Ambling along the banks of the river you will one day cross,
how does the environment influence you?
What do you allow to permeate your Being?
Which impressions dissolve you in their resonance?

S O A K
S T E E P
S A T U R A T E

B L O O M

In general those parts of a flower which we most admire, such as the petals, are secondary sexual characters, closely associated with the minute primary characters. The whole assembly is paraded and flaunted with joyful unconcern above the more mundane structural and nutritive organs, and it constitutes what is usually for us the most attractive feature of the plant. In this way flowers exemplify more completely and perfectly than any other living organisms the primordial innocence, beauty and unselfconsciousness of the sexual function. As a symbol and as something like a perpetual renewal of the primordial act of creation, that function is essentially sacred.

— Lord Northbourne, Flowers

Dedication

To the One Who Opens the door

The Door

And the Gate Keeper

And, to the One who walks through

- Sulis Sarasvati, 2015

“The cultivation of passionate love began in Europe as a reaction to Christianity (and in particular its doctrine of marriage) by people whose spirit, whether naturally or by inheritance, was still pagan,”
―Denis de Rougemont, Love in the Western World

Notes: During the medieval period, the tradition of amor courtois emerged as a response to the domination of salvationist religion throughout Europe. This concept of romantic love defied ecclesiastical doctrines, positioning the knight as reliant on his lady to dignify his exploits. This movement effectively revived the ancient practices of Goddess worship and contributed more to the humanisation of Western society than any sermons from priests. The devotion to personal love, illustrated by legendary characters like Tristan and Isolde, offered a powerful alternative to the prevailing religious orthodoxy.

Image: Tristan and Isolde (extract) by John William Waterhouse

Art pleases by reminding, not by deceiving.
— John Constable

"Woman created the Universe. She is indeed the very body of the Universe.
Woman is the foundation of all three worlds. She is the essence of our body.
There exists no other happiness but that bestowed by Woman.
There exists no other Path but that which can be opened by Woman.
There has not been, there is not, and there will never be
Neither yesterday, nor today nor tomorrow
Any other treasure superior to the Woman,
Neither kingdom, nor pilgrimage place, nor Yoga, nor prayer
Nor mantra, nor asceticism, nor bigger plenitude
But that offered by the Woman."
– Shaktisangama Tantra

Let's look at this a bit closer then. Are we talking about "all women" / "women in general" / "the majority of women", or capitalized "Woman" as in, the divine manifestation of Yin, the feminine principle? The difference could not be more devastating.

One would be caught in weeping and gnashing one's teeth over a partner only if grasping and clinging to a permanent self:
"Woe is me, the woman is making me reactionary. I will never love a woman again!"
It's necessary to mention that this works the other way around as well. "Woe is me, the man has hurt me, I will never commit to another again."
It works either way, and either way is both unenlightened and natural at the same time.

Ego broken 😢
Check your mindset.

Don't want feelings? Then stop being human, I guess.

Tears and pain are a part of human life, and only if we understand them as an absolute cause for suffering, we end up in a bad place. See about your attachments and set some higher standards for finding a partner:

No less than divine, no more than human.
Instead of trying to change the people around you or cutting yourself away from them altogether, envision a situation that already contains the ideal.

If we're striving for a balanced mind, no extreme can ever be a solution. That means neither complete attachment to a partner, nor complete abstinence (or whatever other pair of opposites there may be prevalent in your life) is the way to balance.

However, experiencing the extremes is a potent way to develop the virtue of discernment, and can therefore be seen as a means to the development of an enlightened mind.

The filter of one's mental conceptions creates the experiences of one's life, therefore:

If you could have what you most need right now, what would it be?

And what would it be like if you had it?

If Woman is enlightenment, Man is enlightenment also.

[The Blessed One said:] "If both husband & wife want to see one another not only in the present life but also in the life to come, they should be in tune [with each other] in conviction, in tune in virtue, in tune in generosity, and in tune in discernment. Then they will see one another not only in the present life but also in the life to come."

Prostrations: made
Pillow: consecrated
House: purified
Boundaries: established
Hands: folded
Incense: lit
Flight mode: on
Divine Mother: invoked

Reception of the supramundane power of my womb: activated

🔥✨😘