Ritual

the five ingredients beginning with the letter M: Madya, wine;
Mamsa, meat; Matsya, fish; Mudra, parched cereal; and
Maithuna, sexual union. The symbolic content of these ingredients
varies for different classes of aspirants. According to tantra, those
who are unable to cut the three knots of 'shame, hate and fear' are
not worthy of being initiated into this path. The fundamental
principle of the left-hand path is that spiritual progress cannot be
achieved by falsely shunning our desires and passions but by
sublimating those very aspects which make one fall, as a means of
liberation.
During rituals, different rites are performed among which,
nyasa, the 'ritual projection' of divinities and elements into various
parts of the body by the adept, is extremely important. While
practising nyasa, often done with mudras or finger gestures, the
adept takes the attitude that mantra-sounds or forces are working
to stimulate the nerve currents for the proper distribution of
energies through his whole body. He thus projects the power of
the divinities and at the same time touches the different parts of his
body in order to symbolically awaken the vital forces lying
dormant.
Tantrikas also perform other group-rituals known as Chakrapuja
or Circle-worship, of which Bhairavi-chakra is the most
important. In this ritual, the female guru, is worshipped, and the
practice of the rite is confined to only the highly advanced initiates
who are generally admitted to the inner circle, which encourages a
group-mind where each initiate shares a 'psychic blueprint'.
These group rituals are an attempt to tie together experiential
and cognitive awareness through in-group practices which have
not only spiritual but therapeutic value for the adepts. Sharing is
essential to understand one's self deeply. These rituals are a
Kundalini in its kinetic aspect.
Rajasthan, c. 19th century.
Gouache on paper.
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