Posts Tagged ‘Meditation’

The Art of Being Present

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

The Art of Being Present

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly. –Buddha

What moment do we have other than this?

The past is an illusion long gone. The future is not yet made manifest.

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Each moment of our lives lands as a dew drop upon the lotus. Delicate, unique, irreplaceable. To look upon it with full attention and unfettered gaze reveals its precious and inimitable perfection. This magic moment, a crack between past and future, is an Infinity of existence; never seen before, and never to be seen again.

Can we not Be as the lotus enveloping the drop?
Does the lotus analyze and compare?
Is the lotus anticipating the dew drops yet to be?
Or does it embrace this diamond - liquid, delicate, and evanescent, and open its petals to experience the All?

Can you recall in your life a sudden revelation of beauty, deep serenity, a spontaneous awakening to Unity, excitement, joy, and vibrancy that stilled your mind and opened your heart? Ever ponder how you were able to perceive this flash of Shangri-La secreted between your history and your expectations? What is the Secret to reentering this often all too brief state of acceptance and Bliss?

Flow with whatever is happening and let your mind be free. –Chuang Tzu

The key is to both embrace and let go of each moment simultaneously. To participate and witness at the same time. In doing this, it is perfectly possible to create a Zen-like process of attentiveness to, and reverence for, your everyday experience. Being Present to the experience of our life, moment by moment, can help awaken our capacity for extraordinary joy, freedom, compassion, and creativity.

All authentic spiritual traditions have as part of their process a centering of consciousness on the power of Now. The practices of Yoga, Taoism, Buddhism, and Tantra all involve meditation, attention, and conscious breathing. Just like the dance of breath, of both inhaling and exhaling without vacillation, we must balance will and surrender, yin and yang, Intention and letting go.

There is a way between voice and presence
where information flows
.  –Rumi
This process of freeing ourselves from our patterns, habits, compulsions, and unconscious drives is often referred to as “burning karma.”  Our karma is the result of our actions, experiences, thoughts, emotions, and expectations. Our personal history is comprised of habits and subconscious drives which shape and maintain the prison of the small self in which we reside. We are at once the architects, wardens, and inmates of this institution. Unless we pardon ourselves for the crimes of complacency and inattention to our Higher Self, we will impose a life sentence upon ourselves.

Deliverance from the prison of our karmic patterning is an essential process for achieving the mastery of true emotional freedom and self-realization. In freeing ourselves from these self-imposed strictures, we develop the skills to create anew, rather than re-create over and over again what no longer serves the growth of our spirit. This freedom from karmic patterning results in self-knowledge, wisdom, and being Present with the Sublime.

We get to choose each moment and how we want to live in it. How do you want it? Realize that every moment is IT…It all comes down to Presence. Being present in the moment…And Love. -Bhagavan Das

Find an object – a burning candle, a flower, a dew bespeckled spider’s web. Still your mind and observe. What do you perceive? Use all your senses. Maybe write down your observations. Give yourself lots of time, don’t rush about with mental questing. Open yourself to the experience and to your observations. What do you notice? Take a deep, conscious breath and observe again. Pay attention with your mind. Assimilate with your body. What do you feel?

Through this process of stilling the mind, calming the emotions, and opening the doors of perception, you may become able, as Blake said, “To see a world in a grain of sand…heaven in a wild flower, (and) hold Infinity in the palm of your hand…” © 2009 Keith E. Hall and www.Inner-tranquility.com . All rights reserved.

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Spiritual Discipline

Friday, September 11th, 2009

Spiritual Discipline

Discipline is necessary for personal growth, I think most can agree with this. This is why most Taoist, Tantric, and Yogic systems of spiritual practice activate the third chakra early in their training. It creates spiritual will power. Also, for those of us who at times feel anger, judgment, a tendency to be a control freak (sometimes to the point of being obsessive - compulsive), anxiety, resistance or stubbornness; activating this chakra gives us something more spiritually constructive to do with this energy.

Many people feel they just don’t have enough time in their lives to put something else on their “to do” list. Of course, it is not that there isn’t enough time. We have all the time that we have. It is lack of direction, motivation, commitment and discipline where we fail. We have plenty of time for careers, family diversions, reading, TV, shopping, vacationing, talking / texting on our cell phones, emails and the internet, not to mention Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll! These are just a few of the seemingly infinite number of distractions available. Let’s be honest, most of us just haven’t made personal growth and consistent spiritual practice a priority.

