Everyone who has used psychedelics to clear their psyche and expand their awareness knows that all aspects of the experience -- including taste, vision, hearing, touch -- can be greatly enhanced. Sex is no exception. But what if the supreme joy of love-making while under the influence could be enjoyed whenever desired? True lovers can raise the joy, excitement, and satisfaction, as they learn to connect first their bodies, and then proceed on to the merging of their souls. For those who have not had such an experience, it can be valuable to understand one aspect of the cosmic male/ female relationship.

One of the greatest blessings in my life is to have experienced what I call the Divine Feminine Essence. It is impossible to describe the beauty, the excruciatingly delicate and delightful sensations, the incredible love that flows from this source. Experiencing this Essence has led me to believe that the female is the source of life. The Supreme Female, through all the worldly females, brings all living beings into existence.

On the physical plane, males and females dance the joys of life to varying degrees. Yet powerful hindrances have built up through the ages that have destroyed much of the potential joy this dance has to offer. Early on, as humans were developing their powers, the physically stronger males predominantly put females in an inferior position, relegating them to menial duties and using them to satisfy their urges. This approach has continued throughout history. Although the status of women is improving in some areas on the planet, there are still countries where women are outrageously abused and mistreated. So it is only natural that through the centuries, a deep burning hatred has developed in the unconscious of females, which has created great resistance in their full-hearted support of their mates. Men are largely unaware of the damage they have bestowed, and of how much they are missing due to this hidden attitude in the female.

The average male has no idea of the potential joy that awaits him; contained within his female partner is a source of remarkable energy that can be experienced as receiving an exquisite nectar -- a nectar that is so fulfilling and satisfying, that it is beyond his imagination. He doesn't realize that in his inner nature he yearns for this nectar above all else; the greatest joy in life, short of union with God, is to be immersed in this nectar. But except for very special situations, it has been denied him. Because of her mistreatment through the ages, the female has become bitter, and refuses to release this nectar. There are, however, specific conditions that will arouse her attention, and move her in the direction to participate at the highest level of a loving relationship.

For an approach to understanding this, we may turn to the Eastern practice of Tantra. Miranda Shaw studied the practice of Tantra in depth while in the Far East, resulting in her book Passionate Enlightenment: Women in Tantric Buddhism. According to Shaw, the teachers of Tantra claim that it is impossible to obtain true Enlightenment without sexual intercourse. This is because the sexual drive is so powerful and contains so much energy that it must be properly directed to achieve the highest level of realization. In an interview for What is Enlightenment No. 20 she reports: "Tantrics would concentrate their energy and their thought at this one point (of sexual contact) and use it to arouse the inner fire. When that fire is kindled and burning brightly, there are several meditations that can be done to refine the energies at the heart. One of them is to direct the energy upward into the heart, and because of the quantity of energy involved as it goes through the heart, it naturally unties a knot, as they say, and bursts through these residues." (page 79) This is a very effective clearing process. To make use of this faculty, she reports, the male must treat the female as a Goddess. When a woman is thus treated, she can respond to the graces offered, releasing the precious nectar. The male is enormously fulfilled, and the female rises to great joy as she delivers the precious gift that she yearns to bestow. The two become merged in bliss, reaching a blessed unity.

Among couples who live together, a common deterrent in achieving such a union is the arousal of differences that harden to resentment. Such resentments may be handled through forgiveness, and being grateful for any move that brings closeness. Most helpful is the willingness to search and discover the Divine Essence in one's partner, which when recognized, opens the doors of love.

Making love under the influence of an appropriate sacrament heightens perceptions and deepens love, permitting great intensification of the experience. Many of the authors in the recent book Psychoactive Sacramentals, point out the pitfalls resulting from repeated efforts to achieve enlightenment solely through the use of chemical sacraments. After one accomplishes great heights under the influence of a sacrament, it pays off handsomely to return to such realizations through one's own efforts. One then realizes the fulfilling satisfaction of entering such states by a simple act of the will. A good meditation practice is most helpful in recalling sacred states and dedicating intention to make the necessary changes in one's life. And clearly the use of sexual energy to reach and experience the Divine Essence can become a meditation of love that can help to heal the inequality brought about by years of inappropriate attitudes and actions. •