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TAOIST ALCHEMY
from the Magickal and Ritual Use of Aphrodisiacs

Taoist magicians believed in the importance of balancing male (yang) and female (yin) elements in the act of love.  They felt that if the lovers were in "harmony," it nourished both of the partners, bringing them closer to the spirit of the universe.  When the partners were in balance, neither strove for pleasure independently of the other.

We can make use of the Taoist attitude in our encounters today by keeping this principle in mind.  This does not mean making a fetish out of simultaneous orgasms.  However, the Taoists contended that the "life force" was contained within the byproducts of the orgasms (i.e. semen and vaginal fluids).  Therefore, in order to maintain balance, we require the complementary yin or yang energies of our partner.  The Taoist systems recommends that men and women yield these complementary energies to one another.  Then yin and yang blend, nourishing both parties and increasing health and longevity.

For the Taoists, orgasm was only one aspect of the interplay between the sexes.  Just as modern psychologists and sex therapists have encouraged to consider the entire sex act as important, the Taoists considered the whole process as symbolic of universal interrelationship.  Paradoxically thought, the "selfish" Taoist lover is just the opposite of what we might call selfish in our modern society.

A balanced Taoist magician has an attitude of "equal exchange," while the negative or neurotic Taoist is out for all he can gain personally.  He views sex as a struggle or contest.  The selfish attitude of using partners to gain immortality consists of inducing one's sex partner to as many orgasms as possible while conserving one's own juices.  Western society, on the other hand, considers a lover selfish who values his own orgasms over mutual pleasure.

Taoists practiced sex as a form of meditation which could continue for several days.  In order to maintain their vigor, they sought to remain in a state of philosophical calm.  By not striving and by remaining detached and cool, they used their concentration to increase sensitivity in every part of the body.  This awakened the most subtle sensations in a slowly unfolding process.

Sex with totally awakened consciousness of the "now" can be enjoyed as an end in itself.  Since the partner who is first to reach orgasm provides the other with an abundance of life force, sex may be seen as a mock battle in which the "opponents" compete to see who can induce the other to climax.  Rather than approaching this as a matter of survival, we could view it as refreshing recreational sex play.  Even though it is an arbitrary attitude, in the West orgasm is considered the supreme goal and reward of sex.  Aside from certain magical practices, failure to experience sexual release is considered harmful and neurotic.  But this attitude contains a cultural bias.

We have become obsessed with "achieving" orgasms, the more the better.  We may have lost something by paying little attention to the quality of the experience.  An evening of "Taoist lovemaking" might restore some specialness to your relationship.  Incorporating some subtle nuances by maximizing body contact with your partner while minimizing leaking of vital fluids.  If the partners attempt to complement and harmonize with one another, both will be nourished.  When the desire for orgasm is so strong it cannot be resisted, we may submit, and then revive ourselves by sipping some ginseng tea!

Masters of the more advanced Taoist techniques delved into the problem of not wasting their essences, devising ways to prolong pleasure and stave off release.  As "physicians" they prescribed herbs and medicine to restore virility.  Taoist sages also considered what sexual positions were most effective as cures for specific ailments.

SEX MAGICK

Sex Magick is the term coined by Aleister Crowley for sacred sex practices in his magical order the Ordo Templi Orientis.  The main ceremony is a eucharistic rite called the Mass of the Holy Ghost in which a priestess serves as the altar for the ritual.  It is an alchemical union of opposites where the priest is symbolized as the wand, blade or sword, and the priestess is the Holy Grail or chalice.  In the Mass it is quite literal, rather than metaphorical.  The antecedents of idealized and ennobled courtly love, the alchemical Royal Marriage, and Goddess worship echo through its historical roots.  Its object is to create a Magickal Child as the embryonic form of one's self-realization, which later becomes stabilized as a cosmic connection to self, others and universe.  As alchemy, it facilitates a process of psychic and physical transformation.  The method is predicated on the supposition that the thought that happens at the moment of an amplified orgasm happens.  It's only proper direction or application is considered toward self-transformation. -- I. Miller, ed.

