Eurydice Tantra Glossary

Tantra: The spiritual philosophy originating in In elephant in water

dia that guides one in the ways of transforming sexual energy into altered states and awakening to enlightenment. A system of spiritual viewpoints and practices said to be derived from Sanskrit roots signifying: body, because of its emphasis on bodily activities; stretch, because it extends the faculties of humans; rope, because it secures the devotee to diety; harp, for the music and beauty of its philosophy; Interiorness for the secrecy of its doctrine; Loom suggesting the two cosmic principles, male and female, that make up the warp and woof of the woven fabric of the universe. Union with the Divine force through the energy orgasm of Shakti (female goddess) and Shiva (male god).

Abhra: The sacred ovum of goddess Shakti.

Amoral: Pure or not moral. Electricity is amoral. The opposite of moral is immoral.

Amrita: Sanskrit term for elixir of immortality, it refers to the female ejaculant that flows from the urethra some women at orgasm, believed to be mystical.

Ananda: Bliss orjoy, usually associated with a spiritual state of consciousness.

Auparishtaka (or Vajroli Mudra): Oral sex, the uniting of mouth and genitals.

Aura: the energetic field layers around the body, seen by some in varying colors and noticeable as a warm, fuzzy sometimes mildly electrical energy to the open hand as the hand moves closer to the body.

Ayurveda: Knowledge of longevity. Traditional Indian medicine and medical practices.

Bindu: The point without a center from which proceeds Cosmic Sound (Nada). Drop. Dot. Semen.

Center: A verb reflecting alignment of ones Self with the energy flow through the body from sky to earth, earth to sky and to be balanced energetically within the four directions.

Chakra: Sanskrit term for one of seven major bioenergy vortexes that begin at the base of the spine and go through to the crown of the head, each emanating as an energy wheel or band around the spinal column. Each holds a different aspect of the psyche (psyche in ancient Greek means soul).

Energy or bioenergy: The essence of life that exists in and through all thingsin physics the smallest particle depending on how it is looked at can be either matter or energy. Wilhelm Reich, MD identified this as orgone, and numerous other names have been applied to it. Mesmer, Nikolai Tesla, Gary Zukav, Fritjof Capra, Rupert Sheldrake, and many other noted scientists have also recognized this energy.

Ground: To connect ones inner energy to the magnetic pull from the core of the earth and strengthen this flowthe benefit is greater attunement with Spirit in the physical body

G-spot: The fleshy area in the vaginal wall, right behind the pubic bone that swells when stimulated, and creates heightened energy response in the female. There appears to be an overemphasis of this spot.

Healer within: The archetypal power of wellness. We heal ourselves when we connect totally in let go with Divinity/God/Oneness.

Higher self: The part of ourselves that connects us to universal wisdom and directs us through the intuitive senses. It begin with the 6th Chakra and goes on from there into the unlimited.

Imprint: New thoughts we program ourselves with in order to replace old thinking patterns, often achieved through brain entrainment, hypnosis and guided meditation.

Jada: Inert physical body without consciousness. Kama Sutra: A 15th Century poetic Hindi sexual guide. Kama means love, and sutra means scripture, aphorism or writings.

Kundalini: Sanskrit term for the creative life-force energy at the base of the spine (womb and yoni) that once awakened, coils upward like a snake through the electrical Chakra centers awakening each aspect of the soul more fully, and as it reaches the crown, and connects with the experience of universal oneness.

Maithuna: The traditional Tantric ritual culminating in a sexual bioenergy exchange

Mandala: A symmetrical shape or form, like a snow flake, or in stained-glass windows, or a mathematical shape. (Can be used for meditation)

Maya: Illusion. The Goddess who causes us to see energy patterns as the physical world. The mystical, magical power of Shakti which manifests, makes and creates the relative and forms the basic delusion of all mankind. Between truth and mankind hangs the eternal veil of Maya delusion.

Meditation: A brain entrainment tool used to go beyond mind to open the doorway to Cosmic consciousness. It can be achieved or practiced by using a mantra, Yantra, or repetitive motion, such as free form dancing, running, or sitting silently like in Zazen, etc. Often thought of as dropping the mind.

