I am a masseuse
Or… am I?
I have given exactly three massages last year
Does that still make me a masseuse?

As soon as the Corona pandemic was announced in March last year, literally all my clients cancelled their bookings.
A few months later, some of them wanted to book a massage, but only if we would both wear mouth caps.
I said no
Of course not!

Why not?
Because wearing a mouth cap has symbolic meaning
It means you submit to the underlying programming, which is directed towards separation, distance and a growing fear of intimacy.
I am a masseuse, which means I stand for the opposite
I stand for connection, closeness, openness and trust
I cannot give a massage, while I submit to the opposite programming
That would make me feel torn

No, I am not complaining
If I hadn’t gone traveling in May, I’m sure I could have given many more massage in the past year
I am blessed, not to be dependent on my work as a masseuse
However, many people are
I am blessed, having the freedom to say no
Many people have not
It’s for them, I write this article

Every baby is born with basic needs
Did you know, the need for touch is greater than the need for food?
An untouched baby will die within 48 hours
An untouched adult will die slower
It will look more like withering
But eventually, it will kill him too

This is why I became a masseuse
It was the best thing I could give to the world, I thought
We are all deprived of touch
We all have skin hunger
We all need to be held, cuddled, stroked and touched
Often!
It gives us a feeling of well being, belonging, safety
It makes us feel loved

Now, look at this picture of a new born baby in the arms of his mother.
The picture is called ‘The first kiss’
It is part of a digital exposition called ‘Hold still’
‘Hold still’ was initiated by the duchess of Cambridge
(No kidding!)
It pictures people in the UK during lockdown

The truth is in the eyes of the beholder
I know, I know
But really, what am I looking at here?
Am I looking at brave and respectable parents, making the best of the situation?
Or am I looking at something terrible?
Am I looking at the normalization of separation, starting at birth?

How does it feel for a newborn child, to be touched by plastic instead of skin?
How does it feel for a mother who just gave birth, not being allowed to hold her baby against her body?
Not being able to kiss it, smell it, feel it?
Will they still be able to bond?

This past year I have been wondering
What does it take for people to stand up?
If they take your elderly, will you protest?
If they take your children, will you protest?
How far does your obedience reach?
How dangerous is obedience?

Am I still a masseuse?
Oh yes, I am
I still stand for the same values
Every human being has the right to be touched
It’s our birth right
And nobody has the right to take that away from us

Go out and hug somebody!
Cuddle, kiss, hold hands, slow dance, embrace
World peace is just a hug away

Sanne Burger
sanneburger.com