I. VAMA MARGA Foundations Of The Left-Hand Path - staticfly.net
I. VAMA MARGA Foundations Of The Left-Hand Path - staticfly.net
I. VAMA MARGA Foundations Of The Left-Hand Path - staticfly.net
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A text particularly associated with the Kaulas is the Kaulanava<br />
Tantra, which includes this maxim that could serve as the Kaula clan's<br />
motto: "O mistress of Kaula! In Kaula dharma (wisdom) enjoyment<br />
becomes complete yoga; bad deeds are made good deeds, and this world<br />
becomes the seat of liberation." As with all Vama Marga erotic rites, the<br />
initiates involved have already reached the vira or divya disposition, and<br />
have been comprehensively trained in the cultivation and manipulation of<br />
altered states of consciousness long before their participation in the orgy.<br />
This last point cannot be stressed often enough; no matter how intense the<br />
somatic bliss created though orgiastic activity, it is extremely unlikely to<br />
have any lasting initiatory consequence on a mind not already prepared for<br />
the rite by a demanding course of spiritual discipline.<br />
In the traditional left-hand path practice of India, we find many<br />
historical precedents for the orgy's usefulness to the more unrestricted sinister<br />
current of today. <strong>The</strong> rite of the five M's is also sometimes celebrated within<br />
the context of organized group sex carried out on a large scale. <strong>The</strong> group<br />
observance, sometimes known as Chakra Puja, or circle worship, sometimes<br />
consists of as many as a hundred couples engaged in simultaneous sex, often<br />
exchanging partners during the rite. Frequently, the Kaula performance of the<br />
chakra puja augments the consumption of the traditional forbidden elements<br />
with hemp, taken for its aphrodisiac properties as a sweetened meal,<br />
communally smoked, or in the form of a liquid concoction. As always, the<br />
entire ritual begins with breathing exercises intended to center the mind and<br />
activate kundalini in the bodies of the participants.<br />
Within the axis of the circle, a young virgin radiating shakti power at<br />
its maximum intensity is sexually venerated by the senior male or female<br />
initiate, the chakresvara, as the living Shakti, the presiding power of the<br />
orgy. Alternately, a highly initiated yogini, emanating shakti power, would<br />
have sex with each of the male celebrants, who would in turn communicate<br />
her power to their female consorts during the orgy. <strong>The</strong> word "orgy" in<br />
regards to the chakra puja can lead one amiss if one imagines total abandon<br />
and lack of control. On the contrary, the left-hand path orgy is very much a<br />
controlled, disciplined harnessing of group sexual energy, under the watchful<br />
eye of the chakresvara, who carefully orchestrates the sexual couplings<br />
134<br />
around him or her for maximum effect. <strong>The</strong> orgy would often begin with a<br />
lesson from the presiding guru on some aspect of metaphysical thought,<br />
which would be followed by a period of questions and answer between the<br />
teacher and his or her students.<br />
While one aspect of this working drew its initiatory power from the<br />
breaking of orthodox Hindu sexual restrictions, there was – as always – a<br />
more practical magical purpose as well. <strong>The</strong> intense raising of sexual energy<br />
created by this orgiastic operation forms a dynamic current that can be tapped<br />
into for accomplishing sorcerous objectives. <strong>The</strong> intense sexual energy<br />
current of the Chakra Puja is maintained by perpetuating the orgy for many<br />
hours. <strong>The</strong> chakresvara would personally direct the raising of group sexmagical<br />
energy, much like the conductor of a sexual symphony.<br />
Despite the socially forbidden and taboo nature of such rites, belief in<br />
their magical power was widespread even among respectable Hindus<br />
uninitiated into the left-hand path. For instance, the chakra puja orgies were<br />
sometimes enacted as "command performances" for kings of embattled areas<br />
who hoped to defeat their military foes with the intense level of erotic force<br />
aroused by the circle.<br />
<strong>The</strong> application of carnal sorcery towards destructive goals may<br />
seem like a contradiction to those who subscribe to the common<br />
misunderstanding that sex magic must necessarily be of a "loving" nature. In<br />
fact, the interplay of opposite forces integral to the left-hand path makes<br />
sexual ecstasy an ideal weapon in the waging of magical warfare. This