7 Keys of Tantra
by Shawn Roop
Tantra
can have this fog of mystery. On one hand, it sounds like a super sex
cult like system, yet if one looks a bit deeper, Tantra can be a
complicated path of ritual, yogic wisdom and religious like dedication.
In the west, Tantra has become a weaving of many things. Teachers offer
everything from sexual healing to spiritual liberation all under the
umbrella of Tantra. Being that I also teach Tantra, I recognize that
there massive wisdom available to all of us at any one moment and wanted
to create a more simplified way to receiving this Tantric
wisdom. These are 7 keys paths to allowing Tantra in your life every
day.
One of the main teachings of Tantra is the
simplicity of living life. How can we get out of our own way and allow
the amazing magic of life to unfold? There are keys that can support the
unlocking of effortless understanding and experiencing of Tantra.
Behind these doors are what has made Tantra live since the fifth century
and the philosophy still useful today.
Sur
render
is the first key. The word alone might create many meanings of giving up
and maybe even loss. This is far from the truth in the Tantric context.
Surrender is more about letting go of control. It looks at the faith that you are
playing out your divine role in life and that in control, our limited
vision can create life path decisions based in fear or lack of. This is
also about surrendering into how amazing you are on all levels, rather then
giving up something, it is allowing the pure nature of your connection
to everything in flow; the Nestea plunge into life. This is not blind
surrender, which brings us to the next key.
The second key is Awareness. This is our full
ability to show up in life. Waking up to every moment and being present.
This is the Tantric version of the ‘Power of Now’. Sexual speaking, the
key is what makes sex magical and unforgettable. Bring more awareness to each moment of
life offers a full richness. This takes experiencing life to
the witness state. As we become more present, cause and effect begins to
become more important as we see our actions have reactions. Awareness
supports surrender as we find the inner trust to let go, knowing we are
aware of the ripple effect of each action. It makes surrender way more
easy to accept.
The third key is movement. Moving our bodies is
moving our energy, which supports flow of life. Surrendering into the
awareness of each movement, unlocks the full opportunity that our life
force has to move with grace and ease. We move energy or stop energy,
each are important. By stopping energy, you build up and pool life
force. By moving, you can spread this juicy energy across your whole
body or your environment. Tantra speaks of movement as something that
is going on in every moment. It is not just about your physical
movement, but also about your emotional movement. It is all energy. If
your body stays in rest to long, it is more difficult to move. The same
it true with emotions. Staying fluid is so important. This is your
rhythm of life, so dance!
The next two keys, breath and sound support free,
aware movement in life. The breath is something too many take for
granted in life, until it is lost or interrupted. Think about those
summer days playing in the pool or lake, seeing who could hold their
breath the longest. Those seconds seem like forever. Placing focus on
your breathing pattern gives a massive and tangible experience to life.
Each exhale is surrender; each inhale is awareness as we move energy.
The breath is one of the fastest ways to regain balance or clarity in
any given moment. The more you wake into your breathing, the more Tantra
can offer you. Each breath is a chance to live and die. Change is
possible anytime. Each breath is a new opportunity to realize how
everything you seek is right here. There is nowhere to go, nothing to
do, just breathe.
Where did our sound go? Over time, our politeness
and societal upbringing has caused our use of sound to be less. Tantra
calls us out to reclaim our voice, not just in words, but more in sound.
Any sound causes breath, movement, awareness and a state of surrender to
release. Breath is the fuel that moves sound. The vibrations that sound
rides on, bore to the core of our energy. We are sound beings. The more
sound one can make, the more energy they are moving. If you add
awareness, the sound takes form. Keys on a piano are just noise unless
played with tempo, tone and intention, and then it becomes powerful
music.
The sixth key of Tantra is intention. Intention is
the glue to the first five keys. Intention can be a foreign practice for
many as we have been taught more about goals. The release of goals
creates such freedom. There is never a place to go, only the enjoyment
of the journey. There is no doing, but rather, simply being. There is a
trust, a knowing in the big picture. Intentions are a very feminine
practice. Tantra is Goddess based, so the feminine is the foundation.
Intention is the clear mindset that comes with surrendered awareness to
move energy, charged with breathing and activated with sounding. With
conscious thought, you can find bliss in each moment. Your intuitive
ability begins to find form and function. Random energy spikes decrease,
slip away, and life begin a take a simple turn. Our true nature takes
hold, the beauty inside begins to spill outside. Division and separation
in our being becomes less. There is a rise in the spirit and a
connection to the body all at once.
The
seventh key is acceptance. Tantra is the path of non-duality, and this
key is holds liberation beyond any other. Acceptance says yes to all
things. There is liberation from discipline, a welcoming that all acts
are divine. Non-judgment cuts the binds that hold in right or wrong,
good or bad. Here, the foundation of surrender creates safety to trust
with awareness of our actions. We breathe in that trust and awareness as
we exhale with sound, fully letting go and alone our intention to unfold
in the journey. Acceptance opens the doors wide and releases the old
patterns. Do you see how each key alone is easy to practice, but placed
together, the flow of; success and safety, healthy concepts of
sexuality, emotions and creativity arise, personal empowerment and
health, friendship and romance, creative communications with honesty,
wide-open intuition and connection to your source becomes so simple and
powerful.
The seven keys of Tantra are; Surrender, Awareness,
Movement, Breath, Sound, Intention, and Acceptance. You can use the keys
for work, sex, health, love, communication, psychic ability or your
spiritual practice. Tantra supports us in living a free, full, rich and
fantastic life. All the tools are in front of you. Tantra accepts you as
you are and accepts your growth as well. Are you ready to get out of
your own way?
Shawn
Roop is a Tantra teacher and has been offering personal growth and
wellness since 2000. His lives in Hawaii where he runs TantraQuest, a
Tantra retreat on the Big Island since 2004. Shawn uses the Tantric
teachings of Mahamudra Tantra as a foundation and gathers wisdom of
other amazing systems and practice from around the world to support
people in living a live well lived. His offers classes in the 7 Keys of
Tantra as well as provides private session work for life change. You can
see more about him and his work by clicking here
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