Libra – Physical – Root: SEX AND SENSUALITY

The pleasure of the senses is something that is cultivated and is part of the purpose of human life and its transcendence. «Sensuality is not something to be ashamed of, quite the contrary. It has a very important role for Indians. Not just in sex, but as an aesthetic of life”, argues Hindu religious historian Madhu Khanna.

The Kamasutra, the manual of sensuality par excellence, was compiled in the third century and speaks of even older ideas. Kama in Sanskrit does not mean sex, but pleasure, desire. This book concentrates on the search for pleasure in every aspect of existence. This search is only one of the three principles of human life. The others are the pursuit of goodness and virtue and the pursuit of prosperity and wealth. It is a very modern book in many respects. For example, it recognizes women’s desire and that they can take control in a sexual relationship.

The Kamasutra is like a magazine that explains to guys how to go on a date. It tells them how to behave, advises them to bathe, wear clean clothes, cut their nails and most importantly, how to listen to their partner and not be selfish.

I can be a very sexual being, but I don’t have to show it publicly. Sensuality, however, is something that remains and cannot be hidden. It is the nature of society and people. It expresses itself in every moment in India. It is in the essence of the vibrant character of life, in color, tastes and smells.

The maithuna tantric ritual articulates a multiple time because, after all, its vocation is transcendence, eternity, and for this it must, not necessarily, rely on the past to build and practice its present; or in other words, the ritual present is tributary of a past that defines it, a past that the rite not only evokes but summons and makes present.

It is formed by the following symbols: Shakti: represents the universal mother creator of nature and, at the same time, nature itself. Shiva: represents the substratum of the universe. It is the static energy that fertilizes everything through Shakti. The Lingam: set formed by the male organ set in the female sex (yoni).

It is worshipped, caressed, and offered, bathed with butter, perfumes and essences; food and flowers are offered to it all over India. In tantric philosophy, we speak of lingam or yonilingam to refer to the representation of divinity in human beings, as creative energy, which man has in front of the nature that surrounds him.

Within tantra, the male body is seen as a sign of Shiva and the female body as a sign of Shakti. Their own biological identities correspond to the universal principles that gave rise to the creation of the world. They are not a penis or a vulva, on the contrary, each one constitutes a microcosm destined to integrate with its complement.

I invite you to read Matias’ post explaining the topic of the day.

Sexo y Sensualidad

Finally, I encourage everyone to reflect on the concept of the day. No one else but us can re-signify our own being