A Unified Theory of Consciousness, Part 1

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by Dinu Roman

Yoga and Tantra form the primitive lode of the Indian spiritual tradition, a foundation deeply connected to universal philosophies. Much has been written and discussed regarding these studies, but due to their profoundness and hidden symbolism they remain opaque. A secret throughout the centuries, Tantra remains diffuse, mysterious and puzzling yet constantly present in the diversity of yoga techniques, especially in its Tibetan forms.

With purposeful investigation, it presents a genuine science of man where cosmic forces mingle with physiology, psychology, magic and spiritualism. Tantra offers a practical, multi-leveled vision of the human being, a unified theory that explains the most intimate aspects of man’s behavior which have evaded current research. A detailed, sincere study and practice of Tantra would contribute to the enrichment of contemporary science and psychology in a manner not as yet conceived.

A WAY FOR OUR AGE
Tantrism recognizes in Kundalini the source of a mysterious energy — an energy still not properly defined by modern science but of paramount importance for a complete spiritual emancipation. If we add that the Ageless Wisdom defines Tantra as the spiritual system best adapted to our era of Kali Yuga, where spirituality is declining even as man and woman are desperately trying to reintegrate themselves into a creative and spiritual cosmic center, we realize the significance of these techniques. Today we are bound to an “objective” knowledge which is becoming more and more mechanical and inhuman. Abstract thinking is linked less and less to real life yet defines most of our activities. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to practice Tantra, a highly accurate, subjective knowledge which is accessible to everyone, through personal experience and validation.

THE WEB OF LOVE
Tantra envisions the Universe as an extremely complex, multi-dimensional web of invisible energies. This Science permits the controlled expansion of consciousness beyond the web of illusory appearances and thus liberates us from ignorance. Tantra is also called Vama Marga, i.e. The Left Hand Path, due to the fact that women, who are of lunar influence, negative polarity or the left, play an essential role in this Science.

However, The Way which is recommended here is not at all made of negations or austerities as in most other spiritual systems, but of pleasure and beatitudes. Tantric tradition puts forth clearly that the state of harmonious integration and spiritual freedom can be obtained only through direct experience and living of everyday life. The inferior levels of consciousness cannot be effortlessly controlled and surpassed unless fully and frantically, intensely and totally, lived in the whole plenitude of their power.

THE WAY OF PLEASURE AND FULFILMENT
In this respect, Tantric texts say that nobody will be able to obtain spiritual perfection using difficult and boring techniques. Perfection can be realized easily using the fulfillment of all wishes. The very same processes that for others could cause decay or death, venom or evil, can be used wisely and firmly for spiritual uplifting and transformed into a miraculous cure of the soul.


“One can fall due to the earth, another one can, without doubt, raise himself with the help of the earth.” (Here “earth” is the symbol of woman and sexual pleasure).

Another text says:


“If a man is an Yogin, he does not enjoy sensual pleasures; while one who enjoys them cannot know Yoga. That is why the Kaula (a Tantric School) way, containing the essence of sexual enjoyment and Yoga, is superior to all paths. In the Kaula approach, sexual enjoyment turns into Yoga directly. What in conventional religion is considered sin in Kaula becomes meritorious.”

Kularnava Tantra 2.23

In the Tantric tradition, Yoga (union with God) is simultaneous with the passionate yet detached living of worldly delights, leading to the state of enlightenment through the supernormal powers (Siddhi-s), which are obtained through practical application of these special procedures. These powers serve a definite purpose in the way of attaining the Supreme.

THE HUMAN TEMPLE
The human body, with all its biological and psycho-mental processes, is only an instrument in which and through which the cosmic forces operate. The individual human structure and the outer macrocosmic manifestation, or Universe, are similar. Therefore all that exists in the Universe should also exist in a certain form and proportion in the microcosm, i.e. the human body.

SANCTIFIED SEXUALITY
The Tantric philosophy itself includes in its theory all the levels of the Universe and gives a paramount importance to astronomy, biology, parapsychology, anatomy, meditation, medicine, music, art and even sexuality. In fact, the sexual experience, considered to be a unification of the Everlasting Male (+) and Everlasting Female (-) principles, has a very important place in Tantric techniques and procedures which are often profoundly erotic.

Tantra is a complex discipline, an accurate method and a profound analysis based on rational foundations, it is a Meta-Science dealing with the different aspects of the Supreme Consciousness and ways to experience it. Here, sexuality forms only the basal, prima facie of its techniques, and in this School, it is subjected to a rigorous discipline, because it is known that the secret of Life lies in controlling the sexual energy.

To understand the Tantric attitude toward sexuality requires a totally open mind and a reversal of perspective. Accustomed as we are by a puritanical mentality to seeing sexuality as a “sin” to be avoided and ashamed of (or, in any case, to keep it “secret” because of its “impurity”), we have all the chances to consider Tantric Love as being a defiant assault on conventional morality and thus to miss completely the tremendous spiritual value of such a perspective.

In order to understand it, we must first come to view the human dimension as vibrating in identity with the sacred, divine aspects of Creation. From this sacred perspective, sexuality is seen as re-producing, at a smaller scale, the continuous and beatific interaction of a Cosmic process which is manifesting the entire Universe from the Absolute Reality. In this new vision, “sin” disappears (it never existed, anyway!), being replaced by pure beatitude and total love. Sexual union is thus a form of meditative discipline with profound psycho-mental and spiritual effects.

The male worshipper has an attitude toward the woman which is different from that of an ordinary person performing the sexual act. The woman is transfigured into a living symbol and earthly manifestation of the Divine Mother of the Universe – Parashakti. Likewise, for the woman, man represents a vital embodiment of the Everlasting Male Principle – Shiva. The sexual beatitude raised at the transcendental level of an extraordinary psychic experience with a spiritual character reflects, then, the ineffable happiness of a subtle cosmic nature, known in Yoga as Ananda (i.e., cosmic beatitude) and in Tantra as Samarasa (i.e., the savor of equality).

