or drawn on paper or wood, or engraved into metal. Geometric symbols such as squares or triangles are drawn within four gates surrounded by a circle of lotus petals. The dot in the centre is called a bindu, or energy spot. It represents the matrix of creation, which is the source of the yantra’s power.
Yantras and mandalas are visual representations of inner and outer energy processes in geometric form. They are used in meditation to help the meditator align themselves with appropriate energy flows.
The famous shri yantra, used on the cover of this book, is dedicated to a form of the goddess, Tripura Sundari. The design is made of five downward pointing triangles, which represent Shakti energy, and four upward pointing triangles, which symbolize Shiva energy. Where they intersect they form 43 small triangles, or yonis. This is encircled by 29 mother deities, then another sixteen. Another circle of 16 lunar energies surrounds these, then sixteen lotus petals, symbol of transformation, containing more deities. The central energy point or bindu, represents Shakti power, which is the locus of bliss.
Ritual sexual postures are also called yantras, because they create an energy field through the different energy centres in the body. They unite the energy centres of one body with the energy centres of the partner.
Mudra usually refers to a ritual gesture: a gesture using the hands which invokes the presence of a deity. It also refers to the toasted kidney beans that are used as an aphrodisiac in Tantric rituals, and in Tantric Buddhism actually refers to the female partner in couple rituals (maithuna).
Mudras are thought of as seals. They help the practitioner identify with the deity and then seal those energies in the body. The ‘yoni-mudra’ is a classic gesture for the goddess, in which the fingers are interlaced with each other. There are seals for producing amrita, the ambrosial nectar of bliss, and others for enhancing meditation states. For instance, the ‘seal of wisdom’ is used while sitting in the ‘lotus’ or ‘hero’ posture for meditation, to focus and concentrate meditation.
Daniel Odier (author of Tantric Quest): The phallus of Shiva is erect because it is raised to full consciousness, and in full consciousness it penetrates the universe. The vulva of Shakti is open because in full consciousness she lets the universe penetrate her … At the core of their mutual penetration supreme consciousness reigns.
Graphic images and sculptured representations of genitals are worshipped as symbols for the female and male energies that together make up existence.
Yoni is a sanskrit word for the vagina that connotes sacred space or sanctum. In Tantra, the yoni is worshipped with love and respect, as the gateway to a direct experience of the divine, as well as the source of universal bliss. Yoni essence is drunk by Tantrics. At a famous temple in Assam, where in one myth the goddess’s yoni fell to earth, spring water comes through a cleft in the rock. In summer, red oxide colours the water red, and this water is drunk in honour of the menstruation of the goddess.
The lotus is another symbol for women’s genitals, which is drawn around the edge of yantras, visualization aids. The symbol for the yoni is a triangle, encircled by 16 lotus petals. Lotus petals are often visualized in the location of chakra energy centres (see here) – they represent the harmonious unfolding of enlightenment. The place associated with enlightenment at the crown of the body map of energy is depicted as a thousand-petal lotus, representing the full flowering of the individual into enlightenment.
For yoni worship the vulva of a woman, or a sculpted representation of a yoni is worshipped.
Lingam is the sanskrit term for phallus, and it’s always depicted erect. The erect lingam represents the focussed awareness of consciousness. According to writer Nik Douglas, it also stands for the universe in a state of excitement – in response to the tantalizing play of dynamic Shakti energy. The phallus has long been worshipped as a fertility symbol. In its erect state it is a celebration of male potency and virility, and a symbol of creativity and courage. The erect phallus stands for the masculine consciousness of Shiva and the retention of semen in Tantric ritual sex.
Tantrics say that inside every lingam is a yoni, and inside every yoni is a lingam – the two are inseparable. Both genitals are complementary and connected. Just as Shakti and Shiva are always entwined, so too are the yoni and lingam, represented all over India by carved yoni-lingam sculptures, representing the lingam arising out of a yoni.
‘Woman is the creator of the universe, the universe is her form; woman is the foundation of the world, she is the true form of the body. Whatever form she takes, whether of a man or of a woman, is the superior form.’
From the Shakti Sangama Tantra
Dorothy, 39: Getting involved with Tantra has been life-changing for me. I always thought I was very open and liberal, but having been educated at a private Catholic school where there was lots of shame about our bodies and stigma about touching them, I hadn’t realized I had so many issues that have been covered up for years. In a workshop for women, we undressed and looked at each others’ bodies, which was absolutely amazing. I realized that all women are exactly the same – as well as being so different.
I feel much more in touch with my own body and my own sexuality. I’m not frightened of my sexuality now. I realize it’s an incredibly powerful, beautiful thing I’ve been given. All those powerful experiences I had as a teenager – they were all my own. I’m really happy with my body and my sexuality now. I’m happy with understanding the energy that runs through my body, and I feel more in tune with the universe.
Tantra honours the feminine in both men and women, and acknowledges the creative power represented by women. Women’s sexuality is extremely powerful – cultures like those of the Middle East have always known this, and hence attempt to constrain or regulate women. As a result of sexual repression over thousands of years, many women have lost touch with our sexual confidence. For many of us, sexuality is an area fraught with taboos, and many of us get through our early years of ambivalent sexual experiences by splitting this area off from the rest of our lives.
For men, first intercourse is connected with entering manhood, and is wrapped up with complex feelings about power. Men learn about sex through masturbation, and from books and films – especially porn films – all of which represent men
