Tantra and Sacred Sexuality
Ecstatic sex connects us with Spirit, in the deepest sense. In ecstasy our spirit is most alive and we taste something of the archetypal Spirit that is far greater than our finite individuality.
Ecstatic sex is a transcendent experience, in which we are no longer bounded by time and place and identity. For a while the tethers are loosened and we fly free.
Many cultures around the world acknowledge the sacred nature of sexuality and honor it with ritual and procedures for attaining ecstatic states. The sexual rituals of Tantra are perhaps the most well known, but there are many other traditions. Taoism offers an elaborate understanding of the energetic meridians along which erotic energy flows; the Jewish mystical tradition of Kabbalah shows that the key to finding real sexual pleasure lies in self-awareness; the Bauls roam the countryside of eastern India enacting the spiritual love dalliance of Radha and Krishna through songs and dances; the NeoPagans honor the diversity of sexual expression as they practice healthy, sacred sexuality; Celtic sex magic channels the energy created during orgasm for the purpose of projecting spells and elevating consciousness.
Mainstream Christianity for two thousand years has offered a dessicated, de-sexualized approach to celebrating the joys of our sexual nature. Many Christians are seeking a new integration of body and soul that allows for a truly spiritual sexuality.
This section has five parts: