Cultivating Our Core Power Archetypes: First Stage in Becoming a "Master of the Universe"

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Six Core Power Archetypes: First Step in Mastery

Mastering ourselves is the first step in becoming a “Master of the Universe.”

The Kabbalistic Tree of Life: A Roadmap for Personal Mastery

Several millenia ago, some very insightful mystics and seers somehow discerned that the “roadmap to God-consciousness” (and complete mastery of who they were as human beings) could be described as traversing through various “centers” or “realms of existence.” They called these “centers” Sephiroth, and organized them in a map that has been called, throughout the ages, the Tree of Life.

There are ten Sephiroth. (These are the circles on the Tree of Life to the left.) Each Sephiroth represents something very specific – not only a “plane of existence” but also an aspect, or emanation, of God.

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The Kabbalistic Tree of Life

These aspects (Sephiroth) are organized in a logical manner. The “softer, gentler, kinder” ones comprise the Pillar of Mercy (on the right), and the “harsher,” more rigorous ones comprise the Pillar of Severity (on the left).

There are, potentially, 10×9/2 different connections between them. (Each one of the ten can connect with each of the remaining nine, and then these total paths need to be divided by two, so that they aren’t counted twice.) This means that there are potentially 45 different “connection paths.” In the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, though, only half of these paths – twenty-two of them – are actually defined and used.

This means that getting from one “center” (or state of consciousness, or realm of existence) to another is not just a “random-jump” sort of thing, but more like an ordered progression. Each step in this ordered progression has a certain meaning, and that meaning corresponds to an aspect of human experience. In fact, it corresponds to a significant step in our adult life journeys.

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The Three Adult Life-Journeys

The last blogpost discussed this Tree of Life, and how the Major Arcana (from the Tarot) relate to the pathways between the Sephiroth.

We identified three sequences of seven steps (Major Arcana) each. Each of these sequences is a major adult life journey. From the previous blogpost, we recall that these are:

  • The Worldly Sequence: We access and cultivate each of six Core Power Archetypes, and integrate them – we are able to use each one as appropriate.
  • Turning Inwards: We begin to release our ego. At the end of this sequence, we start to access and cultivate intrinsic life energy, or ch’i.
  • The Great Journey: A time of destroying the last of the old “structures” that keep us imprisoned, leading to full realization of our life’s purpose and being released to do our “great work.”

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The Worldly Sequence: Cultivating and Integrating Our Six Core Power Archetypes

Our first adult life journey takes us through the Worldly Sequence. During this time, we learn to cultivate each of the six Core Power Archetypes, plus a seventh step (integration):

  • Magician (Major Arcana Card I): Power to create “something from nothing.”
  • High Priestess (Major Arcana Card II): Contemplative inner wisdom.
  • Empress (Major Arcana Card III): Nurturing and caring; runs on oxytocin, the “bonding hormone.”
  • Emperor (Major Arcana Card IV): Strength, stability, structure, and order; the perennial “Program Manager,” thrives on building and maintaining structures and things (ranging from a business process to an actual empire).
  • Hierophant (Major Arcana Card V): One of the least understood but most important archetypes, this is the mentor/teacher/guide, typified by fictional characters ranging from Albus Dumbledore (in the Harry Potter series) to Mr. Miyagi (in the Karate Kid) to (of course) Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi (in Star Wars).
  • Love-Goddess (Major Arcana Card VI): All about pleasure and play; romance, love-making, sensual pleasure in all its forms; she runs on dopamine, the “ecstatic pleasure” hormone.

Various blogposts, as well as sections in Unveiling: The Inner Journey, have described these various archetypes, as well as the seventh step, integration.

Most MOST Popular Post on the Six Core Power Archetypes and Integration:

The OTHER Most Popular Posts on the Six Core Power Archetypes and Integration:

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Becoming a "Master of the Universe": Three Essential Life-Stages

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The Three Essential Life Stages: Why You Need Each, and How They Empower You

Don’t we all harbor some secret longing to be a Master of the Universe?

Our ongoing fascination with (and often immersion in) the heroic actions of super-heroes tells us what is important to us: we desire to live a heroic life, to be much, much larger than the events and circumstances of our daily lives.

The way that we do this, in real life, is not to become a fantasy action-figure, but to go through each step of our adult life journey. This is actually a huge challenge, and one that taxes and challenges us as much as any story in myth or legend.

Low-resolution Masters of the Universe poster, from Wikipedia, under Fair Use Act, for educational and illustrative use.

Often, we have to wait until our children are grown and are careers are more-or-less stable. Then, we can begin devoting more attention to our “voyage of self-discovery.”