In a way, our material culture diverts us from our spiritual nature and our commitment to spiritual growth. We invest a lot of our time and vitality in acquiring possessions, social status, and power. Thus, we feel we need to invest a lot of time and energy in careers, or at least good paying jobs. We become more jaded and desensitized to our external gratifications and affluence, yet we still inwardly yearn for that elusive “something else”. We need more and more time and money to collect more possessions or to collect more experiences in a desperate attempt to feel alive and thus satiate our yearning. This yearning, which is of the Spirit, can never be satiated solely through materialism and the lust for new experience.

We are so good at insisting on focusing outward at the expense of our knowledge of Self and Spirit that we can perversely develop a sort of spiritual materialism and spiritual dilettantism. This can manifest itself as an expectation of instant spiritual gratification / enlightenment, salvation from outside of ourselves, attachment to dogma or a certain philosophy, the obsessive reading of thousands of books, attending lectures, continually “collecting” self improvement courses, etc.

We will never attain self-realization through reading books or surfing the Internet. Lectures, no matter how renown the lecturer, will not take you there either. Neither will hopping about from class to class, discipline to discipline, always window shopping, never committing. This is one effect of the information explosion. We are swamped with data and noise, while access to, and the experience of Wisdom appears to be shrinking! It is interesting that the search engine Bing’s new TV commercial alludes to this overload in a lightly comical fashion. However, Bing does not address the Wisdom aspect.

My approach to the dichotomy of spiritual evolution vs. an insanely narcissistic and material culture is to demystify and present powerful and efficient technique. I am interested in tools that take only a few minutes to perform, have more than one benefit, and if practiced assiduously can be the agents of profound healing, revitalization, and evolutionary change.  If you use and embody them.

Part of this methodology is to activate spiritual will power and vitality through the practice of Tantric Qigong™ and other Taoist disciplines, certain asanas and Bioenergetic positions, and deep, conscious breathing. We activate higher consciousness and life force, compassion, and spiritual vision through practices that include pranayama, certain movements, and internal energy control combined with visualization / spiritual intent.

I will leave you with this to contemplate: do you choose to set aside a few minutes each day for personal growth and spiritual evolution? Do you wish to embody a practice that will relieve stress and anxiety, empower and rejuvenate yourself, improve your sexual / emotional life, creativity and productivity, and empower your Divine Nature? Do you feel that motivated in this incarnation? Well, do ya? © 2006, 2009 Keith E. Hall and www.Inner-Tranquility.com . All rights reserved.

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Tibetan Prayer Wheels

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

Tibetan Prayer Wheels

Tibetan Buddhists take for granted that saying the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum, invites the blessing of Chenrezig, embodiment of compassion.

Tibetan Prayer Wheel

Tibetan Prayer Wheel

Tibetans believe you can produce the same effect by spinning the written form of the mantra in a prayer wheel so they invented Prayer Wheels to automate the process!. The effect is said to be multiplied when more copies of the mantra are included, and spinning the Mani wheels faster increases the benefit as well.

It is alleged that the Dalai Lama has said that having thedalailama mantra spinning on your computer works the same as a traditional prayer wheel. As the digital image spins around on your computer hard drive, it sends the peaceful prayer of compassion in all directions and creates purification around you.

We are adding some free virtual prayer wheels for you to download in our store. Click on the banners below to download the prayer wheels that you like.  You may make a small donation if you like :)

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This one has a nice embossed brass appearance, spins nicely, looks like the version I have on my back deck!

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Black enamel, brass filigree, silver lettering.

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Full Screen, Screensaver, and Mini version. Floats on your screen.

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Coolest Prayer wheel I have ever seen. Interactive, with a soundtrack of monks chanting!

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Qigong & Fibromyalgia: From the Arthritis Care and Research study

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

Qigong & Fibromyalgia: From the Arthritis Care and Research study

Fibromyalgia is a rheumatologic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain that leaves those afflicted with fatigue, painful ‘tender points,’ morning stiffness, and difficulties with sleep and the performance of routine activities of daily life. Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that can be difficult to relieve medically.