The alchemy described by the tantric texts is often obscure and  little can be made from the jargon.  The secret "door" will not open to the uninitiated without a key.  Rather than the transmutations of baser metals into gold, this alchemy actually takes place within the body itself.  It is a hermetic distillation from actual bodily fluids, where all the insturments and utensils used by the alchemist are provided by the body itself.

By appropriate ritual movements, the gross substance within oneself can be transformed into the suble quintessence that can reinvigorate the physical frame.  Through a series of rituals, one makes the body "glow"; this activates one's supernatural faculties and puts one in communication with any entity in the universe.  This naturally presupposes a complex system of a complex system of subtle anatomy and physiology based on the chakras or plexes of the etheric body.

All power is promised to him who can siphon the lower energy toward the upper, but this is almost impossible for the ordinary man.  A tremendous need for discipline is required, discipline that is usually beyond the average capacity.  A sympathetic resonance does exist between the chakras.  By tantric methods, the kundalini can be made to blaze up through the chakras, igniting each until this stream of flame reaches the crown, or sahasrara.

One rite commonly celebrated in tantric sects is known as chakra-puja, or circle worship.  The participants sit in a circle, implying complete mutual equality among those present.  They sit in alternate seces, male to female, with another couple in the center of the circle.  A ceremonial meal consisting of wine, meat, fish, and bread is followed by a site of sexual intercourse.  These five items represent certain fundamental categories that are equated with the elements and the interior faculties of the body.

The wine symbolizes fire and the subtle draught of immortality that the tantric must learn to distill and drink.  The meat symbolizes air and the bodily functions that must be rought under control.  Fish represents water and the techniques of sexual occultism.  The bread is the earth, or the natural environment, which must be understood and controlled.

Sexual intercourse (maithuna) symbolizes ether, the quintessence of all the elements, and is a means to the final goal of all tantric endeavors.  Through it one apprehends the ultimate reality.  The sex act in its normal, gross form may occasionally bring a fleeting revelation of eternal truth, but that would be rare, as the smoke of passion usually clouds the mind.  Sex as a sacred symbol unclouded by passion can, however, help you to apprehend the ultimate unity.  The genuine rite can reveal being, expand consciousness, and confer true bliss.

Practice of Ritual and Ceremony

There are three phases of every ritual process:

1.  Separation from profane or daily life.
2.  The transition stage, or twilight zone, which lies between,
3.  The new order or perception of reality which occurs in the sacred time of the soul.

The in between, or twilight zone, enables a state of receptivity to be established.  Ritual acts reawaken deep layers of the psyche and bring the mythological or archetypal ideas back to memory.  Magic (by definition) is the transition from passivity to activity in which the will is essential.  Realistic action does not follow schizophrenic magic; the fantasy is a substitute for action where the ego should be weak or even absent.

Ritual is often consideredd as the celebration of a myth.  Myth functions as a paradigm, or model.  In this school of thought, the construct of a ritual can be seen as the enactment of this myth, as the myth would be represented as the source of all action.  Myth is actually a dynamic expression of the motivational power of the archetype at its core.

The main value of ritual is for the poetic soul.  Ritual can be defined as an imitation of a numinous element (or godform) in the life of the aspirant.  Ritual can be seen as the outward or visible form of contact or as an epiphany with an inward or spiritual grace.  It is essentially a metaphorical expression of creative imagination.  The symbol always starts on the inside as a form of consciousness and is projected outward.  Magical rituals contain basic elements that must appear in approximately the following sequence:

1.  Setting up the circle to define a working area;

2.  A form of "banishing" too clear the working area and help concentration and focusing;

3.  Middle Pillar Exercise to bring in light and build up libido or magical potency.  This helps one visual his or her subtle body or body of light.

4.  Invocation, or the "calling in," of the desired godform or attribute in an attempt at self-transformation.

5.  Charging of a eucharist with the energy of the godform, and its consumption as an epiphany with the god.

6.  Meditative period.

7.  Banishing to return the aspirant to "normal" consciousness.

8.  Closing the temple.

These steps may be expanded to include divination, dance, dramatic scenarios, or sex magic acts.  Any appropriate gestures may be added (like massage or mudras) but none of these basics can be omitted without incurring the peril of exposing the soul to random forces.

