INTRO TO TANTRA Tantra Without Tears (Amazon.com) What Is Tantra? The Wild, Wild World of Tantra General Introduction to Tantra Yoga Tantra vs. Sexuality

This last week I'd just finished rereading Storm Constantine's Wraeththu trilogy and I had also just finished reading Tantra Without Tears by Chris Hyatt and S. Jason Black. I am a practitioner of the occult and one of my main interests is sex magick. As I sat down and began to think about the two books, I realized there were a lot of correspondences occurring in Wraeththu that related to Tantra.

Now this revelation is probably fairly obvious to all of you my dear readers, but in case it is not or perhaps out of whimsy I shall happily note the interesting connections between aruna and Tantra, specifically in regards to the purification of Cal.

Before we get into that, let's consider what Tantra is. Many people hearing the word Tantra think that it's about kinky sex positions. Actually Tantra is not just about sex, though sex plays a large part in its belief system. It should be first understood that Tantra is a system of magick, which is dedicated to the principle that a person should know him or her self very well if he or she is going to be working magick.

Hyatt and Black define Tantra as the following: "The thing that shocks most Westerners (and a great many orthodox Hindus) about Tantra is the fact that the highest good is considered to be the development of the aspirant as he defines it without the cloak of external morality" (Hyatt & S. Jason Black 15). Simply put, this means that a Tantric practitioner is a person who doesn't look to moral systems that come from other people or religious belief, but instead defines his or her own morality based on his or her own situations in life. He or she is self-determining, set to create his or her own reality. In a sense he or she isn't so much a moral person but rather he or she is a socially aware person.

By this definition, Cal comes to mind. He is not a very moral person, but is he socially aware of the situations he is in. He is also, throughout each of the three books, the one character who essentially lives by his own code of behavior as opposed to living by anyone else's standard of behavior. He is his own person and no one can quite deal with that. Society regards this concept of being your own person in the following manner: "Becoming your own person and living your own life is the clearest definition of evil" (Hyatt & S. Jason Black 46). Society regards the individuality of a person as a threat precisely because that person doesn't live by the consensual rules of society.

Cal certainly does not live by the rules of any of the society's he is in and this makes the people around him uneasy. This is best pointed out by Terzian to Swift in the following passage:

"I will, but of course Cal will be here too."

My father's arms tightened around me. "Yes, I know, but... Cal is not of our blood, Swift. It's different for him."

- The Fulfilments of Fate and Desire

Terzian knows something that Swift doesn't know. Cal is different. He doesn't belong to the Varr society or to any other society because of the fact that he lives by his own code of behavior. Ironically enough, each society needs Cal even as it doesn't want him. We'll come back to this at the end of the paper.

The only other character that comes close to that definition is Thiede who also lives by his own code of behavior and is very socially aware. The difference between Thiede and Cal is that Thiede has no problem imposing his code on other Wraeththu, whether the other Wraeththu like it or not. We see that by how Thiede forces Pell to become his puppet and uses him and the Gelaming society to gradually change Wraeththu society into what he desires it to be.

Let us consider further the definition and way of Tantra as it relates to Wraeththu. Further clarification brings us this understanding:

"If a Tantric master is 'good' it is because he feels like it. If he is 'evil' he behaves accordingly because he considers that it is the way to behave under those circumstances. However, he does not appeal to any outside judgment because Tantric Buddhism does not fear punishment by external gods. If you do not fear authority or do not admit that authority has the right to govern you, you are evil whatever your behavior may be" (Hyatt and S. Jason Black 49).

Now it should be understood that the term evil is used in a manner that does not indicate evil per se, but rather evil in regards to how mainstream society regards it. Mainstream society perceives evil as being anything, which goes against it and the mass conformity it would have all people follow. The Gelaming society of Wraeththu would be an example of mainstream society. It attempts to impose its own perceptions of moral reality on all the other Wraeththu tribes. It uses whatever methods necessary to create an ideal society, but it is a society that does not necessarily recognize the necessity of letting an individual forge his or her own path. Any undesirable elements are cast out or exiled in some manner or another, as occurs with both Ponclast and Cal.

At this point you might note that Ponclast was quite the butcher, a Hitler as it were and Cal is quite different from him. We agree. Ponclast would not fit into the definition of Tantra by virtue of the reality that he does not seek to better himself, so much as he seeks to indulge in his appetites. Nor does he or his followers seek to be responsible for their actions. For a time he and Cal are very similar and the only difference is that Ponclast's appetites are much more bizarre and twisted than Cal's are.

