Unveiling Tantra: Navigating the True Essence Beyond Toxicity
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Over the past decade, my journey through shamanic healing, yoga, tantra, and spiritual healing has illuminated the profound essence of tantra, which holds a special place in my heart. This exploration inspires me to express the true spirit of tantra positively. In today's world, some practitioners shy away from the term "Tantra," opting for labels like embodiment and bodywork. This trend often arises from the desire to distance the practice from negative experiences associated with unprincipled practitioners and instances of spiritual bypassing, particularly those involving the exploitation of individuals in vulnerable situations.
Rather than moving away from the identity of Tantra, my intention is to shed light on the factors influencing these dynamics and guide you in cultivating discernment within your practice.
Through my self-exploration, I have identified two key categories of tantric teachings that transcend specific lineages:
1. The Mindset of Personal Healing: This approach focuses on alleviating individual suffering.
2. The Mindset of Collective Healing: This perspective seeks to address the shared suffering of humanity.
A vital distinction between these systems centres on their handling of co-dependency.
The first teaching emphasizes spiritual discernment and detachment, integrated with self-healing practices designed to reveal and cleanse the impurities within the shadow self. These impurities include limiting beliefs, emotions, and traumas that obstruct the natural flow of energy in the body. By addressing and clearing these blockages, individuals can connect more deeply with their life force energy, often referred to as sexual energy. Gaining such insights empowers individuals to distinguish between what is authentic and what is misleading, fostering true empowerment. These teachings are not out-come based, but rather about being present, in the moment. This inner work paves the way for attracting joyful and loving relationships.
In contrast, the second system often overlooks the importance of shadow work and does not focus on purification. Instead, it typically involves marriage and sexual rites in the form of disciplines combined with spiritual initiations conducted by practitioners, introducing a spiritual deity or consort known as Shakti-Pat. Originally performed by priests in the Hindu tantric tradition, this practice has evolved in the Western context, where anyone can perform such initiations, sometimes labeled as Kundalini Activations in modern teachings. Having undergone several of these initiations in various traditions, I recognized the blissful and energetic sensations, which could easily be confused with one's own kundalini energy. Thankfully, my prior training in shamanic practices provided me with discernment tools to understand these spiritual entities, allowing me to uncover their true nature and free myself from their influence. Unfortunately, Shakti-Pat initiations can sometimes lead to spirit attachments in individuals, causing them to mistakenly perceive these sensations as indicators of activated kundalini energy. Coupled with the Western emphasis on outcome-based results, this can mislead individuals into believing they have achieved enlightenment, discouraging self-reflection and the exploration of their own inner world. This energy can also be felt by those nearby.
While these experiences can be exhilarating, blissful, and transcendent, co-dependency may still linger, trapping individuals in limiting beliefs. They might find themselves dependent on these attachments to experience the kundalini sensation, which can lead to the attraction of co-dependent relationships and further reinforce these dynamics. From a modern perspective, this pattern highlights the existence of unethical practitioners within the Western tantric community who may take advantage of vulnerable individuals while masquerading as spiritual mentors. In the first tantric path, the study of karma and the law of resonance illustrates that the narcissistic practitioner and the vulnerable empath are drawn to each other. There is a lesson for both parties to take responsibility for clearing what attracted them in the first place.
A comparable phenomenon can be seen in certain Christian sects, where the Holy Ghost baptism brings a spirit to a vulnerable individual, evoking feelings of bliss and leading them to believe they have attained immortality and a direct connection to God. However, the truth is that you have always been connected to the divine and are already an eternal soul experiencing life through many human forms. The rigid framework of the church in the West frequently discourages open conversations about sexuality, yet I believe both situations exhibit notable similarities.
In conclusion, the study of tantra presents two distinct approaches that shape its practice and understanding. The first approach prioritizes spiritual discernment and knowledge, recognizing the potential of spiritual interactions while emphasizing personal healing and self-discovery. Enlightenment is not an end-goal, but rather mastery of the practice to be present. This path promotes awareness of life force energy, facilitating the attraction of loving and fulfilling connections. In contrast, the second approach often neglects essential inner work, relying heavily on spiritual initiations like Shakti-Pat and seeking enlightenment as an end goal. While these initiations can elicit blissful feelings and may be mistaken for enlightenment, they frequently lead to co-dependent relationships and spiritual attachments that foster limiting beliefs.
A thoughtful examination of these dynamics underscores the importance of cultivating discernment in the practice of tantra, allowing individuals to navigate away from harmful influences and embrace the authentic spirit of this transformative path. Ultimately, nurturing personal responsibility and self-reflection is key to fostering sustainable growth and meaningful connections within the realm of tantra.
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