An Excerpt from Tantra for the West by Marc Allen
A beautiful, dynamic source of energy in the universe is waiting to be tapped — the energy of creation.
We’ve all experienced this energy. When you put a man and a woman together, you have the energy of creation. (Or, if you prefer, you can say that when you put two women or two men together, you have the energy of creation — tantra embraces everything, rejecting nothing, so of course it embraces gay lifestyles and every other lifestyle as well. Don’t be put off by the male-female language. Substitute your own changes wherever necessary.)
Much has been written and taught about transmuting sexual energy. For most of us, however, this is unnecessary and redundant, for sexual energy transmutes itself. When our sexual energy moves through our bodies, we experience a physical, mental, and emotional transmutation of that energy. This happens whether we’re making love, meditating, or masturbating.
How does this take place? Our body is an energy system, and different parts of our bodies are different centers of energy. Our sexual center contains a very powerful source of energy, and when we focus on it by physically arousing it or mentally concentrating on it, we find that it is a dynamic force — it moves.
When we let it move as it will, we find that its natural movement is upward, through our abdomen, into our hearts, and still further upward into higher centers of energy and glandular activity in the throat, the forehead, and the crown of the head. This energy can then literally shower over our entire being, rejuvenating, purifying, healing, strengthening. Making love opens our hearts and expands our minds. It raises our consciousness, and connects us with the infinite so powerfully that even atheists find themselves shouting, “Oh, God!”
Many people, trying to be either moral or spiritual, cut themselves off from their sources of power in their so-called lower centers of energy. Many people on spiritual paths believe, as those in Shakespeare’s time did, that an orgasm is a “little death,” something that dissipates life energy. And some teachers from India teach that sexual orgasm weakens the system, and that the energy needs to be held in and drawn up into the higher centers to awaken true freedom and enlightenment. The result — except for those rare few who just aren’t suited for sexual expression — is repression, self-denial, and guilt.
I know, because I’ve tried that path. And I’ve known many others who have tried it — and many who are still trying. I found that celibacy doesn’t work for most of us, at least in the West. It requires too much denial of our feelings, desires, and impulses. It leads to a rejection of ourselves and our culture, and even, in a very basic way, a rejection of the life force itself.
I don’t mean to deny the value of celibacy for those who feel they’re getting something worthwhile out of it. Tantra embraces all paths — even the path of those who deny or withhold their sexual energy. The path of tantra teaches us to accept everyone and every other path, even those who criticize or condemn us for saying what we have to say.
Every person must find their own path, in their own heart.
For most of us, sexual energy is something to be celebrated, enjoyed, and used as a great vehicle to propel us forward on our path to liberation and light. This is the path of tantra.
Our bodies are miraculous creations. They’re to be respected, admired, appreciated, enjoyed. A deep truth that emerges from spiritual study is that we are all God-like beings; we have created our phenomenal bodies through our own DNA; we have grown ourselves from infancy to maturity. If we believe God is omnipresent, that means God is in every cell of our bodies. So when one person admires another walking down the street, it is God admiring God’s own creation. And the one being admired is also God enjoying God’s own creation.
Sex is more than a natural impulse — it is a deeply sacred act. When two bodies are joined, a very special temple is created through the force of two spirits, two energy fields, blending into one. A powerful energy flows between the two bodies that is deeply healing, strengthening, refreshing. It is a profound opening…a letting go…a perfect, wordless meditation on the creative forces of life.
Marc Allen is the author of several books including Tantra for the West, The Magical Path, The Greatest Secret of All, Visionary Business, and others. He is an internationally renowned seminar leader, entrepreneur, author, and composer. He co-founded New World Library (with Shakti Gawain) and has guided the company, as president and publisher, from a small start-up to its current position as a major player in the independent publishing world. He leads seminars in northern California and gives teleseminars that reach people all over the world. For more information visit www.MarcAllen.com or www.NewWorldLibrary.com.
Excerpted from the book Tantra for the West, © 2015 by Marc Allen. Printed with permission of New World Library. www.newworldlibrary.com