A study at the University of Maryland School of Medicine concluded that a mind-body approach, which included the practice of Qigong and meditation, showed a significant reduction in pain, fatigue, and sleeplessness; and improved function, mood state, and general health following an 8-week intervention. Furthermore, as reported in Arthritis Care Res. 2000 Aug;13(4):198-204, Improvement was sustained for 4 months after the end of the 8 weekly sessions.

In other words, Qigong produced relief from symptoms that continued for 16 weeks after the patients discontinued the practice. This would be akin to having a pain medication that lasted for 4 months after one took it!

Another study at the University of Missouri-Columbia, and reported in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, reported that a mind-body approach resulted in less pain, fatigue, and morning stiffness than a course of drug treatment alone, and that “optimal treatment of FMS should include (these) non-pharmacological interventions”

Internal forms of Qigong can alleviate this type of soft tissue condition as they gently stretch the muscles without irritation or exhaustion, and allow the vital energy to move unimpeded in a balanced manner throughout the body.

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A Taste of Tantra

Friday, July 24th, 2009

A  Taste  of  Tantra
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An evening of Tantric Bliss, joy, & rediscovering our essential selves.

“Tantra” means weaving together the Earthly and the Divine. By expanding our
consciousness, we stretch the boundaries of our self-definition & so discover our higher nature.

Jade Garden Tantra is a complete and systematic course in Taoist Tantric Kriya Yoga and an accelerated path toward mastery of emotional, physical, mental & spiritual energies. Experience a small taste of this powerful, joyful practice! Unite your sensual and spiritual selves!

This is both an introduction for beginners and sadhana for initiates.

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- Learn how you can Play your Way to Enlightenment!
- Learn techniques for generating & transmuting energy.
- Unfold the Divine in yourself & transform your relationships into Divine Communion.
- Open your heart to Infinite Love.
- Be introduced to powerful techniques for Evolution,  Empowerment and Spiritual Bliss.
- Experience serenity, & the joy of connecting your heart & soul with others.
- Use your primal energy to improve your physical, emotional, and spiritual well being

This workshop is for singles and couples and you will learn techniques that you can do at home. Non sexual.

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Surviving an Economic Crisis with your Self Intact

Friday, June 5th, 2009
6 Tips for Surviving an Economic Crisis with your Self Intact
One Path Will Fragment Your Consciousness, The Other Will Set You Free

The unemployment rate has reached its highest levels in recent memory. Major U.S. and international companies are restructuring, laying off employees, or just going bankrupt. Food prices are up, oil prices continue their slow rise after Obama’s election, and the economy is giving itself a chunky swirlie.

More importantly, my favorite el-cheapo movie theatre has permanently closed it doors. Oh, and that global warming, starvation, and pestilence thing continues unabated.

Something is happening here. But you don’t know what it is. Do you, Mister Jones? If you have been addicted to ever increasing levels of external, material gratification as part of your self-definition, ya surely gotta be jonesing by now. Or freaking out. Probably both.

Last year, about 2.5 million Americans lost their jobs. We could have another 2 to 3 million jobs evanesce in 2009.  For many people, losing their job results not only in a loss of income but also self-respect, even their raison d’etre. Despondency, despair, a feeling of victimization, shame, melancholia, terror and anger may quickly follow. Thirty percent of those who have not lost their jobs report “burn out” syndrome due to corporate downsizing. Not that the CEO’s salary has been downsized, I mean the number of employees has.

Trying to do more with less, these companies lay off employees and pile the extra work on their remaining serfs. A study published by the Institute of Behavioral Science with a grant from the National Institutes of Health* shows that these retained employees are prone to greater job demands that may contribute to alcohol and drug abuse, depression, and work related injuries. In addition, the study found that layoff survivors often experience worsening physical health: They tend to eat poorly, smoke more, suffer from neck and back pain, and increase their use of sick days.

“None of the effects are good,” says psychologist Frank Landy, author of Work in the 21st Century. “Layoffs clearly have emotional and practical consequences for companies and workers.” Those psychological consequences can be long-term, lasting six years, according to the study published by the Institute of Behavioral Science. In addition, the effects of surviving multiple layoffs tend to be cumulative. They add up over time.