Million Dollar Point: Hollow point in the perineum that when pressed firmly will block the outward flow and facilitate the upward flow of the seminal fluidsit is said that when this technique is used properly, the man will feel like a million dollars.

Mukhamaithuna: Mutual oral sex performed by the male and female on each other. It is also worship of the lingam and yoni as a Yantra.

Mulabandh: The Tantric practice of constricting the anal/penile/vaginal muscle area. Also called the PC muscle. It has been popularized by Dr. Kagel and called kagel exercise.

Nadi: River. Current or channel of psychic energy. Conduits of Prana. Nerve passages in the body. There are said to be 72,000 nadis.

Niyamas: The five qualities to be gained through spiritual practice: shauca (purity, study of sacred texts and arts), santosha (contentment, finding happiness with what you have and are), tapas (see below), svadhyaya (self-study), ishvara-pranidhana (dvotion, letting go of your ego)

Nyasa: Applying drawn sexual energy for a purpose such as transferring power to a candidate during initiation.

Ojas: Magical energy. Semen. Orgone: The bioenergy named by Wilhelm Reich as the life force connected to sexuality.

Polarity Therapy: A form of bodywork based on the understanding that when the positive and negative poles of energy within are balanced and working together there will be integration of mind and body.

Pranayama: Control of the breath, used in meditation and exercise, bringing pranic energy into the body, creating different healing patterns and results.

Sadhu: Ascetic who has renounced the world for the Divine path. Holy beggar.

Samadhi: Complete contemplation where the mind and soul attain close relationship and understanding.

Sannyasin: A spiritual disciple of a guru or Master. One who rejects society to devote himself or herself to spiritual evolvement.

Semen retention: The practice of regenerating the seminal fluids through the bloodstream instead of ejaculating at the point of orgasm. More of a natural release than a doing.

Shakti: An Energy or the Power of supreme Shiva. Feminine counterpart to each of the Gods of the Hindu pantheon, especially of Shiva. The power, drive and force within a person.

Shanti: Peace. Tranquility. Often repeated three times after a prayer or spiritual statement.

Shekinah: From the Hebrew Kabbalah, meaning the holy spirit that exists within the genitalia.

Shiva: Lord of Withdrawal, he represents pure consciousness. Possesses three Shaktis or Powers: Iccha (Will), Jnana (Knowledge), and Kriya (Doing) Subtle body: The unseen energy body including the aura, meridians and Chakrasthis sensing of the body is experienced as energy flow and vibration from mild to intense.

Tapas: Heat. Daily Discipline. A psychic glow as a result of arousing and controlling the psycho-sexual energy of the body. One of the five qualities (niyamas) to be attained through Tantra and Yantra, yoga and meditation.

Taoism: Ancient Chinese philosophy, that stemmed from ancient Tantra, and holds the esoteric technological understanding of balancing yin and yang.

Virato: Sanskrit term meaning eternal or eternity. Yang: Chinese term for the masculine, active half of the whole (body and cosmos). The sun, the mind, fire, are yang. A balance between the constantly fluctuating yin and yang is required for health and happiness (much like the Western medical concept of homeostasis).

Yantra: Specific shape and color, symmetrical or repeating shape (mandala) such as seen in stained-glass windows, or a mathematical shape or spiritual symbol used as a focus point for visual meditation.

Yin: Chinese term for the feminine, receptive half of the whole. The moon, the body, silence, are yin.

Yoni: Sanskrit term for the female genitalia, vulva, vagina, clitoris and labium.

AMRITI KABANA. A Tantric procedure consisting of mantra recitation and the performance of mudra, used to sacralize ritual objects with the energy of elixir.

ANANDA VANA. “Forest of Bliss”

APARAJITA VIDYA. Knowledge pertaining to the Invincible One. “Another name for Sri Vidya or the goddess Durga.

AUGHAR. “Non Terrible.” One of the more esoteric of the Tantric traditions, known as aghora.

AVIGNESHA. The lord who brings success without obstacles; the remover of obstacles, Ganesha.

BAGALAMUKHI. An esoteric Tantric path belonging to one of the ten great goddesses; the queen of forbidden Tantra; or Brahmastra, the weapon on Brahman.

BASHIKARANA. Tantric practices to subjugate and dominate others.