Yearning tirelessly to grasp the enigmatic silence and the fascinating mystery of the Cosmos, the Tantric practitioner becomes an integral part of this mystery in the bosom of which he absorbs and identifies himself. For this, the external practice and the internal mutation are both indispensable because they make it possible to understand within themselves (through identification or Samyama) the phenomena, leading to an authentic and sometimes ineffable understanding of the cosmic forces that surround us. Modern scientists are still making weak attempts to decode them, but for the Tantric practitioner these subtle forces are everyday realities.

PART 4

A Unified Theory of Consciousness, Part 2

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by Dinu Roman

EXPERIENTIAL DUPLICATION

Tantra relies
upon the practical realization of its teachings. 
Here we are not dealing with endless talking and
argumentation but instead with engaging ourselves fully
and thoroughly in an exceptional practice which can lead
the practitioner to Freedom, Pure Existence,
Super-Consciousness, Beatitude and super-normal powers (Siddhi-s). 

The Sahitya Tantra
advises:

"Start the
practice under the surveillance of a Tantric
initiate. If, after a certain time, you do not
obtain any positive results, then you are free to
quit."

In the same way that benefits can be
obtained only by using a remedy, the truth of the Tantric
Science can really be proved only through successful
practice. However, it is necessary to stress here that
the Tantric practitioner
develops and perfects his Siddhis only for the purpose of
raising himself at the level of the Supreme Being and
from there to fuse eternally with the Absolute. The Siddhis
have no value per se; they
are only a modality.  But all these powers cannot be
obtained by only talking about Tantra,
for tireless practice and direct experimentation only can
lead to such unusual achievements. About this, there is
no doubt.

THE LIBIDO — THIRST FOR UNITY 

Another important aspect in Tantra
Yoga is that the libido, when manifested as sexual
drive, is not at all considered to be only sensuality
but, at the innermost levels, as the soul’s ardent
yearning for spiritual perfection. Here the erotic
impulse appears as the psyche’s abyssal thirst to reach
perfection through unity of complementary polar
opposites.  In this way, re-born as a genuine Androgyne
of the Secret Tradition — magical child of Shiva
and Shakti — the
Individual Spirit will have access to the highest levels
of Consciousness. 

THE MAGNETIC WOMAN, THE ELECTRIC MAN

Tantra teaches
that, energetically speaking, woman is magnetic, passive,
lunar, receptive and charged with power of negative
polarity (Yin). In multiple
ways, she attracts, absorbs and stores subtle energy
which remains latent.  When connected in a proper
way with the male electric, dynamic and positively
charged subtle energy (Yang), the
female energy undertakes a complex alchemical reaction
and thus the couple generates an energetic power
station.  This is very easy to verify. Certain Tantric
techniques enable the practitioner to verify that the
bioenergetic differences of polarity between man and
woman are energized to the highest extent through the
love play and that a mutual exchange between these two
forms of energy (Yin/female, Yang/male)
takes place during sexual intercourse in which the two
partners harmonize themselves on multiple
levels. Performed in the Tantric
way (successive orgasms without ejaculation) these unions
can intensify and develop the latent extra-sensorial
capacities and the mental power of both partners beyond
any expectations. The couple who practice Tantric
sexual union use the subtle energies of the man’s
body and the complementary energies of the woman’s body
for attaining the state of harmony with the Absolute.

RETENTION — THE UNTOLD SECRET

It is important to emphasize that Tantra
substantiates its techniques of spiritual development on
the perfect yet effortless control of the sexual
energy.   Here the point is to return to the
practitioner the enormous amount of raw sexual energy
contained in semen and in the correspondent female
orgasmic emanations in such a way that this subtle energy
may be sublimated and its efficiency used for higher
purposes, i.e. psycho-mental and spiritual.

Being in perfect physical, emotional
and mental health is a must for approaching any of the
sexual practices of Tantrism taught
in this School. Modern civilization leaves its mark
upon our  integrity, so we need to open up and to
re-learn to experience as intensely as possible our
senses. While it is true that cultivating the
sensory awareness, here being included different
techniques of amplifying the sexual pleasure and of
opening up to experience deep sexual orgasm, can be a
useful preparation for Tantra, these incipient techniques
are not Tantra yet if they
are not accompanied by a total, yet effortless, control.

Tantra, in
accord with the Science of the ancient Sages (Siddhas)
teaches that the sexual reproductive power (the Life
Force) can be transmuted into superior forms of energy
called Ojas and Tejas.
The practitioner causes his seed to rise up to his crown
center (Sahasrara), where it
becomes transformed into Soma,
the Nectar of Immortality. Through the Tantric
procedures, the semen is took over by the lymphatic
system. The lymphatic system consists of the fluid
(lymph) that bathes the tissues, being similar in
composition with plasma. The lymph contains white
cells involved in the immunity system of the
body. These white cells produce antibodies, special
substances which attack the foreign organisms (microbes,
etc.) and render them harmless.  Through the
lymphatic system, the semen reaches the brain (Corpus
Callosum) where it is
processed into extremely subtle energies (Ojas
and Tejas) used by the higher
mind.  As the physical brain needs oxygen and
proteins to function properly, the higher mind
(superconsciousness) needs big quantities of Ojas
and Tejas energy. The
Tejas energy is that
energy which produces the halo around the saints’
head. The Ojas energy
is that energy which confers an extraordinary vigor,
power and virility.

The transmuting of the semen’s energy
into Ojas and Tejas
does not take place only in men.  Women who
practice Tantra Yoga realize
the transmutation of that energy which produces the ova
and the menstrual cycle. These energies are transformed
into Ojas and Tejas
exactly as in the men’s case. As a result, the
menstrual cycle becomes scarce or even disappears
completely, and the ovulation process slows down or even
stops. Nevertheless, when the conception of a baby is
desired, the energies are permitted to accumulate at the
pelvic area, the ovulation returns to normal and the
menstrual cycle appears again.

PART 4

A Unified Theory of Consciousness, Part 3

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by Dinu Roman

BIOLOGICAL TRANSMUTATION

The phenomenon of transmutation of the
sexual energy has as scientific basis the phenomenon of
Biological Transmutation. Biological transmutation is the
process through which a living organism can produce
controlled nuclear reactions of transmutation
(transformation of an element into another by nuclear
reaction) at low temperatures, with slow release of huge
quantities of energy. Biological transmutation of
the sexual energy is therefore the transmutation, with
slow release of a huge quantity of energy, of the atoms
contained in the sexual potential through continence.

