Tantra teacher Sarita talks on reclaiming the power, joy, wildness and dignity of the male genitals.
“Behold the Shiva Lingam, beautiful as molten gold,
firm as the Himalayan Mountain, tender as a folded leaf, life-giving
like the solar orb, behold the charm of his sparkling jewels!”
From ‘Linga Purana’, translated by Nik Douglas
Meaning and Symbolism of the Lingam
We need to make friends with the Lingam and all it represents. This
is the only path that can finally bring healing to each man and woman
and to this divided world.
In
Sanskrit, the word Lingam has a couple of meanings, which are deeply
symbolic: ‘Sign’ is one meaning, represented by the fact that an erect
penis is the sign that god is ready to create new life. Another meaning
is ‘Pillar of Light’, or ‘Wand of Light.’ A phallus becomes a ‘pillar of
light’ when a man has become conscious of his godliness. The way he
becomes conscious of his godliness is part of what Tantra is all about.
Tantra offers methods to help both men and women attain supreme
consciousness while in the act of love union. This is achieved by
bringing the potent and animalistic energy of sex into alignment with
spirit. When instinctual drive and energy merge with spiritual power and
energy a metamorphosis happens and it is in this metamorphosis that man
is reborn as god, a co-creator with the whole.
For millennia phallus worship was practised all over the world, and
even today vestiges of this worship are still in evidence, particularly
in India and Japan. In India, a wonderfully balanced quality is evident
in Lingam (phallus) worship as the carved Lingam is always placed within
a delicately carved Yoni, (the Sanskrit term for female genitals,
meaning sacred place). This ensures that the worship of the lingam and
male principle is balanced with female qualities (as happens throughout
nature).
It is very unfortunate that, in the West in particular, phallic
symbols such as the giant obelisks present in many cities have no Yoni
surrounding them. Because of this, they give out a vibration of the
masculine testosterone fuelled energy of competition and
territorialness, without any balancing love or nurturing offered by the
feminine principle of the Yoni.
At this time in our society, many men are not aware of the enormous
potential for spiritual awakening contained in their Lingam. Instead,
they have become addicted to pornography, which has been proven to lead
to impotence. Mentalising sexual energy is very different than bringing
it into alignment with spirit. When we bring a meditative awareness to
our animal nature, we experience the divine hidden within the density of
sexual desire. This does not lead to a loss of pleasure as some people
might imagine. Rather, pleasure is enhanced thousand fold, becoming
limitless. A man has the potential to experience universal consciousness
through his lingam and all it represents.
Every orgasm, every pleasure is a divine experience. The
entire universe springs forth from enjoyment. Pleasure is the origin of
all that exists. But the perfect love is that whose object is limitless.
It is that love which is pure love, the love of love itself, the love
of the transcendental being of sensual pleasure.”
From Karpatri, ‘Lingopasana Rahasya’
Discovering a Balanced Masculinity
I
have been working with men for many years and having grown up with five
brothers, I feel an innate love and respect for the masculine. Many
times, it is sad for me to realise that men do not understand themselves
in the positive way that I see and experience them. Many forms of
conditioning have corrupted the sheer beauty and grandeur of the
masculine experience.
Men are being condemned very heavily since the advent of the women’s
liberation movement. And yes, it is true that there has been a strong
abuse of power in men’s actions for the past two thousand years or so. I
like to look at the bigger picture.
Before the advent of patriarchy, a dominant matriarchy ruled the
world. During those times, in many places in the world, women abused
their power over men. Men were offered in human sacrifice on a yearly
basis. To become devotees of the great mother, men castrated themselves
and proudly wore the castration knife on their belt. The goddess was
benevolent but also cruel. She ruled the mysteries of birth and
therefore considered herself to be superior. Naturally, when men
discovered that they could develop their mind and might to outwit the
feminine, they chose to turn the tables and take revenge. Since then,
the world has lived in a miserable situation of wars and more wars, rape
and more rape. Man’s divorce from the feminine is escalating to a point
of insanity. Man’s desire to dominate nature instead of protecting her
is threatening to kill all life on the planet.
This is a simplistic picture of something in the human psyche gone
wrong or warped. It is only in Tantra that we see harmony between the
sexes wherein male and female attributes are both honoured equally.
A Tantra scripture, Lingopasana Rahasya says:
The symbol of the cosmic man Purusha, the archetype, the
universal plan present in all things, is the male emblem, the phallus.
The symbol of energy, which is the world’s substance; the generator of
all that exists is the female organ, the Yoni.”
