“There is nothing esoteric in Buddhism – Buddhism is the very opposite of esoteric – it is a

religion for the people at large, for the poor, the suffering, the ill-treated. Buddha protests

against the very idea of keeping anything secret. There was much more of that esoteric teaching

in Brahmanism. There was the system of caste, which deprived the Shudras, at least, of many

religious privileges. But . . . even in Brahmanism there is no such thing as an esoteric

interpretation of the Shastras. The Shastras had but one meaning, and all who had been

properly prepared by education, had access to them . . .

1

There is no mystery about it. Again it is true that the Vedanta, for instance, admit of an(Advaita

and Visishtadvanta [Dualist, Non Dualist and something in between] interpretation and the

same applies to the Upanishads. But all this is open and nothing is kept secret from those who

have passed through the proper education. Besides in our time all MSS are accessible, the most

important Shastras, and their commentaries have been printed. Where is there room for esoteric

doctrine. No living Pandit or mahatma knows more than what is contained in the MSS, thought I

am quite aware that their oral instruction, which is freely extended even to Europeans, is very

helpful towards a right understanding of the Sanskrit texts and commentaries . . .”

The celebrated Victorian Sanskrit scholar, Max “Moksha” Muller. Letter to the Theosophical Society

received 4th July 1893 Published in A S Olcott, Old Diary Leaves 1893-96 (TPS 1975)

2

Muller’s opinion was contested at the time by Theosophists and may need some revision but not

untenable. If there is any supposed Tantrik secret – maybe its just about doing the work.

As this talk concerns “Tantra” we maybe need some definitions.

Tantra is a culty thing. Meaning there are lots of different cults – and one tends to see things from the

perspective of that cult, and ignore pretty much everything else.

I first joined a tantrik cult back in 1980 – I didn’t investigate too much its particularities. It was a very

odd cult – using the Indian term “Nathas” .

3

Our lineage came from a proto hippie called Dadaji, who had initially wanted to be a pupil of Aleister

Crowley. But when they met, old crow told him to get himself to India. He took Old Crow at his word

and arrived just after independence and became a wandering Sadhu – spending the rest of his life in

Indian until his death in 1989. But he never forgot his connection with Crowley and later, in the mid

1970s, he remade contact with disciples of Kenneth Grant in UK and with them founded an East /

West version of the Kaula sect that survives today under the name AMOOKOS.

So one way or another, AMOOKOS traces its roots back to a late classical fisherman called

Matsyendranath. Which remind me that the founder of Neo-platonism (Ammonius Saccas) was,

according to Plotinus, a Alexandrian dock worker and philosopher. There are other nautical

parallels

4

Matsyendranath lived more than a thirteen hundred years ago – and developed his own magical style

known as the Yogini Kaula – hence he maybe even be the creator of the so-called Kaula Practice. So

by luck I wondered into a very important cult.

So let me digress to tell you that its normal nowadays to recognise

three stages in the development of Tantra.

5

The earliest stage is called “Kula” – which means clan or family. Its this I believe is contemporary

with the Hermetic, or Pagan magic of the classical world. And it shares many of those features, for

example the clan structure. The Kulas are said to be extremists in their magick. Very in your face –

rituals in graveyards, orgies that sort of thing. To give you a flavour, when we were discussing this in

a recent elist, an adept known as Lalita Mataji made the following post:

Originally tantra was a way for a very brave 'hero' to seduce and bribe his way into the company of the Dakini/yoginis. These were divine half-human female beings who spend their time killing and eating babies, drinking liquor and kula fluids and eating wild meat.  They are bribed by the offering of sexual fluids which our hero has procured through his kula activities. These fluids are some of the many fluids that females produce including sexual ejaculate which have been all mixed together in some recipe which is unique to each kula. Our hero hopes to get the good graces of one of these feasting drunken bird-headed creatures who will then take him up into the sky and cavort with him and he will get siddhis. Just sign here........X young gentlemen, and don't forget the baby!lovelal

On Tue, Apr 15, 2008 at 11:36 AM,

6

“Kaula” comes next and is a development of “Kula”. It’s more mellow, discreet. It’s a secret

society. Meetings took place on the new or full moons in isolated circles within the forest. Some

(but which some) practices are internalised – thus the circle in the forest could also be the chakra

in the body. The Kaulas were pretty much the inventors of Kundalini Yoga.

Over time even the Kaula gets more and more refined or watered down if you prefer. It’s final

stage is purely internal, and that is what is known as “Tantra”. This is mainstream and is pretty

much synonymous with mainstream Hinduism.

7

That’s a history but all three stages persist in some form or another. In my little book

“Tantra Sadhana” I present a way of recognising Tantrism though eight characteristic

activities. “Eight” is a very significant number in Kaula lore. So trying my best to avoid

repetition – I thought I’d add some more explanation of some of these categories – maybe

not all eight as that would be tedious.

8

– The eight are:

1. Sadhana / practice –

2. Mantra

3. Mandala or Yantra

4. Mudra

5. Nyasa

6. Dhyana

7. Puja (especial sexualised rites)

8. Initiation

9

Mantra: In TS I introduce lots of strange concepts – including a opening rite that is based on

material from the Greek Magical Papyri – so I thought I’d take some time to explain that in

more detail now.