The characteristics of biological
transmutation are:

  • takes place in all living
    organisms at the cell level, in structures called
    Mitocondria, which occur in the cytoplasm of
    every cell. Mitochondria is the site of the
    cell’s energy production.
  • implies both fusion and fission.
  • the transfer is realized between
    atoms of hydrogen, oxygen and carbon (these being
    the dominant elements in the living beings).

The process of controlled biological
transmutation leads to the gradual awakening of the inner
paranormal powers of the mind, reaching altered (higher)
states of consciousness, awakening of intelligence,
emotional balance, a state of constant happiness, etc.

Through consciously and effortlessly
controlling the sexual function (orgasm without
ejaculation) of the human body, complex reactions of
biological transmutation take place, leading to a slow
and continuous release of an enormous quantity of energy,
which can be directed, through sublimation to higher
levels of being, for a specific purpose (magical,
spiritual). Tantra teaches secret
techniques (for example Oli Mudras
or Shakti Mudras) through which
the biological transmutation can be initiated and
accelerated into the practitioner’s body (both man
and women).

THE MAGICAL SPRING

Tantra’s 
teachings use sexuality for completely transcending
it. Even at the level of ordinary sexual
experiences, the couple sometimes has the strange and
powerful feeling that sexual intercourse releases a
tremendous energy inside the human
psyche. Frequently superior and nostalgic truths can
be inferred in this state. Pedro McGregor in his famous "Psychosexual
Synthesis" confirms the Tantric
teachings concerning sexuality. Our burning sexual
or emotional beatitudes are nothing other than a
degenerated mysterious enthusiasm. Our highest and
noblest spiritual yearnings, the whole of our
transcendental and sublime potential, would be somehow
imprisoned in matter, i.e. in sexuality. This
enthusiasm is materialized, therefore limited, absorbed
and inert.  It is logical to consider that a
conscious change in our sexual behavior and in our most
intimate attitudes could act as a magical spring,
releasing truly super-human energies in the same way that
a controlled mutation in the intimate structure of the
atom can release a tremendous amount of nuclear
energy. 

THE ENERGY OF INTENSE EMOTIONS

Therefore, another important
characteristic of the Tantric
Way is that
spiritual growth is realized through extreme intensity of
energy  spontaneously born during the passionate
living of intense emotions, including both sexual and
non-sexual emotions. The Supreme Existence reveals itself
instantaneously during the tumult of violent emotions
such as extreme terror, vivid curiosity, deep compassion,
total anger, profound pleasure. 

"In
order to penetrate into the Supreme Reality,
everything that is at hand is to be considered as a
modality; because, as the Trika
system puts it, the human being must not submit to
any restrictions (in order to attain the
Supreme)".

When controlled and directed by a lucid
mind, this paramount intensity of the extreme emotions
creates the instantaneous welding of all levels of the
human being (physical-sexual, emotional and
mental-spiritual) which are normally disconnected and
therefore acting independently. Thus, the
practitioner becomes aware of the inner abyssal power
that lies within himself and starts to bring it to the
surface. The transcendence of the inferior levels of
consciousness is realized through an exceptionally
frantic living of every moment of everyday life.  In
this way, the duality disappears into the flashing unity
of the Supreme Consciousness, without change (Nirvikalpa).

PART 4

Awakened Consciousness, Part 2

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by George I.Gurdijeff

PART 2
HOW CAN ONE AWAKEN? HOW CAN ONE ESCAPE THIS SLEEP?
These questions are the most important, the most vital that can ever confront a man.

But before this it is necessary to be convinced of the very fact of sleep. It is possible to become convinced of this only by trying to awaken.

When a man understands that he does not remember himself and that to remember himself means to awaken to some extent, and when at the same time he sees by experience how difficult is to remember himself, he will understand that he cannot awaken simply by having the desire to do so.

It can be said still more precisely that a man cannot awaken by himself, except in exceptionally rare cases, and we are not talking about those cases.

But if, let’s say, twenty people make an agreement that whoever of them awakens first shall wake the rest, they already have some chance.

Even this, however, is insufficient, because all twenty can go to sleep at the same time and dream that they are waking up. Therefore, more still is necessary. They must be looked after by a man who is not asleep any more, or who does not fall asleep as easily as they do.

The twenty people must find such a man and hire him to wake them up and not allow them to fall asleep again. Without this, it is impossible to awaken. This is what must be understood.

It is possible to think for a thousand years. It is possible to write whole libraries of books, to create theories by the million, but all this is in sleep, without any possibility of awakening.

On the contrary, these books and these theories, written and created in sleep, will merely send other people to sleep, and so on.

There is nothing new in the idea of sleep. People have been told almost since creation of the world that they are asleep and that they must awaken.

Christ disciples even slept when He was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane for the last time. It is all there. But do men understand it? Men take it simply as a form of speech, as an expression, as a metaphor.

They completely fail to understand that it must be taken literally. And again it is easy to understand why. In order to understand this idea literally it is necessary to awaken a little, or at least to try to awaken.

I have been asked why nothing is said about this kind of sleep in the Gospels. But it is there spoken of almost on every page. This simply shows that people read the Gospel in sleep.

Generally speaking, what is necessary to awaken a man? A good shock is necessary. But when a man is fast asleep, only one shock is not enough.

A long period of continual shocks is needed. Consequently, there must be somebody to administer these shocks.

I have said before that if a man wants to awaken he must hire somebody who will keep on shaking him for a long time. But whom can he hire if everyone is asleep? A man will hire somebody to wake him up but this one also falls asleep.

What is the use of such a man? And a man who can really keep awake will probably refuse to waste his time in waking others up: he may have his own much more important work to do.

Artwork courtesy of and copyright by Daniel B. Holeman at Awaken Visions Galleries.

