Sexual Abstinence

Sexual abstinence, or refraining from some or all parts of sexual activity, is often used as a means to generate spiritual power. For a quick and easy example, consider the chastity vows taken by Catholic priests.

Their form, however, is extreme; it states that as long as they are acting as conduits with God, that they will refrain from all expressions of sexuality. Most who use sexual abstinence as a means of gaining spiritual power or enlightenment only refrain from certain types, or refrain for a certain amount of time; for instance, the Muslim prohibition against sex during Ramadan is designed to bring a worshiper closer to God.

Most religions and other ethical systems forbid certain sexual activities, particularly within certain relative circles and with those other than a spouse. Also, chastity does not mean virginal or sexually abstinent; those having sex within a monogamous marriage are considered chaste.

With all that said, there is power to be found within sexual abstinence. For one, the process of learning to ignore the sex drive frees the mind up for a lot of other thought. This is one of the reasons cited by seekers for God when they choose a life of abstinence, even when it is not required by the religion they follow. For another, eliminating the passions and turbulence of sexual relations within one’s life frees the emotions up for quiet contemplation of God and all that he is.

But there is more to it than that. In many Hindu traditions, the retention of the semen is thought to be critical for the male development of higher intellectual and spiritual qualities. The semen is thought to be sacred, and when it is retained it converts directly into higher life energy. This may be directly related to the common belief that humans are at the core spiritual beings, and that indulgence in the things of the flesh can take away attention from the more serious job of spiritual self-knowledge.

On the other end of sexual abstinence, the Golden Dawn and other movements that came out of Victorian spiritualism believed that sexual activity was vital to understanding and communing with the higher powers. In fact, Alastair Crowley’s primary “secret” was using sex in this pursuit. But his use was a little more like Tantrism; sex was to be participated in, but the energy in sex channeled to magical purposes. The normal outflow would be accumulated in the brain, where it would illuminate and prepare the mind for enlightenment. In some cases, Crowley practiced retention of semen just as the Tantrists did; in other cases, the focus was on the transcendental nature of the orgasm.

But the point Crowley made here was that the energy channeled by sexual abstinence and the energy created by orgasm was the same energy, and even the channels were the same. As in many things magickal and spiritual, the paths may be different, but the destinations are alike. For those who cannot achieve transcendence through orgasm, it might be that they need to attempt the same thing through sexual abstinence instead.