The purpose of ritual lies in its expression as an art form.  Partaking in its performance is an end in itself.  The spiritual import lies in the quality with which the ritual is conducted.  Ritual, as symbolic action,is the enactment of mythic patterns for the sheer joy of the relationship with the archetypal dimension.  Remember, the purpose of ritual is an end in itself.  This can leave no rationale behind "lusting for results."

Coniunctio is an alchemical term symbolizing the unification of opposites.  When the opposites to be united are the masculine consciousness and feminine unconsciousness, the union is termed the royal marriage.  It is a transcendent symbol of the self and embodies psychic totality, or wholeness.

Sex magic is described metaphorically in alchemical terms in Israel Regardie's classic on western magic, The Tree of Life (Chapter 16).  He learned of it from his work in the occult group, the Golden Dawn and as colleague of Crowley.  O.T.O. rites reflect their ancestry in Tantric Buddhism and contain great power.  Aliester Crowley expounded his complete formula for sex magic in both Liber Samekh and Liber Aleph, the Book of Wisdom or Folly (p. 86).  Restated, in more common terms, it involves the following steps (presupposed are active magical pathworking, an oath, banishing rites, and so on.)

     1.  Discover your true will.  What is the purpose of this magical operation?  Is it absolutely necessary and desirable?  What are some possible unforeseen consequences?  Are you at a psychological impasse?  Is your personality stable or unstable?  Do not seek to actualize your lower desires with sex magic.  Its proper application is personal transformation.

     2.  Personify your intent by naming it.  Concoct an imagined form to express your will by using appropriate symbolism.  For example, if your desire is for a balanced personality picture yourself being that nascent form, perhaps superimposed with a balanced scale.

     3.  Purify and consecrate this entity.  Make sure it is a pure archetypal form uncontaminated by your complexes and prejudices.  As a "child" it is all potential.  This is the phase of generating desire through foreplay while constantly keeping the attention on the purpose of the magical operation.

     4.Visualize the image of the magical child upon entry.  This visualization might be the actualization of your own potential or a vision of yourself in the future.  The union of opposites offers the "child" a vehicle for manifestation once the gestation period is full.

     5.  Consummate the marriage with a golden ring.  This is a euphemism for the climax or orgasm.  This moment just before orgasm is a very open, oceanic psychological state and a potenent time for reprogramming the subconscious.  You can change yourself now, just as habits can be altered with self-hypnosis.  Careful control of the attention at this moment is vital to success.  Don't let the thoughts wander at this time even in regular sexual relations, as the thought held at this moment tends to manifest!

     6.  Consume the eucharist (consecrated substance).  The power of the sexual act has been transferred to a material body symbolized by the mingled fluids of the partners.  Eating the sexual fluids means that one assimilates and digests or integrates, the qualities represented by the "magical Child" as the union of opposites.  It is a part of oneself, united with its opposite and made one's self again.  It is love reborn.

There are greater and lesser forms of coniunctio in the process of psychological transformation.  In the warly stage comes the union with the shadow.  This signifies the reunion of mind and body.  This heals our Cartesian duality, or the cultural mind-body split.  Later comes the reunification with the anima/animus, our contrasexual nature), then union with the higher self.  This final coniunctio produces spiritual rebirth in an experience of the "one world," where body, soul, and spirit are reunited.

One must be extremely careful in employing sex magic!  The criteria for all other rituals of transformation apply including "is this absolutely necessary?"  Usually this is not the case, and the impulsive aspirant bites off more than he can chew.  Literal practice of sex magic on the physical plane might represent a gross misunderstanding of what should be an internal psychological process.  Be careful not to confuse the discrete planes of awareness that include the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual levels of meaning.

Remember that you will get what you ask for, (i.e. the bud-will), but you may get a great deal you had not for in karmic repurcussions and unforeseen consequences.

The first use of sex within the rituals of western traditions of Magick began with the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), and 800-year old Masonic order in Germany.  They had studied the Hindu and Buddhist traditions of tantra and found that the energy contained in those rituals were greater than known technique.  At the turn of the century, Aleister Crowley became their new Outer Head of the Order (O.H.O.) and rewrote those rituals for a more contemporary application.  For a clear picture of this tecnique, it is recommended that the student first read Chapter 16 of The Tree of Life by Israel Regardie.  Then read pages 82-86 of Liber Aleph.  The Book of Wisdom or Folly by Crowley, page 86, instructs:

"de Formula Tota on the complete formula:

Here then is thy Schedule for all Operations of Magick.  First: thou shalt discover thy True Will, as I have already taught thee, and that Bud therefore which is the Purpose of this Operation.

