My name is Lorraine.
The blog name “Tantra Diva” was derived out of a necessity for a domain name, which would reflect who I am and what I believe in. Spiritually, I embrace Tantra. I love elements of its philosophy. That said, I fully acknowledge that describing myself as a Tantrik has no inherent meaning, the same way Christian, Muslim or Sikh don’t. Barack Obama and Donald Trump both describe themselves as Christian, yet they are entirely different personalities. The Tantrik label simply denotes what I ascribe to myself, and nothing else. “Why tantra?” explains why I became attracted to this philosophy. “So you’re a tantrik, eh?” , elucidates why the unidirectional focus on “sacred sex” in the West pisses me off.
When I started this blog in 2014, Google searches for ”Tantra” produced an inordinate amount of articles, images and videos, primarily focusing on White people having sex. By perusing these search results, one could be forgiven for thinking that ancient Indian Tantra had evolved into White people fucking…A comprehensive philosophy which encourages curiousity and encompasses all of life, had been reduced to instructions to gaze into one’s lover’s eyes, exchange deep breaths and stimulate bodily orifices…
I felt compelled to correct this distortion, by producing some writings which would reflect and demonstrate a more holistic approach to life, which is actually what Tantra is.
In modern usage, the word ‘diva’ has both positive and negative connotations. It can denote a female artist who is enormously successful. It can also refer to a selfish and materialistic woman, who is very hard to please. The original Italian means ‘female deity’ or ‘goddess’. I am clearly not rich, famous, nor selfish. (Well, the latter point is debatable for many, since a lot of people think that I am selfish for living alone and not actively desiring children) I enjoy copious amounts of free time and uninterrupted sleep when I am not working for my paycheque, so I am very unapologetic about this. What remains to be identified with, is ‘goddess’.
I see myself as a reflection of mostly feminine energy. I believe we all have both essences (masculine and feminine) to varying degrees, and I respect them both. However, feminine forces have been consistently degraded and dominated by misogynistic men over the millennia. I believe that’s a travesty that needs to be corrected, and I unabashedly identify as a feminist.
I am privileged enough to hold a Bachelor’s of Public Affairs and Policy Management from Carleton University in Ottawa. I specialized in International Development, and this contributes to why I cannot embrace religious myths too fully. I have a preference for direct observation, evidence-based truths and statistics when possible. I am fully bilingual in both of Canada’s official languages, and have worked in various fields. I started this blog in 2014 to express myself in what is my first love, the English language.
I am not a part of the 1%: The rich 1% that is. I am part of the 1-3% with an INFJ personality type. I care about people and the state of the planet. I would not want to be part of the wealthy 1%, unless I could give most of the money away. We are only here for a short period of time in the history of life. When we die, we take nothing with us. Why then, do we value one another by how many earthly possessions we have? Some of us are born into excess, and some of us into very little. What exactly are we serving? Life itself or a mirage which we have constructed?
I like who I am because I authentically determine who I am. Since I started meditating in 2007, I have gained more mindfulness and awareness of my thoughts, body and environment. This does not mean that I am constantly in euphoric bliss, nor do I aspire to this state: I do not believe that this is attainable nor healthy, unless one consciously chooses to ignore the suffering in the world, including one’s own. Meditation has brought me a heightened awareness of myself and a means of self-regulation. I know my proclivities and choose to be loving and kind to people on most occasions. If I cannot achieve this, I stay away from them.
My blog encompasses spirituality, social justice, politics, personalities and miscellaneous topics which I find interesting. Feel free to write in and comment on my articles. Share them on social media if you find them of merit. For those who wish to contact me in private, you can email me at lorraine [at] tantradiva [dot] com.
Thank you for visiting and happy reading. Cheers, Lorraine.
Author’s photo by Sébastien-Charles Boitel