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Wow! I'll check that out. thank you very much for this, John. Please forgive my late response. I wanted to list and asess all my Abhinavgupta holdings in my response- I do see my books like real estate, of infinite value- but that listing will wait for later. thanks toyin On 20 December 2011 11:59, John Power <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Hi Toyin, > I just discovered that Amazon have a few copies of Abvinava's Tantrasara: > an Indian publication but English translation. They also have a translation > of Tantraloka, but I can't believe that its the whole 'encyclopaedia' in > one volume. I didn't check to see if it was the Chattergee translation as > I wasn't at home when I spotted it, but there's 3 volumes of that so far, > and it only mentioned one. > Merry Solstice! > John. > > > -----Original Message----- > From: toyin adepoju <[log in to unmask]> > To: [log in to unmask] > Sent: Sat, 26 Nov 2011 16:23 > Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] MAGICAL EROTIC COMICS > > Thanks, John. > > I already have *Triadic Heart*. > > Alexis Sanderson, highly respected in Tantric studies, did a review, which > can be found on his Oxford page, where he argues that Muller-Ortehga was > overreaching in that book in terms of his abilities. Its interesting > comparing Sanderson's views with those of non-specalists on the Amazon.com > page of the book, particularly as these non-speaclists respond to > Sanderson. I have not read other reviews of the book in academic fora but I > expect there are. > > Muller-Ortega is also a very impressive essay writer, as is evident from > his essay " The Seal of Sambhu : A Poem by Abhinavagupta" in *Tantra in > Practice* ed by David Gordon White. > > The following essays explore Abhinavagupta's contribution to the erotics > of spirituality in a Hindu context: > > "Abhinavagupta's Erotic Mysticism: The Reconciliation of Spirit and Flesh > by Kerry Martin Skora. International Journal of Hindu Studies, Vol. 11, > No. 1 (April 2007), pp. 63-88 Published by: Springer > Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25691049 > > "The Erotic Imaginary of Divine Realization in Kabbalistic and Tantric > Metaphysics" by Paul Martin, along with his other essays on the erotics of > spirirtuality, and comparative work on Kabbnalah and Tantra, downloadable > from Martin's academia.edu page > <http://independent.academia.edu/PaulMartin/Papers> > > Martin's page also links to this on academia. edu: > > <http://univ-lille3.academia.edu/JuditTorzsok/Papers/1057739/The_doctrine_of_magic_female_spirits_a_critical_edition_of_selected_chapters_of_the_Siddhayogesvarimata_tantra_with_annotated_translation_and_analysis_INTRO> > "The doctrine of magic female spirits: a critical edition of selected > chapters of theSiddhayogeśvarīmata (tantra) with annotated translation and > analysis INTRO"<http://univ-lille3.academia.edu/JuditTorzsok/Papers/1057739/The_doctrine_of_magic_female_spirits_a_critical_edition_of_selected_chapters_of_the_Siddhayogesvarimata_tantra_with_annotated_translation_and_analysis_INTRO> > > I was also led to > > Hidden Intercourse: Eros and Sexuality in the History of > WesternEsotericismed Hanegraaf and Kripal. > <http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Intercourse-Sexuality-History-Esotericism/dp/9004168737> > > Mark Dyzchowski has also published > > Kubjikaa the Erotic Goddess, > <http://markdkashi.com/files/Kubjikaa_the_Erotic_Goddess.pdf> > > <http://markdkashi.com/files/Kubjikaa_the_Erotic_Goddess.pdf> > > <http://markdkashi.com/files/Kubjikaa_the_Erotic_Goddess.pdf>and brought > out the Kumarikakhanda<http://www.kundalinibooks.com/Manthanabhairavatantram-Kumarikakhandah-14-Vols.-set-by-Mark-S.G.-Dyczkowski-p-3189.html>, > a 14 volume edited translation of a central work devoted to that Goddess, > a book described as taking two decades to produce, along with a book on the > Saivagama <http://www.mediafire.com/?kznzbdnznll>, which, along with his > Doctrine of Vibration and Stanzas of Vibration are likely to address the > erotic aspect of the schools discussed. > > On Siva, clearly, the Siva textual and visual corpus is so rich, so many > sided. > > He is the cosmic dancer, the naked wandering beggar, the lover, the > ascetic ( subject of O'Flaherty's famous *Siva : The Erotic Ascetic*) , > the guru, the God whose game of dice with his consort is the rhythm of the > creation and destruction of the cosmos ( the subject of *God Inside Out *: > *Siva's Game of Dice*, which I received from Oxford UP today), the > androgyne who combines his female consort and himself in one form, the > formless absolute, consciousness pervading existrence, the creator and > destroyer