Yoga Exercises For Tantric Training

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The entire circulation, and economy of the energy in the human body-system is centred around the 7 centres of force – also called CHAKRA-s – that govern over all the forms of energy that enliven a human being.


They are the regulators, and coordinators of the flow of the various energies, and at the same time act as genuine antennas for the energy exchange between man and the Universe, or between different human beings. The 7 CHAKRA-s are placed outside the physical body, and therefore may be perceived only by clairvoyance, or partly by certain sophisticated hi-tech devices. The 7 CHAKRA-s are, in their order:



1. MULADHARA, at the lowest tip of the spine, and in the area of the perineum; connected with the lowest, and most dense (or “heavy”, gross, slow-vibrating) forms of energy, symbolically called the Earth-energy. Related with the vitality of the being, the energy-battery of the human radio-set. Here are the premises of the mysterious energy KUNDALINI, the potential of cosmic fusion.



2. SVADHISHTHANA, three breadths of finger above the root of the penis for men, and clitoris for women; connected with the Water and Moon energies, and the instincts and their accompanying emotions. The mass-consciousness.

3. MANIPURA, at the level of the navel, connected with the Fire, and solar energies, and dynamism, ambition, ego, expansion, will.

4. ANAHATA, in the middle of the chest, corresponding to the Air energies, and to the affective and aesthetic feelings.

5. VISHUDDHA, in the area of the neck, connected with the energy of the Ether (or AKASHA TATTVA), and with the intellectual intuition, and purity.

6. AJNA, in the middle of the forehead, also called the “third eye”; connected with the Macrocosmic mental energies, and the extraordinary capacities of the mind: telepathy, clairvoyance, hypnosis, etc.

7. SAHASRARA, over the top of the head, allowing the opening towards the Supreme Absolute, and granting the condition of wisdom, and Enlightment.

 

Vishnu – The Sustaining God

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VISHNU, THE GOD OF EROS
The intense erotic experience is the “seed” of all Tantric spirituality. It is the very pure touch of love, the unparalleled experience that stimulates passion, sets the senses on fire, and awakens the latent energy, Kundalini Shakti residing in the sexual center, Muladhara chakra.

The pleasurable contact of the senses with the outer world generates the erotic sensation. When this erotic sensation is adequately refined, transformed and directed, it may lead to the experience of the transcendence, and to the divine ecstasy.

In the Tantric tradition, Vishnu is considered the master of sensuality and of waters. The erotic aspect is the first secret of Vishnu. Such sensuality is mainly connected to the sustaining and nurturing power of Soma, the divine nectar, to the water element, and the intuitive, natural wisdom of the senses.

The oceanic sensuality of Vishnu’s sphere of action and influence makes way through all conventionalism and allows the rapid understanding and natural, spontaneous expression of the different roles that the woman plays within the creation.

The various erotic positions, consciously and freely assumed, help in channeling and sublimating the sexual energies to different levels of our microcosm.

The secret Tantric techniques, when correctly performed allow us to elevate our level of consciousness through the integral transmutation of the sexual potential energy and its sublimation on higher levels.

Discovering the Paradise of Vishnu on earth, the loving couple has the chance of exploring its true erotic potential to the full.

VISHNU’S INFINITE FORCE MANIFESTS MAINLY THROUGH IDA NADI
The lunar, Yin (-) energy circulates in our body through Ida nadi. Its qualities are: humidity, receptivity, contraction, submission, modesty; when this force is mainly focused on the level of the head, in the area of Sahasrara, the crown of the head, Vishnu’s infinite sustaining force transforms intuitive wisdom into continuous aspiration and ardent spiritual life. Vishnu’s force is mainly maternal, intuitive, instinctive, imaginative and conventional.

HE PRESERVES THE PRIMORDIAL SOUND IN A SHELL
Vishnu represents that aspect of the divine reality that maintains and sustains the creation. The endless creative force of Brahma gives life to all beings, and Vishnu’s infinite sustaining force protects this life.

His devotees, named Vaishnava spread the spiritual and religious current known as Vishnuism, one of the greatest spiritual orientations of the Hindu tradition today.

Just as the feminine Supreme Energy, Vishnu has a “thousands names” which symbolize in fact just as many of his aspects. The daily repetition of Vishnu’s thousand names is a living proof of his devotee’s faith and ardor.

Although there are numerous representations of Vishnu, most times he appears under the form of a young, very handsome man, with four arms (several arms is an indication of the divine, showing that they can perform several functions in the same time).

In his hands, he holds a shell, a disk, a lotus, and a scepter. The symbolism of the shell is two-folded: on one hand it represents Vishnu’s relationship with the primordial waters and its use as a musical instrument, reminiscent of the primordial waters, and on the other hand the shell represents the five elements, and consequently the origin of manifestation.

The disk is a solar symbol, and the classical image of Vishnu, the ascendant, unifying, intellectual tendency of a human being. It represents the power that destroys the ignorance and the darkness, just as it is a symbol of a killing weapon, and of the sun. It destroys the evil through the process of illumination.

The lotus is a symbol of the spiritual development and cosmic harmony. The lotus is a symbol of spiritual illumination and cosmic harmony. It also signifies the appearance of life on the neutral immensity of the primordial waters.

The opening of the lotus bud represents the realization of the possibilities contained in the “seed” of the human being. The scepter is a symbol of power and authority.

“Vishnu, the Preserver, sustains the whole creation and has the power of manifesting himself under numerous forms. In the great Cosmic Ocean, He sustains both the sun of the infinite and the eternal spirit of existence, which is the master of the universe.”

 

As the color blue symbolizes the infinite, Vishnu’s blue body is a sign of infinite force. He has no name, no form and is incommensurable.

The yellow color is associated with the terrestrial life, and therefore Vishnu’s yellow clothing symbolizes his incarnations as a man, fighting for justice and destruction of the evil.

The garland of flowers around his neck is a symbol of God’s worship. The precious stone decorating his neck indicates that Vishnu fulfills his worshiper’s desires and the crown is a symbol of the Divine’s power and supreme authority. His two earrings stand for the dual nature of creation.

