Ah! Well, I have arrived in a sweet new location. Looking outside of the window seeing the rolling hills. I am now in a small village called Hilpertsau in an area in Germany known as the Black Forest…greeted by the kindness and hospitality of Imke and Michael, a host family I connected with through a website for travelers called Helpx.net. Feeling the freshness and softness of this new space in the wake of leaving the fullness and richness of my time and experience in Wettenbostel.
My last few days in Wettenbostel were a busy time for me. Deeply wrapped in the experience of a workshop at Wettenbostel this past weekend and then spending time with Jörn, my German friend and fellow resident at the Seminar Haus, before I left today. Drinking up all of the experience that was there for me, appreciating it as much as I could before departing.
The workshop I participated in was…a totally new experience for me. You can call it an experiment… of sorts. It was no ordinary workshop. It was…a tantric workshop. What is tantra you say? Even after the workshop I cannot say that I know for sure. What I can share, most simply expressed, is that tantra is a spiritual path that connects the spiritual and the erotic through the connection of the heart. Hmmm… sound interesting?
I was first encouraged to attend the workshop by my friend and former Wettenbostel porch companion, Dan. And one of the leaders of the tantra workshop, Astrid, is a Reiki Master and friend of the Seminar Haus. The seminar is open to singles and couples and for this weekend I learned they were in need of more women to participate and I was welcome to join them. So there it was… a door opening… dare I walk through? After a little guidance from a few trusted voices… I decided to go ahead and… participate.
The workshop began on a Friday night. New faces and voices filling the halls of the Seminar Haus. I was a little nervous to participate. Well, that is putting it mildly. But the kindness and sweetness of Astrid and the assistants helped to comfort me. During registration I was told a few ground rules… most importantly to love and trust myself in this experience. And then I was told to wear nice underclothes for that evening. Okay, I thought. Here we go.
We met in the seminar room in the Big Dojo, the room transformed into a warm living temple. The other leader, Lucian, arrived with big energy wearing a bright red suit. The workshop was led in German. And although I don’t speak German, I saw and watched and listened and when needed a helpful, friendly neighbor or assistant would whisper an English translation in my ear.
The seminar was divided into sessions with long generous breaks, giving me time to drink it what was offered. Morning began with yoga and most sessions started with music and dancing… letting go a little bit, connecting with the body and with others. Then a new ritual or exercise was introduced, many with a chosen partner. A few of the exercises helped to let go of emotional pain blocking the expression of self and sexual energy. And still others helped to open up the sexual energy and get more connected to being in the body and its joy and innocense.
As the weekend progressed, my nervousness decreased a little bit as I began to see that, while challenging, the work and the exercises were really helping me and opening me. The other participants there were kind, warm and welcoming. And I got to see and experience in myself… glimpses of things… I hardly knew were there. I began to feel a little more ease in myself through exploring this expression. Letting go of some of my boundaries that… just didn’t work anymore.
In the end for me the workshop experience was challenging, but deeply opening. I saw a tremendous amount of healing for myself and others around being comfortable with and expressing myself sexually and just being at ease with me. I got more connected to my own power.
And for now, here I am… in a sweet new spot. The beginning of another journey. New people, new experiences, more learning and healing. Just a wandering flower… growing in Europe and beginning to be… at ease.
Gypsy Woman 
Sounds great!