Alone In Her Presence: Embodied Living, Tantra and I?

Last updated on: August 29, 2014 at 4:14 pm by Erick DuPree

Alone In Her Presence: Embodied Living, Tantra and I? 2014-08-29T16:14:40+00:00 Erick DuPree

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Over the past few weeks, I have been meditating on my practice: specifically, what my relationship is with the divine, and how to live embodied as a full and complete vessel. When this column launched a few months back, I wrote about ecstatic Monism. I came to realize through sitting with her that my experience of the Goddess and self continues return to philosophies rooted in Tantra, and specifically Shaktism. It’s no secret that I am intrigued by diverse magical and alchemical paths, studying and practicing in many. However, it is the wisdom I receive within Tantra that has my heart. So why Tantra?

Philosopher David Gordon White defines Tantra as

…that Asian body of beliefs and practices which, working from the principle that the universe we experience is nothing other than the concrete manifestation of the divine energy of the godhead that creates and maintains that universe, seeks to ritually appropriate and channel that energy, within the human microcosm, in creative and emancipatory ways.

In more easeful language, my basic understanding of Tantra is that contrary to what the mind tells us, all polarities in life are not opposites. They are complementary. Male and female, anger and compassion, love and fear aren’t conflicting forces. Instead of climbing a latter to enlightment, enlightment is part of a wheel: always spinning, each part accessible. Since the 5th century CE, Tantra has been the wisdom tradition that developed meditation techniques to focus our awareness on the union of polarities. Most people hear the world Tantra and think “sex.” But in truth, Tantra says that orgasm doesn’t belong to sex, but to our consciousness, to our being. It is an inner space where all dualities, melt and unify: a space of oneness, wholeness.

Like all wisdom traditions, Tantra has a wide lens upon which to draw from. Through a western lens, Tantra has four branches:

Tantric Shaivism was known to its practitioners as the Mantramārga.
Shaktism is practically synonymous and parallel with Tantra, known to its native practitioners as “Kula marga” or “Kaula”.
Tantric Buddhism has the indigenous name of the Vajrayana.
Tantric Vaishnavism was known as the Pancharatra.

Because I come to Tantra from a Goddess background, I gravitate towards Shaktism. Shaktism regards the Goddess as the Supreme All, the “one without a second,” with all other forms of divinity, female or male, considered to be merely her diverse manifestations. I receive this experience of Shakti the same way that many see the Star Goddess. It is important to note that not all Shaktism is Tantric in nature, just as not all forms of Tantra are Shaktic. When the term Tantra is used in conjunction with Shakti, it most often refers to an esoteric methodology of Goddess-focused spiritual practices (sadhana) involving mantra, yantra, nyasa, mudra and elements of asana practice.

Tantra teaches us to approach life through sacredness, awareness, and love and guides us in being in that space in daily life. Because Tantric methods are body-oriented, they teach us to approach the body as a temple and view the senses as the portals to the inner and outer world. The aim is to get consciously in touch with the “point” where inner and outer meet and into which the heart melts. In this relaxation, the expansion of consciousness unfolds and the expansion of consciousness begins to take hold. Tantra is action, because Shakti is ever-moving, ever-unfolding, and her manifestations as the many faces of Goddess, like Kali and Durga, take no prisoners when we engage them. Tantra is embracing empowered surrender. Everything is perfectly imperfect on this wheel of dharma, as it should be in this moment. As my yoga teacher Mariel says, “The practice of Tantric yoga on the mat in class prepares us for the yoga of our daily experience out in the world.”

The untamed truth of a Tantric practice welcomes us to discover the majesty of the fully realized self: Shakti whose exhale was the life breath on the first inhale. It is she who awaits our return. This is the wondrous circle of wisdom, power, and love; of embodied living.

Tantra is the magic of transformation. It is the magic of bringing self into alignment and aligning our hearts with the Goddess as both the Immanent love that flows in, among, and around us, and also the transcendent exalted from which all blessings flow.

Every single moment, Tantra teaches not to believe in anything unless it is lived it from the depth of the most visceral self. It pushes us to drop all fears and sense of separation. It transforms the sleepy pussycat within into a wild untamed tiger and opens the door to embodied living, to a destiny fulfilled.

Alone in Her Presence is published monthly. Subscribe via RSS or e-mail!

Alone In Her Presence

Columns

Theology, Ethics, Philosophy

Previous Post

August 28, 2014

Queer of Swords: The Beast Strikes Back - How to Be an Ally

Next Post

September 1, 2014 Seekers and Guides: A Few Books that I Think Every Witch Should Read

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Lakeside Hearth Adventures in Wortcunning Alone In Her Presence Arts, Crafts & Cooking Birthing Hereditary Witchcraft Book of Blackbirds Book Reviews Born-Again Witch Cauldron, Sword, Spear, & Stone Cermony and Liturgy Columns Community Dandelion Seeds Dear Jasmine Druid Thoughts Editor's Picks Everyday Pagan Family & Household Practice Family Traditions Full Frontal Magic Gateway Goddess Guest Articles Happily Heathen Health and Wellness Hearth of Hellenism Heathen Woman Hills of the Horizon History Holidays Horse Goddesses Interfaith Interviews Irish-American Witchcraft Jewish Witch Lamp & Labyrinth Letters from Midgard Literature, Media, Film, Music Loop of Brighid Love, Sex & Relationships Magic or Magick Making Light Naturalistic Traditions Nature News Outside The Circle Pantheisticon Politics Prayers, Poems, Blessings & Stories Queer Femme Mystic Queer of Swords Recipes Ritual and Practice Science and Research Seekers and Guides Seeking the Grail Socially Responsible Magic Spear of Athena Star Made Witch Syncretic Electric Technology The Blooming Staff The Busy Witch The Cartomancer The Crow's Nest The Dance of Pagan Recovery The Hearth of Hellenism The Lady's Quill The Other Side of the Hedge The Path of She The Rantin' Raven The Witches Next Door The Zen Pagan Theology, Ethics, Philosophy Tree City Witch Urban Earthwitch Wayfaring Woman Witch on Fire Wyrd Words

Select a Month January 2026 March 2025 December 2024 June 2024 April 2024 March 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 August 2023 July 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was the Roman emperor during Jesus’ birth?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Tiberius Caesar Augustus Nero Herod