Sacred Space

In Tantra the word "sacred" is used a lot. We talk about sacred sexuality, sacred space, sacred spot, etc. Some common definitions of the word sacred, as found in popular dictionaries, are:

1. Dedicated to or set apart for the worship of a deity.
2. Worthy of religious veneration: the sacred teachings of the Buddha.
3. Made or declared holy

When we consider some of the historical context of Tantra, as discussed in my previous post, it is easy to understand how this terminology came about and how to interpret it in modern times. The word sacred, in modern Tantra, should be interpreted as meaning important and worthy of respect. Therefore, when we speak of sacred sexuality, it means that sex should be treated as an important and meaningful act. As such, we need to be fully present and attentive to our partner when we engage in love making. That means that we don't keep an eye on the ball game, we don't think about tomorrow's agenda and we don't make a mental grocery list. Since sex is a "sacred" act it is deserving of our full attention.

If sex with our partner is an important act worthy of respect it also stands to reason that we will create an appropriate space to engage in this beautiful act. The "sacred" space we create may have candles, incents and music or it may have lava lamps and hemp sheets. It doesn't matter what makes the space special to us, it is the effort to create that space that conveys the respect and importance we attribute to our love making.

What does this mean?!

When I first started studying Tantra one of the hardest things to overcome was the language used. Some terms I could just look up in a glossary (www.tantrabychandra.com/Glossary.html). Words like lingam and yoni are easily translated if you take the time to look them up. Other terms were more difficult to interpret. The literature is filled with words like spirit, sacred and worship. It made Tantra sound like a religious cult.

When interpreting these types of terms it helped me to remember some of the historical context of Tantra. Tantra is thousands of years old and was born in the eastern cultures surrounding India. In those times, people lived their lives based on their religious beliefs. Their understanding of the world was based on faith and not science. Therefore, when teaching the concepts of Tantra, the terminology used was often based on religious terms such as sacred and divine.

In my next few posts we will look more closely at some of these terms and attempt to translate them into a more modern understanding.

I would also recommend this article:
www.tantrabychandra.com/Ancient.html

Welcome

Hello and welcome to my blog. Here I will write my thoughts, musings and discoveries as I explore the world of Tantra. I hope you will come by often and share your thoughts with me. Namaste.