Finding Your Inner Courtesan

I have been enamored with courtesans since the late nineties when I first watched the movies Dangerous Beauty and Kama Sutra. One of my favorite books is The Book of Courtesans by Susan Griffin which is an account of the most famous courtesans in history, and I have been recently reminded of how powerful the energy of the courtesan is, which Regena Thomashauer also discusses in her book Pussy: A Reclamation.  

When I think about who I might have been in a past life, I pray that if I lived anytime between the 15th and 19th centuries that is was as a courtesan. Those times were not so kind to women; there were three choices in life. Get married to someone your parents arranged and prayed he was kind and you existed to produce sons, you often did not know how to read or write and had no say in the life you would lead, you may have been royalty and you may have been a peasant; in either case you had no money. If for some reason you could not be married off your other two choices were nun or courtesan. The convent was often not a kind place either.  

Courtesans, on the other hand, were independent, educated and financially free. They had the hearts and ears of royalty, artists, and were respected in society. They were the muses, and often were artists, performers and fierce businesswomen. But above all, they took self-care, pleasure, sensuality and both inner and outer beauty very seriously. They were intoxicating to everyone around them; both men and women. Courtesans were exotic, intriguing, classy, beautiful in an unconventional way, brilliant, and most of all outrageous. They never apologized for being their true selves. I think we could all use some of this in our lives. 

“Outrageousness is a side effect of a woman being in tune with here sensuality.” Regena Thomashauer (Mama Gena)

Are you outrageous? Are you in tune with your sensuality?  

Here are some ways to get in tune with your sensuality and your inner courtesan: 

• Wear lingerie even when there is no one to see it 
• Color your hair an outrageous color 
• Take a dance class, wear outrageous shoes 
• Learn a foreign language  
• Take baths filled with roses and rose oil or other flowers 
• Buy a dress you can’t afford and take your significant other on a date 
• Have a boudoir photo-shoot done 

Please share what you do to feel more alive, outrageous, and sensual, and make a commitment to start doing some of these things once a week.