Masturbation

[astral flyer]

Does masturbation and sexual fantasies hinder astral projection. Also is there a link between sex and being more spiritual. Are there any do,s or dont,s?

[Xanth]

Well, the question ultimately boils down to "What is spiritual?" in regards to our everyday lives...

The answer, to me (boiled down to a nutshell... lol), is that anything is spiritual as long as it's a practice you're putting forth as one of Love and Kindness and done in a positive way.

So, to bring that back to your specific questions... masturbation and sexual fantasies are usually about self gratification. 
If you and your partner masturbate together or engage in each others sexual fantasies together, then there's a more Love/Kind/Positive aspect geared towards it.

Part of the entire point of this physical reality is the physical interactions we have on a day-to-day basis with other people/beings who also inhabit this reality. 

[baro-san]

(1)Does masturbation and sexual fantasies hinder astral projection. Also (2)is there a link between sex and being more spiritual. Are there any do,s or dont,s?

(1) As long as you don't abuse it, and don't waste your energy, it shouldn't matter.

(2) You seem to think that "being spiritual" is something desirable ... I think that "b s" is an umbrella phrase that covers a lot of misguided thinking and behaviour. Anyway, sex in itself is neither a bad, nor a good thing. What matters are the related thoughts, as they add to your reality.

Part of the confusions we have, and the questions we ask, is that we tend to think Earth / physical centric.

[astral flyer]

Interesting thanks.

[mindscreen]

For what it's worth,  let me share what I read and my own personal experience.
The accomplished or enlightened masters of yoga indicate that preserving fluids is important in spiritual path.  What "spiritual" means to you and the next guy can be very different mainly because the word itself seems like a catch all phrase.

I like to think of this:  if you want knowledge of launching a rocket into space, you would not go to Ford motor company or Chase bank for example.  Instead, you would want to seek help of NASA or SpaceX who have the know-how on such matters.

Likewise, the eastern yogic masters from India (FYI, Buddhism is from India) had this knowledge for thousands of years. If you would, Forget today's opportunists and fake gurus that ruined reputation of spiritual science laid down by true masters.  Anyway, they said, in Vedas (ancient texts) that "ojas" is important in spiritual path.  Here are couple articles that shed some light on this:

https://thesevenminds.wordpress.com/2012/11/15/veerya-semen-the-vital-fluid/
https://sformula.wordpress.com/2016/08/31/semen-is-the-power-and-energy-of-human-body/

After masturbation, one could sense the immediate lowered feeling of energy.  If you rarely do it, you may not notice but frequent "discharge" will show it's effect.  Also, the same reason after sex, male wants to sleep.  Now, one could argue that it is due to physical exertion.   I would like to point out that after exercising in the gym, most don't feel like sleeping (sans beginners maybe, in fact, it is quite opposite, you feel energized and strong) but not the case with sex; experienced individual also feels that effect of discharge or "spent".

There seems to be (varying for individual) a period of time when this "energy" builds up and forces one to release.  Of course, exposure to sexual material will result in increased frequency to release.  I tracked for a while and for about a month plus, I was able to keep away but later on, the thoughts etc., "pull" my mind.  Also, after holding out, i felt "confident" that I am "over" the physical desire only to find out how sadly mistaken I was!  It is immensely difficult thing to gain mastery over sexual desires.

Further, the more you hold out and conserve, strange tests come to break your resolve.  You may simply feel strong urge and masturbae.  If you get past these, the energy you "radiate" begins to have an effect on females and you might presented with sexual opportunities. This is a personal experience of mine long time ago.

Apparently, this is also one of the energies that helps in Kundalini rising (For normal spiritual aspirant).  Releasing keeps one "grounded" in the physical plane or keeps one lowering back to physical.

In summary, anything excessive than intended purpose will take it's toll and show it's effects.  Consider that it is for procreation purpose and keep a watchful eye on your emotions and desires.  Having said that, would it hurt spiritual progress?  I am not a master and can share what I found /know.  It is up to you to find out for yourself.

Start with a journal and keep track of activity surrounding this topic.  Soon, you might see a pattern.

[Kzaal]

No.

And concerning that "energy" being diminished after the act, it's not true, I think it was the Mythbusters(?) who brought an MMA fighter(or was it a boxer) and had him have sex with his wife the night before his match and he actually had better performance than without.

Spiritually? Man I don't think it matters, we're not in 1950's anymore. And even if it did lower your spiritual levels even a bit, it wouldn't matter because on your level you wouldn't notice a difference in spiritual gains.