Integrated Male and Female, The Tree of Life
I
like to think of male and female together as a vast tree of life. The
tree grows from a single seed and then at six weeks in the womb, there
is a differentiation and the embryo either remains feminine (XX
chromosomes) or becomes masculine (XY chromosomes). If the embryo
remains feminine, the parts of the brain devoted to intuition, love and
artistic tendencies grow bigger, while the areas devoted to power,
competition, territorialness, and logic grow bigger in the male brain.
To imagine how this links up, imagine a rose bush. The magnificent rose,
so soft and vulnerable has a thorny stem, offering protection. In the
same way, the feminine who is asked by nature to nurture the child for a
long time, needs her masculine partner to protect her and take care
that she can be secure while tending to the task of childbirth and
rearing of children.
The problem arises when the masculine separates himself from the
feminine and instead of being in service of feminine qualities of love
and nurturing, he becomes like the thorns without the rose, going on a
tangent of expressing his territorialness and competition in a frenzy of
destructiveness, serving only destructiveness itself.
As men and women come to realize that we are simply two aspects of
the same tree of life, and search for ways to blend our energies through
meditation and love, we will find that the song of life is sweet
indeed, with pleasure and celebration being our natural condition.
One of the puzzles that men face is how to manage being with a woman,
holding her in her contradictory, emotional nature. This puzzle is
easily solved when men open to their potential as a pillar of light and
consciousness. When women are bitchy, they are in fact only testing the
man to find out if he is able to hold them in all that they are. If the
man passes the test, she will surrender herself completely into his
arms, that her Shakti may be held at last by a worthy Shiva.
Healing the Wounded Masculine
Part
of the warped scenario has been fuelled by ideologies, which harm the
masculine very profoundly. To teach a man that sex is bad, i.e. sin, is
to kill his spirit by cutting him off from his joy. A man is naturally
deeply centred in and around his sexual organs. He needs to be
worshipped there, rather than condemned. Just imagine the fact that in
one ejaculation, a man releases enough sperm to populate half the
planet! This is a tremendous power and energy! If he is told from an
early age that this energy is bad, you are literally telling him that he
is bad, that his very essence as a man should not exist. Naturally, as
he shuts down from himself and his reason for being, he will be quite
pissed off inside. He can then easily be manipulated into becoming a
soldier and going to kill others and himself. Life is not worth living
if you have been cut off from all joy and pleasure.
Reclaiming the power, joy, wildness and dignity of the male genitals
is one of the most important healing works we have to do during these
changing times.
People speak a lot about female genital mutilation, which is of
course a horrendous practice. However, I find it bizarre that under our
very noses, millions of boys are being forced to have genital mutilation
and no one says anything about it! If you don’t believe that the act of
circumcising is a travesty and a crime, watch the film
Birth As We Know It
and see the truth for yourself! The foreskin is delicate tissue,
anatomically similar to the hood of the clitoris, which holds many nerve
endings devoted to pleasure. To have this mutilated gives a message
that pleasure is being sacrificed to pain, very early in life, making it
almost undoubtedly a lifelong wound carried deep in the subconscious
body memory. (Those that like conspiracy theories can have a field day
with this!)
Another aspect of the male genitals that needs healing is that of
civilisation vs animality. The first chakra, i.e. genital area, is
naturally instinctual and animalistic. The instinctual search is for
procreation and security. If a boy is told over and over that he has to
drop being animalistic, and be civilised, he will be a sad shadow of who
he could become. The animal nature needs to be celebrated, not
repressed! People carry a deep ancestral fear of the animal, due to the
fact that we had to fight to survive in a seemingly hostile world where
one may be devoured at any moment by some wild animal. This has been
translated into a fear of our own inner animal. People tend to think
that if we allow the animal some space within, we will turn into raving
beasts who have uncontrollable appetites for sex.
In fact, in the animal kingdom, sexual expression is very tame.
Animals operate according to fixed natural laws that govern their bodies
and sexual needs. Humans on the other hand can be taken over by lust as
often as they desire.
Lingam Whispering and the Art of Sex
We
need to learn sexuality as an art form, playing with our desire and
mastering it as one would tame a horse in the wild. Beating a horse is
not the right way to tame it. The true masters of horse training are
those who understand the language of horses, the horse whisperers. A
whole new science is waiting to be born, that of ‘Lingam whispering’.
When a man reclaims his animal nature, he breathes a big sigh of
relief and immediately discovers undreamed of sources of power and
energy. When a man is honoured as a God in his genitals, his joy springs
forth, like a bubbling stream. Within no time, his heart opens and he
discovers the ecstasy of offering his strength in service to the
feminine qualities of love and nurturing. In this way, he finds
wholeness and reintegration with the tree of life.
Men are not born rough and destructive. Men are warped by the society
in such a way that they no longer find how to live their natural joy.
