Tantra: Cult of the Feminine

Who are we. How did we get here. Where are we going. Why? Science has crushed 4000 years of male oriented religion into a stew of mythical make believe, nice but not the answer.Long before that, there were ancient natural beliefs. Their echoes are still seen in our cultures, however corrupted. They are not a religion, and certainly not a cult. They are a way of being that has been ignored throughout the last 4000 "Great Man Theory of History" years. That has left us with a spiritual residue that worships the commercialization of "good" looks.Yet what we have learned in the last century has invalidated all previous systems of thought. Science now knows for sure that the human female was not made primarily for reproductive sex; her biology is uniquely vast beyond that. All our patriarchal religious got it wrong. Science has also shown us how we are mostly empty space with our sub atomic bits of matter continuously structured in that space by energy waves. We are one big network of tiny particles talking to each other and resonating together, and we do that in bigger and bigger networks, every particle continuously and timelessly connected to every other particle, human to human to all of nature.How do we unite to take better care of Mother Nature, including ourselves, live longer, healthier, more joyous lives, give a heart to heartless science and business, and create the kind of future we want our grandchildren to live in? Tantra is that balanced view, and Van Lysebeth's book is amazing in it's sweep and relevance while getting to the point over and over.I'd been feeling surrounded by spiritual nonsense and lots of escapist make believe. I knew nothing about yoga when I picked this book up. What it did for me was put many current issues of ordinary living ... and dying ... into perspective. I don't know if it will help my body, but it certainly has been an immediate help to my spirit.

I've seen this book before but never actually considered reading it, until upon the advice of a yoga friend of mine. Well, I can say that it was a mostly interesting read. Yet most of what he says here is abstract philosophical vapor, being in praise of Matriarchy and the Great Goddess and all that. It's like talking about talking about something, but never actually getting around to the thing itself. And what little there was of practical, experiential value [pp. 297-340] as yogic sadhana, is not original at all. Of particular interest was the fact that he complained so much about Osho (a.k.a. Bhagawan Rajneesh, Sri Sri Neo-Tantra). To me, when someone complains about someone else SO MUCH and are at such pains to distinguish and distance themselves, its a sign that they really *are* that similar, after all! Osho was (in)famous for promoting "neo-tantra," that is, an uninhibited sexual free-for-all for Westerners seeking both sex and enlightenment ("enlightened sex"?). Van Lysbeth's teaching are what I'd call "neo-tantra non plus ultra" (Neo-tantra--and not much more). He even uses the ridiculous term, "cosmic orgasm" [p. 345]. Still, it was interesting read & it fits with a lot of material I've been working with in other esoteric avenues, personally. The books numerous shortcomings include: the meandering writing style, no credits for photos/maps/diagrams used throughout [but note the excellent diagrams of ano-genital musculature, pp.306-307], the Mughal-style Kama Sutra paintings portrayed as tantric "asanas", the incessant textual references to works not cited in the Bibliography, the pretentious posture of imparting tantric "secrets" not discussed elsewhere, and the contrived historical sense of a "Tantra" that never existed except in the minds of befuddled Westerners and the Eastern gurus who sexploited them. If you want to learn something about Tantra, read Abhinavagupta or D.G. White. If you want to learn about sexual practices, read M. Chia or the Bihar School books on mulabandha. If you wish merely to wax mystical about your desire to return to Original Matriarchy, read this book--you'll feel real good. A note about me: practicing yoga, understanding historical Tantra, worshipping the goddess, returning to a more receptive Yin state of being--all this fits in well with my own evolving belief system. Just don't expect to find much of substance here.

Incredibly thorough; a very entertaining read, with lots of beautiful poetic imagery surrounding amazing information mostly inaccessible to Westerners. I have been a practicing Taoist, Yogi & Tantrist for 8 years - and still did not know half of what was in this book. Out of the many Tantra books I have read, this is by far the best. The only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars is because it does not seem to have been proofread by an editor; occasionally the wording or sentence structure can be awkward, as though written by an individual who learned English as a second language (which might be the case). However, the information it contains is priceless, the subject matter fascinating, and the tone is inspirational & uplifting. An excellent read for anyone wanting to understand the origin, mechanics & usage of cognitive focusing devices meant to dissolve ego boundaries between individuals seeking to bask in their shared divinity as an act of mutual worship.

If you read Tantra may be because your are looking for yourself.You are not alone.Start with Tantra by Osho.

This book has completely changed my view on sexual life. I recommended to anyone looking for answers about where we really comes from, how our view of sexuality is highly detrimental to our own health and happiness and how to reach new levels of consciousness and joy in their everyday life.

Came on time as ordered. Very happy with purchase, will use again. Thanks alot.......!

Love how this is written

Thank you.

girl power!!!

This book has a serious level while still being very easy to read. It uses a simple personal tone by the author and relates to modern Western people interested to learn about tantric sexuality and beyond.

Mit diesem Buch hab ich angefangen - mittlerweile, Jahre später. bin ich selbst Tantra-Lehrer und leite ein eigenes, das Wild Life Tantra Institut Berlin. Ich kenne mittlerweile auch sehr viele Bücher über Tantra. André van Lysebeth hat mit diesem Buch einen echten Grundstock geschaffen, weil er auch sehr ausführlich auf die belegten archeologischen Funde aus dem matriarchalisch-tamilischen Indien der Frühgeschichte und vielen anderen Orten auf der Welt zeigt, die belegen, dass das Tantra viel älter als der Brahmanismus, eher ein dem Schamanismus verwanter Alltagskult vorpatriarchaler Zeit ist. Der sonst so überbetonte, sexuelle Anteil des Tantras hat hier seinen angemessenen Anteil neben allem anderen, was Tantra als Lebensphilosophie ausmacht.

Nicely written

Great ! The world needs more Tranta!