Tantra in the West usually makes people think of sexuality. But whilst sacred sexuality can be a part of it, tantra is much more than that. It is a radical path of liberation, which uses everything in life as a vehicle for awakening. What does it mean and how come sex became so attached to our view of tantra?
Classical tantra originated in Middle Ages in India. However, some of the traditional elements date way back, possibly to 3000 BC. Archeological evidence suggests people in Indus Valley worshipped Shiva and Shakti already then. Divine Masculine and Divine Feminine. Out of their union the Universe was born.
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The classical tantra mostly focused on practices such as yantras, mudras, meditation to regulate the energy body and cultivate consciousness. One of the explanation of the word 'tantra' actually refers to the texts that contained the traditional teachings and practices. Within the traditional teachings, sexuality has been acknowledged as part of life and one powerful way of steering our energy, but it wasn’t given any more prominent place than other aspects of life.
Some tantric sects were more radical. They’ve not only practiced sexual rituals, used semen and menstrual blood for magical rituals, but even lived in burial grounds to show disregard for social conventions and death equally. It was very interested in gaining power and supernatural knowledge. That way of practicing tantra was a path of rebellion – breaking taboos, caste system, freeing oneself from a strict society. And it can still be practiced nowadays as a path of transformation and going beyond ego. So – where is sex?
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The sexual aspect has been brought to central position by OSHO and his teachings became the ground for the neo-tantra movement. He called tantra 'totality': to feel whole and complete, to be free of inner conflicts and contradictions. And exploring one’s sexual impulses was part of that path to wholeness.
Some of the neo-tantra schools lost that perspective of wholeness and focused only on sexuality. Many schools have cultivated their own practices to increase intimacy, make people better lovers, and increase our capacity for pleasure. Which are all worthwhile and great pursuits!
Celebration of desire and pleasure makes tantra unique among many spiritual paths. Tantra has a lot to offer to modern practitioners, teaching that all aspects of human experience are sacred. This includes respect for the body and treating our sexuality with greater reverence.
The potential of tantra doesn’t end there though. By learning breathing techniques, cultivating our awareness, becoming more attuned to energy – we can experience sex as a pathway to Spirit. It can lead to transcendental or altered states of consciousness and is in my opinion the best alternative to substances when it comes to expanding our awareness.
What is nowadays being labelled as tantra often mixes the elements of classical tantra and neo-tantric work. It is also the approach we use at Temples of Eros: celebrating sex for the wonderful aspect of being human that it is, and also exploring practices that help you become a more conscious and sensitive individual, able to experience the direct access to the divine.
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