{Hot Women to Watch is a monthly feature where I put the spotlight on one beautiful soul whose work I’m appreciating and cheering on because something tells me this is just the beginning} 

Holy hotness!  Things are really heating up with this month’s hot woman to watch.

This November I have the pleasure of introducing you to a woman who is on a mission to start an erotic empowerment revolution. A conscious one.

In 2011 she founded an internationally recognised annual event called “Celebrating Sexuality” (formerly known as Sex Camp).  Then in 2013 she launched a conscious erotic dance practice for women called “Dancing Eros” where women embody the following four archetypes: the Slut, the Maiden, the Wild Woman and the High Priestess (sign me up!).  And in 2014, well, lets just say she’s got some big plans for this erotic empowerment revolution.

Introducing Vanessa Florence, an erotic goddess far wiser beyond her twenty-five years living in Melbourne, Australia.

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From breakdown to breakthrough, what was this moment for you? The defining moment that changed e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.

Breakdowns and breakthroughs…Well to be honest there isn’t just one – I’m having them ALL THE TIME. Sometimes they are minor and sometimes not so minor, being a woman – I am an emotional, feeling, cyclical creature and I honor that. If something comes up and I need to have a big fucking cry for a few hours – I’ll go there – like fully go there; put my hazard lights on, pull my car over the side of the rode and sob into my steering wheel for as long as it takes kind of ‘go there’ Then it clears, my body and heart are free again and I drive on (I literally did this last week). When we can go fully into the ‘breakdown’ sometimes not even knowing what the hell it actually is about – we get the gifts of the breakthrough much faster – Its death and rebirth and its the natural cycle of evolution and growth. The process is unavoidable and for me it’s just about trusting my emotions and my body and reminding myself that when I’m really in the shit – there is a pretty rainbow just beyond it. Life is about loving the shit and rainbows – you can’t have one without the other.

What has been the most challenging thing to let go of so you could put yourself first (be it your health or your desires or your inner voice)?

I’ve actually always been relatively good at putting myself first. I believe we really need to reclaim the power of being selfish and recognise that if we can’t fully love and give to ourselves then we definitely cannot love and give to others. I have definitely had to continually let go of my beliefs of ‘I’m not good enough’ ‘Who do I think I am?’ ‘I don’t have enough experience’ It really has been about not allowing myself to be my own worst enemy. If you have a desire to offer something to the world – then do it – you will never feel like you are ready.

What is “dancing eros” all about and why does this work matter?

So…Dancing Eros is a conscious erotic dance practice for women that is about the full reclaiming of desire, the unleashing of passion and the stepping into full feminine power. We explore the four erotic archetypes of the Priestess, The Maiden, The Slut, The Wild Woman who all have their own gifts and wisdom to offer us on soo many levels.

Women who are dancing this practice regularly are becoming more free, sexy, alive, connected, conscious and confident etc etc etc! They love themselves more deeply, their intimate relationships change – how they express and move and relate with the world at large. This work moving out of our heads and the choreographed moves of erotic dance and tapping into our instinctual, authentic sensuality and pleasure for ourselves and our own enjoyment. From that empowered place we can then offer it as a permission granting, healing gift to others in our life.

Our sexuality is our life force energy and we currently live in a society where this is a shitload of shame, repression and just general confusion around it which really needs to change. My vision is for there to be thousands of Dancing Eros teachers all over the world – for this to be a regular practice in every womans life and for erotic dance temple spaces to be the new strip clubs. This work is about worship and the sacredness of sexuality in all its expressions from the dirty to the innocent, the raw to the refined – all is beautiful and phenomenally world changing-ly powerful to embody.

What books are you always telling people to read?

The War of Art – Stephen Pressfield

This book changed my life big time. I read it at the start of this year and it sent me into an intense spin (see : breakdown) for about 3 days over the new year break. It lovingly kicks your ass by exposing all the ways that you resist giving you gift to the world and doing your ‘art’. After reading this book I could no longer ignore that I had shit I really wanted to share with the world – like next level share with the world – and there was no way I could deny that any longer.

The Optimised Woman – Miranda Grey

Any woman who is an entrepreneur or simply trying to find a way to be more productive and successful in her life – this book is the bible. It’s all about using the wisdom of your body and your menstraul cycle as a guide for deeper fulfilment and success – understand that we cannot do our life like men can – we have times when we are outward and times when we are inward and understanding that means we no longer have to fight against our bodies but work with them – This book is a game changer.

What music is on your playlist?

I am downloading and collecting sexy music like it’s a religion (Dancing Eros kind of is). I have music for each archetype and am always on the hunt. This morning I danced to some tracks from the slut playlist I created for last nights class – here’s a few for your dancing pleasure.

Fiona Apple – Criminal

What You Want (feat Total) – Mase

Beyonce – Bootylicious

NightMares on Wax – Environment

 

When do you most feel like a Goddess?

When I dance – particularly when I dance for my partner – that man knows how to worship! I love how much we both receive in the process. When we first met I had just started facilitating Dancing Eros and after the first slut class I ever ran I was feeling totally juiced up and alive. We had only known each other for about 2 weeks but I texted him saying ‘Can I dance for you tonight?’ I went over there after class and danced for him in his living room for 2 hours straight! Offering up my desire and joy and shameless sexual expression for this new man in my life to witness – it was a really powerful experience for both of us. I truly believe conscious erotic dance is the fastest way to access our own divinity and sensuality as women.

What is currently emerging for you in this moment?

So much! exploring deeply how to really master that balance of the yin and the yang as a woman on a mission – maintaining that yang drive, focus, direction and the yin of ‘being’ feeling, surrendering and nourishment. Getting really clear on the structures for the bigger visions of this Dancing Eros work as well as surrendering to its own wisdom.

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear: EROTIC?

It doesn’t really come to my ‘mind’ but to my body – I feel sparks of arousal, desire, passion, enticement, swelling in my heart and in my sex. I believe true eroticism is about embodiment – it’s about completely letting go of our ‘ideas’ about what’s sexy and letting the instinctual, pleasurable nature of our body guide us into what it wants from us.

{Now for the Short and sweet…}

I’m interested in…creating more ‘yes’ spaces – permission granting places for freedom of expression and desire.

I believe…erotically empowered women will change the world

In my experience…life is ridiculously poetic and beautiful.

2013 is…more than I could have imagined.

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Connect with Vanessa here: www.vanessa-florence.com