The Art of Adoration

It seems to me that at the heart of the divine feminine is a passion for adoration. At a deep level, every woman wants the nourishment and excitement that adoration brings, both giving and receiving. Adoration, or intense love, provides a profound, almost spiritual level of excitement and presence. It transforms the mundane into the magical. Adoration feels delicious to experience and is sensually stimulating. 

The word "adoration" comes from ancient Rome where it meant, "carrying to one's mouth" and where devotees would kiss their hand and wave it in the direction of the one being adored. Other times they kissed statues representing gods and goddesses to display their devotion. Obviously since ancient times, the idea of adoration involved the moisture, the lips, and the sacred.

I am beginning to realize that a fundamental skill set for the awakened divine goddess of today is becoming a genius of adoration. This goes way beyond desiring adoration from others~ and instead, becoming our own endless source! 

I feel called to expand my ability to bask in my own deep nurturing, while simultanously sharing my shine with those who surround me: to pulse an energetic worship for being alive, savoring every second and sharing that zesty appreciation with others.

And thus, I am now embarking on a journey of self-discovery. It is a pilgrimidge back to myself and really, back to the feminine energetic within Creator. It feels like a place of absolute freedom and expansiveness where I have the ability to consciously generate the emotions I desire within myself instead of needing actions from others. The sweet irony is that this level of self-nurturing evokes a level of presence and love from others which doubly satisfies the need already met! 

So I have been thinking: What does it mean to experience self-adoration? This is not an ego-tripping narcissism~ there is no elitism at play here. Adoring the self is not at the expense of others. This form of self-adoration is like a training ground to cultivate the ability to cherish every trait within others and the miracle of life. After all, if we can fall in love with the things within that we most resist and judge, how can we not offer this overflow of love to others? 

So I've come up with some thoughts...

Adoration is about honoring the body as an embodiment of a greater, wise, expansive infinite feminine energetic which pulses through all people, places and things.

This is one half of a polarity of masculine and feminine, and available to both men and women to explore. It is about fostering the ability to nurture, restore, make whole, heal, be tender, affectionate, loving, wild, sensual, passionate, creative and mysterious. It is about honoring one's body as a physical extension of a much more expansive, creative cosmic energy.

Adoration is a nexus of possibilities where all things are possible and only the most desired outcome is probable. 

It is a complete immersion in love with the best possible solution. It is about luxuriating, blossoming, and being ripe and moist with life. Adoration is really all about pleasure, relishing the details and indulging in succulence.

Adoration feels wealthy. 

It feels like an infinite abundance of luxurious attention. It is about cherishing the little things and beaming pure appreciation upon every miracle which surrounds us. It feels like a vast expanse, a dark salty sea, teeming with life and depth.

Adoration feels like standing under a warm waterfall in a tropical paradise. 

It is exhilerating, healing and arousing to the senses. It invites embodiment, emotions, touching, tasting and hearing. It is a juicey embrace of all things sensate and activating. 

So here we go.. what does it mean on a practical level?

For me, self-adoration means approaching the body as a temple housing the sacred. 

It means touching, adorning and regarding one's self with beholding, as opposed to rushing or criticism. This means taking time to get the self-care done in a which builds a sense of allure, or mystic charm. Preparing food to nourish the body becomes an intentional practice of nutritional energy awareness and deliberate eating. Time is invested in connecting with the spirit of the foods consumed and anyone involved in the process of getting it to us. Bathing the body is done with gentle care and time is allowed to stretch on. Just like an empress, one diversifies the array of lotions, potions, elixers and tonics which restore, renew and leave a lusterous glow. One prioritizes massage, baths or body treatments or any kind of physical stimulation which amplifies a feeling of radiance. One also does the inner and outer work to consciously choose thoughts which feel good.

Self adoration means absolute attentiveness to the frequency of people, places and events with which we surround ourselves, knowing that we become like those we spend time with. 

This requires becoming an expert at loving communication, intuition and discernment. This may require courageousness in letting go of ties which feel like binding and embracing only those people and things which feed our soul. It may also ask for courage in taking a leap to deepen connections with those intriguing friends already known, but for some reason, always held at arms length. Most of all, it means doing whatever one needs to do to establish and maintain alignment in any situation, even those filled with contrast. The ultimate goal of self adoration is the ability to be anywhere, doing anything, with anyone and carrying the vibration of pure love.

Self adoration means opening to alchemical mysteries of adornment, joy, and sexuality. 

One dresses in ways which cultivate an energetic resonance of beauty. There is play in the realm of ornamentation which amplifies qualities desired~ treasures or jewels which boost a sense of self-esteem and other-worldly grace. One makes a spiritual practice of joyfulness and honing the inner awareness about how to generate and sustain higher and higher levels of elation. One prioritizes the things which make you feel more of you are. For me, these things include yoga, celebration, profound friendships, sauanas, hot springs, growing my own greens, and hosting gatherings. It means realizing that every second of time invested in self can create an overflow of joy which can be shared with others. Sensuality and sexuality are explored through tantric practices which foster the ability to vessel transmit divine life force energy through the body for the higher purposes of transmutation and awakening.

Self adoration also requests time investment in dance, nature and presence.  

Dance, as movement of the body to music, is explored as a way of loving the body, experiencing sensation and loving the all that is. While gym time could be one way to access this energy, risks are taken into wilder, more intuitive and ecstatic explorations as well. The "wild places" near oceans, rivers, waterfalls, mountains, canyons, forests, plains and deserts become sources of regeneration and reflection where one can quiet the mind and connect to a vast planetary consciousness as a source of guidance. And of course, underlying all of these practices are the skills that create a sense of being alive, awake, emotionally available and present.

Further questions which arises for me are: In how many ways can I be my own source of divine nourishment? What must I do on a daily basis to I arrive to all situations with a surplus of joy, generosity and light? How can I go beyond meeting my needs and instead lavish myself deeply? How can I bathe in an invisible nectar of self love in every moment so that my own self-acceptance radiates out to embrace all around me as perfect, whole, complete and divine? I ask all of this because it seems absolutely clear that having the ability to unconditionally love others as divine requires unconditionally love yourself as divine!

So... now that I have shared my current exploration, I am curious~ what does adoration mean to you What gets your blood rushing with exhuberant, sacred presence? Is anyone out there, man or woman, playing in these realms and have anything to share? Would you be interested in a playshop on this topic and if yes, any specific requests around activities or forums? I welcome your thoughts!

Comments

[Angela]

"What gets your blood rushing with exhuberant, sacred presence? Is anyone out there, man or woman, playing in these realms and have anything to share?"

Fresh fruits, green juices, and a good run outside or a yoga workout never fail to unlock the door to exuberant energy for me, and partner dancing or tantric sensuality is my fave way to enjoy the bliss of that delicious higher vibration. <3

[John Tyler]

Loving yourself provides you with an inexhaustible energy source. Theta Healing releases your ability to raise your bar and to surpass every expectation that you have of yourself.