The Divine Feminine and Pole Dancing?

I’ve been talking a lot about the Divine Feminine. I love the phenomenon that is taking place right now with women. Conversations with girlfriends are testament to the fact that the way we choose to express ourselves is changing. We are finding our power in places that previously were forbidden; at least according to society.

One of those places is on…..well….the pole. I say that in jest…sort of. As women we are taking back our powerful sensual side and what better place than in pole dancing classes. I’ll admit I had been intrigued by the idea of pole dancing for a few years. It wasn’t until a girlfriend invited me to go to an introductory class with her that I actually got to give it a shot.

Wow! Let me tell you, I FELL IN LOVE……. though not instantly. I was very aware of how self-conscious I was to even put my hand on the pole. It just felt wrong. I have never really considered myself to be sexy or seductive. And as I grow and get to know myself more I realize that I believed that a choice had to be made between being sexy or being smart and taken seriously. Surely no woman could be both! It could be that I was born during the height of the radical feminist movement, (I don’t know, it’s a theory).

I was completely aware that just grasping the pole felt awkward and a little dirty too. The truth is women are sensual and seductive beings and should not feel awkward or dirty. Its part of who we are and a rightful expression of ourselves.

But our history tells women that to be sensual or seductive is bad. If we look back on our religious beginnings we find two main types of women in the Bible, the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene the whore; (which, by the way, she was not and the 2nd Vatican validated that in 1969). As women those have been our two choices. I know that there are other women in the Bible but these are the two who are most talked about and the archetypes that still remain pervasive.

To this day we are still faced with the sexual double standard of women being sluts if they have multiple intimate partners and men being cool for having the same. This is changing because women are stepping up and not allowing such double standards. You can even watch the Toronto “slut walk” on YouTube. This event was born as a result of a Toronto police officer announcing that women needed to stop dressing like sluts if rape was to be prevented. The “slut walkers”, women and men, demonstrate change is occurring. We are not accepting the status quo.

Back to the pole, it felt odd….. and wrong. During our introductory course we had the opportunity to meet the other students and learn why they were there. Every woman was there for herself, to improve her confidence and to allow herself some “me” time. My girlfriend, who had been attending the classes for several weeks, stated that it had been the best thing she had ever done for herself! I thought that was amazing. You know that my passion and purpose is all about self-esteem and self-love. I just never thought pole dancing could play such a major role.

It’s all about reclaiming our sexuality and our sensuality. From time immemorial our sexuality has been used against us. As we reclaim our power (and embrace the pole) that can no longer happen. It’s been a confusing journey for both women and men.

The completion of that one ninety minute class left me feeling liberated; even though some awkwardness was still evident. The liberation came from finally giving myself PERMISSION to be sexy, seductive; and still expecting to be taken seriously. This truly is powerfully feminine, powerfully seductive, and powerfully sensual.

Powerfully Feminine,Michelle Lee