Violence & Sex

ould the violent destruction of New York’s Twin Towers have sexual roots? Perhaps. Freud, Jung and Reich would surely say so. The world is well aware of sexual suppression in Islamic nations, but rarely sees it in their own backyard. This suppression comes in different forms, some covert and others overt. Interestingly, sexual suppression has little to do with sex itself. It has to do with fear. Fear is simply a product of external programming, through mind and senses, affecting consciousness. Your actions and reactions are strongly influenced and molded through unconscious philosophic and religious programming, affecting your cultural group mind set. This programming is mostly fear-based in some fashion. Hence, sexual repression can be viewed as a lack of consciousness. It is indeed an indicator. One need only be amazed by the insane media attention given to Janet Jackson baring her breast at the Super Bowl! The results of this suppression/repression have now reached epidemic proportions, manifesting in a world gone mad.

Most fear has belief as its foundation. When you let go of limiting beliefs, you begin to live holistically, totally. Take a deep breath and give existence, freedom and love a chance. I am not the first to say this, but I welcome being the last. If not now, when…your next lifetime?

My quest, or journey, is to simply support you in awakening and expanding your consciousness, by dropping these beliefs, offering you a wider point of view, so to speak. I do this by challenging your belief systems, traditions, and habits, giving you opportunity to discard external programming, offering you choice and freedom.

Some of my ways create a reaction in certain people. God knows, it is not my intention to produce fear, and I do not. However, many people tend to hold on so strongly to their beliefs, customs, and ways of being, that they consider me insane, disgusting, manipulative, or at least a threat to their “comfort zones.” They would love to "kill the messenger."

To the toddler a “comfort zone” is a “security blanket” offering softness and cover from the boogieman. Not until the toddler understands that there is nothing to fear, does he or she drop the blanket and see how fulfilling life can be. Unfortunately, as children enter the social structure, the “security blanket” is replaced by more sophisticated means. These take the form of group beliefs (gangs, "good-'ole-boys-club," peer pressure, malicious gossip, etc.), dogmatic beliefs, customs, fashion, etc..

One way people protect their beliefs is through humor. For example, while Americans are seemingly obsessed with sex in the media, often in a humorous, tongue-in-cheek way, in reality it is a cover and avoidance of the subject in a sociologically acceptable way. At the same time, there is a continued proliferation of violent pornography. The same could be said of sexual suppression, ribald classics and perversion during the reign of Queen Victoria of England in the 19^th century

Fear manifests in a myriad of outward appearances, some real, such as fear of violence, fear of being ostracized and even fear of death itself, and some projections, such as future pain or denial; not getting a candy bar, or not getting a bigger pay check, or spending eternity in fire and brimstone, or not being with Allah, God, Jesus. Often this fear can be overwhelming, creating great perversion, so that, as a mob, group or religion, you allow the killing of millions of innocent people. Hitler’s regime killing the Jews, or the Roman Catholic religion killing witches and pagans Inquisition was also darkened with well documented sexual suppression. Today the featured performers are militant Middle Eastern Arabs, who say Americans are the aggressors. Both are. And, with belief systems well honed, they are ready to do battle. Same goes for all others who harbor aggression, from militancy in Ireland and Somalia...from Chechnya to Columbine High School.

Fear takes form in political aggression, and individuals sacrificing their life for their nation, tradition or version of God...from Japanese Kamikaze pilots in World War II, to martyrs for Allah crashing airliners into buildings.

Now, the aggressive attitudes and actions of an American president may even bring us to horrific war with Iraq and other Islamic countries that could easily stem a world wide conflict of unimaginable magnitude. There is even cultural worship of fear and violence being seen, with a rise in Satanism, Gothic lifestyles, and sadomasochistic dungeons in American cities and elsewhere. I also sense that the proliferation of mind and mood altering substances, and the rampant rise in alcohol misuse is yet another indicator of the erosion to humanity produced by fear and suppression.

This fear-based suppressive programming which you harbor goes really deep within you, and you may not even recognize it, but you do have the choice to let go of this insanity. You can choose love, not war…freedom, not fear.

I am not a teacher; I am simply a messenger, one of many. I only ask that you experience me. Do not believe me, or others. I simply ask you to listen with an open mind and heart…to be yourself, and not a product, consumer or robot of others. You can exit the "Matrix." You do not have to be a lemming heading for the proverbial sea.

While I am not a sex evangelist, I do recognize, from over fifty years experience in studying the subject, that sexual energy is indeed the most potent force we have. Unless you were artificially inseminated, you came into existence in body through the act of procreation...better known as sex. You wouldn't be here unless a man and woman had sexual intercourse. They had it because it gave them animal pleasure, yet triggered by a deep spiritual pursuit.