His vehicle is a hawk, Garuda, endowed with highly unusual powers, which spreads courage and Vedic knowledge. His sky or subtle sphere of force is the celestial realm Vaikunta, build entirely from gold.

All buildings are jewels, and in the center of the town there are five pools filled with blue, red, and white lotuses. Vishnu is sitting on a giant lotus leaf, and beside him we find Lakshmi, his half.

THE WOMAN WHO ADORES HIM BECOMES “EVERY WOMAN”
“Lakshmi is Vishnu’s beloved; she is as beautiful as ten billions sunrises, and many think of her as the embodiment of sensuality.

 

Her charming eyes as a lotus, and adorned with garlands of lotuses, she is the mistress/ruler of all beings. Vishnu supports Lakshmi on his thighs, and she is the one who grants people prosperity all their lives.” (Lakshmi Tantra)

For the Hindu, the goddess Lakshmi represents success and prosperity. The term “Lakshmi” derives from the Sanskrit “Laksya”, meaning purpose, goal. She is the goddess of wealth, both material and spiritual.

The description of Lakshmi presents her as a beautiful woman, sitting on a lotus flower. She holds a lotus bud in her hand, symbol of beauty, purity and fertility.

Her four arms represent the four tendencies of the human nature: dharma, or correctitude, kama or desire, artha or wealth, and moksha or spiritual freedom.

Golden pieces flow from her hands, and she always wears red clothes, embroidered with gold, red representing activity, and gold wealth. She also embodies beauty, grace and feminine charm.

She accompanies her lover in every of his earthly incarnations, adopting various hypostasis, so that she becomes numerous wives for her Divine Lover.

The mysterious capacity of a beautiful, refined and vital woman of becoming simultaneously “every woman” (i.e. manifesting the qualities of daughter, mother, lover, virgin, sister, etc.) for her lover is in fact a huge source of energy and in the same time a revigorating contribution for a couple practicing sexual continence.

We have to try and introduce the archetypes of Vishnu and Lakshmi in our lives, projecting their images upon ourselves.

We also have to approach different roles in our lovemaking, visualizing through our creative imagination the richness of forms in order to explore and develop as much as we can our inner erotic potential, due to the processes of resonance that we establish with the correspondent energies from the universe.

The secret Tantric teachings underline the fact that the woman has a very important role in revealing the mysteries of the transfiguring sexuality, as she is an embodiment of beauty, sensuality and erotic vitality.

Her immense power to teach the erotic secrets depends in the first place on her mental attitude towards the spirituality, which is now approached only in a spiritual sense.

Assuming an active role and exploring courageously the whole range of erotic secrets during lovemaking, the beautiful, sensual and intelligent woman may grant great power to her lover.

This enigmatic power, the highest form of the supreme Feminine energy is a direct expression of open intuition, as well as an energy of wisdom, spontaneous, and merry, which may overpass all obstacles on both her and her lover’s path.

Such a woman has to boldly teach her lover all her spiritual experiences. The success resides then in the sheer spontaneity, in her self-confidence and her focus on high ideals, in her sincere aspiration of offering something unforgettable and unique to her lover.

Her huge self-confidence is an essential condition in all rites of initiation and the goddess herself residing in every woman is awakened due to the processes of resonance.

 

VISHNU AND LAKSHMI HAVE THE SECRET OF ALL EROTIC POSITIONS
The archetypal couple Vishnu and Lakshmi, visualized through meditation as a divine couple of god and goddess, represents the highest aspects of a human soul.

Living in spiritual communion with Vishnu and Lakshmi equals becoming one with the master and mistress of sustenance, the embodiments of wealth, and material prosperity. Vishnu and Lakshmi are also responsible for sensuality, spontaneity, humor, and gaiety.

The Hinduist myths tell the story of Vishnu and Lakshmi’s spiritual son, the god of love Kama, who is in fact more or less of a “Hindu” Cupid. He sends his arrows with flower-pointers from a bow made of flowers and bees.

Symbolizing the senses and erotic games, this description of “birds and bees” is in fact a conceptual variation of the Western myth. Kama is extraordinarily handsome, as the god Shiva granted him eternal beauty and youth.

Kama embodies the eternal love between Vishnu and Lakshmi. He is mainly evoked during the spring and always during lovemaking.

Kama is always in the hearts of those in love and the famous love-treatise Kama Sutra is his very song. Rati, his beloved is the personification of refined, endless sexuality, and erotic vitality.

According to the Vishnu Purana, “Vishnu and Lakshmi are eternally embraced in the game of love, and for this purpose they take on different forms. Their various external manifestations, ever changing, speak about the intimate, profound communion between the two. They represent The Eternal Divine Lovers.”

VISHNU BRINGS A SPIRITUAL MESSAGE TO MANKIND
One common representation of Vishnu is sleeping on the surface of the causal ocean. He dreams the game of the world and offers different methods for the sustenance and identification with the superior divine aspects, characteristic to the Divine Self Atman, and he usually does this by choosing from the “waves” of the Cosmic Ocean of Existence the “beatitude waves”.

He is also considered the guardian of mankind, the keeper of the Dharma – his role is to preserve the order in the universe.

Every time that humanity decays, he takes on the form of an avatar, a divine model coming on earth to show people new paths for spiritual development.

The ancient texts mention nine incarnations of Vishnu, incarnations reminding one of an old interpretation of the evolutionist theory.

Thus, his first incarnation was a fish, Matsya; the second a turtle, Kurma; the third a wild boar, Varaha; the fourth a lion; the fifth a dwarf, Vamana; the sixth a warrior, Parasurama; the seventh a hero, Rama; the eighth Krishna; the ninth Buddha.

His tenth incarnation, Kalki is supposed to come about at the end of this age, Kali Yuga. He is said to be the cosmic rider of Apocalypse, who will take on the role of destroyer of what is evil on earth.

HE CROSSES THE UNIVERSE WITH THREE STEPS
In the Veda-s he appears as a solar god, named also “he who acts”, name deriving from the verb vish = to act. Although he manifested his action through his three steps alone.

These three steps allowed him to measure the universe and its three aspects: physical, astral and causal.

