Urban Tantra: Sacred Sex for the Twenty-First Century (10 page)

* I bless all of my life with love.

* I am enough, I do enough, I have enough.

* The heart cannot be broken; only barriers around the heart can be broken.

THE FIFTH CHAKRA

Also known as Vishuddha, the fifth chakra is located at the throat.

Color:
blue

Sound:
mid-to-high in pitch; G on the Western musical scale

Physical focal points:
throat, thyroid, mouth, gums, and teeth

Metaphysical aspects:
communication, creativity, and choice

The fifth chakra is the creative chakra of the upper four chakras. It is the center of our creative expression, of the spoken word, of action, and of choices and will. Every decision we make is a creative choice and has a consequence. Our decisions create our lives either beautifully or badly. This chakra sits between the head and the heart. When our head and our heart are working in harmony, we express ourselves clearly and lovingly and make decisions that help our highest dreams come true. When out of balance, we become judgmental, critical, and ill. Have you noticed how many illnesses begin with a sore throat? Perhaps the ultimate imbalance of this chakra of choices and will is addiction. It is no surprise that addictions are so prevalent in society right now. Our entire culture seems caught in a tug-of-war between the loving thing to do (heart) and the practical thing to do (mind). This conflict trickles down to each of us in countless ways every day.

Whatever decision you made a moment ago, you can make a new one right now. It’s important to remember that the point of power is always in the present moment. We are always able to change. What we need is the willingness to change and the faith in the decisions we make.

As this is the chakra of creative expression, we can feel deeply wounded when we are criticized for our originality and inventiveness, or for simply speaking our truth. This is especially true in sexual situations, in which the heightened level of physical arousal makes us particularly sensitive to criticism.

This chakra is also known as the “third ear” or the “voice that listens.” You know the kind of speaker who seems to be able to put into words what you know and feel but haven’t been able to express? That’s a speaker with a voice that listens. When our fifth chakra is open and clear, we can all express ourselves with our third ear.

The physical problems most often seen in this chakra are sore throat, gum and teeth problems, TMJ (temporomandibular joint) syndrome (commonly known as grinding your teeth), laryngitis, swollen glands, and thyroid problems.

Some things you can do to nourish this center are

* Practicing asking for what you want in sexual situations

* Drumming

* Singing and chanting

* Engaging in playful creativity

* Meditation

Here are some affirmations to strengthen this chakra:

* I express my creativity.

* I express myself easily and joyously.

* I make decisions easily and I follow through with love.

* I am willing to change.

THE SIXTH CHAKRA

Also known as Ajna, the sixth chakra is located at the forehead, between the eyebrows. This chakra is also called the “third eye.”

Color:
purple

Sound:
high in pitch; A on the Western musical scale

Physical focal points:
brain, pineal gland, eyes, ears, and nose

Metaphysical aspects:
intuition and wisdom

The sixth chakra reveals your highest intuitions, insights, and visions. By nourishing your third eye, you can hear the calling of your soul. Through this eye, you can “see” just who you are. You can “see” the nature of your true calling. As such, it is the sixth chakra that nourishes your uniqueness, your divine independence, and your ecstatic nature.

This chakra is nourished when you are encouraged and permitted to follow your intuition. When the sixth chakra is out of balance, the mind tries to take over the job of the psychic center, and logic overcomes your intuitive voice. This is not to say we want to disregard the mind or make it less important than our intuition. The challenge and secret to this chakra is the integration of conscious and unconscious insights. When the two are in balance, we are capable of real creative thought; we are truly “open-minded.” This is wisdom.

Our ears and eyes provide us with raw information about the world and the people around us. When the sixth chakra is clear, we are able to process that raw information with emotional intelligence so that we can learn from our experiences. We are able to evaluate our own insights, and we are open to the ideas of others. We perceive the difference between truth and illusion.

This is also the chakra of visions. Bringing sexual energy up to the sixth chakra can produce intense insights into inner and outer worlds, as well as strengthen your faith in your intuition and your personal visions for your future.

