of love. ..

Still committed to asceticism?

Your Dosha is Pitta

You have a quick mind, a gift for persuasion, and a sharp sense of humor. You have both the drive and people skills to be a very successful leader. Argumentative and a bit stubborn, you have been known to be a little too set in your ways. But while you may be biased toward your own point of view, you are always honest, fair, and ethical. With friends: You are outgoing and open to anyone who might want to talk to you In love: You are picky but passionate To achieve more balance: Be less judgmental of those around you, and take cool walks in the moonlight.

What's Your Dosha?

(click on the image for a larger view)

I've been collaging vision boards for some years. A vision board (or treasure map) is a collage of images and words that represent the things you wish to attract into your life. Now, this usually involves cutting out images and text that inspire your goals from magazines and pasting them together in a collage.

Since living in the Seychelles, I don't have access to a lot of magazines (there simply aren't that many on the island), so when I came across the idea of Photoshopping Your Dreams: Visual Goal Setting, Goal Movies and Vision Boards by Clay at The Growing Life, I leapt at the idea. It has the added advantage of being ecologically pretty sound as well. I am thinking of the trees I've been helping to save since I am no longer surrounded by piles of paper...

It's also a lot of fun looking for images on the internet. When I was looking for a house to put in my vision board, I came across many really beautiful homes (and men!) that made me drool. I finally decided to put in a more modest beach house, because that is what I really want. I didn't choose a more modest man, because that's not what I really want...

Some things to remember when using a vision board:

• Be careful what you wish for; you might get it. If you want a beach house, don't put a condo on the page. If you want a gorgeous hunk, don't put in Woody Allen.
  
• Set your photoshopped vision board as your desktop. This way you'll see it many times during the day (if you spend as much time as I do on the computer that is).
• Review your treasure map every day. Spend time absorbing the images. See yourself experiencing what you desire with all your senses.

Above all, have fun with it and go create your life!

PS: Disclaimer: The head is me, the body is not.

This week, I've been featured in three great blog carnivals:

My article "Which Mantra? So Hum or I Am That I Am or Eyheh Asher Eyheh" was a featured article in Anmol Mehta's Meditation, Yoga & Spiritual Growth Carnival- Edition #16

"7 Ways to Get Your Energies Flowing" was featured in the Carnival Of Healing #131 and got a special mention at healing.about.com

"Find Your Life Purpose in Under One Hour" was included in the Personal Development Carnival: Issue 35.

All three carnivals are packed full with great articles from all over the internet. Please take a moment to check them out.