This is not something recent in human history. Rather, our most ancient stories and legends tell us about a Tree of Life that held the secrets of human experience.

The Kabbalistic Tree of Life Holds Guidance for Our Personal Growth

From the very earliest of human stories, we have held this “inner seeking” as finding the Tree of Life. Those of us who have done a little esoteric study know that this Tree of Life is a fundamental aspect of the Judaic Kabbalah. It represents the different “realms of existence,” through which our consciousness travels as we seek to know God.

Kabbalistic Tree of Life includes twenty-two pathways connecting the various “centers” (Sephiroth). These pathways are numbered 0 through 21. (The “zeroth” pathway gives it a total of 22 instead of 21 paths.)

There is a reason why, in some esoteric Judaic traditions, men were not allowed to study the Kabbalah until they were at least forty years old. It was not until then that they were potentially in a more balanced frame of mind.

Now, of course, Kabbalah studies are available to women as well as men, and to young as well as more mature adults.

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Knowing “Who We Are” Becomes More Possible As We Mature

Sometimes, we begin learning about “who we truly are” when we are young. More often, this is something that we start later in life. This is true for both women and men.

For women, the shift to asking more about ourselves ties into changes in our hormonal balance. As we go through peri-menopause and menopause, we are less driven by hormones that cause us to seek soul-satisfaction through nurturing and caring for others. And as our monthly cycles diminish, we have a calmer baseline for self-observation. Also, we begin to gain more testosterone, especially relative to our other hormonal levels. This often gives us renewed vigor for pursuing a new career, running for public office, or taking on a new area of interest.

On a similar note, as a man’s testosterone levels diminish, his hormonal balance shifts. He is now able to find greater satisfaction in bonding with others. This allows him to access the more humanly-connected aspects of his psyche, which previously were not as available to him, when he was driven by testosterone-fueled competition.

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Three Major Stages in Our Adult Life Journey

Throughout millenia, scholars and sages have used the Kabbalah to guide their inner journey. One derivative of the Kabbalah has been the Major Arcana, commonly associated with the Tarot. These Major Arcana comprise twenty-two cards, and each is associated with a significant human archetype: an aspect of who we are, an important step in personal growth, or a key event.

These twenty-two Major Arcana cards correspond to the twenty-two pathways connecting the Sephiroth in the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, and to the twenty-two letters in the Hebrew alphabet). However, without going deeply into Kabbalistic studies, we can see how some scholars have organized the Major Arcana to describe our “adult life journey.”

The first Major Arcana (Card 0) is called the Fool. This does not mean a “foolish person.” Nor is it like the “Fool” in medieval courts. Rather, it suggests that when we start our adult life-journey in some depth, we are open-ended, optimistic, and a little bit naive. We are willing to go wherever our journey takes us, and are light-hearted and carefree.

Once we set apart the Fool as our starting point, we are left with twenty-one Major Arcana. We can group these naturally and straightforwardly into three sets of seven cards each, as shown in the layout above.

We can see that each set of seven deals with a different kind of “life theme.” In this discussion, I use the names given by Rachel Pollack, in Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom.

  • The Worldly Sequence: We are still very involved in the world, and in our roles in the world. This is our opportunity to cultivate aspects of “who we are” that have not received much attention up until now.
  • Turning Inwards: We begin to realize that our various “roles” in the world are still not completely satisfying, and go much deeper into ourselves.
  • The Great Journey: This is a time of great discovery and transformation. If successfully concluded, we begin to create the greatest work of our lives, fully realizing our purpose for being.

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Our Experience of Our “Adult Life Stages” May Not Always Be in Linear Order

Just because our “adult life stages” have a logical order does not mean that we always have that simple, straightforward progression in our lives. This is because our lives are now very complex.

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Now, more than ever, the various aspects of our “life-journey” are brought together in a kaleidoscope-like manner; we are often experiencing aspects or fragments of each of our major life-journey aspects in new and unsettling ways.

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Our Experience of Our “Adult Life Stages” May Not Always Be in Linear Order

Just because we often seem to be having lots of different “life stage experiences” all at once, doesn’t mean that we’ve lost all sense of order and balance. There is often a sort of “local order.” This means, some of these major steps or experiences do connect with each other.

The challenge for us in these times is that just as in a hologram, there is a lot of information – many patterns – contained within each small aspect of our lives.

In a previous blog, I called this a “holographic” experience of our archetypes.

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Autostereograph – the 2D image on the bottom is recreated as a 3D representation. Work done by Fred Hsu. Used with permission.

There are still aspects of our life-journey stages that stay connected, even when the overall picture seems fractured and disordered. This is because in many cases, one life-journey aspect leads naturally to another, and then perhaps to a third. There are natural connections that make some aspects of our personal growth at least a little – if not predictable, then – meaningful.

