Shakti and Shiva

The Tantric interplay of the male and female energies was represented in Hindu mythology with Shakti and Shiva, and
represented in Taoism with yin and yang. Both Tantra and Taoism aimed to create union of body, mind and spirit. And in both,
sexuality was seen and practised in a spiritual context.

Tantra always emphasizes the sacredness in sex; it teaches that there should be no repression or guilt attached to sex. It also
teaches that when a man approaches his beloved, he should have a sacred feeling, as if he were going into a temple. Tantra
claims that to know the truth about love, you need to accept the sacredness of sex.

Traditional Tantra teaches the practices of meditation, concentration, devotion to the goddess and the movement of kundalini
up the spine for spiritual enlightenment. Contemporary Tantra mainly focuses on the sexual aspect of Tantra and adapts its
practices from the classical erotic texts of India, primarily the Kama Sutra.

Extract From Sexy & Sacred by Diane Riley ©