“It only takes one action of distrust to lose basic confidence in the employer…Once the trust has been undermined, it’s very, very difficult to recover,” says Landy. “There’s no data that suggests workers become more resilient. ‘I’m a survivor, hear me shout’? It doesn’t happen.” Whip a dog long enough and it stays hangdog whipped.  © 2009 Keith E. Hall & www.inner-tranquility.com. All rights reserved. Contact us for reprint information.

Part 2: Zen and the Art of Crisis Management

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*Moore, Grunberg, et al. Physical and Mental Health Effects of Surviving Layoffs: A Longitudinal Examination Institute of Behavioral Science, November, 2003

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Books, Art & Music

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

Books, Art & Music

These are resources for quality books, art, and music that we recommend for your consideration. Preference is given to artists and artisans that have one or more of these qualities: Spiritual connection, Taoist, Tantra, Eastern (Hindu, Tantric, general Oriental) sensibilities. This section will be updated and grow regularly, so check back!

I consider Sexual Secrets to be the finest, most comprehensive book on Tantra ever written. Sexual Secrets is the definitive guide to sex and mysticism, revealing the wisdom of the sages of India, Nepal, Tibet, China, and Japan whose teachings on sexuality unveil how physical love can be the pathway to spiritual liberation. Containing more than 600 illustrations–the most comprehensive collection of images expressing the erotic sentiment–and with more than one million copies sold in more than 19 languages, Sexual Secrets unlocks for everyone the experience of ecstasy once sealed in the ancient texts and art of the East. Click below and take a look!

Jitterbug Perfume - A tale of Immortality, Perfume and Tantra. An outrageously funny and touching recipe for Eternal Life through dance, hot soaks, Tantric Sex, and of course, beets!

The Dharma Bums, published a year after On the Road made Jack Kerouac a celebrity and a spokesperson for the Beat Generation. Sparked by his contagious zest for life, the novel relates the adventures of a group of Beatnik seeker - friends in a wild exploration of Buddhism, life on the road, and the search for Truth. By far his best novel and a must read for Zen Dharma Bums and spiritual seekers everywhere. Also in Hardcover.

Work in the 21st Century

Chakra Sounds: Trance like toning to vibrate and strengthen each of the 7 main Chakras. The pitch increases as we ascend through the Chakras. Music by Karunesh. I often use this CD in Tantric Qigong and Chakra workshops. Very soothing and activating.

ShamanicDream: Trance-like with good, solid bass drums. I have used this a lot in the past 15 years, especially for Tantric Qigong. The bass is very good for opening and stimulating the chakras and nerve endings in the feet. Very grounding. Highly recommended!

Music to Disappear in II is one of the finest music collections for Tantra, yoga, and movement. The transcultural trance-dances of Music to Disappear in II exemplify Raphael’s creative spirit. Click and have a listen.

Tantric Sexuality: Excellent CD for Tantric lovemaking. A slow trance-like groove, moderate & steady bass, and subtle breath sounds will extend & transform your lovemaking. Particularly good for pelvic exercises and learning mulabandha. I have used this in many Tantric Qigong and Tantra workshops. Click below to listen.

El Hadra: Long Trance form, zither, tabla, keyboards and synth. Good for Tantra, Trance Dance, massage and movement. I have used this is many Tantra, Qigong, and T’ai Chi classes.

Angel Love: Two long, pure ambiences that float you on billows of slow, sweet synth and violin, heightened in places by tender piano, faraway voice & chimes. Pastel and cloud-like, like a slow-motion sunrise, Heart opening. I have used this extensively for heart chakra work.

ChakraDancer: 8 tracks to stimulate the chakras by a series of rhythms using crystal bowls and samplers. Good for chakra massage / meditation, giving you 7+ minutes per chakra.

And the Stars Go With You: Deep Space Music with a special languid minimalism. The timbres and textures are surreal and warm, inviting you to go on a ride to the stars. A space music essential. Good for meditation, relaxing, and of course astral space travel.

Click here to view some beautiful spiritual posters & prints

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The Art of the Nude: Fine Photography for the those with discernment!


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Living Your Life Fully Through Presencing(sm)

Tuesday, January 27th, 2009

The Presencing(sm) Process

The Art of Being Present: Saturday, August 14, Olney Yoga, Olney MD tantricqigong@aol.com

Learn to make the most of each moment in your life!

Do you admire those who say “carpe diem” and reach for all the gusto that life has to offer? Ever wonder how you could learn to extract more meaning and enjoyment from your life?