It is only when Cal is purified, initiated as it were into the mysteries of Wraeththu that he raises himself above the level of Ponclast and becomes a real person. Before that he is an animal just as Ponclast is and the best reference to that is the beginning of his book where he becomes a kanene and essentially sells himself just to survive. It is only when he escapes with Panthera and ends up being purified by Lucastril that he moves past that state of animal nature.

The final point we make in regards to Tantra is that essentially it is a belief system that is about the individual and specifically about the individual taking full responsibility for him or her self as opposed to letting society take responsibility for him or her. What this means is that you are the only authority in your life. Any aspirant who is to reach full development as an adept must realize this at the very core of his being so that any choice he makes in action or thought or life is made fully on his own. Thus all choice is fully appropriate to the circumstances.

This attitude bothers some people because it involves "strange" practice as well as attitudes toward the community, neighbors and friends which people find frightening, since they (occultists) are uncontrolled by cultural taboos. (Hyatt & S. Jason Black 122). So within in Tantra the essence of it involves not sex, but rather awareness and desire for true individuality, which means taking full responsibility for all choices that one makes. Tantra seeks to move past the authority of society and government and instead invest authority in the person. It's important this is understood because the book Wraeththu shows how important this kind of individuality is with the character of Cal and to a lesser degree the characters of Pell and Swift.

Tantra in practice is defined in this quote: "Tantric practice involves sex, power, physical practices and symbolic manipulations." (Hyatt and S. Jason Black 43). In the Wraeththu trilogy the practices of sex, "aruna" as it is called is very tantric in nature. Aruna is necessary for gaining powers that would be considered magickal. "Aruna can be a powerful thing. It is not merely the basic thing it appears to be, but a coming together of two dynamic beings, a mingling of their inner forces" (Constantine 54).

Within Wraeththu this inner force of an individual is harnessed through aruna in such a manner as to empower the individual or individuals. This power is accentuated through Grissecon, which is defined in the following passage: "Grissecon, simply, is sex magick. Power is a natural result of aruna, which is normally wasted, dissipated into the air" (Constantine 60). Tantra takes a similar approach toward magick. Sex is the primary means of raising power and this can be done with or without a partner or even with multiple partners. The object of Tantra is similar to aruna in that the occultists seek to employ energy into a definite goal as well as self-empowerment.

In Wraeththu Grissecon occurs twice, but it is the purification/healing aspect that will be explored. Within the Wraeththu trilogy there are four journeys of purification that occur. Pellaz has two of the journeys. One aspect of the journeys that is similar is that each hero travels with a person that is damaged in some manner. Pellaz has two journeys, one with Cal and one with Vaysh. Swift journeys with Cal and Cal journeys with Panthera. All of them are purified and raised in magickal power through the acts of sex magick they engage in and the practices they undergo are remarkably similar to that of Tantra, particularly in the case of Cal.

Purification within Tantra offers benefits and it's safe to say that the same seems to occur with aruna: "Our own experience has been that ritual purification habitually done over a long period of time, has a profound psychological effect and that it can be a very important part of any committed activity" (Hyatt and S. Jason Black 91). In other words purification frees the body, mind, and spirit of any unhealthy blocks in the flow of energy. Sex magick can be a means of purification for a person.

I, myself, have actually undergone such purifications and it does open you up and upgrades you at the same time. Cal best explains this in the following quote: "I'm convinced that Lucastril was the first link in a chain of events destined to change my life. I also believe he was truly unaware of what part his small service would perform in the whole. My mind was a rusty, neglected machine. It had to be cleaned and oiled" (Constantine 594). Purification cleans you out and rebuilds you, allowing you to access with diligence your skills or magick, as Cal finds out as he continues his journey. Pellaz and Swift also find this out on their journeys of purification.

And yet both Tantra and aruna in purifying each person also change that person's understanding of purity as well as his perception of himself: "Tantra will destroy your notion of purity. It will also destroy your notion of your worthlessness because both are nothing more than vanity. In essence ideas such as these form a corpus of vanity without the will or the tools to make your dreams come true. Making dreams come true requires power" (Hyatt & S. Jason Black 97). What this means is that the magickal system of tantra and for that matter aruna is out to change the idea of the self through the usage of sex.

It should be understood that sex is at it's height a very joyous and open experience. Because of that, when a person really experiences orgasm he or she is open to being changed, to having new programs of behavior installed or if you like old programs being uninstalled by a process we call de-programming. That's what purification is really about. Change, programming and de-programming. And in Wraeththu's case this is literally true because the only way a newly incepted Wraeththu stays Wraeththu is if he has aruna right he's finished his changes. Aruna makes the change permanent for the new Wraeththu.