The physical challenges of this chakra are strokes, brain tumors, blindness, deafness, learning disabilities, and seizures, as well as less catastrophic headaches and sight problems. Incidentally, the pineal gland craves light. A tiny endocrine gland located in the brain, the pineal gland produces and secretes melatonin, which regulates the body’s internal physiologic clock, including the sleep/wake cycle. So make sure to get enough sunlight, especially in the winter.

Some things you can do to nourish this center are

* Practicing sex magic (see
chapter 22
)

* Sleeping outdoors

* Getting lots of sunlight

* Practicing witnessing (see
chapter 4
)

Here are some affirmations to strengthen this chakra:

* I am divinely guided in everything I do.

* I let my inner wisdom guide me.

* I see and hear the love and joy around me.

* I see everything I need to see.

THE SEVENTH CHAKRA

Also known as Sahasrara, the seventh chakra is located at the top of the head. It is also called the “crown” chakra.

Color:
white

Sound:
very high in pitch; B on the Western musical scale

Physical focal points:
pituitary gland

Metaphysical aspects:
bliss, higher love, and spirituality

It is said that our spirit enters the physical body through the crown chakra at the moment we are born and leaves through the same portal when we die. The seventh chakra is the chakra of the ultimate orgasm: death by complete surrender; death and ultimate bliss. Death in this sense is usually a symbolic death—often a death to the feelings of separation, releasing you to the next level of spiritual maturity. Opening the crown chakra does not necessarily mean that your physical body will die. The seventh chakra is the door to the Collective Unconscious, and when it is open, it is your connection with All That Is. Have you ever heard someone describe their experience of an orgasm as being shot out the top of their head into a peaceful place where they felt completely at one with the universe? That is a crown chakra opening. Our death-negative culture has produced a bliss-starved population. In order to have a strong, open crown chakra, we need to regard death as powerfully and positively as we regard birth.

You don’t have to believe in any particular kind of deity in order to have a strong crown chakra. Your source of inner guidance can come from a trust in some greater presence, system, or flow. Whatever provides you with a faith that

* Ultimately, everything will be okay

* Everything is unfolding exactly as it is supposed to

* You are part of something greater

will nourish the crown chakra as the precious and tenuous connection between the physical and the spiritual.

The disorders connected with the crown chakra are more energetic than physical. When they do manifest physically, they tend to be mysterious and hard to diagnose, such as chronic exhaustion; listlessness and disinterest in life; and extreme sensitivity to sound, light, or other environmental factors. Spiritual crises are more common, including the proverbial “dark night of the soul.”

Some things you can do to nourish this center are

* Orgasm

* Practicing dying and pretending to be dead

* Anointing your crown chakra with essential oil of rose, sandalwood, or patchouli

* Meditating

Here are some affirmations to strengthen this chakra:

* I feel my connection to the infinite.

* I am one with the universe and all of life.

* I surrender to the process of life.

Sex and the Chakras

Sex is as much or more of an energetic event as it is a physical experience. As such, Tantra places as much focus on the chakras as it does on the physical body. However, you do not need to wait until all your chakras are perfectly clear and balanced to experience the pleasure of sexual energy rising up and flowing throughout your body. As you begin to practice the breath and energy-building exercises in the next chapter, you may notice that some chakras seem more “stuck” or “blocked” than others. Do not overanalyze the blockages. Simply focus on your pleasure and on building sexual energy. Later you can meditate on any possible connections between these weaker or blocked chakras and your emotional life, any physical illnesses you may be experiencing, and/or your personal and professional relationships.

As you begin to practice Tantra, you will notice that the practice itself helps you to heal and balance your chakras. As your chakras open up and begin spinning optimally, you’ll see not only how much more mind-blowing sex can be, but how much more exciting and fulfilling all aspects of your life can be when your orgasmic energy flows freely through your body, mind, and spirit.

It’s now time to explore some simple techniques that are guaranteed to kick-start the awakening and enlivening of your body, mind, and spirit.