There is a deep misunderstanding of the differences between Tantra and sex magick, primarily promulgated by a deep lack of knowledge about Tantra combined by humanity's eternal fascination with sexuality.

Tantra is not sex. It is not spiritualized sex. It is not an Eastern form of sex magick.

Tantra is a complete spiritual system, perhaps the oldest continually practiced form of Paganism in the world. There is no single thing that is Tantra, so claiming that "Tantra says," or "according to Tantra," is inherently misleading and false. In fact, there are numerous traditions of Tantra, many of which are not focused around sexuality at all.

As a complete spiritual system, a [i]part[/i] of Tantra does include a deep understanding of both physical and non-physical biology and physiology. Thus, in some Tantric traditions there is an understanding of sexuality that transcends most Western concepts of sexuality. But to say that Tantra is only about sexuality is like saying Wicca is only about the Great Rite.

That being said, there are Tantric traditions which focus on enlightenment through sexual practices. There are also methods of practical magick in Tantra which are usually focused on mantra (the power of sound), yantra (the power of images), and control of/surrender to the energies raised during sexual activity (and especially extended periods of sexual activity).

Thus, there are certain similarities between some Tantric sexual magickal practices and Western sex magick. However, the techniques are quite different, and some of the books that have been published show a total lack of understanding of Tantra and merely present Western sex magick with Sanskrit terms.

There's nothing wrong with that at all...but it's not Tantra.

A lot of western occultists have fallen into the trap of calling occult sexuality "Tantra", and this has led to unresolved misunderstandings to this day.

Sexuality is emphasized in the vama marga or left or 'crooked' path, but is also used allegorically in other forms such as Tibetan adaptations. Much of vama marga Tantra is also symbolic just as it has been applied literally, such as the role of the cremation ground in self realization and the goddess Kali.

One of the main tenets of vama marga Tantra is that self realization is not incompatible with enjoying material life. Prohibitions such as eating red meat, sex and drinking wine are indulged, as is the attitude of being unrestricted by rules regarding behaviour.

All of this, however, holds true for one who has attained self realization, and texts of Tantra often emphasize that a common person undulging their whims can end up seriously damned.

Very good points!

I have friends who are Catholic nuns who have attended seminars on Tantra and their tuition for these courses were paid by their religious orders, so for me, that nixes the idea of Tantra being just occult sexuality. On the other hand, you have priests who do much more despicable things, so who knows what nuns are really up to these days?

You'd be surprised, but the Catholic religious community is quite open to studying the practices of other faiths and denominations. The Jesuits, for one, are reputedly involved in some shady occult ceremonies and even conduct a few of them within the precincts of the Vatican. But most of this is not common knowledge, since the priests and nuns with these unusual educational pursuits do it under the radar, so to speak.