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Resources for Understanding in Unveiling: The Inner Journey

In Unveiling: The Inner Journey, I address each of these three different life-stages.

The Worldly Sequence: Archetypes and Integration

  • The Core Power Archetypes: Chapter 7, “A Real Woman’s Path (Really Does Exist!)”
  • Shifting Between Archetypes and Integration: Chapter 11, “Shifting State”

Turning Inwards

  • Discovering Inner Strength in Quietness: Chapter 9, “The Essence of Stillness”
  • Becoming Aware of Inner Processes: Chapter 10, “In Our Bodies”
  • Becoming Aware of How Our Bodies Have Held Emotional Pain, Starting the Release Work: Part IV, Chapters 14 – 16, “Locking Our Minds,” “Softening,” and “Unsticking”
  • Reframing How We Live Our Lives: Part V, “The Ritual,” Chapters 17 – 21
  • Creating and Using Intrinsic Vital Energy, or Ch’i: Part VI, especially Chapter 26, “Unveiling: Selective Revelation,” and Chapter 29, “Pragmatic Esoterics.”

The Great Journey: Everything “Comes Apart” and Comes Back Together

  • Our “Dark Journey”: Chapters 27 & 28, “Letting Go: The Inanna Story” and “Going Deeper,” respectively.
  • Victory at Last: Chapters 30 & 31, “Releasing Passion” and “For All of Us (Spiral Pathworking),” respectively.

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You can read the Table of Contents, along with the Introduction and first chapter of Unveiling using Amazon’s “Look Inside” feature. You can obtain either a trade paper or Kindle version of Unveiling through Amazon.

 

 

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Subsequent blogposts will organize the blog material written thus far according to the “three life stages” identified here. The majority of the posts written over the past year concentrate on one or another of the six Core Power Archetypes identified in the first adult life journey, called the Worldly Sequence.

The next blogpost will overview the Worldly Sequence, identify each of the six Core Power Archetypes (along with the two “reserve” or “battery-power” archetypes), and discuss integration – the final step in this sequence.

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"God is the Biggest Joker of All" – Book of the Month, September 2012

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God is the Biggest Joker of All, by S. Alice (Alicja) Jones, is Book of the Month and First “Recommended Reading” for Alay’nya Studio Members

S. Alice (Alicja) Jones has written a book that combines personal story-telling with themes similar to A Conversation with God.

In an easy, conversational, and personal style, Alice (Alicja) tells how she both developed her intuitive gifts and her spiritual walk.

 

 

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S. Alicja Jones, a gifted intuitive, Reiki master, and spiritual teacher, has taught “A Course in Miracles” for many years, and credits it with saving her marriage.

In this book, her own “conversations with God” have no less spiritual truth in them than the sometimes more abstract and challenging “Conversations” and “Course in Miracles.” However, the conversations in her book are often more personal, and more approachable, than either of the two aforementioned books. I find it helpful, in my own spiritual journey, to learn that others who have been on their path – diligently and for many years – still feel uncertainty, and have many questions.

While I’ve been studying (and grappling with) “A Course in Miracles” for almost a year, the “Course” is a multi-year, if not life-long challenge. It can be very “in your face” at times.

 

 

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In contrast, Alicja’s “God is the Biggest Joker” is a gentler, more humane approach. The issues are the same, and the “conversations” here are those that every person who seeks an honest relationship with God must ask. But somehow, as Alicja conveys them, they seem much more like the questions that an “everyday” person (not someone who is already a mystic or saint) might ask. And the answers are both surprising and comforting.

This is the kind of book that can be read in a few short hours, and is a “comfort read.” It’s a good one to pick up at the end of a long work day, while coming home from a business trip, or if staying at home with the flu. It is inspirational and heartwarming at the same time.

And God’s sense of humor, as revealed in this book, comes across as gently loving – the way that a parent or favorite teacher might be, when he or she teaches us to not take ourselves – or our lives – so very seriously.

Z Helene – Dancer, Choreographer, Teacher – Reviews "Unveiling"

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Z Helene – Noted Dancer, Choreographer, Teacher, “Herstorian,” and Spiritual Visionary – Reviews Unveiling: The Inner Journey

The newest 5-star Amazon review of Unveiling – posted just last evening – is by noted dancer, author, choreographer, teacher and “herstorian” Z Helene Christopher.

Z Helene’s review is absolutely wonderful! Not just because it’s a glowing endorsement (it is), but because she so adroitly summarizes the thoughts, themes, and interwoven concepts and sources for Unveiling: The Inner Journey.