What is deprogramming? "De-programming means the removal of involuntary limitations-the involuntary unrequested opinions you have taken as your own and have identified with the 'true you'" (Hyatt and S. Jason Black 29). So purification is really a de-programming of everything that's held you back and this is especially true for Cal in Wraeththu. While both Pell and Swift are purified there purification is not nearly as long or as radical as Cal's is. For Cal the purification has to run deeper than the other two in part because of how much he fights the purification. Cal fights it because it forces him to take responsibility for himself, to ultimately become his own person and come to terms with his dual sexuality. It's terrifying to change, to know yourself and Cal is no different from anyone else who is on that journey of self knowledge. Cal's purification occurs mostly through aruna or sex magick, but it also occurs when he makes peace with Ariaric and thus his past and it also occurs when he dreams about Pell and sees how Thiede has held back Wraeththu because of his need and desire to continue living and controlling the fate of the race he started.

Now Tantra and aruna are similar in regards to how sex magick is used to purify. Essential purification through sex magick is actually death. I realize that sounds grim, but take it from me, it's not so bad. It is rather illuminating as Cal finds out and as I can attest. Sex-death is really the death of the impure within you and the rise of the pure. It is the finding of your true nature. This can be illustrated by a practice that occurs in Tantra that deals with masturbation as a means of sex-death. "The technique of masturbation to achieve the death-of-self is simply this: first develop a beautiful image of yourself. If you're heterosexual and are attracted to the opposite sex, convert the image to one of the opposite sex. Otherwise, leave the image alone. Then masturbate to that image" (Hyatt and S. Jason Black 79).

Understand that this technique essentially explains that your purify yourself by visualizing the ideal self. You still, in this practice end up confronting that which you don't desire, but the energy of the sex that is raised through this practice brings about the purification of the self by allowing you to know yourself. Panthera is taught a technique like this to not only help him raise power, but also to overcome the abuse that occurred to him: "I've been taught some exercises in auto-eroticism. It's intended that such practices will rid me of my distaste for physical contact" (Constantine 658). This can also occur with a partner, though I recommend you read up on Tantra before attempting anything. In any case you part of you dies in the purification process. something which I might add is a perfectly natural process in both human and Wraeththu.

Another technique that occurs in Tantra works on the same principle and again is done through sex. This is a more orthodox variation of a Tantric technique where the image is seen and mentally drawn into the body. In other words, the image of the god or pin-up or whatever you want to imitate is literally drawn into the body and absorbed so deeply that the qualities of the image are brought into your system. This technique can also be used to eliminate undesired behaviors and qualities. This works remarkably well and in surprising way. (Hyatt and S. Jason Black 81). This particular Tantric technique is used by Thiede with both Pell and Cal. He has aruna with them and in the process not only purifies them, but also imprints his power into them. In Cal's case this final purification results in the death of Thiede, but it also results in him being raised to the status of a god, if you will -- he comes to life, albeit in a new manner. Again this is similar to Tantra. The purpose of Tantra in purification is to bring the aspirant to life by destroying that aspect of him or her self which holds him or her back.

On a final note Cal's life is very Tantric, so much so that without him the Gelaming mainstream society could not progress. His defiance toward the mainstream culture is needed precisely because without it the mainstream culture would not continue to exist. "Without defiance there would not be a society. Society requires new blood and fresh ideas which, in one form or another, are utilized by the system for it's own diabolic purposes" (Hyatt & S. Jason Black 130). When Cal is purified by Thiede, his defiant, rebellious nature changes the Gelaming society in a manner that indicates that the society has to grow to survive. This is very Tantric in thought because it shows that ultimately any society, no matter how perfect it seems, is always in need of change because that perfection would ultimately bring about stagnation.

The light and the dark side of a person has to be accepted for a person to be at peace with himself and this is true as well with society. Cal realizes this at the very end when he points out that humans couldn't handle their dark and light natures. The Wraeththu and Kamagrian can and in doing so they become more than animals, more than humans. They become more and better precisely because they accept within themselves what they are. And of course that is true purification, when you can not only change yourself, but also accept everything that is you and use that to make yourself into a human instead of an animal.

Works Cited

Constantine, Storm. Wraeththu: The Enchantments of Flesh and Spirit, The Bewitchments of Love and Hate, The Fulfilments of Fate and Desire. New York (Tom Doherty Associates, Inc.), 1993.

Hyatt, Ph. D., Christopher S. & Black, S. Jason. Tantra Without Tears. Tempe (New Falcon Publications), 1999.