Sexuality in the "New Age"

Contemplation is a wonderful thing, often taking us down avenues we might never discover, let alone explore. I like to "moodle" - it's one of my forms of meditation.

We live in a culture which "frowns upon daydreaming," as though spending time with one's thoughts has no practical application. Many forget that we make no progress, individually or as a society, without first envisioning where it is we are headed.

It was probably while I was contemplating, moodling or daydreaming about our collective evolution on this planet that it first occurred to me that we are in the process of evolving our emotional bodies. We've explored and developed many other aspects of our human selves, but still have less respect for the emotional than is due,(1) considering that we are motivated by our feelings in everything we do. Think about it: it doesn't matter whether we do something which brings us pleasure (we "want" to do it), or we feel obliged (review that: "feel" obliged); decide not to do something, then feel guilty; do something because "it's good for us;" have to prove something; feel we "must" do something due to external constraints (have to get that garden in before it's too late! ah, obligation again). Yes, we're a pretty "feeling" bunch, we humans.

In our Chakra Process Program, the way I teach it, the emotional body is in the domain of the Second Chakra, along with creativity, instinct/intuition and sexuality. The Second Chakra is considered to be the centre of one's being, and is located roughly 1 1/2 inches below the umbilicus. In China, this centre is called "tan tien" and in Japan it is "hara."

In esoteric traditions, our astral selves are connected to our bodies by a silver cord, which is usually said to be "attached" to the umbilicus, though I suspect it is really attached at the site of the Second Chakra. The silver cord is how we stay connected to our bodies during astral projection. After death, it takes three days for the astral self to separate from the physical, which was one reason for not burying a corpse until the third day after death.

While all the Chakras actually function interdependently, it is generally accepted that the so-called upper and lower Chakras reflect one another: the first reflects in the seventh, the second in the sixth, third in the fifth. The Fourth or Heart Chakra is the interchange point (I used to call it "Grand Central"), and point of resolution. We'll examine the Heart Chakra in a subsequent post.

The Second Chakra is associated with the Moon, so is also the home of body-centred memories (the Moon being the celestial body affiliated with memory, mother and infancy, where we first begin learning about intimacy - which some refer to as "into-me-see"). Our personal memories of the spectrum of our nurture or harm can be accessed through depth work with this Chakra.

Which brings us to the topic of sexuality. (The following passage is from "The Sacred Tree and the Rainbow Serpent" by yours truly):

"I once held the mistaken notion that life force(chi) and sexual force were one and the same, until I learned to circulate these forces consciously through my body. To my surprise, I experienced chi as being a light, gentle flow and sexual chi as being like wild horses, or a turbulent ocean, rushing up my spine. No wonder the urge to procreate is so powerful! And it is, of course, the seed and root of the very nature of physicality.

"Yet we live in a culture which is nothing if not supremely sexually immature - surprising, considering the sexual sophistication of some of our forbears. We are driven by the status quo to achieve, to seek in material terms that which is supposed to give us pleasure, little realizing all the while that life is full of pleasure, our sexuality being a basic one. Sexuality also is intimately involved with Kundalini, the serpent energy envisioned as being coiled at the base of the spine, awaiting awakening...

"'There have been studies of cultures made that compared the level of sexual taboos to the incidence of violence. The more stringent the taboos on sex, the higher the violence rate. Conversely, the more sexually permissive the culture, the lower the crime. For the health of ourselves, and for the health of our culture, sexuality is an important essence to understand and preserve.'(2)

"In truth, focussing on maturing ourselves sexually may help us in our endeavors to evolve our collective consciousness. Sexual maturity is one of the goals of tantra, for example. Ironically, becoming sexually mature also deeply enhances our capacity for intimacy and pleasure. In recent years, books and teachings have started emerging in our culture which have the capacity to transform the way we experience our sexual selves. Works such as 'The Art of Sexual Ecstasy: The Path of Sacred Sexuality for Western Lovers' by Margo Anand, 'Healing Love Through the Tao' by Maneewan and Mantak Chia and 'Taoist Secrets of Love' by Mantak Chia and Michael Wynn provide ways for us to become acquainted and adept with our sexual selves, reconnecting us to aspects within us that have possibly been buried since the time of our births, if not before. As we awaken and heal our sexuality, we will also improve the quality of our relationships and come to understand and cherish our polarities as strengths rather than viewing them in a competitive light."
(c)2001, Jessica North-o'Connell

To further explore the topic, read Riane Eisler's book, "Sacred Pleasure: Sex, Myth, and the Politics of the Body."

Happy New Moon in Taurus. Enjoy your emotional body and stay sexy!

Jessica

Notes:

(1) As a child, I used to think I was "stupid" because I was so strongly emotional, despite my obvious academic abilities in school.

(2)Anodea Judith in "Wheels of Life"