BHAIRAVA. The most vibrant form of Shiva; often associated with destruction; the form of Shiva that destroys our ignorance and grants mental clarity and spiritual illumination.

BHOGA. Worldly pleasure; enjoyment.

BHUMI SAMADHI. The practice of voluntarily casting off the body underground.

BINDU. “Dot Drop.” Technical Tantric term of liquor. In alchemy: the metal mercury, or sexual energy. In kundalini yoga: the concentrated energy field at the ajna chakra (the eyebrow center, the third eye).

BRAHMACHARYA. Practice leading to the realization of Brahman; used synonymously with celibacy.

BRAHMA NADI. The energy channel that flows between the eyebrow center and the sahasrara chakra (the center at the crown of the head).

BRAHMASTRA. “The weapon of Brahman” The force engendered by Tantric practices to destroy the ultimate enemy, ignorance; the Tantric name for the goddess Bagalamukhi.

CHAKRA. “Wheel.” A center of consciousness within the body corresponding to a major nerve plexus of the gross physical nervous system situated along the spinal cord; a circle formed around the master for left-hand Tantric rituals; synonymous with yantra and mandala.

CHAKRA PUJA. “Worshipping the chakras”. A special term referring to the left-hand Tantric practice that employs liquor, meat, fish, mudras, and physical union or its substittute; this Tantric practice is done by a group of practitioners under the supervision of a master.

CHAKRESHVARA. The lord of the charkas. The presiding deity of a chakra in the human body; the lord of the circle in chakra puja.

CHANDRA VIJNANA . “The lunar science.” The mystical knowledge of the moon; another term for Sri Vidya.

CHHINNAMASTA. An esoteric Tantric path belonging to one of the ten great goddesses; the representative of the energy of transcendental consciousness.

CHYME. Digested food in liquid form, right before it is absorbed into the bloodstream; first among the seven constituents of the human body.

DAKSHINA MARGA. The right-hand path of Kaula Tantra.

DARSHANA. “Glimpse.” The direct vision of the invisible, absolute reality; revelation; system of philosophy.

DATTATREYA. A prominent sage believed to be immortal and still guiding aspirants; referred to as the seer of several mantras in both Vedic and Tantric scriptures.

HATHA YOGA. The school that aims to balance solar and lunar, and masculine and feminine, energies by means of postures, breathing techniques, cleansing practices, mudras and meditation.

HRIDAYA. “Heart.” The Tantric term referring to the aspect of mantra which is to be visualized at the heart center or to be synchronized with the energy of the heart center; a practice consisting of a recitation of a long set of mantras that enables the practitioner to induce a state of oneness between the power of mantra and oneself.

ISHTA DEVA. A personal form of the impersonal Divine Being; a personified form of a mantra

ISHVARA. The Almighty Divine Being; the divine force endowed with the unrestricted power of will.

JIVA. Individual self; the soul, the innermost aspect of ourselves. In the samaya school of Tantra, it is the final constituent of our existence.

KALA BHAIRAVA. The most vibrant form of Shiva; referred to as Lord of Time; The Divine Force through whose grace a series of events manifest in the realm of time.

KALI. Consort of Shiva; one of the ten maha vidyas; the ruler of time, associated with Kala Bhairava or Mahakala.

KASHI. “City of Light” Another name for Banaras.

KAULA. “That which is related to family.” The Tantric school characterized by external practices.

KAVACHA. “Armor” The portion of mantra that corresponds to the energies of the front, back, left, and right sides of the body and thus, like armor, protects the aspirant from obstacles.

KILAKA. “Anchor.” The portion of the mantra that serves as an anchor to all other aspects of the mantra; a seed mantra that stabilizes the mind and unites it with the power of the mantra.

KUNDALINI SHAKTI. The primordial divine force; the dormant energy that yogis awaken.

KUNDALINI YOGA. A practice that includes the use of mantras, yantras, mudras, and breathing exercises to awaken the latent kundalini in the muladhara chakra and channel it upward to the highest chakra, the sahasrana

LAKSHMI. The goddess of wealth and prosperity; the power of nurturance, consort of Lord Vishnu..

MAHA MRITYUNJAYA. “The great Conqueror of Death” The form of Shiva that grants inmortality and freedom from all pains and miseries; the famous healing mantra first mentioned in the Yajur Veda and further elaborated in Tantric scriptures.

