Caz
Lately I have decided that I spend entirely too much time focused on the Hubby & the Hobbits (ok, I've known this for a long time... )I really DO love that we have so much time together as a family, but somewhere in there 'me' gets lost, as it tends to do with mums.  I've also felt slightly adrift spiritually of late and just can't seem to 'feel' it, if you know what I mean?   I've pondered quite a few things to nurture myself .. I considered writing classes, getting a job (ok it was working in a bead store so it would barely have been work!), and a few other things... but nothing really called to me.  

 Then DH suggested I look for a belly dance school locally.  What a perfect idea, it's time 'alone...it's physically active and I could definitely use that!, and it can be very spiritually awakening.  I took classes just before Merry was born, but DH went into a night shift job so it was impossible for me to continue.  Now, however, he's home by early afternoon at the latest!  So the door was opened and I jumped at the chance to step through.  

Dancing will fill the need to have ME time, as well as bring a bit more active spirituality to my days.    Throughout history, different cultures (probably most of them if I actually could google worth a damn ;) have used special dances to honour their Gods & Goddesses.   Hawaiian myths (used in the positive sense of the term here) say that Pele's sister first danced the hula oh the Hawaiian shoreline to appease her sister the volcano Goddess, and stop the flow of lava.  In India, they danced Garba dances to honour Durga before worship rituals, as well as Dandiya  dances afterwards in celebration.   

At the open day for a local belly dance school that I attended yesterday, I was lucky enough to see Anu dance a form of Dandiya.  It's traditionally done with two 'sticks' (think rhythm sticks sort of) that simulate swords in battle as Durga is a warrior Goddess.  The sticks are tapped lightly during the dance as if she were in battle, but the dance itself was very graceful and lovely.  I didn't get any photos yesterday as I was too busy watching, and getting the occasional free lesson, but here is a photo I found on wiki showing women doing a Dandiya dance.

Yesterday I saw gorgeous women of all sizes & shapes performing various dances.  There were vendor stalls selling scarves & dancewear and middle eastern food *yum*  And numerous dance performances ranging from Australian aboriginal dance, to the more traditionally thougth of Egyptian style belly dance and finishing up with the Dandiya.   And each gave us a brief lesson afterwards, although I'd have preferred to have my embarrassment in a less public venue lol, it was quite fun.    

I start classes tonight, and while I don't really have a cultural Goddess of my own to honour... I will at least honour my own Inner Goddess and learn to express the beauty I know is there, even when I'm not loving my own skin. 

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