Tantra, Androgyny, and Magic

Prerequisites: Awareness of physiological and bio-chemical energy in the body, a rudimentary ability to transfer you consciousness into another person, and a suitable, agreeable partner. In other words, it helps if you have been practicing a variety of meditations for ten, twenty, or thirty years and have good social skills in communication and especially listening.

(See also Undines—Lessons from the Realm of the Water Spirits for greater detail on the magnetic fluid and my on-line course on mermaid empathy at http://shell.lava.net/~pagios/books.html)

Introduction

I sometimes define magic as a study of how to make the best choices in life. Among other things, awareness requires an understanding of opposites and how they balance, harmonize, and join. Awareness increases freedom of choice.

I am not presenting “sacred sexuality” in its many aspects. There are no gods or goddesses, no devotion or religion, and I am not even attempting to facilitate a better relationship with your partner.

If your goal is happiness, stay away from this form of magic. Magic is service to the divine. You have to know how to exist without ego in order to pursue it. Or more simply, magic is not about you in your historical personality; it is about finding the divine inside.

I am after the understanding and joining of opposites in nature, humanity, and divinity. I am after the creativity that increases our freedom of choice and enhances our lives so that we reflect within ourselves the dynamic powers active in the universe.

The human race has a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde separation in the collective psyche. The “light workers” are making very serious efforts to think positive and to imagine and dream those things they wish to bring into being. They have discovered that there are vast spiritual resources available to humanity. And they are reaching out and embodying these sources of inspiration in themselves.

Other parts of humanity are completely oblivious to this process. It is not that they are materialistic. The material world has its own assigned set of spiritual purposes to fulfill. Rather, they are obsessed by the desire to possess, control, and dominate.

They too have dreams and visions they wish to manifest. It is pretty much a will to power thing—they wish to create a world that is under the domination of their will. They wish to imprint and implant in others their own desires so that other people become a reflection and extension of their own ego.

If you treat the human race as one person, you have an individual, then, who is schizophrenic. The part that thinks of itself as being more aware is totally oblivious to what is hidden inside. The bright, light side has a shadow which for all practical purposes it denies as being part of itself.

The dark side, on the other hand, has access to far more energy and will power. It is active all the time in shaping and changing the world in which we live.

There are some wonderful exceptions. But the task for the light workers is to gain the flexibility, creativity, and will necessary to capture or simply comprehend its dark side. The result would be that the part of this “individual” that is inspired would have the energy and practical capacity to be more dynamic in action. And the dark side would acquire a conscience so that it takes into consideration the consequences of its actions on others.

In other words, it is fine to refine oneself so that there is greater access to inspiration, love, and light. But the more dynamic choice is to unite opposites within oneself—capturing and transforming the dark and autonomous instincts and passions produces greater and more enduring results.

The Dalai Lama’s famous quote is “As long as suffering remains to sentient beings, I will remain to serve.” He will continue to incarnate to help liberate others from suffering. This is a perfect expression of the high ideals in the Buddhist tradition.

A slightly more dynamic approach would be to say “I am myself and I am equally a part of everyone on earth without exception.” In other words, there is no individual enlightenment. That is an illusion. Consciousness can be trained to be anywhere, in any form, and everywhere all at once.

Everyone has freedom of choice. Let us imagine light workers who have the creativity to find not just for themselves but for everyone on earth the inspiration to make their best choices in life.

This is after all another side of Jupiter—the planet of prosperity. Jupiter creates situations in life where an individual finds his greatest opportunities to learn new things; and at the same time the same situation offers the individual his greatest capacity to give to and serve others.

Or, as Saturn would say, “Got a problem? Help others solve that problem and your own problems will vanish in the process.”

A Practice Related to Initiation into Hermetics

Once again, though I am focusing on sexuality, I am simultaneously discussing the most dynamic powers of transformation in nature, in humanity, and in the divine world. To the basics.

Sexual energy in the male and female is derived in large measure from the testicles in the male and the ovaries in the female. If a man concentrates on his testicles, he may be able to sense the biochemical energy they produce.

Obviously in sex male energy is forceful, hot, expansive, electrical, possessive, and demanding among other things. Put all of that off to the side.

