LINGAM
“ On the Adoration of the Lingam”
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He who desires perfection of the soul must worship the lingam.
Linga Purana
The Lingam of Shiva
The term Lingam, in Sanskrit,
means ‘sign’. Shiva,
as the Absolute - that which is unmanifest, can only be perceived
by the means of his creation - the source of life from which
the world is issued. This is the principle upon which the veneration
of the phallus is based in Shaivite mysticism.
In some legends, the Shivalingam ‘pierces’ the
three worlds or cities. In one version, it is related that
the gods Brahma and Vishnu were debating which of the two of
them was the ‘greater’, when there appeared before
them a vast column of light. Brahma, mounted on his swan, flew
upwards to find its peak, whilst Vishnu, taking the form of
a boar, descended to find its foundation. Although they searched
for thousands of years, they could find neither peak nor foundation.
Finally they found a Ketaki flower which had fallen from the
lingam's head. The flower told them that it had been falling
for ten eons and that no one knew how much more time it would
take it to reach the ground.
Thus we may understand
the lingam as being a primordial axis mundi - a form of world-
tree or shaman’s ladder which
passes through all of the known worlds. In the microcosm, the
lingam springs forth from the bindu (point) within the triangle
formed by Iccha-Kriya- Jnana Shaktis (the powers of ‘think-decide-act’)
and rises, piercing the chakras.
A central concept in Tantra
is that of divine immanence – that
one can experience the divine through the worship of god or
goddess in a living form. This commonly appears in the forms
of tantric puja (ritual) where a goddess is worshipped in the
form of a living woman. Jeffrey J. Kripal notes the teachings
of Vaishnavacharan, a nineteenth- century tantric contemporary
of Ramakrishna, whose Kartabhaja sect of tantrics practised
the method of "delighting in God in the forms of man." That
is to say, Vaishnavacharan’s followers sought to experience
divine ecstasy by making a living man the subject of their
adoration. Kripal infers that this would have included sex-play.
One of the central homo-erotic
interludes in Hindu myth is Agni’s swallowing of the
semen of Shiva, which led to a chain of events culminating
in the birth of the god Skanda.
Skanda is considered by some writers to be the object of devotion
by a homo-erotic cult in India and elsewhere.
Semen is the purest form of sacrificial desire -- the Soma
offering given to the fire of desire. The Vedic texts contain
many references to semen as a form of food. on an esoteric
level, the ingestion of semen is a form of eucharist whereby
the deity resides in the semen and enters the body of the practitioner.
The magical properties of ingesting semen appear in a wide
variety of cultural contrasts.
Sucking cock is an act
of worship. Kneeling before a man is an adoration, or an
abasement. Accepting the semen of a stranger
or lover is immensely powerful. There’s a power in yielding,
in abandoning oneself, and a power in one’s ability,
through passion and skill, to bring about the pleasure of another.
In the Kama Sutra, fellatio
is referred to as auparishtaka – ‘superior
coition’, and associates its practice with hijras or
male prostitutes. Although describing the ‘eight ways’ of
performing fellatio in some detail, Vatsyayana warns against
its practice. Such injunctions however, do not apply to practitioners
of tantra.
Jivantalingapuja – Worship
of the Living Lingam
This is an outline, using
tantric principles, for a sexual puja employing fellatio.
This ‘rite’ may be performed
externally – which is to say, with a magical partner,
or internally – wherein the other participant is unaware
of the ‘magical’ elements of the act. This is contrary
to those texts which avow that acts of sexual magic may only
legitimately take place between consenting ‘magical partners’.
This is a matter of taste and personal preference. There is
a lot of gushing in the magical community about the ‘dangers’ of
performing sexual magic with someone who is unaware of the
magical dimension of the act. I can only say to this that I’ve
been ‘used’ in this way by both male and female
partners without being aware that they were using me to power
or receive a sex-magical intention and it’s not a matter
that worries me.
