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What We Do The Temple Introduction Philosophy Ceremonial Magick and Tantra Sex in America Sex in religion The speed of life 28 minutes? To clear or not Don't teach your lovers or love your teachers Tradition of the Panchtattva Attaining Highest Vibrations |
The Correlation Between Ceremonial Magick and Tantra: Anyone who is familiar with the work of Alestair Crowley understands that Crowley used much sex magick in his works. In fact, he came to rely very heavily on the energy created by the human body during orgasm. On examination of the evidence, we find that Crowley had access to higher teachings of the East; Tantra. Tantra utilizes energy created by the human body, not only during orgasm, but at other times as well. Many Tantric concepts are mirrored in the work of Crowley and also that of P.B. Randolph, a turn-of-the-century magickian who was also a medical doctor and took a scientific viewpoint of sex magick. The exercises in Tantra lead one to a total control of the nervous system and hence total control over a person's physical energy. To control the nervous system is to reign in pain response, as well as pleasure response, so that this energy builds up and becomes a useful tool for raising consciousness. The orgasm in many Tantric systems is held off entirely, or at least till the very last possible moment. Some schools of Tantra hold that a male should NEVER orgasm; a male practicing this way would conceivably be able to tap his entire energy reserve at any time. The correlation that Crowley made (and Randolph as well) was that any energy intense enough to open up consciousness was also intense enough to power magickal spellwork. What didn't occur to him right away was that you can't have one without the other. This is something that the Hindus and Taoist and Buddhists understand as Karma. The similarities between Tantra and CM are numerous: Both are best done nude. Both are done in sacred space, usually with an altar set up burning incense and candles. Both require a certain amount of understanding of metaphysics before attempting. And both are known to utilize sexual intercourse in thier workings. The difference between Tantra and C.M. are subtle, but there. Usually Tantra only focuses on 2 people; CM works well with groups. Tantra is done with both partners in trance state from the beginning of the rite; CM includes getting into trance state as part of the rite. Tantra requires the clearing of certain energies before the rite begins. CM can be done with anyone willing to learn the steps of the ritual. No advanced energy shifts need occur with CM, but with Tantra, the shift is unavoidable. Tantra focusses on clearing personal energy, which then leads to physical manifestation. CM focusses on physical manifestation which then invokes the Karmic lesson which clears the personal energy. Tantra teaches not only control of the orgasm, but also how to 'amp it up', how to make it more powerful. In Crowley's day, it was trial and error, experimenting and documenting his own experience. Now, There are much easier ways of learning this control, mostly due to the availability of texts on the subject. This generation of magi have everything from Pranayama breathing exercises to complex rites invoking 16 different forms of Shakti, all available over the internet. Just because the information is out there doesn't make one a Tantric just by reading it. Nor does reading the entire Crowley library make you a magickian. Like any good path, the practice is at the heart of it. If you can understand your Karma, and you understand that there is something for you to learn, Tantra is as useful a tool as there ever was. If you are familiar with CM, it's time to dive into Tantra. Where else can you go but up? © 1999 -2005 Sienna Newcastle |