Society for Sacred Sexuality

Gary Joseph · Posted: August 19, 2009

Modern science verifies the human potential promised by sacred sex.

The Society for Sacred Sexuality makes many claims about the personal and societal effects of sacred sex. Among them are:

sacred sex leads to experience of Sacred Union, a state of spiritual awakening;
repeated Sacred Union leads to permanent awakening -- Sexual Enlightenment;
many sacred sex practitioners in society bring about global awakening;
group practice of sacred sex (Sacred Sex Ritual) hastens global awakening.

These may sound far-fetched to those unfamiliar with sacred sex. Yet leading-edge science is coming to verify the truth of it.

Before we explore this objective science, note that complete science explains both objective and subjective reality, and verifies both. To that end, sacred sex science explains related subjective and objective experiences, including:

Sacred Union (including objective criteria);
Sexual Enlightenment (including verification through objective events).

These comprise the subjective and 'soft' objective science of sacred sex. They complement the hard science we explore below.

Aside from subjective and objective experience though, complete science must also provide comprehensive theory. Sacred sex science gives this as well, explaining various matters:

Origin of Sacred Sex - place of sacred sex in creation;
Your Sacred Sex Family - interface between individual & creation;
Journey of the Soul - relation between personal & cosmic evolution;
Sacred orgasm (glossary) - clearly defined experience, including physiological basis;
Sexual Enlightenment (glossary) - clearly defined steps to awakening;
Male/Female Androgyny - verifies sexual wholeness in everyone;
Gender Identity - verifies gender wholeness in everyone;
Inner & Outer Erogenous Zones - verifies organs for two types of sex: common & sacred;
Utopia - universal principles underlying sacred sex;
Sacred Desire - validates sacred sex values;
Myth of Evil - refutes non-sacred sex values;
Sacred Sex Society - applies sacred sex to every area of society;
Sacred Sex Ritual (mechanics of global awakening).

With that overview, let's look at the hard science that supports sacred sex.

The science relating to sacred sex covers two matters. First is the issue of spiritual awakening in general (including global awakening). Second is the connection of sacred sex to that broader field. First then, let's look at spiritual awakening in general, and see how science verifies it.

Spiritual awakening is first and foremost a subjective experience. Still, nearly all experiential traditions (mainly from the East) teach that they are grounded in objective reality. And while all these traditions evolved in ages before science was capable of verifying them, science today is 'catching up' to the truths taught in times past. This applies to the phenomena of both personal and global awakening.

First, scientific theory is catching up. Discovery of quantum fields underlying existence give a mechanism for coherent and non-localized effects. Unified field theories give a means to understand the unity of all things. While these do not prove spiritual awakening per se, they give a rational explanation for its possible existence. Spiritual awakening no longer flies in the face of science, as some may have claimed based on laws of classical physics. The new science is also a powerful tool for understanding the growing research that does point to spiritual awakening.

Let's look at that now.

More than just a unique subjective experience, most traditions that assert this type of spiritual awakening describe it as a distinct state of consciousness. It's not just like wearing rose-colored glasses; it's having an entirely new state of mind.

This sounds vague (and maybe impossible) to most people, but in fact, you experience it yourself every single day. Physiologists now recognize three common, distinct states of consciousness: waking, dreaming, and deep sleep.

Note that the difference between them isn't about being in a better mood or thinking more positively, etc. It is an entirely different mode of experience (or lack thereof, in the case of deep sleep).

The best way to see the distinction between states of consciousness is to compare waking and dreaming. Both are subjective experiences, yet entirely different. In waking, you experience the outside world through the senses, and interact with it through rational thought. In dreaming, you interact with a wholly subjective world through imaginative, often irrational thought. Most significant, in each state of consciousness you are absolutely sure that it is 'real'.

Your subjective consciousness shapes your entire perception of reality. Your entire relation to your objective world changes. (In both waking and dreaming, you experience the 'objective' world through the senses. You dream about houses, cars, sports, people, all of which you see & hear, etc. in your dream. Yet these are entirely different than the people and cars of waking state.)

Dream consciousness is so real that it is only when you wake up that you know you were dreaming. Indeed, spiritual traditions often use this exact analogy to describe awakening: only when you rise to higher consciousness do you realize that your former waking state was a 'dream'.

Since most people live in this 'dream' waking state from cradle to grave, never waking up to higher consciousness, they are absolutely convinced it is 'real'. And since virtually everyone in the world does the same, and has done so throughout history, this 'reality' becomes written in stone. That is why the world has such difficulty understanding and accepting a Christ, Buddha, Lao Tzu, Confucius, or modern saints and mystics. These 'enlightened' ones live a different reality.

Fortunately, scientific advances allow us to objectively measure subjective states, and verify their existence. The primary method for this is study of brain wave activity (EEG). Physiologists now know that different states of consciousness have different EEG signatures, or brain wave patterns. A trained scientist can, looking only at EEG data, determine whether a person is awake, dreaming, or in deep sleep. What's more, despite radical differences in culture, lifestyle, points of view, learning & intelligence, and other factors, all people show the same basic EEG pattern in the same state of consciousness. (The exception may be psychoses such as schizophrenia, which explain why these disturbed 'realities' are so hard to treat.)

If spiritual awakening is indeed a higher state of consciousness, scientists would expect to find a unique - and 'higher' - EEG. In fact, they do.