All too often, we live our lives in anticipation of the future while subconsciously repressing unpleasant aspects of our past. We shuttle back and forth between past and future, robbing ourselves of our life and re-creating old patterns of being.   As Einstein once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result!”

Through the Presencing Process for Enlightenment & Freedom(sm) we can release patterns, which no longer serve us and create our lives with joy and fulfillment, exactly the way we wish to!

Who can benefit from this course:

– Busy professionals who find it difficult to unwind.
– Anyone who feels “stuck in a rut”.
– Meditators & Yoga practitioners who want to deepen their practice.
– Persons having anxiety, frustration, or difficulty stilling the mind in meditation.
– Psychotherapists & clients wishing an approach to mind-body-spirit holism.
– Bodyworkers & energy workers.
– Persons wishing more clarity, direction, & creativity in their personal or professional lives.

In this experiential session / workshop we will:

– Open ourselves fully to our present experience.
– Use sensation, emotion, and cognition to guide ourselves to our truth.
– Release negative emotion easily while opening to joy, serenity, and bliss.
– Use the breath to inspire creativity, vitality, and enjoyment of our lives.
– Learn how being fully present in the moment can create perfect fulfillment.
– Heal our past wounding and manifest success in all aspects of our being.
– Learn how to create ease of communication and greater connection and intimacy in our relationships.

Presencing™ is available as a private session and as a class / workshop.

Presence is the Buddha Pearl

Presence is the Buddha Pearl

Rev. Keith Hall has synthesized the seminal aspects of Breathwork, Bioenergetics, Neo-Reichian, Tantric, Taoist, and Buddhist practices to create the Presencing Process(sm). Presencing (sm) facilitates deep healing, joy, empowerment, and freedom from past limitations so we can manifest clearly what we desire in life. Presencingsm is a simple, yet profoundly powerful process for creating our lives the way we wish to.

What people say about Presencing™:

Thank you so much for teaching me a more effective way to meditate. God Bless you….
- JK, Carson City, Nevada

I really was able to make some progress in releasing pain.
- VF, Falls Church, VA

…much more of an experience than I anticipated.

-BC, Mt. Airy, MD

Great workshop!
- KK, Arlington, VA

The Art of Being Present

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Qigong For Drug Addiction

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009

Qigong For Drug Addiction

Let’s face it, the United States is a drug culture. 14 million Americans use substances such as marijuana, PCP, and cocaine. 104 million Americans drink alcohol, and 65.5 million use tobacco.* Almost everyone will be afforded the opportunity to use pharmaceutical drugs, many of which also have addictive or habituative characteristics.

The usual therapeutic modalities for treating addiction are the “gradual-reduction” and “symptom-specific” methodologies.** In both of these therapies, pharmaceuticals are used to treat the patient. These pharmaceutical drugs themselves have side effects, one of which can be addiction! It would appear that this pharmaceutical approach does not adequately help patients cope with the physical, mental and emotional issues of addiction.

An experimental study, published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, used qigong, meditation, relaxation and breathing exercises to restore balance and cleanse the body of unwanted toxins in drug addicts. The researchers concluded that qigong is an effective alternative to pharmaceuticals in supporting addicts recovering from addiction. Patients practicing qigong had statistically significant improvement as measured by withdrawal symptoms, anxiety levels, and sleep disturbances. Recovery occurred noticeably faster in the qigong group as compared to those in the control or medication groups, by a rate of 200% or more.

Anxiety, Sleep, and Qigong.

The Qigong group showed significant improvement by the fifth day of treatment, anxiety scores dropping nearly 80% to 8.2 by the tenth day, mean anxiety scores had dropped almost 98% to just 0.7. In comparison to the medication group taking “detoxification” medication (lofexidine HCl), the qigong patients had 87% fewer symptoms.

Sleep disturbances were appreciably lower in the qigong patients. Within six days, 67% of the qigong patients were sleeping normally. Only 7.6% of subjects in the control group slept normally. In other words, patients practicing Qi gong were sleeping normally at a rate almost 9 times that of the control group.

Table I: Anxiety scores by group, pre- and post-treatment.

