Tantra ~ Sacred Sexuality
I started studying western styled "Tantra," or sacred sexuality in the year 2000—learning from teachers like: David Deida, Bodhi Avinasha, Jwala, Margot Anand, Kalashatra Govinda, Ma Ananda Sarita and Swami Anand Geho, and most profoundly Daniel Odier. Many of these teachers were students of or influenced by Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (Osho; 1931 - 1990) —who I also hold as guide and teacher.
Very early in my Tantric education I was influenced by an obscure transcription by Paul Reps in the book "Zen Flesh, Zen Bones" entitled: Centering. This turned out to be a very poetic version of the Vijnanabhairava Tantra—an ancient book of spiritual sayings, or “sutras,” considered to be one of the foundation texts of Tantra and pertaining to achieving enlightenment through sacred sexuality. Two key sutras from this work have inspired and directed my Tantric exploration:
"While being caressed, sweet princess, enter the caressing as everlasting life."
"At the start of sexual union, keep attentive on the fire in the beginning, and, so continuing avoid the embers in the end."
These two sutras contain great Tantric secrets that provide adepts transcendent experiences of nirvana and divine attunement and unity consciousness. I have spent the last 11 years discovering, practicing and exploring these two secrets and experiencing their profound benefits. The Transcendental Tantra™ I teach includes a thorough understanding of these two sutras and how to realize their ecstatic and transcendental gifts.
“The Sanskrit word tantra means "web" or "to weave" and is explained as "that which expands understanding." Tantrism can be defined as a system of beliefs and practices intended to stretch the human mind, to guide its adherents to higher knowledge, or gnosis. Tantrism celebrates the divinity in and of every being and thing. Its goal is personal liberation, which is understood as the transcendence of the ego-personality, of the ordinary consciousness.” —Georg Feuerstein,
from the book Sacred Sexuality: the Erotic Spirit in the World's Great Religions
Transcendence
It is clear to me, that admonishments like the above and Osho's:
"Tantra is not for Sex, Tantra is to transcend"
from the book: Tantra, Spirituality & Sex
point to the higher purpose of sacred sexuality or "Tantra"—transcendence!
This transcendence is from ordinary awareness to divine, or soul, awareness experienced as equanimity, deep peace, ecstatic bliss, "at-onement" and nirvana. This process includes clearing any blocks to experiencing one's divinity and inner unity, masculine & feminine integration and harmony within, harmony and attunement with one's beloved, and thirdly, going beyond personal identification into a transpersonal, or supra-personal state of melded consciousness that is associated with "the mystical body of the divine.".
Transcendence from personal sexual gratification and individual identity refers to going beyond the personal (i.e. ego-personality based sexual gratification) by incrementally sublimating the individual "me" and gradually expanding awareness to include the "supra-personal." Much of what is being taught as "Tantra" is merely another avenue for the ego to be fed what it wants: pleasure, power, and gratification, from a "me" point of view. When the personality is incrementally sublimated to allow the Tantra adept to access the transpersonal realm beyond "me" —individual experience is melded with "the other," and beyond that state, with the over-arching supra-conscious that is everything and everyone (experiencing unity consciousness, or nirvana). I teach a process in how to do this in my Transcendental Tantra™ workshop and private lessons.
In Tantra, sexual energy (kundalini) is used to propel an experience of transcendent consciousness by clearing emotional-psychological blocks, harmonizing and attuning within the self and with one's beloved, and modulating sexual energy—leading to experiencing nirvana bliss and unity consciousness. The Tantra adept experiences awareness gradually shifting and widening out to become less self identified and more transpersonal, archetypal, with a divine perspective; experiencing a synthesis of the multiple levels of being: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual!
Discovering the Roots of Sacred Sexuality
I was fascinated with the ancient cultures that birthed and supported "Tantra," and spiritual-sexual integration as a natural part of their social practices and mores. Often, religious ceremony and ritual included sexual elements and practiced ritual sex acts.
