scandalizing 19th-century accounts of Tantric rituals. In the early 20th-century, Sir John Woodroffe, also known as Arthur Avalon, a British judge serving in India and a Tantric initiate himself, attempted to legitimize the tradition as part of a pro-Independence effort to celebrate Indian civilization; Avalon was one of the few Westerners involved in this effort, which included a number of influential upper-class Indians. Avalon and his circle de-emphasized the sexual aspects of Tantra, since these aspects remained scandalous to much of the general public and perhaps to Avalon himself, even though there is some evidence that he and his wife practiced Tantric sex together.
Today, most ”New Age” Tantrists have taken the opposite approach and focus on sexuality almost to the exclusion of everything else; we have even heard Tantra defined as ”sacred sexuality”. In many instances, New Age practitioners blend together aspects of Hindu Tantra, Tibetan Buddhist Tantra, Taoism and Western psychotherapy – among other things – and invent something that has virtually no relationship to the original tradition. As a result, most people who contact us think that Tantra and Tantric Sex are synonymous, and that Tantric Sex is synonymous with extraordinary lovemaking abilities, with some ”emotional clearing work” thrown in for good measure, and that it must last for hours.
We feel it is unfortunate that such a rich and complex tradition has been reduced to such a banal and simple stereotype. At the same time, we were drawn to Tantra because of its sexual aspects, and we are convinced that consciously exploring sexuality is a rich and meaningful path. It can function as a gateway into an experience or way of being in the