By reading her review, you’ll get a great sense of Unveiling’s nature – and also learn how a creative dancer, thoughtful researcher, and spiritual leader such as Z Helene applies Unveiling to her own life.

Z Helene writes:

Alay’nya has created a cohesive and enlightening gestalt that is both relevant and extremely useable, and this, I believe, is her true gift as an authoress. Potentially difficult information is presented in a way that is digestible and immediately accessible. We get practical hands-on exercises throughout the book (and at the end of each chapter) to guide us on our quests towards individuation. From tips on posture, poise, and presence to breathing and journaling techniques, Unveiling can also be considered a workbook to be used for small group study, akin to Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way.

 

 

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To read Z Helene’s review, please go to Amazon’s Unveiling page, and then scroll down and click on “See all 19 customer reviews”:

 

 

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If you’ve already read Unveiling, please go to the Amazon page and “Find Helpful” Z Helene’s review. (Also, please “Find Helpful” other 5-star reviews by noted scholars and author such as Morocco (writing as Carolina V. Dinicu), Donald Michael Kraig, Julie Rahm, and others.)

Then, go to Z Helene’s own site and read her excellent papers! I particularly like her one on Middle Eastern Dance: The Emergence of the New Sacred Temple Priestess. I’m finding what she writes is true in my own life, and you may find that you resonate with this as well. (Note also that Z Helene has produced some excellent instruction and performance DVDs; check them out – she’s received widespread accolades and respect for her work.)

If you haven’t yet read Unveiling, first read Z Helene’s review – which makes now for a total of EIGHTEEN 5-star Amazon reviews (yippee!!!), and then order your own copy as either a trade paper or Kindle edition.

Or if you’d like to get a dated, numbered, and signed copy, the Unveiling website gives info on book signings, radio and TV appearances, and other events.

You can purchase signed copies of Unveiling at these great independent bookstores:

North Virginia: One More Page Books in Falls Church, VA, offers books (with an emphasis on local interest/local authors), interesting wines, and exotic chocolates. What better combination for a sensual weekend of reading?

Tantalizing chocolates – right near the check-out counter at One More Page Books in Falls Church, VA.

(And just for fun, read Arlington Magazine’s recent feature article about One More Page Books.

Albuquerque, New Mexico: Bookworks is a locally-owned, locally-operated, independent bookstore that was founded in 1984. “We were indie before indie was cool.”

If you’re out-of-town, or can’t make it to either of these events (or to one of Unveiling’s much-loved indie bookstores), you can STILL get a specially-inscribed (dated, numbered, signed) copy of Unveiling through Cleopatra’s Closet. (Order your copies now and stockpile as Christmas presents!)

If you’re teaching dance, consider using Unveiling as “recommended reading” for your students. And if you’re a member of a book circle, consider using Unveiling as one of your selected readings.

If you’re truly feeling ambitious, follow the Seasonal Study Guide with Unveiling, using the references for each chapter to augment your own self-discovery and unfolding.

Have a lovely, wonderful, and blessed day!

Yours in dance – Alay’nya

Book of the Month: Dr. Christiane Northrup’s "The Wisdom of Menopause"

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Dr. Christiane Northrup’s The Wisdom of Menopause – Now Richer than Ever!

You probably already know that the women involved in dance tend to be a little above-the-average (sometimes a LOT above-the-average) in terms of intelligence. Emotional intelligence, body-intuitive intelligence, expressive and movement intelligence, and good, old-fashioned, intellectual intelligence.

If you’re like me, you’ve been taking little imaginary “mini-vacations” using books lately. (That’s using our intellectual intelligence and creative, imaginative intelligence in tandem.)

Are you nearly over your “beach reads”?

I’ll confess – I’ve been doing a little “staycation” this week. Still “clocking in” to work (at my home office) every day – but have ripped through two totally “beach-read” novels in past two days alone. (Yes, that means staying up real late.)

But within a week or so, I’ll be over this, and interested in something more “solid.” Which brings me to Dr. Christiane Northrup’s books. Her loving endorsement of Unveiling (see below) has me re-reading her works again.

Dr. Christiane Northrup, author of the New York Times best-sellers Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom and The Wisdom of Menopause .

Dr. Christiane Northrup, author of the New York Times best-sellers Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom and The Wisdom of Menopause .

We have something in common, Dr. Northrup and I. We’re both professionals – she’s an Ob/Gyn practitioner, and my Ph.D. is in theoretical physical chemistry. She’s done a lot of mainstream medical work over her career, and I’ve been an inventor, with four patents in computer science and a book about neural networks (the computer sort; think the android “Data” from the later Star Trek series, with his “neural network brain”). But both of us have examined our inner worlds – gone on our own “inner journeys” – and have observed and inquired into what other people have been learning. And we’ve each put what we’ve learned in book form.

