Chapter 5. Queen of the Underworld

by Dawn Cherie Ezrahi

I'm fascinated by myth and ritual. In some ways, you could say that it guides my life. If you really want to know my journey into sexual shamanism, you must recall the myth of Persephone.

Persephone’s descent has many interpretations, most commonly that she was abducted against her will, raped, and tricked into eating the fruit. However, the interpretation that I personally resonate with is not the one of victimhood, but rather empowerment. It’s about a woman who needed to go to the Underworld to claim her dark wisdom and divinity.

Whichever interpretation you chose, Persephone always represents fertility and the joy of life. Hades is often associated with Dionysus, hedonism, ecstatic abandon, and Bacchanalian revelry. I’m irresistibly drawn to this myth because of my own eternal search for the ecstatic pulse and its hidden treasures.

My initial descent was in my late teens in New York City. As a runway model, I could have any sexual encounter I desired... I used my sensuality for power and freedom. I had more than my share of lovers, but always wanted something deeper and more connected and more inclusive of spirit.

After 9/11, the world seemed upside down, and I needed a drastic change. I felt called to dive deeper into the traditions of my ancestors. I was an actress in NYC, going on countless castings for commercials. I met a cute guy on the set of Sex and the City. I dragged him upstate to a freestyle dance, and as we spent the night together in the tent, my very Jewish grandpa came to me in a dream. I got a clear guidance to show up the next morning to the Jewish Renewal retreat center called Eilat Chayyim and at the last minute I decided I must enroll in the Prayer Leadership course.

I met Ohad on the Hebrew Valentine's Day of love, Tu B'Av, at the center. Ohad was invited there as a Rabbi, to teach the kabbalistic myth of “The Lost Princess”. He was a polyamorous, unconventional rabbi, the “bad boy” of the Jewish Renewal world. He had an iconic resemblance to Dionysius and he identified with him as well. He was the perfect combination of holy and naughty. His creativity spoke to my soul. Looking at him, I could feel my spirit craving and crying out for this inevitable coming together. Meeting Ohad was like walking into my destiny. It shook me to the core.

Later, at the dinner table with our mutual friends (who warned me about this polyamorous man), hearing that I was enrolled in the prayer leadership course, Ohad teased me, “You know, in Hasidic mysticism, it is written that prayer is love-making with the Shekinah, the Divine feminine.” It made sense to me.

Prayer is love-making as love-making is prayer.

It resonated as truth within my heart and body. I knew it all the time. By the end of the week, I also knew that this was one love I was not going to be able to turn away from. We both knew it, and yet through this apparent depth, we both knew it was not going to be a monogamous one.

An amazing thing happened when his Lingam entered me for the first time: I felt purified. I felt the sacredness of this act and of being cleansed from the inside, cleaning away the residual energy from insensitive lovers, from my past.

Never had I felt such sacredness, a purity, even innocence. The meeting of our energies at that particular time was electric. It felt like silk, like water in the desert. We were both thirsty for knowledge and experience; we drank each other in and devoured each other.

I remember making love before he returned to Israel. Challenges were waiting for him there, with his community. The priestess in me started to move. I was on top of him. As I sensed he was in deep realms of openness and surrender, I started to envision his trip back as an empowered journey and whispered it into his ears, planting the visions of trust and confidence in him as he went to face his challenges. Through the years, we developed and crystalized this method of sexual shamanism that showed itself from the depth of my intuitive knowing as ETP, Empowerment Through Pleasure.

EXERCISE #5: Sexual Divination

PURPOSE: In this exercise, your eros is used as a divination tool in place of a crystal ball, dowsing rod, or tea leaves. The symbols and signs that arise from your erotic trance are interpreted like dreams to vision future events, gain answers to difficult questions, or attain guidance.

PREPARATION: Drink plenty of water to be hydrated for channeling energy. Set a sacred space with candles, incense, flowers, or/and any sacred objects that will aid your intuition, such as crystals or deities for your altar. Create a comfortable nest with blankets, pillows, lube, and your favorite sex toys. Take a ritual bath to prepare your body. You may choose to dress in special clothing if it helps remind you of your divinity. Play music that moves your spirit.

PROCESS: Start by stretching and doing any emotional clearing needed so you are centered. Meditate. Make prayers and ask for guidance and clarity. Set your intention, and be sure it is in the highest good of all. Call in your spirit guides in whatever way is authentic and supportive to your soul.

Slowly begin the process of self-pleasuring. Start with slow long caresses, then vary your touch. Use movement, sound, and breath to activate the body. Touch yourself with the intention to connect to your higher self and source. Allow yourself to enter into an erotic trance and travel. Once consumed in pleasure allow yourself to receive images, colors, visions. Cry out to divinity, let your utterances be heard. Your visions are like dreams, they don’t have to make sense. Let yourself flow.