It was late 2020, at the height of the Covid lock-down. I sat cross-legged on the carpeted floor of my bedroom, a warm cup of tea in my hands, watching the sunset over Lake Okanagan. I focused on my breath, inhaling deeply into my belly, exhaling slowly through my nose.
I was having my scheduled tea date with the first ancestor in my genetic lineage who had been kidnapped from Africa in 1806 and sold into chattel slavery shortly thereafter.
The ritual I cultivated for these sessions of communion with my great, great, great, great, great-grandmother, Rachel Sightler, began with:
- Taking refuge in the wisdom of The Black Dakini, Niguma, and the Elemental Dakinis
- Lighting a candle to symbolize the light passed down through generations
- Lighting incense to offer sweet smells to the Pretas (spirits)
- Lighting a cannabis pipe and offering the pungent smoke to the ancestors in my body and the elementals around me
- Sitting in open, relaxed awareness with gentle focus, like an empty cup waiting to be filled with wisdom elixir.
My ancestor Rachel began speaking with me shortly after my Mother passed away in February of 2019. The passing of my physical mother seemed to clear the path for Rachel’s presence to become more tangible, almost as if she was stepping into the role of providing feminine nurturing, guidance, and spiritual direction.
That evening, I was in a state of inner unrest, questioning my authority and capacity to transmit the ancient healing methods of Tibetan 5 Element Tantra. As is typical when my insides are churning with self-doubt, I asked for guidance from my ancestor, and Rachel’s voice came through loud and clear.
She said, “The 5 Element teachings are for ALL humans. These are the original teachings of the people of the Earth, and they are for all of us to access and experience.”
And then she stated quite clearly that “The Tibetan 5 Element practices awaken the ancient wisdom encoded in your bones. They are your birthright and inheritance.”
This communication from Rachel was the catalyst for me to begin exploring the pre-Vedic, African roots of Tantra, and the African heritage of The Black Dakini, Niguma.
What I discovered during this exploration has deepened my understanding of why the Tibetan 5 Element practices are so incredibly effective, transformative, and healing, particularly for bodies of color and African American Descendants of slavery.
To review, it is important to understand that Tantra predates the Vedas. According to Google, the Vedas are “the most ancient Hindu scriptures, written in early Sanskrit and containing hymns, philosophy, and ritual guidance for the priests of the Vedic religion. Believed to have been directly revealed to seers among the early Aryans in India.”
Historical records indicate that Tantra was already an established and flourishing spiritual tradition before the introduction of the Vedas nearly 5000 years ago, and that, in fact, the Vedas were brought to the Indus Valley region and incorporated methods, practices, and rituals from the indigenous culture that existed there before the Aryan Invasion, which is theorized to have taken place over a span of hundreds of years.
The roots of Pre-Vedic Tantra were planted firmly in the soil of animism.
Animism is more than a belief; it is a lived, embodied experience of communion and union with all of life.
It is the lived, embodied experience of being in a dynamic relationship with our bodies, our environment, and all the beings that inhabit both.
Animism is a visceral embrace of our humanness; our sensual, mammalian selves, and an absence of the aversion to, and avoidance of, the physical realm.
Animistic cultures are typically oriented towards matrilineal social structures, which, in this case, have deep reference to and experience of the value in all forms of life, because there is a felt sense of relationship with and to all of life.
It is easy to inflict harm on our environment and each other when we feel no tangible sense of relationship with one another. Animistic cultures survived and thrived for millennia due to deep honoring, reverence, and a desire to protect life- all qualities noticeably absent in our current North American culture.
Tibetan 5 Element Tantra is rooted in animism
Tibetan 5 Element Tantra is the practice of intentionally cultivating relationships with the elemental energies within our bodies and our environment.
As we cultivate and enhance the elemental energies in our bodies, they begin to uproot and unlock genetic memory and wisdom passed down through our genetic blueprint. I remember when I first started practicing Tantra, my Lama would often say that the energy body yoga of Tibetan Tantra literally changes human DNA. It’s like epigenetic switches flipping on, where dormant abilities and wisdom encoded in our being are activated, bridging the gap between science and spirituality.* If we are attracted to these practices, it’s because we recognize them from previous lifetimes of practice.
The elemental energy generated by these practices dissolves blocks and enhances our gifts, talents, and abilities. Throughout the years, I have witnessed latent psychic abilities arise in multiple students, or those with muted or subtle abilities experience an increase in their ability to perceive subtle realms of consciousness.
I myself have experienced a significant increase in my intuitive abilities, as described above in my conversation with a deceased ancestor. My ability to communicate with and perceive the elemental and non-corporeal beings in my environment has increased significantly through my practice of Tibetan 5 Element Tantra, particularly over the past two years of intensified karmic purification.
I believe what Rachel told me about the 5 elements being the teachings of the “original people of the Earth.” My belief is based on lived experience, on witnessing hundreds of students introduced to these methods, and on insight gained through direct communication with the sentient beings in my environment.
Rachel’s physical body has been gone since the late 1800’s. However, her spirit, voice, and wisdom are still accessible to me through my physical form when I sit in presence and with the intention of being in communion with my body, my energy, and my ancestry.
Cultivate the methods and practices to awaken the ancestral wisdom encoded in your bones with Tibetan 5 Element Tantra.
If you are drawn to these practices, it is because you have done them in previous lifetimes. Your training blossoms into a reawakening and remembrance of wisdom gained through lifetimes.
