The Sky-Dancing Goddess

The sanskrit word dakini in Tibetan becomes khandro, which means “sky dancer,” literally “she who moves through space” … She can appear as a human being or as a deity, often portrayed as fierce, surrounded by flames, naked, dancing … ~ Lama Tsultrim Allione, Wisdom Rising
Already Awake
When we read between the lines, what do we see? It is a place that has no bounds. Which is scary. It is why we can randomly feel uneasy at times. A story sits inside us that we cannot fully comprehend. Fragments of that story whirl through us, and bam! Anxiety. Bam! Overwhelm. It feels beyond our control – the story of ‘who we are not’ shuts us down. We become absent. Funnily enough, we can learn to be comfortable in the place where there is no ground. And nowhere to run. How? We dance, of course! This is the realm of the ‘Dakini.’ She flows in sync with the pulsing of our heart, and hums the song of the soul. She encourages us to face our fears. At the level of who we think we are, and who we really are.
When we feel anxious, or puffed up in arrogance, the dakini can cut such elaborations down. She is fierce, but also gentle. As I have come to learn in my own understanding of the dakini, everything that arises in the ‘self’ is valid. It arises based on habits and past experiences. When I criticise myself, or when I cast unhealthy competition over myself, it is a very human experience. The arising of such thoughts and feelings are solidifying themselves as ‘identities,’ or attaching themselves to my sense of an ‘individual self.’ Which is beautiful in all of its complexity. But at some stage, I have to let go. Death looms over us. Sickness also. Vulnerability. Loosening my tight grip, I see that the spacious world to surrender into isn’t so bad – it feels relieving. It is a very effective way to train in ‘being ok with whatever comes my way.’ And this can untangle me from the tangling of ‘being at odds against the world.’
From here, the phoenix rises from the ashes. Back into life, with unlimited vitality. In India, the dakini was initially known as an entity that helped usher one through transition. More specifically, death. Likewise, on the other side of the rainbow of our struggles and victories, one finds that nothing is different to before. The only difference is, one is aware of what is going on. Life is messy, life is joyous. The one thread that runs through it all is one’s experience. Awake and receiving the wonder of life, moment to moment. And the human self arises again, anxious, egotistic. Like clouds in the sky. The dakini never stops dancing; nor should we stop watching and smiling, as the clouds pass.

Healing Language
The openness, mutual transparency, and total trust required by the yoga of union make it an ideal discipline to bring the negative emotions to awareness and transform their poison into the ambrosia of enlightened awareness. ~ Miranda Shaw, Passionate Enlightenment
The dakini sings, speaks, and recites in the ‘twilight language.’ The main goal of this language is to stop the mind, and drop us into a felt experience, or perhaps no experience at all. Much like a Zen koan. Its other purpose is to mimic nature. The dakini is the movement of energy, the movement of nature. Like Goddess Mari, she connects us intimately with nature. Another purpose is that it is a messenger of nature. A translator. How often does nature feel so awe-inspiring, that it is virtually beyond words? Yet, we try to capture its beauty in words. In music. In art. That is the power of creativity. We listen to the muses. They give birth to our expression.
Spiritual traditions can rely on receiving messages, or signs, from nature. In Tibet, they have terma (treasure texts) – downloads of meditations (received by tertons) to help encourage positive changes in the world. From various traditions, a variety of methods can be utilised. Using the mind, the breath, and the body; to energise, and to make the challenges of life a little easier to deal with. One example is ‘breath of fire,’ a yoga exercise to cleanse the nervous system and the air that runs through the bodily system. This simple practice increases resilience. ‘Union,’ ‘consort practice,’ or simply enjoying the senses for a moment, uses intimacy to purify any mental, physical, or energetic blocks. This practice breaks down any negative self-images we have of ourselves.
An important historical figure in 11th-century Tibet was Machig Labdrön. A tantric master, but more importantly, someone who realised the ‘nature of mind.’ Which is to see life just as it is. In a paradox, she taught the meditation of ‘non-meditation.’ It sounds difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, that’s the point! Have you ever washed the dishes, or sat down in a comfortable chair, and felt a sudden, direct and deep sense of peace? That’s kind of it. Machig was also the founder of the practice chöd (pronounced ‘chu’), which means to cut through the ego. It is a practice that is performed with a drum and a bell, and is sung. It has a mystical musical sensibility to it. Machig is seen as a ‘dakini’ – which is also a way to describe all female gurus, and all who embody the feminine. Another way in which this enigmatic term is used.
Dance With All of Your Heart
The dakini refuses to accept the logic of life versus death, gain versus loss, and pain versus pleasure … In this charnel ground, beauty has no rival in ugliness. The polarities have collapsed, and great joy is found in the greatest devastation. This is the power of the dancing dakini. ~ Judith Simmer-Brown, Dakini’s Warm Breath
In my book Ace Egos, I weave threads that connect nature, spirit, and the divine. My writing approach takes shape in ways that sometimes feel ‘otherworldly.’ Sometimes chaotic. And in other moments – more enjoyable ones – completely in the flow. It has a dakini-like dance to it. In my book Ace Egos, there are a certain group of people who work in such mysterious ways, to help one discover their ‘true self’ – they are called the Zeratera.
As I go deeper into the book, what is reflecting back to me is that ‘you are your own medicine.’ A great master once said ‘there are as many religions as there are individuals.’ That rings true to me. The path you are on can only be walked by you. Precious and vital to the world, because its imprint is uniquely yours. You come into form in your own way. So too the deforming and reforming of you happen in your own way. To bridge these processes; healing and transformation in your own way. Your own dance of life.
What does your own dance look like? Feel like? There is no one answer to that. The only consistent rhythm and dynamics of your expression is, it is ever-changing. Use that to your advantage. Plunge into the heart of life, get lost, fall in love, write to the stars, run with the sun. And never stop being whoever you are, wherever you are. Your truth is always revealing itself.



