Does Desire Kill Spirituality?

February 10, 2021

Tripura Sundari; the tantric Goddess Archetype of Divine Will and Desire was the great seductress luring me into the mystical.

I was very fascinated by her qualities and envious at the same time. 

I wanted to embody those qualities deeply.

Divine will, desire, beauty, the queen of queens…

On top of that I was in turmoil around detachment in my first years of dedicated spiritual practice. All spiritual texts and teachings put detachment from desires and aversions as the primary goal for awakening. How can a creature like me totally driven by desire be spiritual then? 

I feel alive and transcendent at the same time only when desire curses through me; when I feel it vibrating inside of me. Whether it is the desire to follow a beautiful butterfly with my eyes as she dances around me or the deep longing for my loved one; whether it is the desire to create a new curriculum or to leave a chapter of my life to move to the next one. 

Tantric sexuality circles swimming in desire lacked the refinement my psyche yearned for. 

And Sundari brought the answer to me:

“Desire exists in you as in everything. Realize that it also resides in objects and in all that the mind can grasp. Then, in discovering the universality of desire, enter its radiant space.”

Vijnanabhairava Tantra Stanza 105

I was torturing myself for my weak spot for beauty; judging myself as limited by form. 

Sundari led me to the essence of beauty beyond form. She brought along friends to my life showered by the rays of Sundari like me who celebrated my distinct radars for noticing beauty in life; be it in a tiny flower on a bush while passing by or in the smile of a baby. 

I started to make sense of my particular ways of connecting to the divine in and around me; through love, beauty, longing, desire, sensory perception and absorption; all through the touch of Tripura Sundari. 

The teachings came not only as joy and bliss but also through several tests showing me the self-destructive parts of all these qualities. 

I can go on and on about this but let's save the rest for my Tripura Sundari workshop now available online!

Check TANTRA MAHAVIDYA page  for more details on the program and fill in the form for gaining access to the free introduction discourse to Classical Tantra. 

Looking forward to share this precious work with you.

Much love

Dijan

Unlike popular belief, infertility affects men and women equally. I hear more and more cases of relatively young adults suffering from low sperm count and a lack of vitality/stamina. It can be very frustrating for couples to have major difficulties conceiving as we get more and more exposed to carcinogens, suffer from stress, have unhealthy dietary or lifestyle habits. Then frustration turns into the cause and there comes a vicious cycle. All these are important factors causing reproductive challenges along with alcohol consumption and smoking. 

Yoga and Ayurveda look into our subtle anatomy as well. The element managing our vital functions is called ojas; poetically described as the nectar of life force. All the external factors I mentioned; as well as our natural constitution we are born with effect the level of ojas. People who have a strong kapha constitution with solid and nurturing earthy qualities and flowing, rejuvenating watery qualities combined are usually lucky in this department.

Despite such genetic predispositions there are yogic and ayurvedic tips, that can significantly improve reproductive qualities for men and women. 

Here you will find a 15 min yoga program for men targeting increased vitality and improved sperm count. The practices introduced are very accessible and adaptable. If there are flexibility problems you can use the variations suggested. If you are already a solid practitioner you can stay longer in the postures. The specific exercises at the end for the pelvic muscles should be increased gradually and ALWAYS followed up by a relaxation as suggested in the video; either through breath and mental release or by simply staying in the suggested asana without performing the pc muscle contractions. 

There are several lifestyle adjustments that can be made but this mostly depends on your personal context. A `sattvic`; pure diet with nourishing foods such as organic milk, ghee (clarified butter) almonds, sesame, honey, rice and fruits is highly recommended. 

Please always remember; we all have our individual constitution and habits; best advice is to receive guidance accordingly rather than following generic advice. 

Much love ❤️

Dijan

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