Very often it is considered that these steps represent the rise, the climax and the setting of the sun. The zenith, the “Vishnu’s supreme step” stands for the subtle secret realm of the fortunate.

 

Introduction To Shaivism, Part 1

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Shaivism is practically the oldest spiritual path of the world. In India, Shaivism is millennium old, and the archeological researches from Mohenjo Daro and Harappa revealed a history going back even beyond the calcolitic age.

Shiva represents that hypostasis of God that is manifested as Great Savior or Great Master of the ignorant, limited beings. Any sincere, frantic aspiration towards the state of spiritual freedom is addressed in fact to this aspect of God, Shiva the Good and Kind.

Any sign of the manifestation of the divine grace, which is indispensable to reaching the state of supreme spiritual freedom is closely connected to Shiva. Therefore, we may even say that Shaivism can be found in any place where a strong, authentic spiritual tradition flourished.

In India, there are six main forms of Shaivism, from which three are essential:

1. VIRA-SHAIVA, spread mainly in the central area of India;

2. SHIVA-SIDDHANTA, in the south.
3. ADVAITA-SHIVA, the most pure and elevated form of the Kashmir Shaivism, in the northern India.

The tradition of the Kashmir Shaivism was transmitted from master to disciple centuries in a row, according to the method named “from mouth to ear”.

The first fundamental work of Shaivism, attributed to Vasugupta, the first initiate of this spiritual path, who lived at the end of the VII-th century and the beginning of the IX-th century AD is named Shiva Sutra and is a compilation of aphorisms, completely hermetical for the uninitiated person, and it presents the three cardinal path in reaching spiritual freedom:

1. Shambhavopaya, or Shiva’s Path
2. Shaktopaya, or Shakti‘s path or the Path of the Energy
3. Anavopaya or the Path of the limited people

Vasugupta mentioned that he is not the author of Shiva-Sutra, but that he found it written on a rock that came out from the water and that went back into the water after he read and memorized the text.

The entire written tradition (shastra) of the Shaivism is divided into three parts:

1. Agama Shastra – considered as a direct revelation from Shiva (God). It includes works as: Shiva Sutra, Malinivijaya Tantra, Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, etc.

2. Spanda Shastra – contains the doctrine of the system. The main work in this category belongs to Vasugupta – Spanda Karika.

3. Pratyabhijna Shastra – contains metaphysical works, with a high spiritual level, and is the least accessible to the common reader. From this category the most important works are: Ishvara Pratyabhijna of Utpaladeva and Pratyabhijna Vimarsini, a commentary of the first.

There are several important schools of the Shaivism, of which the most elevated belong to the Trika system. The word “trika” means “trinity” in Sanskrit and suggests the idea that in our universe, all things have a threefold nature.

We may express this trinity through: Shiva (God), Shakti (His fundamental creative energy) and Anu (individual, the limited projection of the divinity).

Trika includes several spiritual schools:
Krama – in Sanskrit “process”, “orderly succession”.

Kaula (Kula) – in Sanskrit “community”, “family”, “totality”.

Spanda – term that defines the Supreme Divine Creative Vibration.

Pratyabhijna – term that refers to the direct recognition of the divine essence.

Shiva – The God of Destruction

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He who is without beginning and without end,
in the midst of confusion, the Creator of all,
of manifold form, the One embracer of the universe…
by knowing Him, one is released from all fetters.

SHIVA – THE GOD OF DESTRUCTION
Shiva literally means “auspiciousness, welfare”. He is the third god of the Hindu Triad and he is the god of destruction. He represents darkness , and it is said to be the “angry god”.

The term destruction as it relates to Shiva’s cosmic duties can be deceiving. Often Lord Shiva destroys negative presences such as evil, ignorance, and death.

Also, it is the destruction created by Lord Shiva that allows for positive recreation. For example, an artisan may melt down (i.e., destroy) old pieces of metal during his process of creating a beautiful piece of art.

It is for this reason that Shiva holds a complementary role to Brahma, the god of creation. Shiva protects souls until they are ready for recreation at the hands of Brahma. Because of his connections with destruction, Lord Shiva is one of the most feared and heavily worshipped deities in Hinduism.

However, according to Hinduism, creation follows destruction. Therefore Shiva is also regarded as a reproductive power, which restores what has been dissolved. As one who restores, he is represented as the linga or phallus, a symbol of regeneration.

SHIVA IS IN THE WORLD AND IN THE SAME TIME HE IS BEYOND THE WORLD
In the beginning nothing existed, neither the heaven nor the earth nor any space in between. So non-being, having decided to be, became spirit and said: “Let me become!”. He warmed himself, and from this was born fire. He warmed himself further still and from this was born light.

He is the never-created creator of all: He knows all. He is pure consciousness, the creator of time, all-powerful, all-knowing. He is the Lord of the soul and of nature and of the three conditions of nature. From Him comes the transmigration of life and liberation, bondage in time and freedom in eternity.

Some know him as Shiva the Beneficent. Others praise him as the Destroyer. For some he is Shiva the Ascetic, wandering the world. And for others still he is the Great Lord, king of all creation.

But it is as Lord of the Dance that all his aspects come together in one horrifically significant form. Nowhere else in the human world is there a clearer symbol of what a god is and does.

He has a 1,008 names, including Mahadeva (the great god), Mahesh, Rudra, Neelkantha (the blue-throated one), and Ishwar (the supreme god). He is also called Mahayogi, or the great ascetic, who symbolises the highest form of austere penance and abstract meditation, which results in salvation.

Shiva has a thousand names, and a thousand faces. Shiva is the essence of the Vedas, and the source of the Word. He is inextricably woven into all that the eye can see.

He is the first among the gods of this world, who made the world so that others could make the things in it. Energy is his name, and he moves through all things, never static.

All that is made, every generation of life, all the wondrous forms that fill our world, all flow from his dancing loins. He is not male, nor female. He is neither human nor inhuman. He has four arms, and he has none. Shiva’s nature at once transcends and includes all the polarities of the living world.