Next, formulate this Bud-Will as a Person, seeking or constructing it, and naming it, according to thine Holy Qabalah, and its infallible Rule of Truth.

Third:  Purify and consecrate this Person, concentrating upon him, and against all else.  This Preparation shall continue in all thy daily Life.  Mark well: make ready a New Child immediately after every Birth.

Fourth: make an especial and direct Invocation at thy Mass, before the Introit, formulating a visible Image of this Child, and offering the Right of Incarnation.

Fifth: perform the Mass, not omitting the Ipiklesis, and let there be a Golden Wedding Ring at the Marriage of thy Lion with thine Eagle. [Ed-i.e. a coniunctio or Royal Marriage with mutual orgasm].

Sixth: at the Consumption of the Eucharist accept this Child, loosing thy Consciousness in him, until he be well assimilated within thee.

Now then do this continuously, for by Repetition cometh forth both Strength and Skill, and the Effect is cumulative, if thou allow no time for it to dissipate itself."

What Crowley has described is known as the "Mass of the Holy Ghost."  I will now describe in simple terms how this formula is applied to sex magick.

Discover your True Will.  What is the Purpose of the Operation?  Do you need money; is magick really the easiest way to acquire it?  Or perhaps you wish to have some event occur, or transform yourself or personality, etc.

"Name it"...as a person, an entity which has its own personality.  It could be that you wish to change a habit within yourself.  If that is the case, then treat this new proposed change as a new entity, a new person which is not the old you.  This is the detail to the purpose.

Purify and consecrate this new person.  This is the point where you and your patner generate the Desire...the foreplay with each non-verbally reminding the other continuously of the Purpose of the Operation.  This is the Bud-Will.

Formulate an image of this Bud-Will into a child (a Magickal Child).  With entry, you both begin to redefine the Child.  This is properly called synergy: the co-creation of new information to add and supplement the original conceptual Intent.  It is the Invocation.  You begin to live what you create -- give it life.  For visualization, the Red Lion is the male essence and the White Eagle is the female menstruum.

Form the bond with a gold ring.  This is the climax!  The Red Lion becomes the White Lion and the White Eagle becomes the Red Eagle.  Note:  The thought during a sexual climax...happens! (This is the mysterious Masonic "secret").

Consume the eucharist, eat it and know that no other energy is necessary.  After the climax, both mmale and female should eat the conjoined sexual fluids.  The eucharist in alchemical terms is the Elixer of Life, the Philosopher's Stone.

Repetition of the thought and act brings Strength and Skill.

Miller, Richard A., THE MAGICAL AND RITUAL USE OF HERBS, OAK Press, Seattle, ©1977 - reprinted by Destiny Books, 1983.

Miller, Richard A., THE MAGICAL AND RITUAL USE OF APHRODISIACS, Destiny Books, New York, 1985.

Miller, Richard and Iona, THE MAGICAL AND RITUAL USE OF PERFUMES, Destiny Books, New York, 1990.

Miller, Richard and Iona, THE MODERN ALCHEMIST, Phanes Press, Grand Rapids, 1994.

Richard Alan Miller's AOL Sacred Sex Classes

SEX MAGICK - Full Form, 1994
(All students must be over 21.) 
COURSE DESCRIPTION

Western magical tradition has a definite teaching regarding sex magic. This doctrine, although similar to Tantra, sometimes differs in the goal sought. Power, not spiritual consciousness, is often the object of
the magician who practices passionate forms of ritual. This course will take a further departure from
those popular goals by revealing the true, esoteric purpose of sex magic. This course will instruct Sex
Magic as a means to a real, physical-plane (4-Space) form of immortality.

The ecstasy of sexual union can be seen as a state in which man rises to a supernatural level. The
overwhelming nature of sexual passion, in which people are swept away by a force in whose grip they
seem helpless, has caused it to be worshipped as a deity or alternatively feared as evil and demonic. If,
however, one is taught how to direct these desires and energy, then one has the ability to become part
of this force, adding it to one’s purpose.