Unless you're going all out like monks type of meditations that you want to focus all your energy toward your spiritual development (which I don't think anyone on these forums do [because let's face it, you wouldn't be actually asking questions on this particular forum if you would be trained daily by a group of monks]) then this is totally irrelevant to your spiritual development.

We're a long way from where masturbation and sex was a bad thing for spiritual development, specially in our modern society where people just do these kind of things(meditation/AP'ing) just to help reach a small part of enlightenment.

In the end like I was saying, it wont make you progress easier. Monks do it because they're trained to meditate like that. They have access to some knowledge people don't about meditation and it might work out for them better if they do it like that.

Putting barriers down doesn't do any good if you don't know what theses barriers are for.

[mindscreen]

I am in no position to contradict you or anyone for that matter about what is the "correct" way or what "barriers" should be put or removed.  I jut offered my own opinion and some related findings to encourage OP to research further and make own decisions.  

With all due respect, I am compelled, to disagree with your cited example of MMA fighter.  This fighter having sex before a fight has nothing to do with the energies I was discussing.  Physical fight requires physical strength and that is not the same as spiritual/etheric/Prana energies.  To digress a bit, this same fearless strong fighter can be scared senseless say a bat comes into his house (Just for an example).  So, physical strength has it's purpose in PR.  Beyond that, I'd guess not much use.

And, the fact that it is not 1950s now is an accurate observation. However, please allow me to point out that learning, "gravity is a force that pulls two objects together just because they have mass" did not change the way things fall to ground before or after Newton or Einstein.  Rudimentary example perhaps, you get my point.  All I am saying is that there is an advanced understanding that's been passed down by some people on this planet and we would be foolish to discredit and ignore it's values without proper understanding or pre-conceived notions and biases (of which one can fill in the following ______).

Further, I must say I admire your signature, "The partial becomes complete; the crooked, straight; the empty, full; the worn out, new. He whose (desires) are few gets them; he whose (desires) are many goes astray."
This alone conveys concisely, the meaning of my many words!  

Lastly, if one's goal is to AP and that's it, then yeah, do what's best for that.  OTH, if one views AP is a minor but relevant part of higher purpose(s), then there are other things to be considered as well.  I, for one fall into the latter category when examining my true aspirations.  People like me may not be privileged enough to find a true enlightened Guru to sort out all of our life's mess, dissolve pending karmas and teach the correct path for us.  Some are born lucky and I am not.  So, why am I on this forum? Because I recognize that AP activity is related to spriituality and can be a means to an end.  For me, being able to AP is a milestone and "could" serve towards my higher goals.  For a long time, I've ignored this forum until I realized that the two are related and now trying to chop the figurative "tree" from the other side, if you catch my drift.

To the OP:
Once, there was a famous saint with his young disciples walking and come across a stream of water.  The bridge was simple a tree log.  Also, there was a beautiful young woman waiting there to cross the stream but she was scared of falling.  Seeing the saint, she requested his help.  The saint asks a disciple to empty a pan (they carried books wrapped with the pan over their heads) and he asked her to sit on it, lifted the pan over his head and carried her to other side and resumed as normal.  The young disciples packed books back in the pan and followed him.  After sometime, one curious disciple asks, "Dear Guru, seeing that you practice strict celibacy, isn't it wrong that you carried that woman on your head?".   The Guru replies, "I left that woman after helping her cross the stream, but you my dear student, are still carrying her!".

HINT: It all starts with a thought!

[baro-san]

Seinfeld "The abstinence"

....

George: No, no, no. Just lately, I've been thinking a lot clearer. Like this afternoon, (To television) what is chicken Kiev, (Back to Jerry) I really enjoyed watching a documentary with Louise.

Jerry: Louise! That's what's doin' it. You're no longer pre-occupied with sex, so your mind is able to focus.

George: You think?

Jerry: Yeah. I mean, let's say this is your brain. (Holds lettuce head) Okay, from what I know about you, your brain consists of two parts: the intellect, represented here (Pulls off tiny piece of lettuce), and the part obsessed with sex. (Shows large piece) Now granted, you have extracted an astonishing amount from this little scrap. But with no-sex-Louise, this previously useless lump, is now functioning for the first time in its existence. (Eats tiny piece of lettuce)

....

Elaine: I don't know. It's just the last coupla days my mind has been, not good.

Jerry: Wait a second, I know what's happening. The no sex thing is having a reverse effect on you.

Elaine: What? What are you talking about?