of the cosmos, among others. > > On the erotics comics link, I was unsubscribed from one group and warned > on another. > > I am trying to create a website for the comics, so that that method of > presentation would exclude the other erotic material in the Sexoba site, > where the comics are located, those other materials making it more > difficult to defend the relevance of the comics for spirituality. If I > cant get a free website template that can display the images well, I will > blog them instead. > > A couple of people from another group have contacted me privately, though, > expressing appreciation of the material and my exposition of its > possibilities. > > I have actually tried the method before. There seemed to be manifestation > of invisible presence. That discomfited me and I discontinued. > > I am considering using that method with a poem I am compiling from various > sources, conflating sloka [stanza] 8 of the poem the Saundaryalahari, in > which Sakti is described as rising from her place at the psychic centre at > the base of the spine to that at the top of the head, to meet her consort, > Siva, and the Sri Devi Khadgamala ritual, in which one journeys from the > material world to the source of being and vice versa using the Sri Cakra, > described as the geometric being of the Goddess, as the navigational > template. Both texts can be got through a Google search. In using the > context I am developing in that way, one assumes the role of the God or > Goddess, or both. When I complete the poem, I will post it. > > thanks > > oluwatoyin > > On 26 November 2011 12:52, John Power <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > >> Hi Toyin, >> Yes, Triadic Heart of Siva....it arrived yesterday. So who's objecting to >> erotic comics? Are the Church of the Latterday Repressionists after us? >> Hrim Lalita Swaha! >> John. >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: toyin adepoju <[log in to unmask]> >> To: [log in to unmask] >> Sent: Fri, 25 Nov 2011 14:16 >> Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] MAGICAL EROTIC COMICS >> >> Thanks, John. >> Will check out the info on Lalla. >> Are you referring to Ortega's Triadic Heart of Shiva or the thesis itself >> or some other book? >> thanks very much. >> toyin >> >> On 25 November 2011 14:06, John Power <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >> >>> I had a look at the Yahoo Abvinavagupta site. Thanks. It mentions Lalla >>> the Kasmiri poetess too. There is a print-on-demand edition of and about >>> her by Richard Carnac Temple from Kessinger Publishing. Similarly, >>> Muller-Ortega's Doctoral Dissertation on Abvinava is available >>> print-on-demand. When Wisdom books have tracked a copy down for me I'll >>> give you the details. >>> Thanks again, >>> John. >>> >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: toyin adepoju <[log in to unmask]> >>> To: [log in to unmask] >>> Sent: Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:51 >>> Subject: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] MAGICAL EROTIC COMICS >>> >>> Apologies to members disturbed by my post under this heading. >>> I needed to explain myself better. >>> >>> I can understand your disquiet and apologise for causing you such >>> discomfort. >>> >>> I would have liked to provide a link to the comics not hosted on a porn >>> site. That has not been possible beceause the comics themselves are porn. >>> >>> Yes. They are porn. >>> >>> Ironically, porn can illustrate magical sexuality very effectively.The >>> links I provided are two examples of such effective illustration. >>> >>> Magical sexuality involves the use of sex as a means of achieving >>> magical goals. These goals could involve conscious participation in the >>> extra-dimensional world believed to be inhabited by the entities the >>> magician wants to gain access to. Having sex with those entities is >>> described as one method gaining such access. >>> >>> Another goal could be that of gaining access to the power represented or >>> embodied by those entities. >>> >>> The logic makes sense. Sex involves an intimate conjunction of selves >>> that results in a transfer of energy between the parties, a transfer that >>> may also be expressed in physical terms. >>> >>> It makes sense, therefore, to expect it can work as a means of access >>> to the being of the entity one tries to relate with. The intimacy it >>> involves, of course, implies that the choice of entities to be related with >>> and the modalities of relating with them through this technique has to >>> handled with great caution. >>> >>> The explicit depiction of sexual acts in those comics is ironically an >>> echo of the flagrant erotica of some Hindu temples and Hindu verbal and >>> ritual art, in which the sexual union of Siva and Sakti is described as the >>> source of the creation and dynamism of the cosmos, an idea developed in >>> terms of the most basic ideas about sexuality in conjunction with such >>> rarefied, abstract conceptions as those on the nature of consciousness >>> and its relationship to the .development of the cosmos. >>> >>> A prime example is chapter 29 of the Tantraloka<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tantraloka>, >>> Abhinavagupta's magisterial exposition of Tantra. John Duouche centred what >>> seems to be an oticome of his PhD thesis, The Kula Ritual: As >>> Elaborated in Chapter 29 of the Tantraloka<http://www.exoticindiaart.com/book/details/abhinavagupta-kula-ritual-as-elaborated-in-chapter-29-of-tantraloka-IDE047/>, >>> on this. >>> >>> Wicca is also intimately related to ideas about sexuality through the >>> God/Goddess dynamic introduced into it by its founder Gerald Garder, who >>> introduced rituals in which sctual sex took place, if I remember my reading >>> on this well enough, sex meant to simulate the union of the Goddess and the >>> God. >>> >>> Marion Zimmer Bradley's novel, The Mists of Avalon<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mists_of_Avalon>, >>> recreates probable Pagan antecedents in ancient Europe, described as >>> influencing people to become Pagans and practitioners of nature based >>> spirituality, develops the theme of the sexual union of the God and the >>> Goddess. >>> >>> Nevill Drury in Stealing Fire from Heaven: The Rise of Modern Western >>> Magic<http://www.amazon.com/Stealing-Fire-Heaven-Modern-Western/dp/0199751005>, >>> elaborates on the central;ity of related forms of sex magic in the work of >>> the influential occultists Aleister Crowley and Paschal Beverley Randoolph. >>> >>> Mark Dunn develops a method of combining imagination, incantation, >>> dream, meditation and sexuality in relating with a female centred cosmology >>> at his blog Goetia Girls <http://www.goetia-girls.com/homepage.html>. >>> >>> The comic which I linked to and which I titled The Shaman and the >>> Goddess shares some similarity with the description by the Sakti [Hindu >>> Godess devotion] Saddhana group, on the Sri Devi Khadgamala Stotram<http://shaktisadhana.50megs.com/images/Khadgamala/KSFINAL.doc>a prayer dedicated to the Hindu goddess, Mahatripurasundari, describing the >>> prayer as an invitation to ride the orgasmic bliss of the Goddess with her, >>> the bliss that generates the cosmos as it emerges from her union with >>> Shiva, a bliss the human being may share as the human person may be seen as >>> representing her lover Shakti, for is the cosmos not one at its source? Is >>> Shiva not manifest in the masculine principle and the Goddess, as a >>> manifestation of Sakti, the female creative energy embodied in the creative >>> dynamism of the cosmos, not embodied by the feminine principle, as these >>> polarities are manifest in biological and psychological orientations and >>> correlates, to adapt a central ideas of Tantra, a body of perspectives in >>> Hinduism and Buddhism which Phiilp Rawlinson in The Art of Tantra<http://www.amazon.com/Art-Tantra-World-Philip-Rawson/dp/0500201668>describes as ' cosmic sex'' but which one may interpret in a more abstract >>> sense as the dynamic interplay of complementary polarities. >>> >>> That comic and the other one, The Seven Goddesses<http://sexoba.com/?s=arsinoe&x=10&y=10>depict the human being as encountering Goddesses in trance states within >>> which intense erotic experiences take place. Such trances are real >>> possibilities, similar to reported accounts from magicians. >>> >>> I once entered unexpectedly into trance once under the influence of >>> Mark Dunn's erotic imagery and the sigil of one of the deities he was >>> depicting, although the trance did not have a sexual content. >>> >>> Henry John Drewal in Sacred Waters: Arts for Mami Water and Other >>> Divinities in Africa and the Diaspora<http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6608/is_4_11/ai_n55289947/> >>> describes the practice known as having a spirit wife or husband who enables >>> the spiritual power of the practitioner of spiritual disciplines. >>> >>> I see those comics as suggesting the possibility of using imaginative >>> scenarios, which may or may not involve sexual content, as a technique of >>> invocation. >>> >>> They brought home to me the idea that daydreaming or reverie, >>> consistently imagining oneself in situations that involve the spiritual >>> entities one wants to relate with could be a successful method of >>> interaction with consciousness and power outside conventional human >>> experience. >>> >>> thanks >>> oluwatoyin >>> >>> >>> >> >