The psychological act of sex and orgasm greatly increases suggestibility, which may then fire off further sexual excitement. Repeated induced orgasmic collapse can produce, and has been used to produce, states of deep hysterical trance. It is in these states that ritual becomes the celebration of myth, and myths can be re-enacted - toward a conclusion of will.

This forms the basic foundation of Taoism, also known as the Tao of Loving. Many of these Taoist
rules, including the artistic forms of lovemaking all lead toward forms of rejuvenation - or, in part,
immortality of the physical body. When brought into context with western mysticism, the act can be
seen as an act of Magick. With this perspective, one’s true will is brought into context and leads
toward higher states of consciousness.

The orientation of this course will include Jungian psychology, creative visualization techniques
(self-hypnosis), western forms of Magick, and current research in diet and exercise programs. The goal
is toward physical immortality and the increase in quality of life.

Outline:

 Introduction: 
Preparation, Diet & Exercise 
Taoism and the Art of Loving 
Magick, and the Purpose of True Will. 
The Mass of the Holy Ghost. 
Self Hypnosis and Creative Visualization. 
Preparation for Ritual. 
Alphaism: Magickal Chastity 
Dianism I: Sexual Union 
Dianism II: Attitudes, Ecstasy and Ritual 
Quodosch: The Great Alchemical Work 
The Magickal Child: Intimations of Immortality

METAPHYSICS VII - AOL CLASS OUTLINE
SEX MAGICK by RICHARD ALAN MILLER, 1994

Subj:  Metaphysics VII - Class #1
Date:  July 25, 1994
From:  DrRam

This is the first class to Metaphysics VII (Class60.txt).  Topic covered tonight was the first chapter to the new book Sex Magick.  Topic included health and rules toward immortality.  This included the concept that the physical body is your subconscious.

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Subj:  Metaphysics VII - Class #2
Date:  August 2, 1994
From:  DrRam

This is the lognotes from the 2nd class of Metaphysics VII (CLASS61.TXT).  The topic tonight was a continuation on the Sex Magick theme, discussing Crowley's Mass of the Holy Ghost.  A number of unrelated questions were also taken (with responses) before the class lecture.

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Subj:  Metaphysics VII - Class #3
Date:  August 8, 1994
From:  DrRam

This is the lognotes for the 3rd Class in Metyaphysics VII (CLASS62.TXT). . Topic discussed tonight included Lilith, the creation of demons, Jewish belief systems and masturbation.  Several examples of Magick, as it may parcipitate into the physical (4-Space) world.

Suggested reading:Eros & Evil: The Sexual Psychopathology of Witchcraft, R.E.L. Masters.

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Subj:  Metaphysics VII - Class #4
Date:  August 15, 1994
From:  DrRam

This is the lognotes from the 4th Class of Metaphysics VII (Class63.TXT).  Topic covered tonight included the concept of Psi Energy, and the intensity of concentration - as defined in hypnosis.  Also included were some recollections of Gold Creek Park, 1970 (Woodinville, WA), near Seattle.

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Subj:  Metaphysics VII - Class #5
Date:  August 27, 1994
From:  DrRam

This is the lognotes from Class #5 of Metaphysics VII (CLASS64.TXT).  Continued lectures on Sex Magick.  Topics included brief assignments on True Will, Enflammement, and Love (Greek forms only).  Then some aspects of group sex and auto-eroticism.

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Subj:  Metaphysics VII - Class #6
Date:  August 29, 1994
From:  DrRam

This is the lognotes from Class #6 of Metaphysics VII (Class65.TXT).  Topic covered was True Will, as part of the purpose of Sex Magick.  Continued theme for the new book Sex Magick - Full form

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Subj:  Metaphysics VII - Class #7
Date:  September 19, 1994
From:  DrRam

This is the lognotes of class 7 of Metaphysics VII (CLASS66.TXT).  Topic covered tonight is an on-going lecture on the new book titled Sex Magick.  Tonight's lecture discussed the specifici aspects of a ritual, and why they are performed in their specific order.