Jerry: To a woman, sex is like the garbage man. You just take for granted the fact that any time you put some trash out on the street, a guy in a jumpsuit's gonna come along and pick it up. But now, it's like a garbage strike. The bags are piling up in your head. The sidewalk is blocked. Nothing's getting through. You're stupid.

Elaine: I don't understand.

Jerry: Exactly.

...

[mindscreen]

 Well, that was my cue.  Perhaps, I've overstepped on certain social norms.  No hard feelings (no pun intended).

[Xanth]

OTH, if one views AP is a minor but relevant part of higher purpose(s), then there are other things to be considered as well.

I kinda wanted to touch on this one part of your post...

Quite honestly, in my experience, Astral Projection isn't relevant to any higher purpose.
At least not in any way which the average person practices it.

In a sense, before you existed here in this physical reality, you came FROM (for lack of a better term) the astral.
People try so hard to get back there for a few fleeting seconds/minutes, yet completely ignore the very reason why you're experiencing this physical reality in the first place.

The reason you're HERE isn't to get back to THERE.  That's my hope for why I teach this stuff in the first place, so that people can move past it.  You'll get back THERE eventually, all in due course.  You can't stop it.
Does Astral Projection have it's place here then?  For a person who isn't interested in ego-goals, then yes, it certainly does, but very few people in this place (I'm including myself here) are there yet. 
There's simply too much work for people to do spiritually for themselves in this physical reality first.

What I found through Astral Projection is why we're here experiencing this physical reality and getting PAST the need to Astral Project is a big step in that understanding.  The "want" is still there, mostly because I have yet to work through my own ego-issues, but the need for it has long evaporated.

[Yodad]

Seinfeld "The abstinence"

....

George: No, no, no. Just lately, I've been thinking a lot clearer. Like this afternoon, (To television) what is chicken Kiev, (Back to Jerry) I really enjoyed watching a documentary with Louise.

Jerry: Louise! That's what's doin' it. You're no longer pre-occupied with sex, so your mind is able to focus.

George: You think?

Jerry: Yeah. I mean, let's say this is your brain. (Holds lettuce head) Okay, from what I know about you, your brain consists of two parts: the intellect, represented here (Pulls off tiny piece of lettuce), and the part obsessed with sex. (Shows large piece) Now granted, you have extracted an astonishing amount from this little scrap. But with no-sex-Louise, this previously useless lump, is now functioning for the first time in its existence. (Eats tiny piece of lettuce)

....

Elaine: I don't know. It's just the last coupla days my mind has been, not good.

Jerry: Wait a second, I know what's happening. The no sex thing is having a reverse effect on you.

Elaine: What? What are you talking about?

Jerry: To a woman, sex is like the garbage man. You just take for granted the fact that any time you put some trash out on the street, a guy in a jumpsuit's gonna come along and pick it up. But now, it's like a garbage strike. The bags are piling up in your head. The sidewalk is blocked. Nothing's getting through. You're stupid.

Elaine: I don't understand.

Jerry: Exactly.

...

HAHAH...love that someone can quote a Seinfeld show. That one was so funny too. Cheers baro!

[Nameless]

Xanth's entire last post above - yeah that one. Well said.

[mindscreen]

I kinda wanted to touch on this one part of your post...

Quite honestly, in my experience, Astral Projection isn't relevant to any higher purpose.
At least not in any way which the average person practices it. ....

...Does Astral Projection have it's place here then?  For a person who isn't interested in ego-goals, then yes, it certainly does, but very few people in this place (I'm including myself here) are there yet. 
There's simply too much work for people to do spiritually for themselves in this physical reality first.

What I found through Astral Projection is why we're here experiencing this physical reality and getting PAST the need to Astral Project is a big step in that understanding.  The "want" is still there, mostly because I have yet to work through my own ego-issues, but the need for it has long evaporated.

Thank you for that great reply!  I am here to learn, open to ideas & concepts especially ones that can expand knowledge and remove wrong interpretations / understandings.  I request you to elaborate on, "ego-goals" and when you said, "There's simply too much work for people to do spiritually for themselves in this physical reality first. "

I am not asking what spirituality means in general but, what does it mean in the context of your reply?

Also, please expand this: "What I found through Astral Projection is why we're here experiencing this physical reality...".

[Lumaza]

Seinfeld "The abstinence"

....

George: No, no, no. Just lately, I've been thinking a lot clearer. Like this afternoon, (To television) what is chicken Kiev, (Back to Jerry) I really enjoyed watching a documentary with Louise.

Jerry: Louise! That's what's doin' it. You're no longer pre-occupied with sex, so your mind is able to focus.

George: You think?