We’re similar also in that our “writing voice” is very warm, intimate, and personal. Somehow, we’ve each managed to escape from the dry, distant “academic voice” with which we were taught, and learned to write in a way that makes you – the reader – feel connected.

And you know what? I’m really enjoying reading her book, The Wisdom of Menopause. It feels like we’re having a cup of coffee together, and she’s telling me about her life.

Dr. Christiane Northrup’s recently revised and updated The Wisdom of Menopause (Jan., 2012) is worth our time. (And I’m rereading it – and loving it more than ever!)

Her book is available in trade paper form from Amazon, and also as a Kindle download.

Dr. Northrup just sent me an email describing Unveiling as “delightful,” and saying that it brings “divine sensuality to women.” (Hooray for her! And hooray for me! So thrilled to get this accolade from an author as respected and loved as her!)

I reference The Wisdom of Menopause in Unveiling:

As described by Dr. Christiane Northrup in The Wisdom of Menopause, we become attuned to new pathways opening up for us at this time. With the monthly cycle of hormones diminishing, we have a more steady and consistent “baseline” for our self-observations. (Unveiling, p. 125)

If you’re just beginning your “inner journey” – or are well into the midst of it – Dr. Northrup’s book(s) and my own Unveiling make great hand-in-hand reads. Check us both out!

And as you make the transition from purely a “beach read” to something more substantial – what are you reading now? And what’s “in your bag” for Labor Day weekend?

Comment below – nominate your favorite reads – and I’ll select one to blog about the few days before Labor Day – so others will tune in to your favorite book!

"Unveiling: The Inner Journey" Celebrates First Year Anniversary!

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The Unveiling Community Celebrates First Anniversary with Gala Party

On Saturday, July 28th, founding members of the Unveiling Community – and new ones as well – gathered at Alay’nya’s home to toast the first anniversary of publication.

As featured in a McLean Connection article on “Pathways for Today’s Heroine”, by writer/photographer Lori Baker, guests each had a story to share about their own “inner journey.”

From left to right, Kim Murray, Alay’nya (Alianna Maren), and Katherine (“Kate”) Hanna. Photo by Lori Baker, McLean Connection. Used with permission.

(If this link doesn’t work, please go to: McLean Connection, click on “McLean” (upper right-hand corner of the title bar), and look for the article (central column) titled “A Pathway for Today’s Heroine.”

As described by Ms. Baker, writing for the McLean Connection:

“Last week, McLean author, Alianna Maren’s living room was filled with fascinating women. There were old friends, and new friends, several of whom edited or contributed to her recent book, “Unveiling: The Inner Journey.”

“The women gathered in her home, on a wooded and peaceful neck of McLean, to celebrate one year of the book’s publishing. Each guest had a unique background, and a special reason for being there. Among them were authors, dancers, a women’s organizational consultant and life coach, and a spiritual teacher, just to name a few. Each had an opinion of the book’s message, and each articulated the need for such a book in today’s world.”

Social commentator and activist photographer/videographer Kim Murray, whose thoughts on the Heroine’s Journey were captured in Unveiling, advocated teaching young women to embrace their life’s challenges. Her own story (for which her nom de plume Kirene is used) is featured in Unveiling’s Chapter 6, “The Hero’s Quest – and the Heroine’s As Well!,” pp. 72-74. As Kirene expresses it:

“If little girls were exposed to the female vision quest, and learned early on that life is full of victories and obstacles that must be overcome … then girls growing into womenhood would be better able mentally and emotionally to navigate … turbulent waters and resolve the perceived insurmountable.”

Unveiling’s editor, Katherine Hanna (seated right in the picture above) contributed to how Unveiling described the role of a Heroine’s Journey, as distinct from the well-known Hero’s Journey. Ms. Hanna offered the character of Lyra, in the movie The Golden Compass, and Sarah, in the movie Labyrinth, as examples of young women going on their Heroine’s Quests. Lyra’s goal was to rescue other children, including her friends. To do this, she had to do something in common with all Heroines – find and heal her most significant ally. Sarah likewise found and ennobled her allies. This characteristic of healing and empowering others is a distinguishing feature of the Heroine on her Quest.

Two other guests, Nicole Cutts, Ph.D., and Barbara Jewell, each spoke of how their lives had Heroic Quest aspects. Dr. Cutts (DC’s “Success Doc”) is a success coach for women who want to bringing their life-vision into reality. She was inspired by Unveiling’s description of how Heroine’s Quests are an important part of how we create our own success stories. She has hosted numerous women’s Vision Quest Retreat, with her newest (the “Social Media Butterfly” event) to occur this weekend.