Salutation to Ganesha:
A salutation to Ganesha, whom Shiva decreed should be worshipped
prior to the beginning of any
auspicious act, is made. This is also appropriate as Ganesha
is the guardian or doorkeeper of the Muladhara Chakra. The
penis, particularly if flaccid, may be adored as Ganesha’s
trunk.
Bathing the Phallus: Bathing the phallus is a ritual act of
purification, preparing it to become the vehicle of the indwelling
deity. This may be done as a ritual oblation or by tongue-bathing.
Nyasa: Nyasa (placing) is the ritual act of identifying the
body (or part, in this case) with the indwelling deity. Again
this may be done ritually, or silently, through massage and
stroking.
Om, I salute Shiva in the balls
Na, I salute Shiva in the root
Ma, I salute Shiva in the shaft
Shi, I salute Shiva in the crown
Va, I salute Shiva in the tip
Ya, I salute Shiva in the eye
Invoking the Deity: Invoking the chosen deity (i.e. Shiva)
into the vessel is traditionally performed by the practitioner
identifying with the deity through internal meditation and
then externalising the indwelling deity into the vessel via
the breath. Here, it may be appropriate to identify oneself
with Agni (see above) before simultaneously breathing onto
and stroking the penis so that it becomes a vessel for divinity.
Adoring the Lingam: Having
installed the deity into the penis, it may now be adored.
One may choose to use the delightful
prose of the tantras or something more contemporary, depending
on circumstances. Some partners might be somewhat alarmed to
hear their cock described as "shining with the light of
ten thousand suns."
Superior Coition: The Kama
Sutra describes the ‘eight
ways’ of performing fellatio:
*Casual -- Clasping the penis with one hand, bringing the
lips close, rounding them over the mast, whilst pressing, releasing
and shaking.
*Nibbling the sides -- Covering the end of the penis with one hand, pressing
the lips to the sides and nibbling slightly at the same time.
*External Pinching -- Bringing his lips close to the penis, he presses the
mast and kisses it while sucking. When the sex has been stimulated by being
nibbled along the sides, he himself, excited at the first contact with his
lips, lets the end of the penis penetrate into his mouth, pressing it and sucking
and, having bared it, he releases it.
*Internal Pinching -- On request, he then lets the penis penetrate further,
and pressing it between his lips, causes an ejaculation.
*The Kiss -- Encircling the penis with his hand instead of his lips, he kisses
it. Let the tip of the tongue wander and titillate the meatus opening, cleaning
it carefully. This is called polishing.
*Browsing -- Having done this, with the tip of the tongue, licking the mast
all over and titillating the opening, is known as browsing.
*Sucking the Mango -- Having bared the mast, pressing the organ hard, passionately,
whilst half inside, and sucking whilst pressing, is known as sucking the mango.
*Devouring -- Having understood the man’s desire and in order to satisfy
his wish to come, he makes him ejaculate by the pressure of his tongue until
the sperm gushes out.
Consuming the Soma: Assuming one wishes to do this, the divine essence may
be held in the mouth whilst one meditates on the force of Shiva, before being
swallowed or shared. Alternatively, a spunk-filled condom can be retained for
later burial or use in anointing. Also, as Katon Shual has pointed out, dried
semen can be burnt, and the ashes imbibed safely.
The physical act may be
accompanied by appropriate visualisation – for
example, if one is taking on the role of Agni, then the heat
of one’s desire may be visualised and felt as burning
away the ‘impurities’ of the body or the ‘kleshas’ (knots)
which prevent spontaneity. The puja may be closed ritually,
or simply with a ‘hmmm’ (Aum) of satisfaction.
The duration of this puja is dependent on time and circumstances.
In its external form, it could be quite a lengthy exercise.
The practised adept however, may perform the internal rite
quickly, using whatever opportunities are presented to him.
-- Phil Hine, in Gay Sex & Spirit
Suck cock until you can’t
think.
Daniel Suders, The Fourteen Steps
