Mystic South

The West tends to reduce the term tantra to spiritual eroticism, but this is a gross oversimplification. In vamachara, better known as Hinduism's left-hand path, a phenomenon best described as sacramental taboo is practiced by several variations of tantric practitioners, perhaps most notably the Kaula Cults(goddess worshiping sects), who seek a state of non-dualism by blurring the distinctions between the sacred and the profane, thus merging all aspects of the self, light and dark, with the divine consciousness, and destroying the distinction between the ego and the soul. Many self-styled tantric sex advocates omit the important detail that the goal is not sex or pleasure at all, but union, and that the intention of tantric sex is rooted in this complex and heterodox spiritual theory. Naturally, this concept incites disgust and misunderstanding from a great many people, including many Hindus, but the theory behind such extreme practices can facilitate radical transformation in ways that other systems cannot. As such, the importance of vamachara to a society crying out for transformation cannot be understated. Using both religious texts and academic sources, This paper argues that by incorporating sacramental taboo and/or transgressive magick into modern pagan practice, we may interrogate the values of religious and social orthodoxy and learn the areasonsa for their formation be they mere arbitration, social control, or perhaps even the greater good. From this informed perspective, we may then implement new values, or refine existing ones, to be more conducive to spiritual health and happiness.