 

SHIVA – THE DARK-SKINNED ASCETIC WITH A BLUE THROAT
Shiva is believed to exist in many forms. His most common depiction is as a dark-skinned ascetic with a blue throat. Usually seated cross-legged on a tiger skin, Shiva’s hair is matted and coiled on his head, adorned with a snake and a crescent moon. Ganga is always depicted flowing out of his topknot.

Shiva has four arms and three eyes. The third eye, in the middle of his forehead, is always closed and only opens to annihilate an evil doer. A garland of skulls, rudraksha beads, or a snake hang from his neck. Shiva also wears snakes as armlets and bracelets.

The serpent race, despised and feared by all other creatures, found a place of honour on Shiva’s sacred person, simply because he was moved by their plight.

In one hand, Shiva holds his trishul, the Pinaka. The trishul usually has a damaru or waisted drum tied to it. In another hand, he holds a conch shell, and in the third, a rudraksha rosary, a club, or a bow.

One hand is usually empty, raised in a gesture of blessing and protection. The other points to his feet, where the devotee is assured of salvation.

He wears a tiger or leopard skin around his waist, and his upper body is usually bare, but smeared with ashes, as befits an ascetic. His third eye is believed to have appeared when Parvati ( Parvati, the goddess of power, is Shiva’s cosmic consort), in a playful mood, covered his eyes with her hands.

Immediately, the universe was plunged into darkness and there was chaos. To restore order, Shiva formed another eye on his forehead, from which emerged fire to restore light.

The light from this eye is believed to be very powerful, and therefore destructive. Shiva opens his third eye only in anger, and the offender is burnt to cinders.

According to the Shiva Purana, Shiva is said to have five faces, corresponding to his five tasks, the panchakriya: creation, establishment, destruction, oblivion, and grace. His five faces are associated with the creation of the sacred syllable Om.

THE SHIVA’S RESIDENCE IS THE MOUNT KAILASH
Shiva is said to live on Mount Kailash, a mountain in the Himalayas. His vehicle is Nandi the bull and his weapon, the trishul. Shiva’s consort is Parvati, who is also believed to be a part of Shiva. One of the most popular forms of Shiva is that of Ardhanarishvara.

According to a story in the Puranas, Brahma was unsuccessful at creation. He propitiated Shiva who took this form and separated Parvati from his body. Parvati has many incarnations, like Kali, Durga, and Uma. Their sons are Kartikeya and Ganesha.

Shiva is believed to have a large number of attendants, called ganas. These mythological beings have human bodies with animal heads. Shiva’s son Ganesha is the leader of the ganas.

Across the Hindu country, there are hundreds of temples and shrines dedicated to Shiva. He is usually worshipped in the form of a shivalinga. He is worshipped by offering flowers, milk, and sandalwood paste.

 

 

PART 3
WHY SHIVA HAS HIS THROAT BLUE?
There are many stories in the Puranas about the origin of Shiva. According to the Vishnu Purana, at the beginning of this kalpa Brahma wanted a child and meditated for one.

Presently, a child appeared on his lap and started crying. When asked by Brahma why he was crying, the child replied that it was because he did not have a name. Brahma then named him Rudra, meaning “howler”.

However the child cried seven more times and was given seven more names. Shiva therefore has eight forms: Rudra, Sharva, Bhava, Ugra, Bhima, Pashupati, Ishana, and Mahadeva, which, according to the Shiva Purana, correspond to the earth, water, fire, wind, sky, a yogi called Kshetragya, the sun, and the moon respectively.

During the samudra manthan, when poison was churned out of the ocean, Shiva is said to have swallowed it to save the world from destruction. As he drank the poison, Parvati clasped his throat tightly so that the poison remained there and darkened his neck. Because of this, he is known as Neelkantha, the blue-necked one.

NATARAJA – THE LORD OF DANCE
Shiva is the creator of dance and of the first 16 rhythmic syllables ever uttered, from which the Sanskrit language was born. His dance of anger is called the Roudra Tandava and his dance of joy, the Ananda Tandava.

All the gods and sages were present when he first danced the Nadanta Tandava, a characteristically vigorous dance, and they begged him to dance again.

Shiva promised to do so in the hearts of his devotees and in a sacred grove in Tamil Nadu, where the great temple of Chidambaram was built, the only one in all India dedicated to Shiva as Nataraja, the lord of dance.

It is believed that on the 13th day of each bright lunar fortnight (see Hindu Calendar), after 6 o’clock in the evening, falls a sacred hour called Pradosha.

Worshipping Shiva at this time is akin to worshipping all the powers of Shiva, for this is the time when all the gods are believed to have assembled on Kailash to lose them in the ecstasy of Nataraja’s dance.

He dances the dance of creation, the dance of destruction, the dance of solace and liberation. Beneath his left foot ignorance is crushed; from his head springs the life-giving waters.

His are the flames, the moon, the drum, and the lotus. His mount is the white bull, and the tiger has given its skin to gird his loins. Serpents coil about his limbs, and from his right hand flows the promise of release.

This dance is not just a symbol. It takes place within each of us at the atomic level at every moment. The birth of the world, its maintenance, its destruction, the covering of the soul and its revelation…these are the five acts of this dance. All that has been made will be unmade, and all that has been destroyed will be resurrected.

Resonance, Part 1

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One of the most important universal principles, which is clear and manifest in all spiritual traditions under different forms is resonance, an actual ideological and practical extension of the well-known phenomenon from Physics.

It is a fact of common knowledge that the term “resonance” comes from the Latin “resonare”, which means to resound, to vibrate.

Consequently, resonance is a process of initiation or increasing of vibrating phenomena, produced under the action of energies-vibrations coming from certain specific levels of manifestation of the universe.

The process of resonance really takes place only when the frequency of vibrations is close or coincides with one of the frequencies present inside the inner universe of a human being.

The relationships that unite and determine all the constitutive elements of the universe (things, beings, processes, and phenomena) are based on this universal law of resonance. Owing to their resemblance, the phenomena, objects or energies vibrate on the same level, that is they interact selectively, from a distance, just like in the case of two posts of emission-reception which are on the same frequency.

