Womandance: A Powerful Healing
Modality
by Tonya K. Freeman D.D. Ms D. D. M. C. A.
“Dancing is an emotional outlet,
so let yourself flow.”
-Snoopy Comic
Strip
Women have been doing healing praise dances for centuries. They
danced in the hills, the valley, in the desert, and by the ocean.
They danced to demonstrate their oneness with nature. From what
I can see, all forms of the dance of the feminine are healing
to the body, mind and spirit.
Today, there is a very popular dance form that many women are
exploring and that is belly dancing. Belly dancing is a birthing
fertility dance that helps women to stay in shape, and is also
very sensual.
In the Congo, there is another form of dance where a woman moves
her body in almost the same way that a belly dancer does. The
rhythmic movement is captivating to the spirit and could be seen
as Trance or Ecstatic dancing. I have also seen similar moves
in Senegalese and Nigerian dances as well.
In the days of our Ancestral Mothers, the Priestesses who tended
the temples of the Goddess in all Her aspects were known as Temple
Priestesses, and they danced with abandonment for the Spirit
of Love. That is what I see dance as: a way to allow the Spirit
of Love to take over and express itself through movement.
The Sacred Dancer connected herself to the entire universe. She
was one with all things. The dance was not only a way of telling
the story of life-it was a celebration of life itself. Uni-Verse.
One Song. The Song of Love.
Women knew the magic and the healing power of the Sacred Dance.
They knew that by dancing together and for one another that they
were doing the work of the Great Mother Goddess. They enjoyed
a direct connection to the Divine Femi9 Energy.
At some point in history, the Dance of Life became misinterpreted
and seen as lewd. Patriarchy began to set the tone for the Sacred
Dance. The Movement of Life was restrained and contained, and
women began to lose their connection to the Great Mother and
all of nature.
Women were told that only a “certain kind of woman” would
move her body in such a manner. The Sacred Dance that kept the
body strong, healthy and supple, was seen as “dancing with
the devil.” Because of this mindset, women began to suffer
from constricted womb diseases that are quite prevalent today.
Of course, this is not the only reason that the womb suffers.
Along with the movement of the body, there are the hand mudras that help
to heal and connect to Spirit on a much deeper level. Mudras were
first seen in Egypt but acquired the name mudra in India.
We, of the womb energy, are beginning to get back in touch with our
natural movement. In my heart, I know we can become whole again by
connecting to that Sensual Spirit, hidden deep within.
While in New York visiting the Ausar Auset Temple, I saw a demonstration
of a dance known as the Het Heru Healing Dance. It is a beautiful
dance that makes you feel like an exotic Temple Priestess.
Other forms of dance are the Moon Dance, the Wedding Dance, the Menstruation
Dance, the Veil Dance, the Mourning Dance, the Birth Dance, the Fertility
Dance and the Serpent Dance, which all connect the dancer to the
Great Earth Mother.
Woman, loose thy self! Free your mind and your body that you may
once again enjoy the feeling of movement for the sake of a more harmonious
life. Dance, and your heart will be joyful. Dance, feel and connect
to your inner wisdom and power.
Dancing is meditation in motion. Dancing is prayer. Dancing is a
way of expressing “praises for the world.” Let’s
dance and manifest a better world, for All Our Relations. “Dancing stimulates the unconscious mind, which leads to expanded
consciousness, and eventually expansion of the personality. It heightens
life and gives one a feeling of wholeness.” - Rosina Fawzia – Al-Rawi
(Grandmother’s Secrets)
“The Goddess holds the key to the most ancient forms of sacred
dance; she is inextricably linked to dance. Dance was the principle
form of worship of the Goddess. In some cases, in addition to her role
as creator, giver, and protector of all life, the Goddess herself was
a dancer, celebrating through dance the cycles of the seasons and the
cycles of life. It is here then, with the Goddess, that we begin our
journey into the world of sacred dance” . - Iris J. Stewart (Sacred
Woman, Sacred Dance)
Dr.
Tonya is an
Ancient Femi9 Wisdom Keeper, Founder and High Priestess Mwt Sekhmet
Het Heru of the Femi9 Lodge. She can be reached at Synchronicity Wed – Sun.
770-640-8184