While you are in a body, this pleasure underpins much of your life. It matters not if you are a nun, monk or prostitute. Whether you are celibate or promiscuous, whether you deny it or not, sex runs much of your existence. Unfortunately, today, most people have lost that special ingredient of this physical attraction that moves humans beyond mere physical pleasure to a deeper and more satisfying wholeness.

At one time, long before so-called civilization permeated our culture, humans cultivated this pleasure to transcend into higher dimensions of consciousness, beyond the material, animal act. Thousands of years ago, people had achieved a high degree of awareness, and an alchemical formula for converting what we know as sex energy -- called by many names such as Chi, vital force, soul, etc. --using it to enter into a state of Divinity. Their spiritual philosophy held sexuality as a divine rite and an expression of union or yoga. Creating a union between heaven and earth is the oneness all humans deeply quest.

As our planet moved out of the Taurien Age (4300-1700 BC), and became masculine and aggressive, it also lost the deep spiritual connection to this vital energy. While sexuality touches every part of your life, it's sad that this most pleasurable, life-affirming phenomenon--the act of creating your very birth--is today tainted with fear, abuse and general negativity.

There was a time when people with an awakened consciousness practiced Tantra with an artistic and cultural lifestyle of pure bliss and harmony with each other and the universe. They lived in a state of let go and enlightenment. Tantra, the art of spiritualizing sensuality and sexuality, offers practical tools to transmute fear and attachment into love and universal power…to wake up to reality.

Like the spring flower freeing itself from the frozen snow, Tantra is again budding, offering the Aquarian Age an alternative--a way to reverse the negative energy on the planet, and a way to release you and reach transcendence. Put simply, Tantra is the total surrender, or letting go of all mental, emotional and cultural conditioning, so that universal life energy can again flow though you like a river without any effort. It is a letting go to universal oneness...to love. When fear is removed, Tantra remains.

Tantra doesn't tell you to control or suppress your sexual urges in order to reach God, but rather says the opposite. It supports development of this vital energy to achieve union with Divinity. The essence of Tantra is the full expression of being--a merging with, rather than a withdrawing from. It is the ultimate yoga, which is Sanskrit for union. In Tantra, the orgasm is with the universe. You become part of the primal energy of everything. In the Kama Sutra, genital contact is but one of the many kinds of intercourse. Tantrikas learn to make love with everything, letting go of all barriers to pure bliss.

Sex becomes sacred and divine when you approach it from your heart and body, with a ripeness and juiciness, rather than your fear-laden mind. It is common for Tantrikas to "drop their mind" when engaging in Tantric lovemaking. When the energy comes from a space deep within you--your essential Self--it connects you to God/Goddess/All that is...moving you into the realm of spirit.

The body is energy in form, and can be awakened if you let go to your sexual energy. This is the way of Tantra. It affirms the life energy within you in totality, so that those on this path find themselves whole and self-confident, with a positive panoramic view of everything.

Tantra changes one's view of relationships as well. Tantrikas are less co-dependent, jealous or neurotic. They tend to be harmonious, fun and energy-filled. In the way of Tantra you also discover that the relationship you seek outside is already within you. You simply need to learn about and cultivate the Tantric vision, a vital, bliss-filled approach to sex, love and life in general.

Some scholars claim he word Tantra comes from the Sanskrit or Hindi word for fabric or tapestry, meaning that it is woven into one's life. Others say that is comes from two Sanskrit words tanoti and trayati. Tanoti means to expand consciousness, and trayati means to liberate consciousness. One might then say that Tantra expands and liberates consciousness, making it the fabric of existence.

The highest possible synthesis between love and meditation, Tantra is also the connection between the third dimension and other planes of existence beyond mere materiality. While not a religious philosophy, Tantra embraces a deep spiritual understanding of life and an ancient art of living in harmony with existence. It is a poetic science of super sexuality that dates back thousands of years, not only to India and Tibet, but to the Far East, Polynesia, and indigenous cultures of all parts of the world. The North America's native Cherokee practiced a form of Tantra called Quadoshka that has recently seen a revival. It was used as a vehicle to achieve cosmic consciousness and union with Divinity.

Tantra treats sexual energy as a loving friend, rather than something to be suppressed or talked about secretly in low tones. It does not deny sex, or consider sex a hindrance to enlightenment or Heavenly Grace. To the contrary, Tantra is the only spiritual path that says that sex is sacred, and not a sin, or something against God, whether in a marriage or not. Tantrikas are God-loving, rather than God-fearing.

There is a most beautiful word for sex in the Sanskrit language, and that is Kama, which means sex-love together, undivided and indivisible. In Tantra, sex is always loving. Almost everyone is familiar with the 7th century classic the Kama Sutra, a Tantric treatise on lovemaking. Kama is also the name of the Hindu Goddess of love. And love is what Tantra encourages--total unconditional love, including the mind, the spiritual and the body.