To reclaim this joy, Tantra and work with the sacred masculine is very
important. Men need good role models, seeing himself mirrored in his own
gender. He needs a rite of passage, where his entry into manhood is
honoured with love and respect. If he is denied that, he will seek a
rite of passage through drugs, fast cars, pornography and alcohol.
He also needs initiation into the art of being a Master Lover, so
that all the days of his life he can enjoy maximum benefits of sexual
love.
For the Lingam to find a balanced expression of sexual energy, it has
to be celebrated as important and beautiful. Instead of cutting himself
into bits, with mind and body being separated from each other, he needs
to discover that he has a brain in his head, in his stomach and in his
genitals. There is no such thing as mind and body. There is only
bodymind as one whole interconnected unit. The man’s primary centres of
power and energy reside in his genitals, his solar plexus and his
throat. When he is able to live these energy centres in their fullness
he will be a true man, in divine remembrance of his purpose in life.
Many men would love to discover Tantric secrets such as how to last
longer in sex, how to please a woman, and how to have full body orgasm
without ejaculation. These are all easy to learn and apply when the man
meditates, moves his body as in sport or martial arts, learns to let go
into laughter and tears and learns to express himself through poetry,
singing, dance or some other art form. The healed and balanced
expression of masculinity is a synthesis of power and vulnerability,
spirituality and sexuality.
The Art of Self-Pleasuring
Learning the art of self-pleasuring is a tremendous help for men to
understand the movement and pathways of their own energy. Sexual energy
can move down and out as in procreation, or in and up as in spiritual
rebirth. The energy moving in and up is what leads to full body orgasm
without ejaculation. To learn this art, it is necessary to begin with
loving and honouring your genitals, and once aroused, to then move this
energy through the whole body, snaking the spine and breathing deeply.
Touching the crown of the head and the perineum at the same time is
also very helpful. If the man finds himself moving from warm to hot to
red hot, he needs to let go of genital stimulation and move the energy
upwards through the body before his sexual energy becomes volcanic.
He needs to let go of an intensely focused goal, and instead, open
the possibility that he can become orgasmic in every cell. Relaxing
beneath the orgasm reflex, and snaking the spine will create an
invitation for the sexually aroused energy to begin its ascent towards
the crown chakra.
He can also allow his aroused energy to melt into the valley,
experiencing the deeply resting quality of yin. Sex is not about
performance, it is actually about riding the waves of yin and yang for
hours. In sex, we learn the art of surfing the waves, leading to
ultimate fulfilment for the man and the woman.
The universe is the issue of the relationship between
a masculine and a feminine principle. Everything, as a result, carries
the signature of the Lingam and the Yoni. It is the deity, who in the
form of the individual phallus, penetrates each womb and procreates all
beings.”
From ‘Karpatri’, translated by Alain Daniélou
Anatomy of the Lingam
Anatomically, the Lingam is an elegantly designed mechanism, which is
both practical and pleasurable. The prostate supplies one part of what
we know of as semen in the form of prostatic fluid, giving a milky
appearance to the semen. The seminal vesicle supplies seminal fluid. And
the third ingredient is the sperm, carrying the potential for new life.
Sperm come to maturity in the testes, in 20 feet of coiled tubes called
Ductus Epididymis. The testicles are amazing in their capacity to
shrink close to the body if it is cold, or hang down lower and away from
the body if it is too hot, thus maintaining an optimum temperature for
the sperm. When a man is in erection and ready for ejaculation, the
three ingredients blend. As he ejaculates, pleasurable spasms allow this
precious nectar of life to be expelled out of the tip of his Lingam,
propelling the sperm, surrounded by protective and nurturing elements,
on their long pilgrimage to find a female egg to blend with. An enormous
amount of vital energy is used in order for this task to be
accomplished. This is why it is advised in Tantric texts for men to
enjoy making love often but to conserve their ejaculation, offering it
only on special occasions.
Testosterone, the principal male hormone, decreases progressively
during a man’s life. If he ejaculates more than his body has allotted
him to do, he will find himself without a bank balance of vital energy
the older he gets. It is very important for men to learn Tantric arts of
sexuality, discovering the sublime mastery that happens when he is able
to conserve and circulate his energy. If he does this, he will be able
to make love in an ecstatic Tantric circle of fulfilment, all the days
of his life. The short term high of many successive and quick
ejaculations is like cocaine, a destructive habit leading to impotence
and depression.
Some men simply cannot imagine how it could be pleasurable to let go
of frequent ejaculation in favour of frequent sex with ejaculation
happening only sometimes. It is only by moving into the world of Tantra
and understanding and experiencing the inner connectedness of sex, love
and spirit that conservation of semen practice begins to make sense. And
once a man has had the experience of whole body orgasm without
ejaculation, he feels so vitally alive, so empowered and ecstatic that
he would love to continue this practice and discover new levels of
sexual mastery.
