Today I had a session with my teacher about a lot of frustrating patterns that I see and understand so well by now, yet I still can't help acting them out. He wanted to support me to feel/experience the safety of inner support, and to help me feel the young one beneath, the hole that I was experiencing, according to my spiritual path. It was a bit frustrating, because I didn't get there, which isn't a problem in itself, but everything was elusive. And then I started talking about the Jewel Force, a.k.a. pussy power, and even more, how much I love to play. Suddenly everything shifted. From being identified as a young girl, within a few minutes, I had become super-wise adult woman, a presence, that was endlessly strong, experienced freedom, and I became the protection I was seeking. I'm not saying play is your entry-point, but it sure is mine. It doesn't take away the difficult, sad, frustrating or hateful parts of life. But with play in the foreground, together with the jewel force, life gets simplified. I become a channel, and then I become what I'm seeking. 

Dalai Lama is known for his playfulness. So was Desmund Tuti, the South African Bishop and human rights activist. And in many traditions, being playful is considered among the highest forms of enlightenment. But to my knowledge, we usually don't see women priestesses, spiritual leaders etc who are being playful. Which is partially due to the repression of women's spirituality and just ignorance. But it's also because women often dismiss their need for play. I believe so much of feminine power lies in our flirty and playful embodied engagement with the world. And I deeply believe the world needs it.

What is your experience of playfulness? Of being connected to your jewel? Does it make you feel stronger? Does it make you feel free? Do you feel safe, when you are embodied?

PS. The photo of me being playful is by Veronika Swejk. 
PPS. It was bloody freezing outside, and I felt so far from being playful when we got started, but with some fun music, I got into the mode, and the photo caught a bit of that mischief.