For a good many people, the idea of drawing energy and psychic sustenance from sexual acts has been considered somewhat taboo. When used in conjunction with rites of pain for purposes that would be considered far less than altruistic within the mystic/esoteric communities – even more so. But as happens so often, that which is deemed forbidden to us holds the most promise within it depths. Such is the desire of some that follow the thorned trails of the Left Hand Path.
The modern concept of the Left Hand Path that most of us are familiar with is drawn from Hinduism, referred to as Vamachara. The breaking of accepted moral and religious tenets as a means to gain enlightenment and return to a more primeval, natural state is the foundation of Vamachara practice. The most extreme adherents, the shaivist Aghori, often take up residence on cremation grounds, consume meat/alcohol/drugs, and engage in other acts that are considered completely anathema to the majority of Hindu culture. Often sexual intercourse and Goddess worship is heavily incorporated as well. For if everything was made by the divine, then the path to enlightenment can be found within the most deeply profane as well.
There is something about the ritual and taboo that draws us inexorably to them, and this can be found most clearly in the rise of interest in kink culture and BDSM. Considered a sexual deviance – and for quite a long time an aberrant psychological phenomenon – the community is rightfully wary of ‘civilians.’ Scenes between partners (or even self) take on a surreal edge when the endorphins kick in. The painstaking preparation lovingly taken by a submissive before approaching a professional Dominant can be likened to the reverence shown in religious ceremonies, with the utmost secrecy kept. Many parallels can be drawn between spiritual/religious experiences and BDSM practices. The trance-like state found within sub-space, the heightened awareness and intoxicating feeling of power while having control over another person’s body and mind, and every other imaginable kind of power exchange or act of fetishistic worship is one of sublime joy to the participants.
Within these head spaces and acts, I find a very potent form of energy that can then be harnessed and molded to suit my needs. While I most often perform ritual offerings of self-inflicted pain or bloodshed solo, I am a firm believer that the energy manifested during a consensual power exchange to be quite powerful. Aldous Huxley expounded upon different methods with which human beings have sought to reach different planes of consciousness in his book Heaven and Hell, but neglected to speak on more erotic methods. Harnessing this energy, on the other hand, is an entirely different story and varies from practitioner to practitioner. No one way of practice is right or wrong, and cannot be simply boiled down to such inane concepts as “white” or “black” magick. I choose to view it as two different doors that inevitably lead to the same place, depending solely upon the intent of the practitioner. Intention and will are what shape the energy into a useful manifestation, and less so the vessel from which the energy is harnessed. It is widely agreed upon that bodily fluids (especially blood and sexual fluids) are heavily laden with power. Rituals of pain and sacrifice are said to be of a similar potency, so why not combine the two?
As a switch (someone that switches between the Dominant and submissive power dynamics found within BDSM/kink), I’ve explored a plethora of ways to combine or use sex and pain within my personal spiritual practices. Being a full time sex worker allows me the luxury of delving further into these concepts and beliefs, as well as a near endless supply of energy should I choose to use it as such. Even if I didn’t view the exchanging or surrender of power in sex and BDSM as a conduit for energy in a spiritual sense, I would not be able to deny the reverence I hold for such things. The Left Hand Path is often regarded as negative, “black magick” or “evil” – a mindset I have always questioned and challenged. Why is that so bad? Why should we deny ourselves the entirety of the spectrum of human experience?
The three-fold law (whatever harm you do is returned upon you three-fold) may be a good enough deterrent for those that subscribe to this school of thought – but it seems rather lazy in my opinion to rely upon karma to do the dirty work of anger or vengeance for you.
