The Kingfisher, Tantra and Other Enigmas
September 2nd 2024
My grandfather had an old hand illustrated book of bird species. He used to lift me on his lap in his rocking chair at the corner of the country kitchen and we’d start shovelling through the pages. We always started from page one forward, as if it was a journey, species appearing more and more exciting and colourful. We had done this for years, every summer and Christmas, so I got really good at remembering when to start anticipating for the KINGFISHER. That tiny but magical bird was my favourite of all in that little big book. The colours of Kingfisher, burnt orange and hues of blues and turquoise were majestic. And unlike most birds that either live or visit Finland, this bird was strikingly different and exotic and it seemed like a miracle that it sometimes paid a visit to Finland. At that time, it was rare to spot a Kingfisher, but today we know to have this bird migrating here and even surviving. Whenever we’ve had some mild winters (which happens from time to time), that is.
Bumping into my Kingfisher
We artists often look for inspiration from the natural world, such as colour combinations in flora and fauna, waters and skies. The effortless colour palette just seems like it’s readily thought out and perfectly aligned with our sense of taste. When I left for France to paint my collection ‘Masquerade’ in 2018, that same Kingfisher colour combination of burnt reddish orange and hues of night sky blues hit me once more, after decades of being lost and forgotten in the pages of that old bird book.
I came to discover that in Beaulieu-sur-Mer (the little town between Monaco and Nice, that I used to live in) - a VILLA named KÉRYLOS ('The Kingfisher’ in greek) was built and completed after six years of construction work, in 1902. It is still the most intriguing and ambient-filled piece of architecture I’ve ever laid my eyes on. And I’m a big fan of architecture, which is profoundly unique and creates an aura of timeless beauty. The architect of Villa Kérylos Emmanuel Pontremoli was also an archeologist of ancient Greek sites and was hired by a business mogul Theodore Reinach who commissioned the residence for his family’s summer Shangri-La.
The Kingfisher’s colour scheme is prominent in various parts of the magnificent building, starting from exterior doors and windows to the columns of the study and library. The ceiling of the dining room is of handcrafted squares and ornaments, painted in darker blue. Both main bedrooms echoing yet orange and blue, carrying the theme of Kingfisher throughout the building. The tones are though, fascinatingly and alluringly mimicking the colours of the bird, in exact renders. To fully understand the Villa and its level of details and craftsmanship, one has to pay a visit either in person or look for videos from youtube. I’d view the whole composition of the place as a heaven on earth and as such I’d call it a 'home of god’, should there be one. It’s a piece of human’s history squeezed into a symbolism-filled oasis in the arms of a hub we call the French Riviera. My after math is that it was a privilege to be living there and finding inspiration for my art.
Training the brain to reinstate emotional encounters
As I’ve been interested in all aspects of balanced beauty and weaving colour into my life as an artist, savouring moments in time have also formed a pattern to draw inspiration from. Memories of key moments - once time has passed and the brain has altered those to my favour - offer endless inspiration and a gamut for stories to share through art. One of the secrets of starting to sense stronger and memorising wiser, is about training one’s brain to first filter what is offered to you. The brain training can start once you learn to let your guard down and start to look for a change within. People talk about letting your guard down, being in an uncomfortable vulnerable state where (as if it was a trial) suddenly you are naked and in front of a judge. The only judge I could imagine being out there, is you to yourself. And the question one may ask is ‘Do my actions represent myself - the true self - and have I tried my best to find the real pleasures in life, outside materia?
I believe the best memories in life are scattered into moments having been able to grasp the hand of time and indulge in the present. An elevated emotional positive connection with your own brain has an opportunity to prevail, once you’re not only open to it but have first shaken off all extra baggage that might prevent you from relaxing and being in the NOW. Once you learn to understand and process your own energies, you become more sensitive to seeing and feeling on a deeper level than before. Artists are known to take advantage and use this capability or talent, simply to work. Observing on an emotional level, with heightened sensory capacity is actually a force in all of the people. But since the subject is not taught at school and rarely discussed in family gatherings, it’s as if it doesn’t exist. Yet it’s one of the essential formulas toward a better and fulfilling life.
Our chemical mechanisms run us. Then why not get to know those better? The energies running through our bodies spring from the brain that never sleeps. I find myself often going back in time to an atmosphere, a memoir of an emotional encounter that rose from within, the feel of the moment. An unexplainable sensation of being able to feel awake, yet in a dream-like state and at the same time in another level of consciousness, where emotion takes over. I go back to an emotional memory state. That NOW-moment in the past can potentially be close to as intense as it was in that moment of history. And you are able to carry it along with you all your life. A blessing.
