Hilly Spenceley – Why I teach Tantra & what attracted me to it….
I first heard the word Tantra in 1971, when I had a particularly bad sexual experience (time of free love and sexual revolution etc)
I wasnt’ impressed!…
Secondly around the same time, I also had someone show me some Tantric paintings from Ajit Mookerjee, which where beautiful imagery of Yantra’s and symbolism…
I couldn’t marry up both these ideas, and I think over the years I always had a question….
Moving on to 1991, after many years of practicing Bhakti yoga
Bhakti yoga, also called Bhakti marga (literally the path of Bhakti), is a spiritual path or spiritual practice within Hinduism focused on loving devotion towards a personal god.
It is one of the paths in the spiritual practices of Hindus, this tradition has ancient roots.
And also leading a sexual life, I began to wonder about the divide between sexuality and spirituality…feeling the gigantic split between these two ways of being…
It wasn’t long after this that the answer to my questions presented themselves to me …
I always feel that Tantra invites us in and not that we decide on this path…
So I was invited to a introduction to Tantra weekend…
Remembering my first experience of Tantra, I really wasn’t keen, it was a ‘no’ as unreasonable fear arose in me!…not getting involved in that seedy arena no way Hosea!..
I was asked 3 times to attend…I have a 3 time thing!…whereas if I hear or am asked something 3 times I take note..
So with trembling legs I set forth and great trepidation!…and it wasn’t any better when I walked in on the Friday evening for dinner…
I think it was possibly one of the most terrifying experiences I ever had…nothing bad happened at all!…
I was just faced with myself and what I felt was sheer terror..
I survived the weekend, just!…I would never have gone back had it not been for two very powerful experiences…
- I saw myself in a past life, in sheer joy, innocence and divinely happy in Tibet with the facilitator of that group…mad eh? I am not so prone to setting my life to a past life experience!…
- I saw myself dancing naked in front of a group of women, with such abandon, again with the same feeling of joy and happiness…
I knew in that moment without a shadow of a doubt that this was going to be my life and that I was born for this…
I knew it wouldn’t be easy, I knew it was what I had waited for and I knew my questions were being answered…
The split between sexuality and spirituality were starting to come together and they were both in my body, not conceptually but tangibly physical …
So there you are …no choice…I had done almost everything under the sun and it was now time for the big one!…
They do say that Tantra is the royal path, it is fire and burns all that, that is unnecessary in our lives…It is a fearsome, passionate, disciplined, spiritual journey ….
I attended every retreat there was, at that time there was only one Tantra school in the UK….
It wasn’t easy, Tantra has an uncanny way of leaving no stone unturned, it gets to all those parts that we would like to hide, both known and unknown …
I completed my couples training then assisted on the next couples and started the mixed program….
In 2001 started Shakti Tantra….
Why do I teach Tantra…
Because it is the arena of the utmost love and honesty…and we so desperately need this in our lives..
To be able to find a way of coming into the heart with consciousness and live your life with that choice, is in my opinion is priceless!….
Hilly xxx
Hilly’s approach is very grounded and practical, coming from her deep understanding of family and intimate relationships. She is known for her wisdom, joy, love and total acceptance within her workshops and is very skilled and experienced in running groups of which she has over 30 years practice.
