What forces and energies lay behind the strange compulsion drawing human beings towards love, sex, and in particular, sexual intercourse? What is it about the physical act of lovemaking that attracts, even obsesses, human beings to the extent that they will sacrifice everything – in some cases even their sanity – to experience it even for a few fleeting moments? Of course, there is much more to this act of physical union between human beings than the transient pleasure experienced through the act itself.
I have spent over forty-five years of my life on the spiritual path and the past twenty-one years as a professional sexual therapist. In that time I have extensively researched the subjects of love, intimacy and sexuality; studying the findings of past and current sexologists and the perspectives of psychology, psychotherapy and medical science. I have also studied in depth the sacred spiritual texts and teachings of spiritual masters of all traditions. Throughout, I have puzzled over the lack of information within the ancient documents on the subjects of intimacy and sex. In analysing the teachings of most religious traditions, one cannot help but be struck by the consistent negativity surrounding sexual love. As far as the religions are concerned, guidance on sexuality is so defensive as to limit their emphasis to its dangers, instructing their followers to avoid it whenever possible. This view implies that sex is beneath the dignity of the spiritual aspirant, and frowned upon by Deity. Such an idea is misleading. It may also be based on incredible arrogance. The idea is accepted passively as truth but its effect is to produce sexual repression, causing deep conflict and inappropriate use of sexual energy.
Even great spiritual teachers within less dogmatic and more spiritual schools of thought seem to communicate the idea that all spiritual practices require the avoidance of sex; celibacy, attained through ‘transcending sex’. But before sex can be transcended it must first be healed, and before it can be healed it must be fully actualised. Sex does not evolve by itself. The on-going evolution of sex can only take place through us.
As we are entering a new era of consciousness, deep questions must be addressed such as “How can we discover the real meaning and purpose in sex?” and “How can our individual and collective relationship with sex be transformed?” To resolve the problem of sex, to find true meaning in it and discover its real purpose, we must attempt to explore love. If we can understand the connections between love, sex and human beings we may also be able to devise an effective methodology for improving those connections when required.
The first time I came across the words of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin my heart leapt:
“The day will come when, after we have mastered the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness…the energies of love. And on that day, for the second time in the history of the world, humankind will have discovered fire.”
I sensed a strong resonance with the tone and vibration of positive hope and expectation that the writer conveyed in his words. In the process of harnessing the energies of love, I reasoned, surely we would also discover more about the energies of sex and its true purpose for our lives.
Imagine the benefits to the world and to humankind if love could be realised as an energy source. Ponder for a moment.
What if love is energy rather than merely an emotional state?
Most doctors and psychologists agree that there is a strong correlation between physical sickness and depression with emotional states such as loneliness, anxiety and despair. It is also well understood t
hat that anger and hatred, together with their devastating outward consequences, emerge from fear, the opposite polarity to love. So imagine the healing that may be contained within the ‘energies of love’ and the positive effects upon the medical profession and health services if those energies could be harnessed and used to alleviate sickness. Imagine the peace contained; the saving of human lives and public spending on prisons, arms and war if love could be harnessed. The discovery and use of this energy would bring us closer to solving some of our greatest human problems and perhaps even the mysteries of life itself.
But what would it take in practical terms? First, we would need to recognise the fundamental elements, the principles and components that constitute those energies. Then we would need to discover how to connect with them, cultivate and conserve them. We would also need to become aware of the enormous energetic power involved and learn how to contain and control that power to avoid it from being used in destructive ways. We should aspire to discover the source of this energy in the interest of using it for the benefit of the entire human race.