In tribe cultures thousands of years ago, men would be trained as warriors and sent off to battle. They would fight in violent hand to hand combat often with neighboring tribes that were once friends. Their training forced them to remove love and sympathy. It hardened their hearts and replaced vulnerability with destruction. It was a training in toxic masculinity, but it was a necessary sacrifice in order to defend the village.
After the battle, it is fabled that the town elders would not allow the surviving warriors back into the village. These brave men held deep trauma and were still dangerous, trained killers.
They were not permitted to reunite with their family until they met with the town Tantrika at her temple in the mountains. Only she could help heal his warrior heart and return him back to love. She was a mystical healer who was honored and respected in the highest regard.
The Tantrika was trained in the art of love. She would nurse each warrior first by bathing him like a child. She would hold his heart in intimate exercises and teach him to breathe deep and exhale the unwanted past. She would gaze into his eyes until he could see the human soul again. He would cry, scream and shake until the trauma trapped in his body released. Pain turned to pleasure and he could feel the inner depth of his heart.
He could love again.
Only then would the Tantrika grant him access back into the town where he could play with his children and hold his wife in warm embrace.
...
How do we treat our warriors who return from battle?
How do we treat our healers?
All women are healers. If you are a woman reading this, know that you can help a man heal today. Hold his heart. Look into his eyes. Let him know it is ok to experience his emotions and express himself.
It is time our healers are honored for their divine gift.
It is time our warriors come home.
*(Originally shared by my friend Justin from Tantra Love Coach)