The profound, intimate understanding of any object or process may also be described as a phenomenon of resonance. In other words, if a man is thinking constantly about the object he/she intends to know, the object is practically traversed by the thoughts of that person. Finally, these mental energies “return” to their sender charged with energies and information about that particular object.

It has been equally observed that the thoughts emitted by a person towards a phenomenon or object transform it, and that a thing or phenomenon is subject to changes owing to the influence exercised by human thoughts.

Thus, according to the nature or character of the thoughts emitted by a person, the development of a process or the nature of an object may be changed one way or the other.

This happens because we all have the possibility to actively change or rearrange through our thoughts any being, thing or energy from the universe.

If this process of resonance is maintained for sufficient time, then appears a state of fusion between the two – the knower and the object to know, which will lead to an almost perfect subtle identification between the two.

If the process of knowing an object or a person is resumed to such processes of resonance, it results that by exploring and mastering all the frequencies of vibration (that is all the frames, or states of mind), the man may get to know the whole universe through this means that is the process of resonance.

From this perspective, the ancient Tantric and yogic aphorism: “that which is here (in the microcosm of one’s being) is everywhere (in the Macrocosm, or Universe), that which is not here, is nowhere” may be understood in a different light, more appropriate to the level of understanding and thinking of the contemporary man.

By knowing as profoundly as possible the active, actual aspects of one’s own being, as well as the latent potential, the human being may get to know, through resonance, the Universe around her. This knowledge will allow the human being to understand and deal with the Universe itself in the microcosm of one’s own being.

Introspection

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“The mind wonders and is always restless, hard to keep an eye on it, hard to be kept in check; be as the wise man who subdue it completely in the same way that the trainer subdues wild animals.”

Introspection

The deep search of our inner universe is an extremely important step in our erotic evolution. The impurities and the subconscious psychic obstacles that put a brake to our spiritual progress will be eliminated only if the atmosphere between the two lovers is one of complete honesty and self-sacrifice. When we look inside ourselves in order to think about the SELF, we will find a whole new world.

Self-analysis will help our senses become more refined and elevated. On the contrary, sexual routine lead to the death of these senses and this is why introspection is extremely valuable.

When one of the lovers depends exclusively upon the other as a material and comfortable support and not as a permanent inner search, the result may be a lack of balance that can affect the relationship.

Real love does not find real ground when it is “planted” in a fantasyland of selfish desires of one or the other of the two lovers. And, of course, this will not allow the perfect, dreamy love game to exist. On the contrary, the relation will progressively limit it, leading to a no-way-out situation.

The failure in love or marriage happens mainly because one of the two does not meet the other’s expectations. This informs us that there is no real, honest intimacy between them and that one is more selfish than the other. In such cases the couples may go on living, but in a atmosphere of interior separation from the other.

There is a wonderful and clear affirmation on self-knowledge in the famous Chinese philosophical work called “Tao te king” from the 6-th century B. C. The author, Lao Tse, says: “Knowing another confers wisdom; knowing the spirit confers enlightenment; self-control creates a huge inner power.”

The search of our inner universe or the self-analysis represents both a jumping board and a life-support. It gives you a great mental power necessary to the spiritual progress. This search is in fact a personal practice and we will not make the mind powerful with sterile conversations. One gram of practice means tones of theories.

Yet a positive self-analysis increases the ability to observe intuitively a lot of subtle aspects, creating a state of special receptivity. By objectively analysing our own person, we will be able to eliminate the different negative impressions and doubts that always tend to diminish our relationships.

Truth and honesty in a couple lead to spontaneity and break conventionality and routine. Allow yourself to be wrapped up into the desire of knowing your true SELF and eliminate fear and doubt forever.

Self-analysis is a preliminary step in the meditation technique. It can take place at any moment of time and it is an internal thinking process, completely different from the chaotic action of our minds.

This inner search starts through observing the relationships that we have with things and events around us. Try to see all the experiences as connected to each other and also to you. Observe even the apparently most unimportant details and cultivate a firm yet detached attitude. Examine well everything that comes to you and try to understand the reasons behind each action or situation.


THE FIRST EXERCISE FOR SELF-ANALYSIS:
A simple method in order to practice self-analysis is sitting comfortable in front of a mirror, closing your eyes and making your mind empty of all thoughts. Then, slowly open your eyes and look at the image in the mirror as if you would meet that person for the first time.

Observe the impression it has on you. Also notice how the changes in your facial expression concords with your thoughts and emotions. Try to establish a certain relation with your image in the mirror, relax your face and keep your breathing under control.

If you notice certain negative thoughts, bring the equilibrium back in your attitudes and emotions by using breathing in order to stabilize the psychic. Imagine that you replace such negative attitude with a positive one and try to feel the “new ego” as the real and most wanted one.

Then, slowly, close your eyes, trying to assimilate this experience, imagining it as being all over your being, at all levels.

The essence of meditation is using your mind in order to achieve Self-knowledge. In a first phase of the process, different exterior objects might help you, but be careful not to rely on them exclusively. For example, the candlelight may prove of real help.

THE SECOND EXERCISE FOR SELF-ANALYSIS:
Take a candle and light it. Look at the light and focus all your thoughts on it. Then compare your attitudes with its dance. Imagine that the flames destroy and burn all your mental impurities.

Then close your eyes and project the image of the flame right between your eyebrows and keep that image burning here. Put your whole being in this interior light and use it in your analysis as guide to your essence.

By knowing yourself you will be able to know other persons as well. Do not criticize before making all your mistakes right. Through an efficient self-analysis you will grow a special power to introspect. Such introspection requires courage and honesty.

A perseverant and rigorous analysis will eliminate all the interior obstacles in order to create a wonderful inner potential for the tantric love. This analysis is the most direct path to the non-duality experience and mystical conscience.

“Always be vigilant and conscious in everything you do: when you walk, sit, eat, sleep, and so on. Avoid hiding your own imperfections and also avoid talking about the others’ faults. It is difficult to master the thoughts, but with perseverance in controlling your mind will finally lead you to success. Be conscious of the fact that the one who meditates, the object of meditation and the act itself are inseparable.”

Artwork courtesy of and copyright by Daniel B. Holeman at Awaken Visions Galleries.