WomanDance:A Powerful Healing Modality

By Rev. Dr. Tonya K. Freeman

“Dancing is an emotional outlet, so let yourself flow.” Snoopy Comic Strip

Women have been doing healing praise dances for centuries. They danced in the hills, the
valley, in the desert, and by the ocean. They danced to demonstrate their oneness with
nature.

Today, there is a very popular dance form that many women are exploring and that is
belly dancing. Belly dancing is a birthing, fertility dance that helps women to stay in
shape and is also very sensual.

In the Congo, there is another form of dance where a woman moves her body in almost
the same way that a belly dancer does. The rhythmic movement is captivating to the spirit
and could be seen as Trance or Ecstatic dancing. I have also seen similar moves in
Senegalese and Nigerian dances as well.

From what I can see, all forms of the dance of the feminine are healing to the body, mind
and spirit.

In the days of our Ancestral Mothers, the Priestesses who tended the temples of the
Goddess in all Her aspects, were known as Temple Priestesses and they danced with
abandonment for the Spirit of Love. That is what I see dance as, a way to allow the Spirit
of Love to take over and express itself through movement.

The Sacred Dancer connected herself to the entire universe. She was one with all things.
The dance was not only a way of telling the story of life it was a celebration of life itself.
Uni-Verse. One Song. The Song of Love.

Women knew the magic and the healing power of the Sacred Dance. They knew that by
dancing together and for one another that they were doing the work of the Great Mother
Goddess. They enjoyed a direct connection to the Divine Femi9 Energy.

At some point in history, the Dance of Life became misinterpreted and seen as lewd.
Patriarchy began to set the tone for the Sacred Dance. The Movement of Life was
restrained and contained and women began to lose their connection to the Great Mother
and all of nature.

Women were told that only a “certain kind of woman” would move her body in such a
manner. The Sacred Dance that kept the body strong, healthy and supple, was seen as
“dancing with the devil.” Because of this mindset, women began to suffer from
constricted womb diseases that are quite prevalent today. Of course this is not the only
reason that the womb suffers.
Along with the movement of the body, there are the hand mudras that help to heal and
connect to Spirit on a much deeper level. Mudras were first seen in Egypt but acquired
the name mudra in India.

We, of the womb energy, are beginning to get back in touch with our natural movement.
In my heart, I know we can become whole again by connecting to that Sensual Spirit,
hidden deep within.

While in New York visiting the Ausar Auset Temple, I saw a demonstration of a dance
known as the Het Heru Healing Dance. It is a beautiful dance that makes you feel like an
exotic Temple Priestess.

Other forms of dance are the Moon Dance, the Wedding Dance, the Menstruation Dance,
the Wedding Dance, the Veil Dance, the Mourning Dance, the Birth Dance, the Fertility
Dance and the Serpent Dance, which connects to dancer to the Great Earth Mother.

Woman, loose thy self! Free your mind and your body that you may once again enjoy the
feeling of movement for the sake of a more harmonious life.

Dance and your heart will be joyful. Dance, feel and connect to your inner wisdom and
power.

Dancing is meditation in motion. Dancing is prayer. Dancing is a way of expressing

“praises for the world.” Let’s dance and manifest a better world, for All Our Relations.

“Dancing stimulates the unconscious mind, which leads to expanded consciousness, and
eventually and expansion of the personality. It heightens life and gives one a feeling of
wholeness.” - Rosina Fawzia – Al-Rawi (Grandmother’s Secrets)

“The Goddess holds the key to the most ancient forms of sacred dance; she is
inextricably linked to dance. Dance was the principle form of worship of the Goddess. In
some cases, in addition to her role as creator, giver, and protector of all life, the
Goddess herself was a dancer, celebrating through dance the cycles of the seasons and
the cycles of life. It is here then, with the Goddess, that we begin our journey into the
world of sacred dance. - Iris J. Stewart (Sacred Woman, Sacred Dance)

Dr. Tonya is the Founder and High Priestess Mwt Sekhmet Het Heru of the Femi9
Lodge. She can be reached at Synchronicity Wed – Sun. 770-640-8184