I think that sex is meant to be an intensely spiritual practice, one that can sometimes offer you more pleasure than the actual orgasm itself through practicing tantra.

Tantric Sex and Taoism 

Tantra is the Sanskrit word for 'woven together,' and through the study and practice of it, you can come to understand yourself and your partner better on a spiritual level.

After all, by exploring yourself sexually, whether that's on your own or with a partner, you're ultimately just learning more about yourself, and thus more about Source.

Both tantra and Taoism encourage different methods of creating and building sexual energies between two partners for spiritual enlightenment. 

Although tantric sex is typically practiced with a partner, I believe that, through this practice, you can come to understand yourself better.

In fact, a neuroscientist recently conducted a study which suggests that orgasms feel so good because they allow us to access an altered state of consciousness.

One of the ancient practices within Taoism is controlling the male ejaculation during sex.

Taoist practitioners believe that the loss of ejaculatory fluids equates with the loss of vital life force (or "jing"), so by learning to conserve the sperm, men can redirect the energy of the orgasm throughout the body.

In a world where the goal of sex is often only to get the male to ejaculate, these Taoist practices would be valuable to experiment with.

This doesn't mean that men should never orgasm; it's simply a spiritual concept worth practicing on occasion that can actually bring more pleasure, when practiced correctly, than ejaculation.

Some Taoists believe that by redirecting the energy upwards toward the crown chakra, it can provide nourishment to the brain. In modern sex culture, some people refer to this as "edging," although many men may do this for different reasons.

Women can also redirect their sexual energy by moving it upwards, and play with different breath work techniques, although this wasn't studied in ancient religions nearly as much.

However, sex was viewed as an empowering act for females, as they can bring forth life and act as "tutors" for their partners during intimacy.

Women were and still should be viewed as equals to men during sex, so it should be noted that these practices are only useful when both parties are consensual.

Whether you're having sex or not, or regardless of who your sexual partner is, you should still try consciously cleansing yourself from other people's energies.

Even if it's "positive" energy, at the end of the day, the only energy you want lingering around you is your own.

How to Cleanse Your Aura

It's scientifically proven that all of our bodies emit an electromagnetic field, commonly referred to as an "aura," which plays a very important role in understanding our biology and the interconnectedness we share with all life.

Here's how you can cleanse your aura (after sex or just in general):

Sage or "Smudging"

 

Not only does sage smell awesome, but it can also cleanse your home and your body of negative energy.

 

Smudging with sage has been used for many years to cleanse people's energetic auras and rid outer environments of negative energy.

 

 

 

Washing Your Hands or Body

 

Tons of people like to shower after sex for personal hygiene reasons, but water plays a crucial role in cleansing our energetic bodies as well!

 

An excellent way to rid yourself of other people's energies is to actually physically wash your hands or your entire body.

 

As you feel the water flowing down on you, envision all of the negative (or positive) energy washing off, too.

 

 

 

Reflection and Meditation

 

Sometimes, to cleanse our energies, all we really need to do is go inwards.

 

We need to take an objective look at our actions and our feelings in order to understand why we feel and act the way that we do.

 

Plus, when we connect with ourselves, our true higher Self, and simply be present in that high vibratory state, we naturally rid ourselves of any energies that no longer serve us.

 

 

 

Sunlight and Nature

 

Exposure to sunlight naturally gets our energies flowing, and you could even try meditating and engaging in visualizations where the sun's beams of light are cleansing your energetic field.

 

Being in nature naturally raises our vibration and can help to ground and de-stress us.

Final Thoughts 

I'm not saying you shouldn't sleep with anyone, nor am I saying you should only sleep with people who are completely similar to you.

I believe we can learn a lot from really diverse partners, but it's still important to be mindful of this information and how it affects us at an individual and soul level.

Sex is a much bigger and more complex topic than the mainstream media and porn industry make it out to be.

Sex can be messy or enlightening, emotional or detached, grounding or invigorating; but no matter, it's always both physical and energetic, which is why it's so important to cleanse ourselves afterwards.

Sex isn't about what it looks like, it's about the feeling you get, the energetic shift you experience, and the intimacy you share with your partner.

We are so much more than our physical bodies, and believe it or not, sex can actually teach us that! Expressing ourselves sexually can not only improve our connections to our partners, but our connections with ourselves as well.

Who knows, maybe in searching for a better sex life, you'll end up finding yourself along the way...