MAHA VIDYA. “Great Knowledge” The ten manifestations of the Divine Mother: Kali. , Tara, Chhinnamasta, Tripura(Shri Vidya) Tripura Bhairavi, Bagalamukhi, Bhuvaneshvari, matangi, kamala, and Dhumavati.

MOHANA. A Tantric practice to influence the minds of others.

MOKSHA. Liberation; freedom from the bondage of karma and the cycle of birth and death.

MUDRA. “Seal” Any of a number of specific hand gestures used during yogic and Tantric rituals.

NADA YOGA. The school of yoga in which the practitioner meditates on the eternal sound.

NYASA. A technique for synchronizing different aspects of a mantra with different parts of the human body.

PANCHAKSHARA. The five syllable mantra Namah Shivaya.

PARAKAYA PRAVESHA. The yogic technique of leaving the body without dying and entering another body without being born; this usually refers to the process of entering a fresh corpse, thus bringing it back to life.

PATRA VANDANA. The special prayer recited during chakra puja; through this prayer, Tantrics invoke the Divine Force in the chalice and divinize the act of grasping the chalice, extending it to the master, receiving liquor in it and holding it in tripada mudra before drinking the sanctified liquid.

PAUSHTIKA KARMA. Tantric pratices for health and healing.

PRANA PRATISTHA. “Establishment of prana.” Invoking the deity and imbuing one’s heart with that energy before starting meditation of that deity; it is done by reciting mantras from Vedic or tantric sources, combining it with visualization of the deity or the light at the heart center.

PRANAYAMA. “Expansion of prana, the life-force.” Breathing techniques leading to mastery over the pranic force; the science of prana that enables an aspirant to gain access to the pranamaya kosha, the pranic body that lies beyond the physical body.

SAMAYA. “One with Her.” The purely meditative school of Tantra in which practices are done while maintaining an awareness of oneness with the Divine within.

SARASVATI. The goddess of the flowing stream of creativity; the goddess of wisdom and fine arts.

SHAKTIPATA. The direct transmission of spiritual energy; the process and event of spiritual energy being transmitted from guru to disciple.

SHANTI KARMA. “Peaceful practices.” Tantric practices leading to peace and happiness.

SHIVA BALI. Dedicating or surrendering oneself to Shiva, the primordial force of creativity; the offering of food to jackals.

SIDDI. Spiritual power; the power of success; extraordinary ability ; supernatural power gained through Tantric practices; psychic power.

SIDDHA YOGA. The alignment of constellations and planets which, by the inherent virtue, have a positive influence and spiritual forces on the planet earth; astrological junctures accompanied by forces conductive to success.

SRI MATA. The Divine Mother. Sri Vidya, the ultimate divine force.

STAMBHANA. Tantric practices to immobilize or render inert.

TAPAS. “That which generates heat.” Spiritual discipline, austerity. Tantric practices used for taming the senses and mind.

TARA. “The force that helps us to cross the ocean of pain and misery.” “Star.” One of ten maha vidyas.

UCCHATANA. Disrupting the flow of concentration and engendering uninterest, frustration, and apathy ; aset of Tantric practices to create disturbance in the minds of others.

UPASANA. “ Sitting near” Worship; Tantric practices consisting of rituals , recitation of prayers, and other external practices which help an aspirant draw closer to the Divine.

VAIRAGI. One who is not atracted by the charms and temptations of the word, a person practicing non attachment and dispassion.

VAMA MARGA. The left-hand path of kaula Tantra, characterized by the use of liquor, meat, fish, mudras, and symbolic or actual physical union.

VASHIKARANA. The process of subduing or dominating others; Tantric practices for seduction.

VEDANTA. “The end or culmination of the Vedas.” The highest Vedic wisdom; The Upanishads.

VIDVESHANA. The process of creating animosity and hatred. Tantric practice used for creating animosity between two people.

VIRAJA HOMA. “The dustless fire offering.” The fire offering that consumes all impurities; the fire offering that accompanies the vows of renunciation.

VYAHRITI. “Covering.” The first words (bhur bhuvah svah) of the gayatri mantra.

YANTRA. “Device.” A geometric representation of mantra energy. The Divine Force in the form of light.