Nicole Cutts, Ph.D. (left) and Barbara Jewell (right). Photo by Lori Baker, McLean Connection. Used with permission.

Barbara, who has lived abroad extensively, talked about how the experiences of shifting from one culture to another created a Heroic Journey for many young people as they navigated cultural transitions. This same theme resonated with author Charise Hoge, who also attended the event.

Editorial Reviews of "Unveiling: The Inner Journey"

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Two New Editorial Reviews of Unveiling: The Inner Journey – “Groundbreaking” and “Fascinating”!

Two new editorial reviews have come up in the past several days for Unveiling: The Inner Journey:

“[a] groundbreaking book … full of research and stories …” – the McLean Connection, written by Lori Baker, and

“… an intellectual approach. … [with] references to biology, chemistry, psychology, history, mythology, religion and more … a culmination of all disciplines wise and helpful all in one place, with belly dance woven throughout … a fascinating read with so much wisdom and solid advice.” – iShimmy.com, written by Nizana el Rassan

WAMEDA Pays Tribute to Gerson Kuhr aka the "Fitness Pharaoh"

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WAMEDA (the Washington Area Mid-East Dance Association) Pays Tribute to Gerson Kuhr, Long-time WAMEDA Board Member, Master of Ceremonies, and Fitness Trainer

Gerson Kuhr, aka The Fitness Pharaoh, has been an active member and supporter of the WAMEDA community for more than two dozen years. The July/August 2012 edition of the WAMEDA Journal will highlight his contributions to the WAMEDA community. This blogpost presents additional material about Mr. Kuhr, focusing on his role in supporting dancers through physical fitness coaching.

As the area’s reigning “Fitness Pharaoh,” he’s coached some of our best performers, and developed and produced a fitness DVD specifically for belly dancers – starring some of the area’s finest! He’s been Master of Ceremonies in more shows than any of us can recall. He’s even performed a cameo role in several of these. (One or two such roles were even as a “personae” within a dance.) Who else can this be but Gerson Kuhr?

In addition to the many ways in which he has enriched and ennobled our dance community for many years, he has played a particularly active and significant role within the Washington Area Mid-East Dance Association (WAMEDA) itself: He’s been a Board member (several times), and for many years, together with his wife Cindy, he was Co-Editor of the WAMEDA Newsletter. In addition, he has attended nearly all of our shows, whether or not he was called upon (as he usually has been) in his time-honored role as Master of Ceremonies.

Gerson Kuhr as Master of Ceremonies in Alay’nya’s Diamonds, the Casablanca Restaurant, 2003. Mr. Kuhr played the role of the Jeweler, viewing the various “jewels” in his collection.

In the following, Alay’nya interviews Mr. Kuhr about his role in the dance community.

Alay’nya: How did you come to be interested in Mid-Eastern dance?

Gerson: Even in my youth, I was dedicated to physical fitness, and became top-ranked within my school’s Presidential Physical Fitness program. At that time, my only exposure to Mid-Eastern dance was through small glimpses in the movies. Later, when I had a chance to see my first professional Mid-Eastern dancer perform, I was completely impressed with the precision and completeness of her physical control; the isolations and undulations. I recognized that Mid-Eastern dance, as an art form, blended sensuality with very demanding physical mastery.

Alay’nya: You’ve played many roles in the WAMEDA community, both literally and figuratively. How did you get involved with WAMEDA?

Gerson: My wife, Cindy, was studying with (the renowned Silver Spring-based dance performer and teacher) Artemis. Artemis gave Cindy a copy of the WAMEDA journal. (It just happened that this was a journal where the cover featured Artemis!) Cindy and I went to the next meeting, and from there, our involvement with the WAMEDA community grew. Cindy and I were co-editors of the WAMEDA Newsletter between 1998 and 2006. All in all, we published 48 editions.

Alay’nya: Your fame as a fitness trainer and coach for Mid-Eastern dancers began to spread then. How did that happen?

Gerson: Donna Gregory (formerly Editor of the WAMEDA Journal), asked me to write a fitness article for the WAMEDA Journal. This led to more articles, and she dubbed me “WAMEDA’s Personal Trainer.”

Alay’nya: After your role in fitness coaching became known throughout the WAMEDA community, others asked for your inputs. How did this happen?

Gerson: Bob Winn and his wife Shalimar Serene, co-publishers of The Caravan Magazine (a belly dance magazine publishing up through the late 2000’s) requested an article series. I wound up doing 40 articles under the tile “Caravan’s Personal Trainer” for The Caravan, between 2002 and 2005.

Alay’nya: How did this lead to your DVD, Core Training for Belly Dancers?