In a state of meditation where the mind is still and the soul serene, the bio-chemical energy in the testicles is more refined and contained. It is powerful without being controlling; it is dynamic without being forceful; it is penetrating without being possessive.

If you look more closely at the actual sensations and energy of the testicles, you may sense that they have the ability to increase the power of concentration and focus so that consciousness can enter, understand, and master anything that exists—in nature, in human society, or in the divine world as well.

If the mind is still, the soul serene, the body calm, and with the vitality of the breath passing through the testicles, there arises the awareness that unites all opposites within itself. All instincts are present and part of an on-going process of transformation. All human desire and motivations are present and all ideals and spiritual attainments. The dynamic, radiant light of the sun itself is present creating new things from out of the inspiration of the highest aspect of divinity. (For those who study Franz Bardon, I am describing the electrical fluid in magic and the letters OE and SH, S, H, and K in Bardon’s cosmic language.)

Put simply, the dynamic, creative, active yang energy existing throughout the universe is present in male sexuality. It is present in the bio-chemically generated vitality as an actual sensation you can perceive and, though meditation, raise to the level of consciousness.

The same applies to the ovaries in the woman. The female ovarian energy along with the physiology and anatomy (men pause for a moment of worship) is soothing, contracting, and drawing in. It is containing and far more sensual with a much deeper tie to nature than exists within men. Put all of that off to the side.

The ovaries contain the energy of the magnetic fluid. This feminine energy is cool, even cold. It too is attracting, contracting, and condensing. It is also nurturing and soothing. It is sheltering and protecting.

But what is most remarkable is that it is so receptive it is formless—it can contain within itself the spirit of any being transforming it from within through inspiration, love, empathy, and the pure presence of bliss and ecstasy.

Present as an actual sensation within the ovaries is omnipresent love—it can be anywhere and join itself to anything. There is no limit to its ability to nurture and to transform. It has power over anything that exists.

In meditation, with a still mind, a serene soul, a calm body, and an awareness of the vitality in breath, each energy—the male and the female—is complete in itself. Each can be explored endlessly. Each has no need of the other in order to develop depth and power.

It is in the creativity, however, that the two become amplified, purified, and transformed more quickly and to a greater extent though joining with its opposite.

Let us start with the female. Relax and calmly focus your mind and breathing on your ovaries. Focus and sense the vitality in the breath passing through the ovaries. At some point you will begin to perceive actual sensations and energies being produced through this focusing.

Next, imagine your body is completely empty inside—an open vessel. Through imagination, gently spread this energy of the ovaries through the entire body so you feel it equally everywhere inside of your self.

For someone with a little training, it is easy enough to simply create this energy through force of imagination. The advantage of drawing upon, amplifying, and working with the actual energy in the ovaries is that the energy produced is far more organic and natural. It is nurturing and healing in itself.

For some individuals, the energy of the ovaries when spread through the body will produce a feeling like you are surrounded by the silvery light of the moon or the blue-green water of the oceans. Again, it is serene, soothing, and sheltering. It expands inward illuminating the soul rather than outward with the intent of changing the world. It is an experience of absolute peace.

It is beauty, harmony, and bliss. In fact, as an energy it is everything a man could desire of a woman and ever hopes to receive from her through the gift of her love.

If you can sense and produce in yourself any of these feelings, then you are well on your way to connecting to the magnetic fluid which in magic is the essence of the feminine spirit.

The practice for the male is similar. The male focuses not on sexual energy in an aroused state—something extremely easy for many men to produce in an instant. Rather, in a still state of mind with a serene soul and calm body, focus the vitality in breathing in and through the testicles.

Here is where the transference of consciousness comes in. As a man can do with a woman, the woman can do with a man—imagine you are the man. Assume the form of his body. Enter his body with your mind. Place your soul inside of him.

This is not difficult. Almost any young woman with a few minutes of instruction can learn to do this often with the result of being able to create physical sensations in a man simply by concentrating.

In other words, put aside all awareness of yourself as a woman and become the man as if you are him. Think his thoughts. Imagine moving his body as he moves it. Talk in your mind as he talks. And then focus from inside of his body as if you are him focusing your own breathing and vitality through his testicles.

For many with a little talent or practice, you can get the same sensations of the other gender’s body almost as easily as if the other’s body is your own.

