The seven keys of Tantra
by Shawn Roop
(Spain)
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 have a basic understand of Tantric wisdom.
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 the 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.
Surrender 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. 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 surrender into how amazing you are on all levels. Rather then giving up something, it is allowing the pure nature of your connection to everything to 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. Giving each moment of life the full richness it has to offer. 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?