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These are the lognotes from a chat period (10-03-94), and the 9th class of Metaphysics VII (CLASS68.TXT).  Subjects covered are specific questions about the nature of Sex Magick, and how it most affectively works (East verses West approach).

This is the lognotes from the 10th Class of Metaphysics VII (CLASS69.TXT).  Subjects covered are more personal notes on the history of DrRam, and how he arrived at this Internet name.  Also discussed are some foundation questions which might we asked of all who consider themselves as "seekers."

Recommended Reading Materials:

Avalon, Arthur (Sir John Woodroffe), THE SERPENT POWER, Dover, New York, ©1974

Avalon, Arthur (Sir John Woodroffe), TANTRA OF THE GREAT LIBERATION, Dover, New
York, ©1972

Bharati, Agehananda, THE TANTRIC TRADITION, Samuel Weiser, New York, ©1965

Comfort, Alex, THE KOKA SHASTRA, Ballantine, New York, ©1965

Crowley, Aleister, LIBER ALEPH, THE BOOK OF WISDOM OR FOLLY, Thelema, West Point,
©1962

Culling, Louis T., THE COMPLETE MAGICK CURRICULUM OF THE SECRET ORDER
G:.B:.G:., Llewellyn, St. Paul,©1971

Culling, Louis T., SEX MAGICK, Llewellyn, St. Paul,©1971

Dasgupta, Shashi Bhushan, AN INTRODUCTION TO TANTIC BUDDHISM, Shambhala,
Berkeley, ©1974

deRopp, Robert S., SEX ENERGY, Dell, New York, ©1969

Garrison, TANTRA: The Yoga of Sex

Gold, Cybele and E.J., BEYOND SEX, Hohm Press, CA, ©1978

Guenther, Herbert, and Trungpa, Chögyam, THE DAWN OF TANTRA, Shambhala, Berekely,
©1975

Haich, Elisebeth, SEXUAL ENERGY AND YOGA, ASI Publishers, New York,©1972

Harding, Esther, WOMEN'S MYSTERIES

Humana, Charles, and Wu, Wajng, THE YING YANG, Avon, New York, ©1972

Leadbeater, C.W., THE CHAKRAS, Theosophical Pbulishing, Wheaton, ©1969

Karlen, Arno, SEXULAITY AND HOMOSEXULAITY, Norton, New York, ©1971

Krishna, Gopi, THE AWAKENING OF KUNDALINI, Dutton, New York, ©1975

Masters, R.E.L., EROS AND EVIL, Matrix House, New York, ©1966

Miller, Richard A., THE MAGICAL AND RITUAL USE OF HERBS, OAK Press, Seattle, ©1977 - reprinted by Destiny Books, 1983.

Miller, Richard A., THE MAGICAL AND RITUAL USE OF APHRODISIACS, Destiny Books, New York, 1985.

Miller, Richard and Iona, THE MAGICAL AND RITUAL USE OF PERFUMES, Destiny Books, New York, ©1990.

Mumford, John, SEXUAL OCCULTISM, Llewellym St. Paul, ©1975

Nandi, et al, THE KAMA SUTRA OF VATSYAYANA, unknown date

Paglia, Camille, SEXUAL PERSONAE, Vintage Books, New York, ©1990

Regardie, Israel, THE TREE OF LIFE, Samuel Weiser, New York, ©1969

Rivière, J. Marquès, TANTRIK YOGA (Hindu and Tibetan), Samuel Weiser, NY, ©1934

Saretsky, Theodor, SEX AS A SUBLIMATION FOR TENNIS, FROM THE SECRET
WRITINGS OF FREUD, Workman Pubolishing, New York,©1985

Schroeder, Theodore, HEAVENLY BRIDEGROOMS, Alienist and Neurologist, New York, ©1918

Sharma, Pandit Shiv, YOGA AND SEX, Cornerstone Library, New York, ©1973

Ta-Kao, Ch’u, TAO T Ê CHING, Samuel Weiser, New York, ©1973

Tambimuttu, INDIA LOVE POEMS, Peter Pauper Press, Mt. Vernon, ©1967

Wagner, Nathaniel N. (ed.), PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN SEXUALITY, Behavioral Publications,
New York,©1974