My scholarship of Tantra extended to including cultural anthropological, historical, and archeological viewpoints through written works by: Alain Danielou, Wolf-Dieter Storl, Andre Van Lysebeth, Georg Feuerstein, and Julius Evola. Further understanding came from research works such as Asia Shepsut's "Journey of the Priestess: the Priestess Traditions of the Ancient World" and Sharron Rose's "The Path of the Priestess: a Guidebook for Awakening the Divine Feminine" as well as Nancy Qualls-Corbett's stellar book "The Sacred Prostitute: Eternal Aspect of the Feminine" —all reveal clues for understanding the ancient cultures that practiced a spiritual devotion that integrated spirituality and sexuality. (for more references, see my book list)
Understanding these ancient cultures to a greater degree enabled me to accept and accomplish a synthesis of my spiritual-sexual self and see how I could help others to do so as well. I recognized this accomplishment facilitated spiritual growth, more thorough psychological integration and healthy differentiation.
At every step on my Tantric path I have followed the same learning practice I've always used: take what I've learned into my own experience and see what works; use what does work by continued practice, and in so doing create a deeper, embodied understanding for myself. This very practical, experiential learning method grounded the esoteric ideals of Tantra into my embodied experience—and this is the place I teach from: knowing within my body what sacred sexuality feels like to me and describing it so that others can also have this embodiment and feel its results within their experience!
I teach Transcendental Tantra™ to people interested in reaching this remarkable state of being and experiencing its profound benefits.
Offerings:
- Private Transcendental Tantra™ lessons and practice sessions
- Transcendental Tantra™ Workshops
- Creating Tantric ritual and ceremony, a Tantric Journey for couples or group Puja
- Tantric Temple Priest / Priestess Mentoring
(includes Daka / Dakini training)
Private Tantra Lessons
I offer private lessons and practice sessions of Transcendental Tantra™ —which is a synthesis of western styled neo-Tantra, traditional Indian Tantric, Taoist, esoteric and Gnostic principles and practices that are centered in divine recognition and integration that serve as a path of spiritual awakening, evolution and transcendence. For those who seek healthy sexual expression in their relationship and recognize sacred sexuality as a spiritual path, Transcendental Tantra™ invites you into deep communion with the divine, expressed through sacred sex principles and practices.
Transcendental Tantra™ is about honoring the “Divine” in the other, and experiencing the Divine within oneself —and then communing as divines in the ultimate integration of sacred sexual union. Transcendental Tantra™ awakens one to the spiritual path of sacred sexuality and infuses life with deeply sacred awareness and presence which transforms all relationships to a higher expression of equanimity and harmony.
Tantric Ritual, Ceremony & Journeys
In Tantra the sex act is a sacred ritual (Maithuna) or ceremony (puja) and is intended to transform the participants. It is expected to generate pleasure and transcendental bliss—not being limited to ego-personality gratification. The sexual acts are being performed by the divine polar aspects (male: Shiva, and female: Devi, or Shakti) and not as the ego-persona selves. Tantric adepts, practicing Transcendental Tantra™, pass through layers of awareness that gradually produces a sense of all-connectedness, unity consciousness, and a state of nirvana.
The principle exchange between partners in Tantric ritual is sexual energy—the experiencing of which creates higher states of consciousness leading to the ultimate union of god and goddess within the self. The Tantrika (Tantric practitioner) therefore, uses sex in sacred ritual and ceremony to fuel a kind of internal alchemy, fusing spiritual energy with the physical being through sex—and in the process unite various apparently-disparate elements of self and obtain a state of divine union.
For couples and small groups I guide a sacred ceremony or ritual (puja) that provides the container for this transformational and transcendent process. I collaborate with you to put together a meaningful and transcendent ceremony that greatly enables expansion of consciousness and divine communion.
Tantric Temple Priest / Priestess Mentoring
The Tantric Priest/Priestess is a burgeoning form of sacred service starting to take hold in our culture and yet there are very few consolidated and concise resources that illuminate holistic, pragmatic, and necessary aspects of successfully serving in this way.
My years of Tantra ~ Sacred Sexuality experience and training combined with my scholarship of ancient priestess cultures and the personal psychological-emotional issues that are triggered when integrating and expressing one's Priestess; inform and guide me and provide unique mentoring opportunities for women seeking to embody and express their Priestess more fully.
I have worked with several women to awaken, develop, and expand their Priestess expression while remaining connected and grounded to the reality of being such in the world and overcome the challenges to doing so. Whether one serves as a Priestess in a professional capacity or within her personal intimate relationship, I provide valuable guidance in successfully expressing this invaluable asset to our culture's development, and personal or relationship expansion.