Today, many people have been exposed to the use of energy for healing, as with Chinese medicine, acupuncture, Reiki, Touch for Health, etc. Yet, few people, except the Taoists, use the body's most powerful energy center--the sex center--for the achievement of divinity and enlightenment.

In Tantra, sexual energy is used as the ignition for firing the Kundalini force, the body's biological life-energy system, merging it/you with universal energy. Mystics and metaphysicians call this reaching or achieving Godhead, Nirvana, Samadhi, Mooksha or union with Divinity.

However, unlike Taoism (which actually stemmed from ancient Tantra) that says bring your energy inside for longevity, Tantra says let it go, let it all go! There is no reason to hang onto anything if eternity exists, and we are a part of it all.

In Tantra, sex is used as the cosmic union of opposites to create the polarity charge, or potential that connects with the primordial energy from which everything in the universe arises--the totality of ALL.

On the Tantric path, we learn to use sexual energy in an extended way, not denying the physical (though nothing is really essentially physical), but going further...deeper… higher. Not avoiding but joining and creating transformation and transmutation. We dance with the electromagnetic force field of our partner, and that dance leads to cosmic oneness. When this energy is matched and balanced correctly through a loving surrender with a partner, the sparks fly. In that moment of sexual embrace and energy exchange, a couple may achieve a cosmic orgasm, with their essential selves exiting the body. Those who claim to read auras can often tell if people are Tantrikas. In Tantra we learn to open ourselves to others, not only on the physical but on all levels. Yes become more prominent in our vocabulary...

The basic difference between unenlightened sex and Tantric sex is that Tantra declares "the kingdom of God is within your heart." An Indian Tantrika friend once said to me, Pinde So Brahamande, which in Sanskrit means, “the physical body is the temple of God, the replica or representation of the entire Cosmos."

Contemporary society considers neurosis and deviant behavior normal, no more a problem than the common cold. Our present social and cultural structure supports separation and has created division among individuals and nations, manifesting in violence, war and in general a world without beauty and love. Western (and now even Eastern) culture uses sex for manipulation--sexy models being used to sell cars, soap and other products--while at the same time suppressing sexual expression. With sex being such a powerful force, we have created the perfect environment for neurosis, and sexual violence.

Tantra says we can celebrate life when the idea of separation, or otherness, disappears from the body and mind, allowing people to meet on all levels of consciousness--physical, vital, mental, intellectual and spiritual. In fact, Tantric partners often consider themselves "soul partners."

Tantra, the art of spiritualizing your sexuality, offers practical tools to transmute fear and attachment into love and universal power. Jealousy, possessiveness, guilt and other negative emotions that drain your life-force energy, drop away.

While most fundamentalist religions focus on the elimination of sensual pleasures, Tantra welcomes the full expression of bodily pleasure, recognizing that in the body is hidden the "bodiless," or the spiritual. Your layers of energy in form and can all be awakened if you let go to your essential self. Eastern thought calls these layers Chakras, or layers of energy going from the base of the spine to the top of the head. In most people, their biological energy, in Sanskrit called Kundalini, lies in the lower portion of their body. It is this energy that must be activated for our consciousness to rise.

The art of Tantra should not be mistaken for material hedonism. Perhaps it could be called "spiritual hedonism," which says, "eat, drink and be merry, but with full awareness." Remain awake as you enter into sex before the old habits come and take over. Just remain conscious of the energy. Tantra says Yes! to sex, Yes! to love, and Yes! Yes! Yes! to unconditional love.

If you can learn to be conscious of the body and the breath, you can become conscious of the Universe. What Buddha said can be said of Tantra, "The truth of the Universe can only be realized within the framework of the physical body." Simply available as a path to experience full enlightenment, Tantra doesn't ask you to believe anything. In fact, it says let go of all belief systems. Seek out a teacher that can guide and support you through the essential experience. In the experience itself you will discover your oneness with the universe

So, while Tantra is associated with sexuality, it is essentially a merging with oneness, using the physical plane as the launch pad. You indeed create your own reality says Tantra, and this reality can be in the here and now--in the body through the Tantric orgasm. While it is possible to study Tantra for years, learning technique, meditations, and nuances, of the Tantric lifestyle, the very essence of Tantra assumes you already have all the knowledge to become enlightened immediately. DO IT NOW! Life doesn't need to be violent and wasn't meant to be a struggle.

Virato's words have been heard and seen far and wide. He is Director of the Nepal Institute, Asheville, North Carolina, and founder/editor of New Frontier Magazine, a respected, and internationally known journal of new thought and consciousness transformation, celebrating it's 25th year. Virato has made countless personal appearances, and was the first to bring Tantric philosophy to Russia is 1992. He now travels there regularly, presenting his love-filled Tantra events in both Moscow and St. Petersburg. He has been in the media frequently, world-wide. To bring Virato to your area, see sponsor's info. He seeks a national producer for his multi-media, psycho-spiritual creation, Theatre Tantra

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