(Sexual energy conservation as the axis of inner equilibrium)
The specific Taoist practice of sexual energy conservation and transformation is one of many designed to insure that the internal equilibrium of the human energy system is so powerful that no outside force can destroy its inner balance.
That is the working of the Tao, which links the finite ordinary world of a Saturday night date to the explosion of a super nova light years away. The principle of the fusion of energy in both is the same.
When they are in perfect harmony they secrete an exceptionally fine nectar—a superfine hormonal substance undiscovered by scientists—which floods the nerve centers of the brain and helps create the feeling of bliss described by so many mystics. This is only one phase of spiritual development, but one that is powerfully affected by the balance of sexual energy in the body.
(Sexual union as a legitimate path, not a spiritual obstacle)
This sexual attachment was never viewed as sinful, and no sense of guilt was encouraged as in the Christian tradition. Becoming sexually attached to one’s partner simply means that the aspiring yogi might experience only the union of a man and woman in this lifetime instead of the greater union of Heaven and Earth. This is no condemnation of the couple, as such a union might be a high accomplishment for them.
Becoming sexually attached to one’s partner simply means that the aspiring yogi might experience only the union of a man and woman in this lifetime instead of the greater union of Heaven and Earth. This is no condemnation of the couple, as such a union might be a high accomplishment for them.
These manuals totally ignore how men can help to heal women with their powerful yang energy. They do correctly advise men to conserve their seed while suggesting that a man make love to as many as eleven concubines a night. The manuals are really medical textbooks, with a very cut-and-dried clinical approach to sex that treats it solely as a means to harmonizing one’s health. Although these manuals fail to stress the higher path or teach meditative practices for exchanging energy with the women they do reflect the basic esoteric Taoist teachings that sex, when properly practiced can be incorporated into daily life with tremendous benefits to health.
Becoming sexually attached to one’s partner simply means that the aspiring yogi might experience only the union of a man and woman in this lifetime instead of the greater union of Heaven and Earth. This is no condemnation of the couple, as such a union might be a high accomplishment for them.
differently: “Within every moment there is only the Emptiness of yin receiving the Fullness of yang.” This is the eternal marriage of man and woman, of spirit and matter, of Heaven and Earth.
These symbols of fire and water, often expressed as yin and yang are simple to identify with and work with once you are given the specific details of what to do—how to hold your seed in, how to move your energy in psychic channels, and exchange it with the woman, etc.
(Wu Wei as the ground of Taoist cultivation)
This is an altered state of consciousness in which they are perceiving with purity and directness the primal unity of the natural world. The goal of Taoist cultivation is to sustain and intensify that state, in which the separateness we ordinarily feel is dissolved and integrated into a higher reality.
We witness this cosmic love-making from afar, reflected in the eerie light that reaches us on earth by way of the moon or shooting stars that streak across the sky. Perhaps all this light energy ends up being sucked back into the womb of the universe, the black holes, beyond which is true nothingness, what the Taoists call “Wu Chi.”
A woman can absorb it and give it back in material form as a cooling mystic heat which heals. The Taoists call the balance of mind within which this alchemical process of transformation effortlessly occurs “Wu Wei”.
What it really implies is a neutrality, or state of receptivity, so that anything can spontaneously happen. It’s a passive state in the sense that the entire universe is pure potential, but it is active in that it exists in total harmony with the universe that is dynamically manifesting itself every moment. You are eternally free to act or not-act, depending on what the situation demands.
When you are in the valley, strolling through the lovely scenery that includes only you, your lover, and the subtle cosmos, you remember how easy and natural this higher harmony is, that you’ve been there before, but forgot it while you were busy struggling out in the world to earn money, raise a family, etc. You don’t have to work to create this sense of loving peace. To the contrary, this state of “Wu Wei” is achieved not by exerting yourself, but by lying in relaxed intercourse with your lover and simply being with her.
Your love-making is practice for staying in that relaxed state, so eventually you’ll be able to constantly feel that deep serenity within yourself after you return to the world of chores.
Wu Wei is doing nothing, but everything happens.
This is considered the most stable marriage of yin and yang—the cooler grounding lower centers receiving the heat from the expanding higher centers, the classical mixture of fire and water. This is the middle path of the Tao—staying grounded in your body while on a lifetime journey though the subtle energy realms.