Addiction vs Mastery
The sexual organs are directly linked to the glandular system of the
brain. Delgado, a behavioural scientist did an experiment on rats to
find out how the sexual response in the brain functions. The rat had
electrodes attached to the sex centre in the brain. By pushing a button,
he could bring on the sensation of orgasm in the brain. The poor rat
became addicted to the button and refusing both food and sleep, went on
pushing the button till he died. It is an unfortunate fact that more and
more men are taking a similar route through their addiction to
pornography.
Sexuality involves all that we are, and if we isolate it in the mind
and brain, we are sacrificing ourselves on the altar of greed. The
society tends to encourage this behaviour, because it brings in a lot of
financial rewards for those invested in such business. As long as the
society is based on greed rather than love and nurturing, we will find
ourselves hurtling towards the self-destructive tendency demonstrated by
Delgado’s rat.
Tantra offers men and women both the opportunity to come back home to
all that we are as sexual, loving, celebrative and spiritual beings. In
fact, there is no other alternative for humanity today. We either
choose a downward spiralling death oriented future or ecstatic wholeness
based on life affirmation and inner mastery.
In Alain Alain Daniélou’s book
The Phallus,
he writes: “One century after the birth of Jesus, Plutarch reported the
mysterious voice, heard by a sailor, announced the death of the great
God ‘Pan’. This news froze the Greco-Roman world with horror. The
Phallic God, the father of all the Gods risked dragging the civilized
world with him in his fall, leaving men without protection. A new era
opened up, full of dangers and conflicts, which little by little would
lead to the extinction of the
human race.”
The Hero’s Journey
If there is one thing I would like to affirm to men it is this: you
are meant to be Masters of yourself, and protector custodians of the
resources of this planet. When you learn to master your own internal eco
system, balancing sexuality with spirituality, then you will naturally
wish to balance the eco system of the planet and of society. It is a bit
like living in a thriller at this time on the planet. Will men wake up
in time to save the day? Will each man find his way to go on his own
personal hero’s journey, discovering his true power and mastery? Will
the God Pan once more be enthroned within each man, awakening his joyous
potency and zest for life?
I am doing my best to initiate and inform men of their potential. And
it is a big job. If anyone is called to help in this shifting of
consciousness, I will be most happy to be of service in training as many
people as possible. We need to bring about a global awareness of the
immense gifts lying dormant within male sexuality and the male psyche.
Men, you are born to be co-creators with the divine. Nothing else
will satisfy you because it is your innate nature to be an expression of
godliness. The first step in claiming your power and your destiny is to
reclaim your right to joy and to explore conscious sexuality. Once you
get the knack, it is easy and natural to do so.
Steps for empowering the Masculine
- Reclaim your balls and Lingam from repressive attitudes that have hijacked your sovereignty and joy.
- Learn Tantra practices which will help you to become a Master of sexual energy, learning to surf the waves of yang and yin.
- Go through sexual initiation with wise Tantric women, or in the workshop Master Lover.
- Move into initiation through ‘Integrated Masculine’ men’s groups.
- Practise self-pleasuring, which helps you to experience full body orgasmic states (see the book Divine Sexuality).
- Activate your body in constructive ways, such as hiking, swimming, martial arts, dance, sports or Yoga.
- Learn massage, as this skill will bring you untold pleasure and joy, for life.
- Turn all your amazing creative energy and power towards being the
protector and nurturer of the feminine qualities of love and beauty.
This role of protector also includes protecting the eco system of the
planet.
- Meditate, learning to become a witnessing consciousness, a pillar of
light. This energy and awareness begins with your sex centre and
spreads to include your whole body.
- A man is both powerful, as is the phallus in its erect state, and
vulnerable, as is the phallus in its soft, resting state. Laugh often,
enjoying the cosmic joke. A sense of humour is the bridge between power
and vulnerability.
Article by Sarita, previously published in her blog – www.tantra-essence.com
Related discourse by Osho
Shiva Went On Making Love
Related articles by Sarita on Osho News
Yoni Revolution
Woman and Man’s Sexual Fulfilment
Women’s Sexual Fulfilment
Sarita met Osho in Mumbai in 1973 and shortly afterwards received
sannyas. She spent the next 26 years in his communes where she worked
cleaning Osho’s house, as a medium in energy darshan, in the PR
department and as a holistic healer. Osho gave her the title
‘Mahasatvaa’ meaning ‘keeper of esoteric wisdom’. Since 1997 she has
been teaching Tantra, holistic healing and meditation across the world.
She lives in England and France. www.tantra-essence.com
http://www.oshonews.com/2014/07/27/sarita-lingam-pillar-of-light/