Gerson: It was actually Janet Quinn who immediately understood the significance and power of core training for belly dancers. She brought up the notion of doing a DVD, saying “Your exercises are so good, you ought to put them on a DVD.” She believed in what I was doing, and was the inspirational force behind my developing Core Training for Belly Dancers, which featured Aliya, Amustela, and Nimeera demonstrating the movements, and was produced by Yasmin, who has an excellent production studio and who has produced several notable DVDs. We launched in September 2006, and sales have been steady ever since.

Alay’nya: My book, Unveiling: The Inner Journey, mentions your fitness training DVD:

“One very excellent resource is Core Training for Belly Dancers, a DVD produced by Gerson Kuhr, aka ‘The Fitness Pharaoh.”

Though designed to meet the needs of dancers, almost all women can benefit by following either of the two routines demonstrated on this DVD.” Why did you choose leading area belly dancers to star in your fitness routines, instead of going with the industry-recommended “fitness models”?

Gerson: I had been coaching leading area dancers for some time, and felt that the three ladies that I chose – Aliya, Amustela, and Nimeera – not only represented different age groups and performance styles, but that dancers who knew them as performers would rapidly understand the connection between their physical conditioning and their superb performance skills.

Mr. Kuhr produced the highly-ranked and well-received Core Training for Belly Dancers fitness DVD.

Alay’nya: Jerry Thompson, Co-Founder of Dancer: The Unusual Store, has said about you:

“Although Gerson and Cindy may be best known for their work on the newsletter we should also remember their other contributions as members of the board and contributions to WAMEDA shows.”

You’ve not only been one of the area’s most-desired Master of Ceremonies (MCs) for WAMEDA and other shows, but you’ve actually been featured in some. How did this come about?

Gerson: It started when Laurel Victoria Gray asked me to play a minor role in her magnificent work, Egypta (premiering at the Kennedy Center in 2003). Later, when she needed a new male lead to perform as “Pharaoh,” she asked me to take on that role. This is when I began to be known as “The Fitness Pharaoh,” and the picture taken of my from the Egypta performance is the one on my DVD.

Gerson Kuhr in his role as Pharaoh in Laural Victoria Gray’s Egypta, 2003.

Alay’nya: This led to other cameo roles, didn’t it?

Gerson: Yes, I was the Jeweler as well as the MC for your show, Diamonds, held at the Casablanca Restaurant in 2003. Also, I helped Amustela reprise a classic Samya Gamal movie role, acting the part of the “interested gentleman” around whom Samya (and later Amustela) flirtatiously danced. (Author’s note: The referenced movie clip came from The Stars of Egypt collection produced by Hossam Ramzy, where Vol. 3, Part 1 focuses exclusively on Samya Gamal.)

Alay’nya: Amustela notes that you were the first to recognize the similarity between her evolving (and always creative) dance style and the elegant and beautiful Samya Gamal. She says:

“The thing about Gerson that always endears him to me was after the very first time he saw me perform (at a WAMEDA Hafla in 2000), he said how I reminded him of Samya Gamal – what he did not know is that Samya Gamal had been an inspiration and idol of mine for years – it touched me deeply that he saw that in me. To this day anytime he MC’s an event he always introduces me with that reference to Samya, and I love him for it every time!”

Gerson: Amustela has always been very dear to the entire WAMEDA community, and is one of the most creative performers that we have right now. It was great to recognize that she was an emerging talent in the great tradition of some of the world’s leading performers.

Alay’nya: Thank you, Gerson! We appreciate your time for this interview. The entire WAMEDA community is enormously grateful to you for your support and encouragement over many years.

Karen McLane’s "Crowning of the Woodland Queen" – A Powerful Work for Our Time

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Karen McLane’s The Crowning of the Woodland Queen – A Suitable Repertoire Work for Any Dance Company

When I was growing up (attending a Catholic school, no less!), we had the yearly ritual of crowning Mary, the mother of Jesus, as “Queen of May.” Now of course the Catholic church has survived as well as it has, over more than two millenia, by successfully adapting and incorporating rituals and practices of earlier times.


Photo credit: Robin G. Jordan in Anglicans Ablaze. Traditional Roman Catholic and Anglo-Catholic ceremony of crowning Mary as the “Queen of May.”

However, we have a much more ancient archetype of the “Divine Feminine,” called by many names in many different cultures over time. Here, she is shown as the Woodland Queen.

Traditionally, one of the most powerful ways in which we humans have not only honored our most important archetypes, but understood their message and power in our lives, was through dance ritual and storytelling. Storytelling today – when done by a gifted storyteller such as Diane Wolkstein – continues to enthrall us because we are brought into the personal connection and energy of the storyteller’s presentation.

