defining tantra
Sex and spirit
Tantra is a spiritual lineage that speaks of enlightenment through sexuality.
It is an ancient tradition deriving from Hinduism and Buddhism. Like many spiritual lineages, it was transmitted orally, passed down in whispers, stories and sermons.
Tantra is not a religion, it’s an embodied spiritual practice which can open you up to spiritual experiences.
It’s not all about sex AND Tantric experiences of sexuality and intimacy support an embodied experience of life that involves deeper connection with self and others and an increased capacity for slow, sensual, mindful living… and lovemaking.
Being called to the Tantric path is often more about desiring a life that turns you on. Entering into practices to curate more ease and joy has ripple effects throughout your life such as transforming the experience of sexuality.
There is a lot said about Tantra …
Some think it’s all about long sexual marathons and mind-bending orgasms. Some say that the origins of traditional Tantra have been corrupted by new age spiritual hippies in the West and has become something that it wasn’t. Some may say it is exclusive, for people with a high sexual appetite, those who can afford expensive workshops in Mexico or those with a kink for things outside the mainstream.
Some say it’s incredibly INCLUSIVE because Tantra teaches us that everything is divine… that everyone is welcome to sit under its umbrella: whatever your gender, sexual orientation, colour, creed.
Ultimately Tantra is a path to self. With roots in ancient wisdom, Tantric teachings continue to trickle down into our culture to serve the belief that the divine lives inside your body.
In practice, that can look like the development of supportive habits to increase your self-awareness and experience of life.
Whatever unfolds will be unique to you.
A little history
We don’t know exactly when Tantra emerged.
Possibly it arose in shamanic, matriarchal societies up to 5000 years ago. More modern-day derivatives find their roots in 6th century India, during a time of social change and advancement.
We do know that early Tantric practitioners were renegades, revolting against the dominant traditions in India at the time that separated people by gender and caste.
We see similar themes today…
Huge numbers of us are outraged by racism and separatism. We know there is nothing that separates us at our core. We want to feel more connected to each other and the world around us.
Many people are waking up to the huge limitations of so called ‘modern society’ and want to live a life of great meaning and service to the collective.
Many don’t want to take a back seat in their own life and chew on what we are served at school: an education limited on intimacy, connection and caring for ourselves, others and the earth.
Despite all our modernism - wars are still raging with devastating consequences. Many people are extremely disconnected from self and source and many are lacking true intimacy despite us being more technologically connected and physically close than ever.
I like to think of these early Tantric renegades sat around the fire, talking of liberation from the fluctuations of the mind and developing practices to free the self from its inner dialogue and feel more fully alive.
I love that there were people up to 5000 years ago knowing there was more to life than what they were experiencing.
This is the same quality that set me off on my adventures many years ago…
Knowing there was more to love, more to sex, more to LIFE than what I was experiencing.
I love that people have always asked the big questions of life….
Who are we? Why are we here? How do we feel more free?
There has always been cultural appreciation of something divine, something sacred.
A practical application of Tantra
Broadly the word Tantra means ‘to weave’.
Unlike other spiritual traditions which are transcendental (aka trying to get somewhere else to a more 'enlightened’ state), for us, Tantra is all about embodied reality.
It is a non-dual philosophy which sees the mundane and the divine as the same thing.
Tantra says that God/Goddess is not someone outside of us but we are inherently divine as we are.
The material world of the body and the non-material world of soul and spirit are the same: weaving together in a beautiful dance, which we call life.
Applying this philosophy in today’s world can be extremely supportive.
We live in a world that prioritises perfection over feeling.
Bringing love, presence and the belief that all is inherently perfect and divine as it is… warts and all.. can be deeply healing in a world which prioritises unattainable expectations of what beauty is. Meeting yourself, your body and those around you without judgement or desire to fix and change can have profound effects on the psyche and the experience of life.
This is a cornerstone of Tantric teachings and embodied practices such as Tantric massage. Devotional, non-goal oriented touch which reflects the belief that the body is totally beautiful and acceptable, exactly as it is, can support a greater sense of safety, self-confidence, self-love and the healing of traumas and insecurities.
Neo-Tantra
Traditional Tantra has been blended with modern day philosophies, somatic education and new age spiritual teachings. This is understood as neo-Tantra and speaks to a new type of weaving of what it is to seek the sacred in the modern day.
Neo-Tantra has many facets. These include working with sexuality as a path to liberation, deepening intimacy, cultivating presence and self acceptance and working with energetic pathways in the body to free up blockages.
The practices of Tantra were once considered totally revolutionary.
Despite how far we have come in the modern world, it is still revolutionary to break down your conditionings around sexuality, liberate yourself from blocks and karmic patterns, re-wire body shame and open your heart to more love, more joy and more experience of life.
Self awareness, actualisation and sexual liberation is a gift to your mind, body, soul and the world around us.
Tantra is a gateway….
With love,
O
