Picture Gallery

In the next three days of the camp Mihai and Adina continue to guide us on this extraordinary Tantric journey, as we deepen the identification with the Supreme Consciousness, Shiva, in his aspects of Pashupati, Mayavin and Umapati.

The participants continue their conscious polarizing act of separation, the tension mounting between the sexes as each individual journeys further into his or her inner universe, understanding the phenomenon of existence from the perspective of the universal law of polarity. These days culminate in a very special moment between the men and women to mark the end of the period of separation.

Over these days the women continue their voyage of Self-discovery, exploring the universe of their beloved Shiva together in their meetings. Practical exercises also accompany the theory, and together the Shaktis learn belly dance, explore the sensual realms through massage and experience a very special moment of identification with one another. This identification is a kind of meditation in which we are able to experience the inner universe of another person. By becoming aware of the qualities of this person we are able to assimilate them in our own inner universe.

Day 4 was hosted by Shiva Pashupati, the Good Shepherd. He is the providence which is entrusted to take care of the entire manifestation and then to find a given meaning and a place in the universe for each being’s own good and then governing that human being’s own life according to its will.
Mihai explained that ”Pashupati takes care of all of humanity and especially of the ones who’ve deviated, losing the path to their own heart. He’s gently and wisely leading us through this ocean of illusion by always preparing the right situations which will become lessons on our path.”

He is the inner awareness which leads to the heart. Divine love depends only upon grace. Shiva inspires love and in this way love awakens and grace and love form an endless circle as love calls grace and grace is an inspiration for love. For the one who ardently loves Him, Shiva reveals Himself through divine grace. In the immortal words of Jesus Christ, ”Ask and you shall receive.” In order to be able to ask for the divine grace, to call for it, we need to be ready. By cultivating forgiveness, humbleness and purity we can prepare ourselves to be able to receive the divine grace.
Shiva Mayavin magically bestows His Grace upon us on the 5th day. As the magician, Mayavin limits the Creation while at the same time acting above it. In the human life, He manifests as the power of releasing the human being from the web of the mind and He gives the possibility for the Absolute to manifest in a limited way. Through transfiguration, loving and by cultivating a state of wonder, which are expressions of Mayavin, the human being can begin to climb towards the unity of the consciousness. As Mihai tells us in the lecture, ”falling in love always enables us to participate in the cosmic manifestation of Mayavin and there we can see the world of magic.”

...And falling in love we are, with the meeting of Shiva Umapati on our final day into these initiations with the Supreme Consciousness. Umpati is the lover of Uma – the Divine Shakti. Shiva and Uma are the aspects of the Supreme Consciousness which teach us the meaning of Love. They are the divine couple who inspire the couple relationships of the spiritually aspiring human beings, as Mihai so eloquently said, ”Shiva Umapati inhabits those hearts which give love the first place in the relationship. He spontaneously uplifts the consciousness of the one who is a lover. When love inspires the relationships, a mysterious integration makes the love flow, all bathed in the ecstasy giving grace of Umapati.” Knowing Umapati is an essential aspect for one’s spiritual evolution and especially in this moment of time, as the lesson of love is now more pertinent than ever.

The final exemplification in our time of separation is the state of overwhelming love of Shiva for His Beloved Shakti. This meditation brings me new revelations about the profound relationship between the universal consciousness and His inherent energy, between the masculine principle and the feminine principle, between men and women, between my Beloved and me. Lifting my awareness to the sacred reality of existence through a deeper understanding about the relationship between consciousness and energy brings my connection with my lover to new heights, heights which are almost dizzying in their scope and breathtaking in their perspective upon my existence and my relationship not only to him, but to the entire universe. I feel how much I am in love with him and how much room there is for even more! The possibilities this relationship brings me are endless and now for the first time I start to have a glimpse of this, and this is all due to the amazing power of LOVE.

The cream on the cake of this tantalizing period of separation and intense polarization was the romantic evening the men lovingly prepared for the women, in which they expressed their love and adoration for Shakti, and from which the women had to decide whether or not the separation between us should end. Following a game to delight the senses, each man bestowed symbolic gifts upon his beloved. Then they continued their display of adoration by reading us poetry they’d penned themselves. (This was very touching..)The men were then separated from the women and a veil went up between us - it was time for the verdict to be passed – should we continue the separation or be reunited? There was disagreement in the female camp, some wanted to continue the separation, while others were ready to end it. However, the men still had one final card us their sleeve. Behind the veil Mihai read his ode to Shakti, his declaration of Love. The women became silent, the entire world became silent..and the moment of judgment had arrived. With tears in their eyes, the women were unanimous in their decision to reunite with the men, their hearts so deeply touched by his glorious words of praise, nothing could keep Shakti separated from her Beloved Shiva any longer.

By Elodia Thallon



The Adoration of Shakti

Five days of separation were coming to their end. Five days of admiring the women from a distance. Never before did those lovely creatures seem more beautiful, more enchanting, alluring and mysterious. These magnificent artworks of God, embodying the divine charm and harmony, the playfulness of life itself.

The secret of this powerful attraction and fascination was the effect of polarity, intensified by the days of separation. In principle terms, we can say that when men are truly men and the women are truly women – then the attraction between them becomes something wholly powerful and profound. The men become more masculine when they consciously assume their role as men, not mistaking it with aspects of the women’s role. The same goes for the women – it is, after all, such a delightful game to play, and we all have our roles in it. The temporary physical separation between the genders helps each one of us to become more aware of our specific role, so that we can play it even better.

Perhaps another way to say it is that often we don't see what's right in front of our face; we don't appreciate it until we take a step back and look at it from a distance. One thing I can say for sure is that before this camp I had not fathomed the presence of these divine beings around me, I had not realized the manifestation of grace, mercy and love which radiates from each of their most minute gestures. I confess that during these days of separation, I have at times felt my eyes wandering, hoping for a forbidden glance from the eyes of the women – being aware of the vast gamut of experiences that such a glance would awaken in me.

Thursday night was the night the separation was to end. It seemed so perfect that the separation would end with the men's declaration of love for Shakti in her radiant manifestation through the women. For hours the men prepared, thinking of ways to manifest their love. How does one adore the perfection? How can we manifest love to love itself? How does one make happiness happy?

All the men worked together, in brotherhood, to prepare the evening – a ritualistic event to manifest the love for the women through all the senses: the perfume of love, the savor of pleasure, the glow of enchantment, the touch of adoration and the whisper of devotion.

Yet when the evening began to unfold, it became ever more obvious that this night of love was prepared by a force far greater than that of all the men present in the camp. The powerful charge of every moment and every action, the astounding synchronicities and the high spiritual state which enveloped the entire room as though it has been lifted into some paradisiacal realm – all served as witness to the real hand behind the night's celebration – Shiva. The supreme eternal masculine himself came down to manifest His love, through all the men, for His eternal lover, through all the women.

That evening presented me with many revelations: the great happiness of making a loved one happy, the deep joy of intimacy, and the miraculous gift of love which is granted simultaneously to both the loved one and to the one who loves. How great is the happiness of loving these women, and how wonderful is the joy when they most graciously accept our love. How adorable is her smile when I caress and embrace her with affection, when I please her with the taste of fruit and the fragrance of rose petals. The lush curve of her lips, showing me her elation, uplifts my heart into unexpected Ecstasy. How wonderful are the ways of love, and how natural it is to love in the presence of these divine feminine manifestations.

When the moment comes, the men respectfully withdraw to their side of the hall, and there they solemnly await the women's decision – to continue the separation or to join our embrace? A thin vale keeps us apart. Mihai reads his declaration of love to Shakti, and his words might as well have been written on the hearts of all the men. We are the knights in the garden, under our beloved's window, serenading her, inviting her to come down to us.
The women, ever aloof and intensely alive at the same time, accept all these words of love and transform them into stars and galaxies to fill the entire heavens. Eventually, they accept our call, the curtain rises and we meet in love's embrace.
The legend continues...

By Arthur Lederer


Here is one of the poems dedicated to Shakti:


Behold
by Michael Storm Jensen

Your presence makes me melt
my defences against life
your gentle devouring essence
takes me in
into a place of silence
a place where words are worthless
where nakedness is the code
your love burns me pure
and again I am
cloaked with the fire of love
we are dressed
for the rise of the serpent
who carries us into unknown depths
of our beings
where we celebrate this extraordinary
meeting of you and I
we are there in the dance
the space where only you and I meet
where we twirl away
into the dance of Shiva and Shakti

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