While the concept of "sacred sex" can be traced to a number of cultures both past and present–the ancient Romans and Greeks, prehistoric and modern Native American tribes, followers of Judeo-Christian religions of the Middle East, societies of North Africa, as well as several current Eastern religions–it is perhaps most widely associated with Hinduism and Buddhism, found in the esoteric practices of Tantra. Although most outsiders have seen representations of the pretzel-like sexual positions usually associated with tantric sex, few actually understand the religious and spiritual significance of these practices–or what they are intended to accomplish.
Fundamentally, the practice of Tantra is a centuries-old (some sources say as old as 5,000 years) mystical method designed to utilize the body’s natural sexual energy to achieve an altered or "cosmic" state of consciousness, most often culminating in mutual orgasm. In Tantra, sexual intercourse is practiced as an ultra-potent meditation, transforming sexual activity into a spiritually transcendent act. Rather than a response to simple animal urges as is usually the case with day-to-day human sexual interaction (which is undeniably essential to a healthy body, mind, and spirit), it is a technique used specifically to establish a male/female polarization attuned to the vibration of the universe. (Yes, the universe has a discernable and measurable vibration.) Tantra follows the principle that all creation is divided into positive and negative energies (as symbolized by the yin/yang symbol), and that in order to experience a higher level of consciousness, an individual must energetically conjoin with the opposite aspect. Accordingly, when the male (electrical) force joins with the female (magnetic) force in just the right synergistic manner, the couple becomes a conduit (an energetic circuit) connecting the higher cosmic energy to the Earth’s grounded core energy. For the couple, sexual intercourse becomes an intense spiritual act which far exceeds even the most satisfying physical contact a couple can achieve by typical intercourse–no matter how sexually adept they may be.
The Tantric sexual act is a long and methodical process requiring extreme patience, practice, and discipline. Neophytes must know each other’s bodies extraordinarily well–every touch, scent, taste, sound, and sight–while advanced practitioners can often adjust to a new partner’s body almost instantaneously. Using highly focused thought, breath, and physical control, practitioners utilize various physical positions to awaken and coax "kundalini" energy (the positive and negative energies commonly lying dormant at the bottom of the spine at the "base chakra") to rise upwards through the body until ultimately gushing upward through the top ("crown chakra") of the head–completing the universal circuit. Many tantric practitioners describe the result as "sexual energy transformed into spiritual ecstasy." In that Tantra is not an expression of emotional love or even carnal lust (in the mundane sense), it is not restricted to married or even committed partners. (When committed partners learn this method, however, the rewards can be truly astonishing.) This is one reason why, perhaps, Tantra is not part of our common Western sexual ideology other than the fascination the highly advanced sexual positions provide. But within Tantric societies, both Eastern and in our own Western culture, practitioners share their acquired skills, meeting specifically for the transcendent experience, even establishing teacher (yogi)/student relationships. And despite our society’s predominately Christian-based sensibilities, there are far more tantric practitioners in the United States than one may imagine–maybe even some of your friends and neighbors.
For many "enlightened" individuals today, It has become apparent that not only have we of Planet Earth become increasingly detached from nature, we are becoming more and more detached from one another and ourselves. Many people seem unwilling to accept the premise that we are each part of the make-up of the universe (a traditional Eastern tenet). But understandably, until one has experienced that ultimate connection through the practice of sacred sex, I suppose one cannot be expected to know the realm of the divine.
