Aphrodite Callipygian. Translates from the ancient Greek as "Aphrodite of the Beautiful Buttocks"

Two months ago, the Guardian UK published a story about a new exhibit in the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens, Greece of Eros, the God of Love and son of Aphrodite. I would love to see this exhibit or other similar exhibits in museums around the world. I think it would go a long way toward creating a world that sees sex as something positive instead of, at best, a necessary evil, that sees sexual expression and sensuality as skills to be learned and honed and practiced by well-trained professionals. **ahem**I love the unabashedly erotic art of antiquity and how the ancients so carefully balanced the obscene and the elegant in the realm of sexuality, though they did not always succeed. Of course, it is important to remember that not every nude* or depiction of uncovered genitalia means it was seen by the ancients as erotic art because for them nudity did not always mean sex was to follow. In our Puritanical society nudity is equated with sex. Also, this art begins to destroy the rather false, high-brow division between erotic art and pornographic art because, as my art history professor declared, “It’s all about sexuality and it is all fantastic! It is the same thing.” I absolutely adore that woman.

Naturally, this interests me as a Companion, a woman, an intellectual and an art history student. Erotic art and fertility art is what I want to specialize in during my career as an art historian. It’d be appropriate, after all, to the other career path I have chosen for myself and indeed they compliment each other. To that end, I am posting some of my favorite erotic art, most of it from the Renaissance masters Titian and Peter Paul Rubens as they capture voluptuous and seductive women like myself with such beauty and sensuality as has not been seen since, really. What a shame the idea that a woman with buxom curves is unworthy of being depicted in such alluring loveliness these days. Of course the fact that courtesans were often models of these masters for their most sensual and celebrated works makes it even more apropos:

Pompeiian fresco found in a suburban bath, which could have doubled as a brothel.

Another Pompeiian fresco, this one from a brothel.

Callipygian Venus by François Barois. Originally without drapery but added later for "decency" reasons.

The Union of Earth and Water by Peter Paul Rubens

Kandariya Mahadeva Hindu Temple

Venus in the Mirror- Peter Paul Rubens

Venus at the Mirror- Titian

Pompeiian fresco of a satyr and a nymph frolicking as they were wont to do.

*As this has been drilled into all art history majors, there is a difference between naked and nude. Naked is the body uncovered in shame and degradation, not the position you want to be caught in. Nudity, however, is a celebration of the human body in all its adorned and very adored glory and beauty. Sometimes erotic, sometimes merely nude but always sensual.

Also posted at Voluptuous Libertine

I was reading a local Indian publication recently in which an Anthropologist had conducted a recent study taking a look at Devadasi culture in modern-day India. For those who are unfamiliar with the term “Devadasi”, this pertains to the ancient Indian temple dancers who were primarily found in South India. These women were married to Hindu Gods and Goddesses and served the community by taking care of the temples in which they resided, dancing for visitors and offering their feminine services to men for offerings. Once a highly honored and prestigious part of society, during the time of British occupation of India they were slowly demeaned and started losing both power and respect in the community.

There is a clan of followers in South India that this Anthropologist spent time with that follows the Goddess Yellamma and honors her through their work as modern Devadasi’s. These women sit on the margins of society and offer their feminine touch to men who then offer them money as a means of exchange and this is how they earn their livelihood. Unlike ancient days, these women are living in poverty, illiterate and many dont want to do this work out of choice but have been forced to either out of economic need or because their family sold them into this work as a means of paying off family debt.

I love the concept of these ancient Goddesses who were so highly revered as I love the work that I do that makes a difference in the lives of many. At the same time, it breaks my heart to know that so many women are forced to do things that they would otherwise never do. While its important to know that the work these women do serve the community and are a way of paying respects to ancient Goddesses, it is equally important to keep in mind the plight of many women in Indian and around the country who do not have the priviledge of making choices for themselves about how to live and earn for their families. I am fascinated by stories of these women and I certainly plan to do further research of my own to learn their stories from a history of long ago and hope to find ways to contribute to helping those women who are forced into this work and desire a different life for themselves.

Sitara Devi

A friend recently pointed me in the direction of a really cool and innovative woman who is raising money through a unique fashion idea and has a website which is “www.theuniformproject.com”. The mastermind of this fashion project is a lady named Sheena who is of South Asian heritage just like myself. She has decided to wear the same black dress (with several duplicates of the same dress) for 365 days in different ways each day. With her goal of raising money for a non-profit called “Akanksha” which helps children in poverty to obtain quality education in India she has been wearing the same dress each day for several months. She adds all sorts of fun and funky accessories to her dress and takes a picture each day which she adds to her website for viewers to make comments on her fashion statement of the day and for people to make donations. So far she has made close to $25,000 for this charitable cause and has created hundreds of looks with scarves, necklaces, bracelets and all sorts of shoes. I am really impressed with her ambition to help this charity and her wild sense of fashion and cutting edge idea to mesh fashion with helping humanity.

Make sure to visit her website and look at her pictures, she is totally adorable

 

 

Sitara Devi

In my non-sex work life, I have received an honored invitation: an induction to one of the premiere honor societies in the world. I am, much to my surprise, in the top 15% of my entire university. Wow. I am still recovering from the shock, even though it has been two weeks since I received my invitation. I have been trying to restrain from adding into conversations, “Yes, the Chicago Bears are doing fairly well and the Minnesota Vikings thanks to Favre, but did you know that I am in the top 15% of my university? Isn’t that FANTASTIC?!”

Strange the paths life takes you on. I never aimed to be in such a high strata of my prestigious university. Yet, here I am. I merely put my head down, did my work, learned what I came to learn and now I’m viewed as a scholar, in addition to being a writing fellow. I want to shout this great news from the rooftops, and perhaps have t-shirts or bumper stickers made, but my modesty prevents me from doing this. I should be excited about this, yes? I don’t want to be a braggart but I can’t help but to have a great sense of self right now.

Recently, the idea of giving back to the community through my business has become increasingly important to me. I’ve learned about Social Entrepreneurship and how this modern concept mixes both business and profit gains with community service in very unique ways. Having always been a bit of an activist at heart, it is important to me to support those causes that I really see making an impact in our world. My interest in giving of myself in service to others both in the work that I do as a Courtesan as well as giving to those in need has motivated me to become a bit of a Social Entrepreneur myself. As I was having a discussion with my mentor a few weeks back about how I could involve those around me to also work with me on charity causes, an idea came to me. Why not use my business to offer incentives to the friends who see me to donate to some amazing charity organizations while at the same time offering them a juicy deal which would enable them to spend time with me more often and save  a bit extra in their wallets at the same time. This creative flash has lead me to create a structure in my business that I am excited about sharing with the world. I am looking forward to seeing what the results are of this endeavor and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to make my contributions to the world not only in service of the Goddess whose work I do on a regular basis but also to those people who have not been as fortunate as myself.  

I welcome any comments you may have on this topic and any insights you may want to share with me.

 

Namaste-

 

Sitara Devi

One of my favorite childhood books is the really creative story “Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs” so imagine my surprise when I found out this story had been turned into an animated cartoon movie! I had a chance to see this movie a few days ago when I was visiting friends and the local movie theater had special opening for this movie. The story takes place in the town of “Chew and Swallow” where the people dont need to cook as it rains food three times a day each day. The movie took this classic story and created characters and a new story line using the basic theme of food pouring down from the sky. I dont want to spoil the movie for you as its a fun movie to watch, but it got me thinking about what foods I might enjoy eating if I could press a magic button and have anything drop down on my plate from the sky. Pizza with mushrooms is a real pleaser for  me as are pasta dishes so I know this would be at the top of my list. Indian nan and roti along with steamy spicy curries and koorma would be another hot choice. Mexican food and Thai food especially Nachos and Pad Thai would be yummy to have on my plate too. I dont know if I would want food raining down on me each day as I am attempting to cook more often, so perhaps this automatic food system would best serve me for one meal a day instead of three times as was the case in “Chew and Swallow”. I would love to hear your desires for food if they were to appear in the sky, feel free to tell me your favorite foods that you would enjoy if you lived in this  fun imaginary town.

 

Happy Eating,

 

Sitara Devi

I have discovered the most hilarious and hottest Indian online cartoon magazine. A group of men in India have created http://savitabhabhi.com which is an online series of cartoons around a character named ” Savita Bhabhi”.  The word “Bhabhi” in Hindi means “sister-in-law”. Savita Bhabhi is a lovely, sexual and horny housewife. She is the type of woman who men have indulgent fantasies about. Talented writers and graphic artists have come together to create comics about her raunchy adventures and trysts with an Indian flair. I recently learned that India had banned this website after the government learned that it came up in the list of 100 most popular sites in India. It’s wickedly fun and you are sure to enjoy browsing through their latest story as well as their archives.

 

Hope you enjoy and do let me know what you think!

http://savitabhabhi.com

 

Sitara Devi

Do any of you lovely ladies have contacts in the forest products industry? A client of mine needs some assistance in that area, so please email me privately at aina@ainmontero.com if you can help me out.