For some time now I have had a working hypothesis that there is some cross over between the

idea late Egyptian and early “Tantrik” magick. They certainly overlap in terms of time and

there is a geographical connection. Hence my term “Tankhem” or “Typhonian” or indeed

“Golden Dawn”, even “Theosophy”, they all work on the same premise.

10

Using careful detective work its been possible to discern that the priest magicians of Roman

Egypt devised an international language – that combined ancient hieroglyphs with the Greek

vowels. It combines Egyptian power of the word with Orphic power of sound. Much of this

was either transferred to or found a home in India.

When the founder of my Kaula sect was compiling his tantrik “grimoire” – he seems to be

aware of this doctrine of seven sacred vowels. Perhaps as we would do he used a very similar

system – the eight vowels being:

11

Matsyendranath, using a simpler vernacular, has

A as in but or father

I as in fit/fee

U as in put/boo

R purdy

L table

Ai: bite

Om: rope

Au: found

12

Which is are pretty much the same as the Greek vowels – said to be the soul of the alphabet –

which I suggested as a mnemonic

Father, Get Game, Feed the Hot, new home, although in a different order.

These eight sounds – combined with some consonants such as H or S, from either system, are

pretty much the only “language “ you need to construct any number of mantras and spells.

The eight represent to eight fundamental yoginis or female spirits of Tantrism.

In permutation – 8 x 8 = 64.

13

Ok that’s a simple but also maybe a complex idea so I’ll just leave it with you to experiment.

In the end it boils down to a freeform vowel song or chaos language.

14

Puja

Puja, meaning ritual is probable the most distinctive thing about Tantra. Everyone has heard

of its extreme rituals and its “sexual magick” or “Tantrik Sex”.

In fact there are two big themes in Kaula iconography “Sex” and “Death”. (KOTY: p17) .

See for example the famous images of Goddess Kali, who loses her head and those about her

whilst engaged in sexual coupling with the god Shiva. (See also Tales of the Vampire)

Both images are combined in the motif of cannibalism, the eating of human flesh. We heard

earlier the accusation that Kaula goddesses are divine half-human female beings who spend

their time killing and eating babies, drinking liquor, kula fluids and eating wild meat. 

15

Some of the Yoginis are disease entities - which do especially afflict children - some are tree

goddesses, some are bird and animal entities. Some may well be connected with abortion, or

be like medieval incubi/succubi.

Like many religions (perhaps all) we have some bloodthirsty roots - and overtime these have

been mellowed and moderated or turned into metaphors or internalised. This is same as in

Hinduism - which grew from a very bloodthirsty Vedic religion.

16

Sex in Kaula rites is never conventional.

On the whole it’s more oral than penetrative – (If you want to succeed, you must suck seed)

This facilitates the process of fluid gnosis – from the yogini, the guru or some other

intermediary to the would-be adept.

Example Cunnilingus according to etc [read from book]

If you study magick one thing will begin the stick out more than anything else?

17

FOOD

Perhaps from the beginning of time, food, has been the mediating principle of magick. Food is

the secret key to magick in al traditions at all times.

According to Hindu intellectual tradition, “everything is food”

When we die we are consumed in the funeral pyre or digested in the warm earth just as we

during our lifetime consumed other organises in the fire of our stomachs.

18

Think of rituals of commensatility – or put simply – if you want to seduce someone, you bake

them a cake. It’s a process as old as life itself. Its also the way we control the animal kingdom

– think of the working elephants – living avatars of the god Ganesha – their trainers prepare

embryo shaped balls of food for them everyday – which is then put directly into the

Elephants mouth by hand. Only thus can they release the colossal power of the elephant. It is

no coincidence that Ganesha is an important Tantrik deity.

19

Disease entities

We humans have a very special relationship with the bird kingdom.

We have long seen them as agents of disease – the current fear of Avian Flu is just the latest of a

long line of examples.

We also associated them with various aspects of the soul.

In folklore it is the stork that delivers the newborn babe

In ancient Egypt various parts of the souls were represented by different water foul

– the Ba or life force the Jiburu Stork

– the Akh or transfigured self by the Crested Ibis (Thoth is the Sacred Ibis)

In Plato one reads that when a soul is reborn, it takes flight on the wings of a swan.

(thus the poem by W B Yeats – White Swans at Coole Park)

20

In tantra one of the most powerful mantras is HanSA – which is also the “in and out breath.

Hamsa can also mean “swan” or “goose” – and like many cultures the Hindus envisioned the

lungs as the wings of a bird.

21

Read this fact in conjunction with following summary from

David Gordon White’s “Kiss of the Yogini”

“The Yoginis whose cults were central to Kaula practice had the following features: (1) they

were a group of powerful, sometimes martial, female divinities with whom human female

“witches” were identified in ritual practice. (their power was intimately connected to the flow of

blood, both their own menstrual and sexual emissions, and the blood of their animal (and

human?) victims; (3) they were essential to tantrik initiation in which they initiated male

practitioners through fluid transactions via their “mouths”;

22

(4) they were possessed of the power of flight; (5) they took the form of humans, animals or

birds; (7) their temples were generally located in isolated areas, on hilltops or prominences and

were usually round and often hypaethral; and (8) they were never portrayed as practicing yoga

for the simple reason that yoga as we know it had not yet been invented.”

23