Free Republic

Tantra has intrigued Westerners since the 1960s, when patchouli-perfumed shops sold little bottles of body oils and "Joy of Sex"-style manuals jazzed up with a bit of Eastern flair, products that were marketed as spiritual aids that would catapult users into heretofore unknown realms of sexual ecstasy. And yes, according to Tantric practitioner Margot Anand, satisfying sex is indeed one of Tantra's sacraments, but not as an end in itself. Tantra teaches that giving and receiving pleasure helps people get past fear, ignorance, desire and false beliefs while bringing them into harmony with the divine. Anand, author of many books,...