Diane Wolkstein, performing at the National Storytelling Festival, Jonesborough.

However, dance ritual is the other way in which we have historically “told stories” to ourselves. This goes back for many millenia; far longer than any specific religious church, sect, or denomination in existence today. Dance ritual, in fact, is one of the defining characteristics of human civilization. No one makes this point better than Iris Stewart, in her defining book Sacred Woman, Sacred Dance.

Karen McLane, with her troupe Ancient Rhythms Dance Company, recently enacted one such dance ritual in their performance of the Crowning of the Woodland Queen, at the Montgomery Community Arts Center on Saturday, May 26th. Her The Crowning of the Woodland Queen brings to life one of the most ancient of ritual dance forms, yet suitably updated for our times.

There is a storyline here; a struggle not so much of good against evil, but more of light against dark. In that, the story is reminiscent of the heroic myths that we all know and love – ranging from Star Wars to the earliest stories of our time.

Yet, there is a significant difference between the archetypal struggle portrayed in the Crowning, as compared to the classic Heroic Journeys first identified by Joseph Campbell in his well-known classic, the Hero with a Thousand Faces.

In the older, “heroic” storylines, such as depicted in sagas ranging from the Odyssey to Star Wars, the hero vanquishes his opponent. In this newer, and more evolved storyline, the hero(ine) does the necessary vanquishing, but then brings her opponent (her “dark side”) into herself as an act of integration. I emphasize this in my previous blogpost on the Crowning.

This is powerful stuff. It makes sense that we ask ourselves: where does this new, much more integrative and powerful storyline come from? Is it brand-new to humanity, or – as with Campbell’s Hero – does it link with a much more ancient provenance?

We find an answer if we look into the first known collection of human stories; those about the great goddess Inanna, “Queen of Heaven and Earth.”

The Inanna story is precisely what is being depicted in the Crowning of the Woodland Queen. Just as Joseph Campbell pointed out the underlying similarity of all heroic stories, there is a profound and poignant similarity between the Inanna myth and the Crowning.

“But wait,” you might say, if you’re at all familiar with the story first told in cuneiform tablets, and only popularized in this century. “Inanna didn’t rescue herself; she didn’t subdue her dark sister Erishkegal. In fact, Erishkegal put Inanna to death, and hung her on a hook to rot. And in Karen McLane’s story, the Woodland Queen defeats the Queen of Shadows, and then integrates her.”

And you’d be absolutely right. Inanna was indeed killed, and hung up on a hook. At that point, she was powerless to save herself.

However, Inanna was one smart cookie, and she knew what she was getting into even before she entered the Underworld.

Precisely because she knew what was going to happen to her, Inanna instructed her warrior-handmaiden Ninshubar to weep and plead for her in front of the Father Gods, should Inanna fail to return within three days. This is precisely what Ninshubar did, until Father God Enki relented and created two little “sprites” that he sent down into the Underworld to rescue Inanna.

The rest, as we way, is history. Inanna returns to her palace, and a new storyline unfolds.

However, for the first time in human history, we have a story of having a goddess (or even a god) encountering her or his “dark side.” There isn’t much time, as Inanna makes her fast and furious way back to the “regular world,” for integration. For real, true integration, we need to look deeply into the story of Jesus of Nazareth.

This understanding of encountering our “dark side,” and integrating it, has emerged with much more force in the last century. There has always been some understanding of it, but now, more and more people are becoming aware of this aspect of who-we-are.

Eckhart Tolle describes this as our pain-body.

I write about this in Unveiling: The Inner Journey.

So what should we do?

Recognize our shadow when it comes out. As the Woodland Queen does in the Crowning, we defeat our Shadow by taking away its power. But then, we don’t spurn and abuse our Shadow. She is, after all, a part of us. Instead, we join with her. (T’ai Chi students will understand what this means.) We mirror her. (Neurolinguistic psychology students will understand what this means.) And then blend with her, causing her momentum to join with and aid our own. (Ba Gua martial artists and judokas and aikido practitioners will understand what that means.)

And if we’re not practicing one of the internal martial arts such as T’ai Chi, Ba Gua, judo, or aikido?

We use our own dance art. We use it to pull up our stuff (because our “opponent” is inside ourselves, after all.) And we practice softening, relaxing, and releasing. All of our spinal release moves are designed to help us deal with this. You can read about this in Unveiling: The Inner Journey, Chapters 14-16.

And we go to see performances of the Crowning of the Woodland Queen, whenever we can. And take those whom we love; those who want some healing in their lives. And let the story of how the young Queen defeats and then integrates her Shadow encourage and empower our lives.