Somewhere in/around 1998 while explaining shoulder rolls/circles in one of the classes I facilitate, an idea came to mind ~ I suggested bringing the middle finger to the outside of the leg with special attention drawn to the middle finger and the circles traced on the leg as we roll the shoulder forward, up, back, and down again to the neutral starting position. It appeared to be a successful analogy to take note of the circles being drawn on the leg by the middle finger while moving the shoulder in a circular pattern at various tempos. This then became a staple in my teaching technique: I invite my class participants to bring the hand alongside the leg and to keep their arms long with the hands, wrists, and elbows all “quiet” so as to observe the circles being drawn along the outside of the leg as we circle our shoulders.
In addition, I invite attention to our posture. I was taught to stand tall, spine erect, neck long and that the dance is a celebration of the body we have been given for this lifetime’s journey. Stand tall, proud, and elegant as a conduit between Heaven & Earth.
I was taught to firmly plant my feet upon the floor and to feel the Earth beneath the floor, imagining myself as a tree with roots extending deep down to Her molten core. I was taught to summon the nurturing energy from Mother Earth. I was also taught to extend the branches of my tree upward, reaching high into the sky, to raise my arms upward in a gesture of receiving blessings from Heaven Above, a gesture depicted in prehistoric statuary that "survives" to this day. (See below and also p. 18 of the history booklet I created for my class participants).
I was taught to firmly plant my feet upon the floor and to feel the Earth beneath the floor, imagining myself as a tree with roots extending deep down to Her molten core. I was taught to summon the nurturing energy from Mother Earth. I was also taught to extend the branches of my tree upward, reaching high into the sky, to raise my arms upward in a gesture of receiving blessings from Heaven Above, a gesture depicted in prehistoric statuary that "survives" to this day. (See below and also p. 18 of the history booklet I created for my class participants).
Years later when visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art to acquaint myself with the artifacts in the exhibit dedicated to Hatshepsut, I was stopped in my tracks when in the center of one of the exhibit rooms I saw a case housing a painted limestone sculpture of Princess Ahhotep.* There she stood in the very center of the room in her own case staring back at me. It was immediately obvious to me that her fingertips were summoning energy from the earth beneath her feet and I was dumb struck by the posture she exhibited illustrating the very posture I was teaching in my classes! What a beautiful affirmation! Later as I became better acquainted with the Goddess Hathor, I also came to treasure this acquaintance with Ahhotep and her beautiful 'Hathor wig'**.
From that point forward I have made an effort to remember to show this picture to my class participants:
Painted limestone statue of the royal daughter
with her beautiful Hathor wig
and elongated pronated fingers.
(c. 1560-1525 BCE)
I hope by sharing this with my class participants they'll sense a powerful connection to the concept being shared as well as our connection to women in antiquity. Stand with good posture as a proud, elegant woman of antiquity also stood!
And now here we are many years later. It is 2020 and we are in the midst of a global pandemic which has forced us into reflective contemplation, and I have begun practicing Qigong under the direction of Deborah Bellaus. I am all the more convinced of our individual as well as collective energetic connection/s, which remind me that although I may be in isolation, I am not alone.
In one of our recent sessions Deborah invited us to think of our middle finger being like a lightning rod. This suggestion reminded me once again of the statue of Princess Ahhotep. With my hands alongside my leg, fingers pointing downward like a magnetic lightning rod, I am connecting to and conducting energy from the molten core of the earth transforming and enlivening the very core of my being along the vertical axis that runs from the earth through the soles of the feet to sky bound through the top of the head ~ a ground-to-cloud upward moving energy surge!
Encourage the energy to flow along the vertical axis, which runs through you up from the earth; the horizontal axis which runs from right to left through you; and the axis that runs from behind you, forwards. Think of this as your personal mandala of space.
As taught by my dance guru Mini Janislawski I learned Namaskaram, the classical South Indian dance Bharata Natyam ritual opening: A time-honored sequence of gestures honoring/greeting Mother Earth upon whom we dance, also acknowledging Divinity, our lineage of teachers and each other.
Mimi explained our personal mandala of space is filled with Life Force that also extends out to the very tips of our fingers...and out into infinity... and beyond.
Most synchronistically/coincidentally, while recently listening to a webinar with David Whyte, he shared a quote from William Blake, which I felt beautifully "sums up" this feeling:
My fingers Emit sparks of fire
with Expectations of my future labors
written c. 1800 while living in Felpham on the South Coast of England
As part of my class opening movements we also raise our arms overhead with palms reaching up as depicted in this clay figurine dating back to c. 3500-3400 BCE. It has been speculated she represents a celebratory ritual, I imagine perhaps a dance invoking blessings from Heaven Above, from the very Cosmos…
| Female Figure, Egyptian |
🌟You are a conduit between heaven and earth🌟
May Divine sparks emit from your fingers!
May Divine sparks emit from your fingers!
* I invite you to read more: Go to page 45 of this pdf. version of the exhibit catalogue: www.scribd.com/document/299163102/Hatshepsut).
** in the above-reference catalogue: "This headdress, which originated in the Middle Kingdom, was worn by royal and common women alike. Although Middle Kingdom representations of the wig could be quite elaborate, detailing the texture of the hair and jeweled decorations, it is only on those worn by queens that ribbonlike bindings appear. Ahhotep's hair binding, with its back tie... was painted yellow, undoubtedly to simulate gold. Modest in artistry as this figure may seem, it was clearly intended to portray a great lady."
**Namaskaram = salutations/greetings meaning to bow (as in our meaning of curtsy and reverence (as in French, as opposed to being reverent in prayer). Best translation of Namaskaram: To Bow in Salutation/Greetings.”