The Taoists are suspicious of any transcendental path that claims to be very high and very quick or that leaves the human body uncared for in the rush to become divine.
This is the value of the Taoist practice of dual cultivation of sexual energy. It leads to the acceptance of the ordinary moment, of human desire, of the never ending sexual impulse, as a valuable in-the-body way of understanding the Tao.
(The valley orgasm: balance of yin and yang as true serenity)
This emphasis on the ordinary in daily life being an essential part of the wholeness of the Tao is why the ancient sages did not live for peak spiritual experiences, or seek an explosive peak orgasm in sex. This seeking after bliss is like trying to be all yang. It is an extreme state. The valley orgasm is not just a code name for bliss. It balances the yin energy of our earthly body (and the Karma, or suffering, it creates) and the bliss of transcending it with heavenly yang energy. When this bodily suffering and heavenly bliss are balanced, they cancel each other out. Emptiness is the result. This is true serenity, remaining empty even as you acknowledge both poles of experience as possibilities. Neither pole controls you, so you are truly free to choose. The desires for bodily pleasure and spiritual transcendence are born and destroyed every moment. You remain both empty and full, and life becomes a tai chi dance. When you experience this, you have tasted enlightenment. When you can stay that way, you are immortal.
PRESERVING POLARITY: WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE YANG? By Michael Winn
In couples that were practicing the methods taught here, the men were more fascinated by the energy generated or the states of mind that might be reached. The women were more concerned to know that their man loved them; whether or not he succeeded at his spiritual technique was secondary.
We witness this cosmic love-making from afar, reflected in the eerie light that reaches us on earth by way of the moon or shooting stars that streak across the sky. Perhaps all this light energy ends up being sucked back into the womb of the universe, the black holes, beyond which is true nothingness, what the Taoists call “Wu Chi.”
A woman can absorb it and give it back in material form as a cooling mystic heat which heals. The Taoists call the balance of mind within which this alchemical process of transformation effortlessly occurs “Wu Wei”.
What it really implies is a neutrality, or state of receptivity, so that anything can spontaneously happen. It’s a passive state in the sense that the entire universe is pure potential, but it is active in that it exists in total harmony with the universe that is dynamically manifesting itself every moment. You are eternally free to act or not-act, depending on what the situation demands.
When you are in the valley, strolling through the lovely scenery that includes only you, your lover, and the subtle cosmos, you remember how easy and natural this higher harmony is, that you’ve been there before, but forgot it while you were busy struggling out in the world to earn money, raise a family, etc. You don’t have to work to create this sense of loving peace. To the contrary, this state of “Wu Wei” is achieved not by exerting yourself, but by lying in relaxed intercourse with your lover and simply being with her.
I find that spirit has enlivened my love-making as well. Dual cultivation has become an adventurous journey into a new part of myself and my lover.
Your love-making is practice for staying in that relaxed state, so eventually you’ll be able to constantly feel that deep serenity within yourself after you return to the world of chores.
This means to be a Taoist you stop living in a disembodied world of words and concepts constructed by your intellect. You don’t stop thinking, but you may need to learn how to think-feel with your whole being.
This is the middle path of the Tao—staying grounded in your body while on a lifetime journey though the subtle energy realms.
This is the value of the Taoist practice of dual cultivation of sexual energy. It leads to the acceptance of the ordinary moment, of human desire, of the never ending sexual impulse, as a valuable inthe-body way of understanding the Tao.
(Thinking-feeling with the whole being: seminal conservation in practice)
This means to be a Taoist you stop living in a disembodied world of words and concepts constructed by your intellect. You don’t stop thinking, but you may need to learn how to think-feel with your whole being.
Chia: So long as you keep the male fluid, you may give her energy and quickly recharge yourself. If you give her the fluid, you lose the means of re-charging for a long time. Give her much energy, but don’t give away the whole battery. Unless she is an advanced yogini who has developed the meditative ability to really draw the full power of sperm into herself, she can’t use it and you will lose the power to give more. Even an advanced yogini will be limited in the amount she can absorb from physical sperm. Ultimately, she is much better off if her yogi conserves and trans-mutes his seed. Give her baskets of peaches: don’t uproot the tree and send her shaggy roots.
When you begin to practice seminal conservation, try to ejaculate no more than once per week. As you improve keep the loss down to once or twice per month. Continuing to progress, you will lose less and less fluid.