New Worlds of Body, Mind & Spirit Since 1901
According to what we think is the most reliable scholarly perspective, Tantra emerged as a distinct tradition in South Asia approximately 1,700 years ago, although its symbolism and philosophy partake of traditional beliefs that are far older and that are similar to a cosmology that existed in many other societies. In The Kiss of the Yogini, David Gordon White makes a compelling case that the earliest Tantric practitioners were focused on acquiring power through ritual, and specifically sexual ritual, and that this sets Tantra apart from other traditions. In White's account, as Tantra evolved over the next several hundred years, it became more "spiritual" in focus, absorbing and being ...
Human sexuality cannot be understood outside the concept of Yin and Yang. In the tantric view, a human being and his or her relationships are a mirror of the universe—or even better, the whole universe in microcosm. The universe itself is seen as a union of the male and female principles, as represented by the divine couple Shiva and Shakti. In tantra, the male Shiva and the female Shakti are revered as both the divine couple and as the archetypes for consciousness (Shiva) and energy (Shakti). The ancient Vedic texts, which are sacred to yoga and tantra, describe through metaphor and myth a person’s relationship to his or her energy field and the energy field’s ...
Tantra is: Tantra is an ancient tradition that recognizes sexual energy as a source of personal and spiritual empowerment. This sets it apart from most Western traditions and helps explain why most Westerners have reduced it to its sexual elements alone. Tantra is the magic of transforming your consciousness and thereby transforming your entire being. Your body is the most powerful tool for bringing about this transformation Tantra is a spiritual science. Tantric techniques have been tested and have proven effective for many centuries. If you practice diligently, you will experience results. Tantra can be quite simple. Everyone has had Tantric experiences, but it is not always so ...
Most classical Tantric texts seem to have been written primarily with men in mind. For example, the Gheranda Samhita, a 16th-century Tantric/Yogic text advises: "By virtue of this Yoga, the Bindu-Siddhi (retention of seed) is obtained, and when that Siddhi is obtained what else can he not attain in this world."1 Similarly much of the popular mythology about Tantric sex focuses on prolonged lovemaking and concomitant male staying-power (retention of seed), as if that were the defining feature of the Tantric experience. In Tantra: The Art of Conscious Loving, Charles and Caroline Muir contend that tantric practitioners believe that the age-related prolongation of the refractory period is a ...