People reporting experiences of higher states of consciousness show increased brain wave coherence in their EEGs. This means that the brain is acting in a more integrated and orderly way. Rather than the usual random and chaotic functioning seen in common waking state, the whole brain acts as one. This directly corresponds to the subjective experience of 'Unity' described in higher states of consciousness.

Coherent brain functioning compares to common, incoherent functioning in the same way that laser light compares to common light, or magnetic iron compares to common ore. Coherent states have higher properties not seen in the common one. It is the same material, just acting orderly. Coherent brain functioning means all neurons firing synchronously.

Imagine the type of subjective experience this might create. Envision all aspects of your mind - sensory perception, thought, memory, will, intuitive power, sense of self - all functioning at peak performance together.

While this may seem like a supernatural state, it is not. Physiologists estimate that we use just 5-15% of our mental potential. It's been speculated that Einstein used 25% of his. If we don't use this potential, why is it there?

A more provocative question is this: if brain capacity evolved as mankind used more and more of his faculties, how did our potential come to greatly outstrip our use? It contradicts evolutionary theory. Unless the evolutionary force driving us is part of that higher consciousness, leading us on to develop our full potential.

Then a different picture emerges: Enlightenment is our natural state. Common waking consciousness, which uses a small fraction of our potential, is sub-normal functioning. It is unevolved. Ask yourself this: which is normal, a car running at 10% peak efficiency or one running at 90-100%?

With that explanation, let's look at some of the objective measures of higher states of consciousness. Most of this has been done on meditative states. Meditation is one of the commonly prescribed practices for spiritual awakening.

Much of the pioneering research on meditative states studies the Transcendental MeditationÂ® program. TM meditators show increased brain wave coherence, indicated by coherent wave peaks on the otherwise flat-line chart:

(Non-meditators typically show little EEG coherence,
like during the rest period for beginning meditators.)

Brain wave coherence is measured in frequency and amplitude. Physiologists identify five main EEG frequencies, corresponding to different mental states & functioning:

Delta (low frequency, 1-4 Hz) - basic instinct, subconscious/unconscious, and deep sleep;
Theta (4-8 Hz) - drives, emotion, dream, trance states
Alpha (8-13 Hz) - normal waking consciousness, relaxed awareness
Beta (13-30 Hz) - busy or concentrated thought, mental alertness
Gamma (high frequency, 30+ Hz) - higher cognition, will, high energy, ecstasy

As seen in the TM study above, beginning meditators show coherence in the high theta/low alpha range during meditation only. Advanced meditators show coherence across the spectrum (gamma was not studied). The EEG coherence persisted before and after meditation, indicating growing permanent higher consciousness.

The TM group has a Brain Research Institute devoted to the study.

Other scientists use a method called brain mapping to study the EEG impact of different spiritual practices. Brain mapping gives a color image of coherence at different frequencies. The brain map studies below were conducted by the European Institute, New Brain, New World. First, let's look at a typical EEG in waking consciousness (no special practice):


	Typical EEG

Each oval represents a top view of the head for the frequency indicated (small triangle on top is the nose). Brain mapping shows the coherence at each frequency, using the spectrum to the left -- blue indicates low coherence and red shows high coherence, with green, yellow, & orange in between. (Gamma coherence is typically the same as high frequency beta, shown here.)

You can see that there is modest coherence in the alpha range (general waking awareness), but lower coherence at all other frequencies, especially high beta (higher faculties) and delta (instinct & subconscious). This is the sub-par mental state through which we typically view the world. It is also the semi-coherent functioning on which we act.

For context, compare this to the next charts, showing EEG in two altered states. To the left is the EEG of someone in a state of hypnotic trance. On the right is EEG coherence under the influence of Ayahuasca, a psychotropic drug used by Amazon Indians for shamanic purposes.


	Hypnotic Trance	Ayahuasca

In hypnotic trance, there is low/modest coherence at all frequencies. Under the influence of ayahuasca, there is increased alpha coherence, plus more coherent delta, theta, and (to a lesser degree) high beta.

The next charts show coherence in two spiritual practitioners. The left measures kriya yoga meditation, which uses various breathing techniques to raise consciousness. On the right is the EEG of a shamanic healer (not under the influence of ayahuasca).


	Kriya Yoga Meditation	Shamanic Healer

Both show increased coherence at all frequencies, especially alpha. (Alpha coherence indicates relaxed awareness, or quiet mind).

These charts show distinct brain functioning that corresponds to subjective reports of higher states of consciousness.

EEG is the best, but not the only way to verify subjective experience though. Physiologists are coming to understand that every subjective state has a corresponding physiological one. By studying changes in metabolism, biochemistry, etc., scientists can further verify special states of mind. The TM Program boasts 5 telephone book size reports of published research on various parameters.

Some of that research brings us to the second part of our inquiry into spiritual practice: it global impact. Modern science explains, and research verifies, the collective effect of spiritual awakening.

Quantum theory, with its unified understanding of creation - that everything is related via underlying fields - gives a framework for how this might occur. Known concepts like wave propagation and action-at-a-distance explain how people in higher states of consciousness might influence those around them. Established principles like resonance and entrainment explain how coherence might spread. And knowledge of the special properties of coherence itself suggests ways for its spread.

Wikipedia devotes a full topic to brainwave entrainment, including the following passage: