One Taste Not So Spiritual
Having been one of the 17 people who was there when One Taste [“The Spirituality of Sensuality,” February Common Ground] first opened, I am familiar with the inner workings of this community. To compare what’s happening at One Taste to Buddhism, or to spirituality in general, is an egregious error. I was there when Nicole [Daedone, One Taste’s founder] began to “spiritualize” the information she was teaching.
Since there is a growing pool of spiritual seekers in the Bay Area, and “operating on appetite” as they do, Nicole morphed what she was offering into something that can be construed as spiritual. In order to “spiritualize” the basic practice she teaches, Nicole changed the name from “deliberate orgasm,” as it is known in other communities, to “orgasmic meditation.” Et voila, it’s now a spiritual practice!
The article mentions the Buddhist idea of the witness. What I understand about this concept is that the witness is simply that, witnessing what the self/ego/small mind is doing, with no judgment, attachment or agenda. That was not my experience of “being witnessed” while living with the One Taste community. There was always an agenda, one that primarily had to do with the leader’s wants and desires. As soon as I was willing to trust what I saw, felt and experienced for myself, I knew this community was a farce. I observed many cult-like characteristics that I had not allowed myself to see previously.
The only advice I would give to anyone who’s living at One Taste or who may be considering checking it out is to trust yourself. Listen to your body. If there’s a niggling feeling or thought that keeps surfacing and part of you wants to push it down because you want to be “in,” take some time to come into stillness and listen. Perhaps you’ll find that your inner wisdom is trying to guide you.
— Elana Auerbach, San Francisco
March Issue Kudos
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