Jerry: Yeah. I mean, let's say this is your brain. (Holds lettuce head) Okay, from what I know about you, your brain consists of two parts: the intellect, represented here (Pulls off tiny piece of lettuce), and the part obsessed with sex. (Shows large piece) Now granted, you have extracted an astonishing amount from this little scrap. But with no-sex-Louise, this previously useless lump, is now functioning for the first time in its existence. (Eats tiny piece of lettuce)

....

Elaine: I don't know. It's just the last coupla days my mind has been, not good.

Jerry: Wait a second, I know what's happening. The no sex thing is having a reverse effect on you.

Elaine: What? What are you talking about?

Jerry: To a woman, sex is like the garbage man. You just take for granted the fact that any time you put some trash out on the street, a guy in a jumpsuit's gonna come along and pick it up. But now, it's like a garbage strike. The bags are piling up in your head. The sidewalk is blocked. Nothing's getting through. You're stupid.

Elaine: I don't understand.

Jerry: Exactly.

...

That show was one of my favorites.  8-)They weren't afraid to venture where others wouldn't.

So Baro-san" do you have a "eidetic memory" or a transcript of that episode, lol? I am ever so impressed by your "cognitive" skills.

[baro-san]

That show was one of my favorites.  8-)They weren't afraid to venture where others wouldn't.

So Baro-san" do you have a "eidetic memory" or a transcript of that episode, lol? I am ever so impressed by your "cognitive" skills.

This discussion caused me to recall Jerry's conclusions from that episode, so I googled for its script.

[Lumaza]

This discussion caused me to recall Jerry's conclusions from that episode, so I googled for its script.

Good "catch". That one was a Classic! 
I miss the old days of good programming. Today, I have over 500 channels on my TV. Yet, I usually watch 3 or 4 channels. The History channel, Science Channel. used to be a lot of A&E. ...and any game that has the Minnesota Wild Hockey on TV. Being from the frozen plains of Minnesota, that is a must, lol! 

[astralm]

I think it is a bit reckless to say yes or no on the way really any act will affect spiritualility.  Growth is determined by intent not by doing.  I find when people have a strong feeling one or another on topics like this it says more about their beliefs and perceived relationship to that act than how it will affect you.

A huge part of spiritualility is reflecting on your acts and intents and coming to grips with the truth of how they affect you.  Then adjusting accordingly so they become more in harmony with your desired intents.  But no one can tell you how that procsss will go.   the path and destination are yours to find and the outcome applies only to you.

[baro-san]

Seth:

"On the one hand you take life too seriously, and on the other, you do not take playful existence
seriously enough."
Session 518, Page 32

"Periods of heightened sexual activity of a strong and deep nature will help. However periods of no
sexual activity will also help."
Session 274, Page 279

"Biologically, the sexual orientation is the method chosen for continuation of the species. Otherwise,
however, no specific psychological characteristics of any kind are attached to that biological
functioning. I am quite aware that in your experience definite physical and psychological differences
do exist. Those that do are the result of programming, and are not inherent - even biologically in the
species itself."
Session 765, Page 51

"There are lost portions of the Bible having to do with sexuality, and with Christ's beliefs concerning it,
that were considered blasphemous and did not come down to you through history."
Session 771, Page 75

[luffy28]

In my experience, it takes a lot of energy from me. That's why for me I only do it as a stress reliever. Especially with the internet these days (that's all I'll say because minors could be reading this). I've actually gotten quite bored of it. As a male, it also makes me (in my opinion) value females less in real life. It also makes me stereotype the opposite sex because of it. Just my opinion.

[Xanth]

Thank you for that great reply!  I am here to learn, open to ideas & concepts especially ones that can expand knowledge and remove wrong interpretations / understandings.  I request you to elaborate on, "ego-goals"

"Ego-goals" are any goals or actions you take to satiate your own ego... essentially, actions which are based on Fear, not Love.

and when you said, "There's simply too much work for people to do spiritually for themselves in this physical reality first. "

Quite frankly, a good chunk of humanity need to focus more on themselves and the world around them in a more Loving way.  Astral Projection won't help the vast majority of people who want to learn it.  In fact, the number one reason I see people wanting to learn to project is to use it as an "escape" from this reality.  That's a great example of using projection as an ego-goal.

Also, please expand this: "What I found through Astral Projection is why we're here experiencing this physical reality...".

We're here to learn to be kind to one another.  To Love.
Treat those you encounter with kindness, regardless of who they are or what they've done to you. 
Accept everything and everyone for who they are and act from the heart.