As I have previously described, the male testicle sensations and energy is powerful without being controlling; it is dynamic without being forceful; it is penetrating without being possessive. It has the power to penetrate anything, join with it, and embody that power in itself.

The feminine unites opposites in that it contains its opposite, nurturing, inspiring, and transforming it. It does not necessary change itself in the process. As pure love without limitation it is already what it needs to become.

The masculine by contrast fuses itself to its opposite, changing both in the process. It accelerates the feminine process of development even as the feminine purifies and perfects the masculine.

But we are spirits. We can equally do both: As a practice, you imagine your partner in front of you or with the female sitting on the male’s lap and facing each other.

You start with your body. You produce the basic sensations and feelings of your gender and spread those sensations and feeling equally through your body. At this point, this is an independent meditation. There is no need for the other to be involved.

Next, however, you pass your awareness into your partner’s body and practice as the opposite gender as if you are the other person. Produce the same degree and intensity of sensations and feelings and spread them through your partner’s body. You want to be able to feel completely immersed in your opposite gender’s capacity to sense and to feel. Again, as a man you want to produce in your awareness when your consciousness is inside of the woman a sense of soothing serenity, an inner peace with the universe, a oneness with nature, a bliss and a receptivity that are pure love without limitation.

And as a woman inside of the man you want to produce a sensation and feeling of power and command, an authority without limitation to penetrate and enter with your awareness into anything that exists—to understand it, comprehend it, and empower it to attain to and fulfill its deepest purposes.

But you do not have to rely on my words and descriptions. This is a discovery process. You get to experience all of this for yourself making your own observations and formulating your own descriptions. There is no end to this wonder and to the magic—the creative power--it reveals.

The picture associated with this essay (http://lava.net/~pagios/alchemy.jpg) shows a male and a female holding hands with a center androgynous figure. The androgynous one possesses the full creative powers of both the masculine and feminine. When an individual becomes a spirit, there is no form attached. You are free to assume any form according to the circumstances you enter.

Locked and stored with nature with its vast array of physical forms is immense power. The spirit contains these powers within itself but first the physical must be mastered before the freedom and creativity of spirit arises.

The next step in the practice is with your mind or in actual physical embrace of various kinds to combine both masculine and feminine energies at the same time. For example, start again with yourself. Spread your gender energy through your whole body. But now continue to spread your gender energy equally through your partner’s body. You want to be able to sense and feel that the sensations and feelings are in both of you.

Then enter your partner and do the same in reverse. Evoke his or her energy, spread it through that person’s body and equally through your own.

Now maintain both at once. The male testicle energy and the female ovarian energy are in both partners to an equal extent. Both bodies are also equally present in your awareness so in effect you are aware of being within two people. You can ease into this or play with it by gradually moving your awareness and point of view from yourself into the partner and back again noticing the differences.

Because there are still two of you—one male and one female—the polarity of your two bodies tends to greatly amplify the energy within each of you. This is no surprise. Offices with both genders present tend to be more productive. And a simple act of flirting can instantly trigger the release of endorphins and adrenaline in the blood stream. Imagine then what happens when you encounter the direct energy of each gender inside of both partners at the same time. Like I say, there is no end to the exploration of masculine and feminine and the wonder of their union.

The planet Venus with its spiritual aura exists to inspire art, harmony, and love. It is an integration of personality—of mind, soul, and body with harmony, beauty, and charisma. Often two in love can learn to become as one—to dream each other’s dreams; to share each other’s needs; to care for the other as if the other is you in another form.

Venus is a path leading to the sphere of the sun—it is a cosmic steppingstone. When two love each other deep enough and are guided by the inspiration of Venus there comes a moment when they discover their love has no limitation. Their embrace contains a love for all others as well.

But now we have entered the sphere of the sun with is cosmic inspiration. Joining opposites, the solar spirits reflect the highest divine light directly through their own souls. They have mastered the limitations and also the powers hidden within physical form. In so doing, they now possess a wild and original level of creativity. In every moment, they are a new creation.

In the attraction of opposites is not only passion--desires satisfied, hungers gratified, and dreams fulfilled. There is also present, if you look for it, this divine level of creativity. It is another kind of passion—the ecstasy of feeling one with all beings and the love that seeks to protect, nurture, inspire, and fulfill their deepest dreams as well.