XOXO,
Aina

I recently read an article about Playboy Magazine trying to enter the Indian market. Over the past year Playboy has been selling men’s fragrances with names such as “Miami Playboy” and “Las Vegas” playboy to a blossoming cosmopolitan Indian population. Now the company is attempting to add clothing and accessories with the Playboy brand in the country’s retail shops as well. India is changing at a rapid pace and with it is a much greater demand for international mainstream products and brand labels even brands that once may have seemed a bit too “provocative” for this country full of contradictions. I’m curious to see if Playboy emerges with creating magazines for the Indian consumer with caramel skinned Playboy bunnies gracing the magazine covers at some point in the near future and am also curious to see what sales will be like for such publications as India continues to become more modern with these fast moving times.

 

–Sitara Devi

Writer of Eat, Pray, Love (Elizabeth Gilbert) discusses how talented people are undone by their gifts. She explores the horror an artist or creative mind experiences when they’re faced with the daunting perception that their greatest work is already behind them.

Working in creative fields, and meeting those from many backgrounds participating in the innovative edges of their industries, I often hear this fear of doom – what happens when the muse has no more to give? Everyone fears the day they will peak, dreading every future project’s destiny as a disappointment, shadowed by a previous crowning achievement.

Gilbert quotes an author as saying: “Every one of my books has killed me a little more.”

She goes on to discuss the link between creativity and mental health. The instability of the ingenious mind seems to be a real. In part there is the lack of balance – having brilliance in one area and being lacking in other attributes. The scientist without social skills, the self destructing artist, the musician that can’t add. In part I think this reputation and propensity for a cracked psyche is born of the deep connection a creative project has to the creator’s personal identity. There is quite the difference between a world of talent and task. If I fail at a task, I experience frustration but am able to forgive myself and continue on with my day. If I cannot make a personal vision come into fruition, I berate myself for incompetence.

It is not uncommon to speak to an artists or musician about a fantastic piece, only to hear them call it pitiful, their internal vision outwitting their physical ability to manifest it. We see only the stunning final work, and cannot help but be awed – the creator looks on with contempt.

Unlike Gilbert, I don’t think that this is an assumption perpetuated by society. Often those imaginative minds who suffer the pain of their gift are far beyond the reach of society, their minds operating from outside the neat little box of mediocrity and expectation. They are their own worst enemies, Ego, ID and Superego smashing into each other like waves in a chaotic storm.

She looks at ancient Greece and Rome, when creativity wasn’t the burden of the individual, but the touch of a divine spirit. The mystery of the human mind is the most baffling of all, and this paranormal explanation feels right to anyone struck by the power of inspiration. This concept of the muse sweeping down reminds me of outsider art: creative works that are born outside the boundaries of art culture. In the deadly trenches of war, the dark vacuous shadows of the Shoah, and the haunting hallways of asylums we see individuals who have never before and sometimes never again, spontaneously create beautiful, complex and powerful pieces. Their oppressing urge to express the realities of their experience through symbolic expression becomes the only release they can be afforded.

Gilbert talks to Ruth Stone who explains that she could feel a poem coming at her – a feeling I know well. It is a literal sense of words, images and emotions manifesting around you, disembodied at first. There’s a swooning sensation in the mind, a sense of distraction as the blur begins to lift, and within it, as though glancing inside of a dream I can see something taking form. I forever have a notebook and pen in my possession lest such a moment should unexpected come, knowing that once the breeze of the muse’s wings have passed, it melts into darkness and disappears. Like sand slipping though fingertips, you can feel inspiration slip out of your grip.

Gilbert believes that the ancient idea of muses provided creative minds with a safe psychological construct that allowed themselves to have distance from their work. She also presents that muses prevented artists from becoming narcissistic, they couldn’t take all the credit for the final work. This seems fanciful. Reading the works of Ovid and others, it is clear that they not only considered themselves talented, but favored by the Gods. Nothing disables the human ego.

Alas, muses disappeared with rational humanism and we could only look within ourselves for the root of inspiration. Gilbert believes this weight is too much for the human psyche: “The pressure of that has been killing off our artists for the last 500 years.” It is all too true that these moments of genius seem to come from outside ourselves, anthropomorphizing the experience provides a way to communicate with this mysterious aspect of the human mind that seems to have a life of it’s own. In many traditions, including pagan belief, we do not need to see a man walk on water to witness God. It is these moments when we are ablaze with effervescence, swallowed whole and in that moment entirely transformed that we are in the presence of divinity. To be graced by such a feeling would leave anyone feeling hung over, depressed by the common reality of our fallibility, hoping once more to be touched.

Instead of mourning and anguishing over the fear that divinity is forever beyond our reach, Gilbert says: Dance. Move with passion and adoration for that which you love, in celebration of the glorious possibilities, open to another visit from the muses.