Tantric energies - being in the present
Opening and discovering your own senses and preferences is key for starting the process towards fulfilling tantric moments. We have been given multiple sensory organs, including our skin, for a reason. Sensing happens in the present which is already history the next moment. To be able to indulge in the moment - like many artists do - could take some practice. To learn to cherish the present fully, I’d recommend pushing back all outgoing energies as if inhaling your own aura back to your spirit. Empty your head from all thoughts and just let your senses do the work. Tantric to me is letting go and shaking off anything but the will to touch and be touched physically and emotionally at the same time.
Once you’ve reached the ability to cherish the day, the moment, for whatever it pours on you, it’s the ladder number one. Fast forward to the last ladder before the very last one, is learning to train the brain for a tantric lifestyle. While there are probably thousands of books on the subject, I’d like to share my own theory (since theories are my babies and I love to create those of my own). Ideally a tantric approach is woven into all parts of a person’s life. To ask for all humanity to follow a tantric viewpoint might be a stretch, but highly recommended, if you know what I mean ;) I’d summarise that a tantric way of living is about aiming to always be truly present in the moment.
Acknowledging and accepting your emotions and understanding the triggers to your actions (past and present) is being true to your own being, I’d add, to your own brain. There are of course dangers to focusing on oneself too much. As we know, anything in excess is bad for you. Balancing on the thin border of self care, being too focused solely on yourself, might pull you to the negative side of self awareness. It can also lead to a very lonely life, lacking deeper connections, preventing one from tantric experiences. We are most of the time just scared of being vulnerable, fully open and hesitant taking the chance to surrender to the inner self. Which is the key to real happiness.
Cosmic threesome
Approaching the last ladder - from which you step into the tantric love making - the last gate to the ultimate pleasure. I see it as a human right and privilege to discover the brain machine’s capabilities, not only sensation wise but what it feels like to be connected to something much larger than you. 1+1=3. Training to be present is a child's play prior to sharing energies on a higher level and finding the highest form of being present. Tantric love making is said to happen between two individuals OR solo. In my theory, we should always welcome cosmic energy as the second or third party. Without this energy, tantric love making is not real. This energy offers us the opportunity to experience these brain-oriented orgasmic- and other sensations in the first place. So, count that power in! However, it’s an entity within your brain, thus you are not in complete control of it. At best, it surfaces and takes control with your allowance.
Back to godly Kérylos
Looking back at the day we spent at Villa Kérylos and later going back to that ambience in my mind, proves that there is much more to being sensory open. We can travel in time and learn from it, be inspired by it and bring the discoveries back to the table, to the present.
God of all the universe was referenced in the writings and symbolism of the Villa. As such, an entity separate from the human world, seems distant and unreachable. But if we start imagining what that entity would be like if it was a person - the sex and the presence - likely it’d be a feminine force, capable of reproducing, carrying and birthing new life on this planet. A force of nurture, love and peace, distancing herself from negative energies such as revenge and greed. Love would most likely be in the key teachings of this entity, since the greatest pleasure for humans can be reached through the tantric state. If only she would transform into a human form and live amongst the people, she’d probably want to settle right in! Surely Villa Kérylos would satisfy her requirements for aesthetic-eye, the attention to detail in the craftsmanship and overall moods of the grand chambers. She'd especially see the potential to dress the Villa for special tantric encounters with lingering scents and candle lit atmosphere. Whatever it is that the builders of this Villa were aiming for, I’d conclude that it’s as close to a god’s house or home, as a human could envision. Also, looking at the Villa from a bird’s eye view, the location is somehow a paradise like. As is the wholeness and logic of the interior, the composition of gentle colours and details, sourcing from nature, ancient civilisations and material tooling techniques. The best that humans have created.
Aiming for tantric ambience
Combining all of the above and we are getting closer to my conclusions in the importance and focus also on artful, inspirational and balanced surroundings for living a tantric life. And for experiencing a wholesome tantric session, we need to put a little bit of effort into the space as well. While we may not be living in the Villa of the Kingfisher - which is a one big tantric arena from floor to ceiling - we can improve our own tantric space and turn it into an oasis for better sleep also, should that space be the bedroom. Focus is on decluttering, bringing soft and nature-derived materials rather than polyester, some art, dim light sources (preferably a salt lamp or rattan shade), lanterns, candles, incences and a selection of perfumed oils to choose from. Futon mattress is best for massage. Universal, eternal beauty, inseparable from nature, accepts us as we are. So following that energy decorating our tantric spaces is the key. Taking inspiration from nature cannot lead you wrong. And if you wish to get the best inspiration for your tantric space, I'd highly recommend an excursion to Villa Kérylos in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, in the heart of the French Riviera.
Tanja
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