Ritual

to balance the dialectical process of the lower chakras with the aid
of his will. Just as in Jung's subjects once a balance is attained
psychic individuation results in a uniquely new awareness, so also
with the adept, such awareness awakens when all functions are
equilibrated.
Asana or ritual of union: individual
Tantra asana is a mode of transcending the human condition;
through it the gross sexual energy of man and woman can be
transformed into superpotency by total integration of opposing
polarities. Through planned meditative practices of sexo-yogic
asanas, Kundalini, the psychic force lying dormant in the human
body, is roused towards its upward move from Muladhara Chakra
to the brain centre, Sahasrara, to unite with cosmic consciousness.
The tantrikas believe that by manipulating this energy inherent in
gross sex one can find creative powers to ascend to the spiritual
plane, a plane of transcendental union for the realization of pure
joy (ananda). The tantrikas have experienced and tasted the power
of sex in order to return in full awareness of the primal state of
oneness.
Through the ages, the sex act has been generally associated with
procreation or physical gratification. The tantrikas, however, were
among the first to free sex from its limited orientation and
recognize its spiritual values and capacities. The spiritualization of
sex, its revitalization, its sublimation and its acceptance as a valid
mode in the domain of ritual practices are to a certain extent due to
the tantrikas' practical exploration. The sexual attitude of a
practising tantrika is unconditional: sex is seen neither in the
context of morality nor as an ascetically inhibiting act, nor as
indulgent or permissive. The asana ritual is free from emotion and
sentimental impulses. It is sustained by the technical possibility of
using sex as a medium of realization. Sex is neither immoral nor
moral. It is amoral. The tantrika differs from sex-phobics in that he
considers that the neglect of the psycho-physiological factors
which touch the roots of our instincts as a certain cause of
remaining in bondage. Liberation is a change of perspective, and
realization can only dawn if the physical body can be transcended
by using it in the quest for transformation. The body is a mere
instrument, a yantra, and no code of social ethics can hold it
prisoner. It is seen as divine in itself, a vital energy capable of acting
with tremendous force on the mental state, which in turn reacts on
the spiritual plane.
Asana in which a couple embrace as
a 'creeper enfolds a tree', called
'lata-sadhana'. Orissa, c. 18th
century. Line and colour on paper.
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