July-Danger of Accessing the Feminine

The recent tragic events that occurred during James Arthur Ray´s seminar and the sweat lodge he conducted, which resulted in the deaths of three people and hospitalization of approximately 20 others, brings into the collective awareness the dangers that exist in accessing the deep feminine.  Sweat lodges are an important Native American ritual led by experienced Lodge Keepers, who are typically Native American or have been trained by an experienced Native American elder or leader.  The Lodge Keeper must have humility or deep respect for the Great Spirit.  Oftentimes, the Lodge Keeper is a Shaman who has undergone rites of passage, such as the Sun Dance, to obtain the initiation that allows him/her the ability to access the Great Spirit world.  The Sun Dance is a ritual process that requires hanging from a tree by hooks that pierce the breast.  To conduct a ritual such as this out of a consciousness state that does not honor the depths of feminine energies—to act only for material gain or to enhance one´s ego—is to flirt with disaster both physically and mentally.

I have witnessed in my practice, people who are not experienced in the arts of meditation or in accessing states of consciousness that are unfamiliar to their egos.  They experience panic attacks. One sensitive young woman I know now suffers from panic after attending an ashram in India. Another group of spiritual individuals wanted to  take their