Evolving...

[shineling]

So I'll just be honest and say that I probably jerked off a lot and had sex too since I was a teen.

But now that I'm maturing I am finding out that dropping those baser emotions have really improved the out of body experience. I find myself lucid in the most wonderful places doing the most amazing things. And I think it all started when I took control of my libido.

In the beginning I used to have aps about sex much like Monroe described. I had an uncontrollable need to find astral babes and have sex. It was lots of fun but maybe not worth it once I found the upper fruit.

So, I started shutting down that part of my body. And it worked... I don't jerk off much more.

Two years later I still find astral babes in my travels but there is none of sex. It's just cuddling and deep kisses but without any sexual dimension. It's totally deeper... cuddling in the astral without sex is probably the funnest thing I like to do.

Without sex I feel tall and I am standing up my head through the clouds... I think it's a journey we all have to make at some point.

That's all I got...   

[Stillwater]

So I'll just be honest and say that I probably jerked off a lot and had sex too since I was a teen.

A lot of young people feel guilty about this. I think the guilt is about the way hormone balance can cause us to think in ways we otherwise wouldn't.

Pleasuring yourself is not something in itself to feel guilty about. It is a natural part of growing up. For males it serves important biological functions which keep your reproductive system healthy. It is not dirty or shameful, and if you have positive feelings about it, it can be a fully positive part of your life.

To me I think it is more about balance and moderation. There is a level at which good things are good things, and a level at which it can become indulgent and compulsive. I think it gets confusing in regards to self-pleasure, because it already IS a biological compulsion, but I think it matters the degree to which we visit that part of ourselves, and separate it at other points. Understanding it on a deeper level gets complicated because it ties in to a cycle of hormones (Testosterone, Dopamine, Prolactin and others) which all exert psychological effects, and follow predictable but complex curves based on the timeline of sexual events in a person's life. Because you feel different at different times, and those specific markers drive different emotions, finding a balance in your lifestyle that leads to a mentally stable situation is a skill that various people learn over time in their own way.

My opinion is that sexuality will not hinder your personal or spiritual development. In fact it can also be worked with and harnessed. There are lots of different paths and approaches, and different ways humans develop themselves, and many of them are valid and healthy, even if they are different, so I also do not think moving past sexuality will greatly harm you. But consider the reasons for taking one path or another, and examine your own motives. My impression is that you may be approaching it from a place of guilt that is worth looking at.

[shineling]

Thanks Stillwater...

Well in kundalini meditation we are trained to draw energy from the Earth and up our spine towards the higher chakras. Without training and control of our libido the energy will seep into the groin and sexual chakras. We really don't want that... we want the kundalini to travel from the Earth smoothly up our spines toward the head chakras were it can transform into spiritual awareness and where we can escape into the higher planes. It's tricky as I found out because the sexual chakras are very tempting to be indulged in. We want to transcend them so we can transform into higher dimensional beings.

[Stillwater]

Without training and control of our libido the energy will seep into the groin and sexual chakras.

Yeah this is a common concept across a lot of the older texts... the idea of sexual energy being the core energy which humans can sublimate for other purposes.

I have my own views on this stuff... I tend to look at things from a critical angle. I look at the facevalue reading of the old concepts, and think about what they may represent in the context of what we know about the world today, and what we may not. I think the concept of the Chakras relates very closely to the major nerve centers of the body (and possibly endocrine responses as well, linked to them). I think their concept of the root chakra powering the whole system is a recognition of how at least on a biological level our physical energy levels, emotions, and motivations are tied closely to our sexual activity and the horomones attached to them. I don't take the concept of the chakras literally, but I do think the idea itself has insights worth examining.

I also think it goes a bit deeper than... don't engage in sexual activities, and instead use that energy for metaphysical practices... paradoxically, some of the most potent metaphysical experiences are to be had from engaging directly with sexual energies. You mentioned the concept of Kundalini yogas... in their system, an example of that is called the "3 Bandhas". It is a series of "root locks" or muscle contractions which create a positive feedback loop of pleasure sensations intense enough to trigger metaphysical experiences. Not to say that it is the best path, or a recommended one... but merely to say "it is a path"; but I think the existence of such practices indicates that it is more complicated than "leave off sexual experiences, and progress".

Progress comes through many doors!

[shineling]

Thanks again Stillwater... very enlightening.

I myself have experienced better astral projections and more "staying power" within the AP. I can stay under in the AP for about 2 hours at a time and be in full lucidty. I Ap about 3 times a week. Also, the planes I was visiting before I took control of libido were darker and drearier. The ones I have now are full of Light. I truly believe that the ancient texts were right. Get out of the gutter and you'll fly free as the Angels.

I had this one astral projection specifically that dealt with Libido. I was in a wonderland and it was full of young people like me. (When I AP my
body is usually a young one.) Anyway, there where lots of beautiful things to look at like waterfalls of multi-colors and magical caves that where lit by water caustics - so beautiful. And there where plenty of girls. I joined a small sangha of people and the topic of sex came up. One girl said that she was tired of having sex. Another one disagreed. I chimed in and said I wanted to transcend sex too. So me and this girl (the one that wanted to stop having sex) sorta seperated and walked apart from the group and as we talked about finally leaving this urge that makes us slaves to base emotions we began to grow. We got taller and taller. Our clothes were replaced by elegant robes and our heads touched the sky. As we looked around we were free. I  felt freer than I've ever felt and we were in a new place above the clouds with arches and beautiful plants and a sky so astral blue it hurt to look at - it was so gorgeous. I guess that was the AP when I knew my efforts had finally paid off.

Yes, at first it was difficult to fight the urge. But your body gets used to it. And think, all that psychic energy that goes into an orgasm is saved. It goes somewhere! It translates directly into spiritual awareness. So no, I don't think those ancient books had it wrong...

Also, I'm an avid Carlos Castaneda fan. Remember Don Juan? And what he was always telling his pupils? Save your sexual energy or you won't get anywhere!

Alright. I've said my piece. Take it or leave it. I know this is only one path of many but its been the difference between night and day for me. And it's a very simple thing you can do.

The End

[Stillwater]

If you are having worthwhile experiences, and you like your state of mind, that is all that matters!