Day in treatment……………Control group………..Medication group………..Qigong group
Day 0 (pretreatment)……………35.0……………………….33.5…………………….37.4
Day 5…………………………………..21.3……………………….13.6……………………..8.2
Day 10…………………………………..7.3…………………………5.3……………………..0.7

Withdrawal symptoms***
During the program, withdrawal symptoms decreased more quickly in the qigong group. At the end of a week, every qigong patient had ceased having withdrawal symptoms. In the control and medication groups groups, however, symptoms were still being reported after the end of the program. The researchers reported that “This study shows that qigong practice may accelerate the detoxification process, reduce withdrawal symptoms, and shorten recovery time.” The authors concluded qigong may possibly have “significance and wide application” in treating addiction.****

Recovery from addiction presents severe neurological, mental, and emotional challenges to an individual. My experience with Tantric Qigong is that it tends to have a balancing effect on both the psyche and soma. For instance, if one’s nervous system is hyperactive, Tantric qigong will have a calming effect. If one is hypoactive, even lethargic or depressed, qigong will act to enliven and rejuvenate. In the system that I teach, I have observed that both the invigorating and soothing aspects of this practice are naturally mediated by the requirements of the practitioner. That is to say, whether an individual requires the vital energy to be either stimulating or soothing, Tantric Qigong appears to be able to intervene in the manner appropriate for that individual at that time. As this balance is manifested on physical, mental and emotional levels simultaneously, it would seem that qigong is a particularly efficacious approach to the relief of somatic and psychic stresses associated with addiction recovery, and is well suited to a health care system that is itself in a state of stress. (c) 2004, Keith E. Hall. All rights reserved.

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T’ai Chi & Qigong Instruction available in the Baltimore Washington, DC area.

* 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. Published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

**Devitt,,M., “Qigong for Drug Addiction.” Acupuncture Today. May, 2002, 3 (5).

*** e.g., nausea, hallucinations, etc.

**** Li M, Chen K, & Mo ZX, “Detoxification with qigong therapy for heroin addicts.” Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. Jan./Feb. 2002; 8(1): 50-59.

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Tantra

Friday, November 28th, 2008

TANTRA: From Ecstasy to Enlightenment
Rev. Keith Hall

What is it with Americans and sex? We appear to crave it, are fascinated by it and simultaneously fear it with every fiber of our being. We use it in advertising to sell everything from automobiles to zucchini, yet often prohibit our children from learning about it, our teachers from teaching it, and ourselves from discussing it publicly in any truly meaningful way. Movies with extremely graphic violence and gore receive an R rating; depictions of erotic play between mature consenting adults often receive an X. Yet the fascination remains. What issue of Cosmopolitan doesn’t promise new ways to attract and keep your lover, to have bigger and better orgasms, to cook, clean, and dress for sexual success? What neighborhood bar isn’t rife with the boys alternately telling ribald jokes and creating a swaggering sexual mythos about themselves?

Shiva and shakti in Yab Yum position for Kundalini Awakening

Shiva and Shakti in Yab Yum position for Tantric Kundalini Awakening

Our fascination and fear stem from the fact that the energy of eroticism is the most powerful primal force within ourselves. The Ancients of all cultures revered and worshipped this force particularly in the form of the Goddess. Lilith, Astarte, Parvati, Isis, Hecate, Mary Magdalene, Venus, Kerridwin, Freya, Ixchel, Tara, the Virgin Mary - all are Goddesses revered in antiquity for bringing forth life, divinity, and wisdom through the mystical power of sexuality. Historically, Tantra arose from the worship of these Goddesses and woman’s innate link with the energies of creation. As Tantra evolved in India, Tibet, Egypt, and China, adepts of yoga and meditation tapped into increasingly powerful and efficient techniques for safely accessing the cosmic forces inherent in sexual energy. What had begun in ancient times as awe and mystery, became a science. Schools arose to instruct initiates in precise methods to awaken this primal life-force and master it’s use for healing, ecstasy, and enlightenment. Later, as war and other forms of technological manipulation increasingly arose in civilization, patriarchal societies developed and Man’s awe of Woman’s fertility and cosmic sexual capacity turned to fear. Out of the desire to dominate rose the need to subjugate and control that which they could not understand - Woman’s overwhelming power to create the Universe as Goddess, her tremendous and mysterious connection to ” the starry dynamo in the machinery of night.”

Next: The Persecution of and Reemergence of Tantra



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