One of the very first things I learnt in my Tantra training was about the Village in the Mud and the Temple on the Mountain.
Your village in the mud is the place you go to when you are triggered into a lower vibrational space - think anger, sadness, frustration, resentment, or shame.
Once we’re down there, it can be hard to get back out. Misery loves company, as they say. And once you're in it, it's easy to find more things that keep you stuck. Other people often try to pull you into their village too, so it’s good to notice the people around you who are often visiting their village.
Tantra teaches us that there is nothing wrong with our village, or our mud - think of the lotus flower that literally grows from the mud - but we get to choose whether it consumes us or if we want to simply observe it.
You can choose to look down at your village, witness it, feel it, and still continue walking toward your temple on the mountain.
Now I want to be clear, it’s not about avoiding or bypassing your feelings. If we don’t allow ourselves to name and feel what’s really going on, we cannot grow. The heart is where we feel it all, and the only way to reach the higher aspects of ourselves is through the heart - the bridge between the physical realm and divinity.
So, how do we allow ourselves to observe and feel without getting stuck in the mud?
Firstly, self-awareness is key.
I invite you to reflect on the things that trigger you into your village in the mud. It might be people, situations, conversations, or habits. Write them down. Our triggers are powerful teachers, but only if we’re willing to be honest with ourselves about them.
Secondly, think about what helps pull you out of it.
Is it a person? A grounding practice? A certain word or mantra? A reminder? Something that lifts you onto the bridge where you can see and feel clearly again?
These two reflections - knowing what pulls you down and what lifts you up - can help you use your village in the mud as a space for transformation instead of a place to get lost in.
But what about the Temple on the Mountain?
Ready to connect with your Temple on the Mountain and explore how to return to your highest self again and again? Paid subscribers get access to a guided meditation and deeper integration practice below.