TANTRA: A Sacred Word Turned Into an Empty Label

My perspective on the contemporary distortions of an ancient practice

“Tantra”—a word that has become trendy. Whispered in yoga studios, chanted in spiritual retreats, presented as a gateway to divine sexuality… But are these references and practices that claim to be Tantra truly consistent with its origin, its genesis, and its sacred depth?

Too often, the word “Tantra” has become a seductive label, a spiritual veneer without precise content. The secrecy surrounding “tantric rites” is said to guarantee authenticity, mysterious power, and experiences reserved for the initiated.

Yet the truth is simple: tantric texts are not secret. They are complex, poetic, symbolic, difficult to translate—but accessible. What makes them obscure is not prohibition but the depth of the cultural, linguistic, and spiritual context in which they exist. The role of the interpreter becomes crucial: depending on their understanding, they can convey a path to liberation… or create a mirage.

Tantras did not appear ex nihilo. They belong to a spiritual chronology that probably begins with the Upanishads, continues through Patañjali’s Yoga Sutras, and the philosophy of Advaita Vedānta. Studying these traditions—or at least sensing their spirit—allows one to understand why Tantras emerged: they are sometimes a response, sometimes a challenge, to the limits of Vedic ritualism or the ascetic detachment of yogis. Each tantric current—Shaiva, Buddhist, or Shakta—has attempted, in its own way, to reconcile the world and the sacred.

Among them, the Kashmir Shaiva Tantras occupy a central place. These are the ones most frequently cited by contemporary neo-tantric movements as the foundation of their practices. But in most cases, the rites are largely distorted, and the practices reconstructed from scratch. Many have been developed by modern psychologists and therapists to provoke intense emotional states—forced breathing, hyperventilation, trance, ritualized nudity. Their goal is no longer the awakening of consciousness but the creation of an experience.

These techniques sometimes resemble mechanisms of manipulation: projection, emotional dependency, feelings of belonging to a community of initiates. They guide participants through an initiatory path in stages, structured around paid workshops and promises of access to “higher levels.” In some cases, this dynamic opens the door to real abuses of power.

“Tantra has been emptied of its soul, transformed into a commercial product based on the fantasy of the divine and sexuality at its heart.”

🕉️ The Original Meaning—and the Western Fantasy

Authentic Tantra does not focus on sex. It is an ancient, profound, and rigorous spiritual system: meditation, breathwork, ritual, philosophical reflection. Its goal? To transcend illusion, not to feed it. As Wei Wu Wei emphasizes:

“As long as subject is centred in a phenomenal object, and thinks and speaks therefrom, subject is identified with that object and is bound… Abandonment of a phenomenal centre constitutes the only ‘practice.’”
(The Book of Illumination, Wei Wu Wei)

This reminds us that placing the body, pleasure, or sexuality at the center of a practice as a path to awakening—as is often done in neo-tantric workshops—is a fundamental confusion: consciousness awakens not through performance but through presence.

In its modern version—neo-Tantra—the practice has been widely eroticized. Contemporary “tantric workshops” often use the word to denote sensual massages, nudity, and sexual exploration. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, as long as it is not presented as Tantra. By eroticizing it, one fosters a fantasy: sacred sexuality without the requirement of consciousness or ethics.

Yet these workshops often promise spiritual awakening. They speak of “reconnecting to the divine through pleasure” or “liberating the body as a gateway to consciousness.” In reality, these proposals often begin with vulnerability exercises: forced breathing, hyperventilation that induces a pseudo-trance, simulated states of ecstasy, eye-contact and touch games where openness is confused with exposure. This mix of sensuality and spirituality creates a seductive emotional intensity—but one that is rarely stable.

Many of these approaches rely on shock effects: practices inspired by passages from the Vijñāna Bhairava Tantra, a fundamental text of non-dual Kashmir Shaivism. This text describes 112 paths to consciousness, some involving careful observation of a moment of rupture—a fear, a startle, a suspension of breath, a flash of pleasure or pain. But these “shocks” are meant to be received when they naturally arise in life as spontaneous opportunities for awakening—never artificially induced to create an energetic peak or spectacular effect.

In Abhinavagupta’s Tantrāloka (10th century), this subtlety is clear: the tantric path consists of recognizing the consciousness already present in the heart of every experience, not forcing or simulating it. As Wei Wu Wei again reminds us:

“Past and Future are a duality of which Present is the reality. The now‑moment alone is eternal and real.”

Contemporary neo-Tantra, influenced notably by Osho, often reverses this logic. Where Kashmir Shaivism invites contemplation of experience until duality dissolves, neo-Tantra stages it to reproduce its effects. Awakening becomes a performance; practice, an emotion; emotion, a product. A “higher level” of consciousness is promised at the next—paid—workshop.

This shift is well documented by contemporary scholars. This logic of accumulation—more workshops, more sensations, more levels—stands in stark contrast to the slowness and sobriety of original Tantra, which is based on inner discipline, contemplation, and silent recognition of what is.

Finally, as Wei Wu Wei warns:

“Why are you unhappy? Because 99.9 percent of everything you think, and everything you do, is for your self — and there isn’t one.”

This perfectly illustrates the risk of neo-Tantra: focusing on pleasure or the body as a vector for awakening feeds the ego rather than dissolving it.

⚠️ When Spiritual Language Masks Manipulation

Misappropriated Tantra becomes dangerous when it is used to bypass personal boundaries or legitimize subtle exploitation. Under the guise of “kindness,” “sharing,” or “conscious intimacy,” some neo-tantric workshop leaders establish powerful psychological dynamics where emotional and bodily vulnerability becomes a tool of retention.

This logic has historical roots. From the 1970s, Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh) systematized the use of emotional catharsis and bodily shock in his Dynamic Meditations, mixing group therapy, ritualized sexuality, and emotional release. Several of his close collaborators were psychologists and psychiatrists trained in the approaches of Wilhelm Reich, Fritz Perls (Gestalt Therapy), or Arthur Janov (Primal Therapy). These influences helped structure practices where vulnerability and emotional dependency could be instrumentalized, creating an environment in which trust and personal freedom were easily manipulated.

A striking example of symbolic decontextualization occurs in some Western workshops: male participants are called “Shiva,” and their penis is designated as “Vajra”—a Sanskrit term meaning “diamond” or “thunderbolt,” a symbol of indestructibility and spiritual energy in classical Tantra.

In its original context, however, the vajra is a ritual artifact—a symbolic scepter representing the union of “skillful means” and “wisdom” in Vajrayāna tantric traditions, embodying the ultimate nature of reality rather than a sexual organ. Decontextualized, this vocabulary becomes a tool for masculine glorification and sexual performance, masking hierarchy and manipulation.

“When words are borrowed from mystery to cover strategy, the ritual may serve power more than presence.”
Translation: “When words are borrowed from mystery to cover strategy, the ritual may serve power rather than presence.”

This deviation reminds us that spiritual language can be used as an instrument of control, rather than a vector of consciousness or presence. The true intention behind a ritual or practice must always take precedence over mere performance or spectacle.

🔥 Sacredness Meets Sensuality: A Necessary Reflection

Sexuality is at the heart of life—sacred, wild, beautiful, and awkward. Divine sexuality exists, with its disorderly and imperfect animality. True Tantra is a philosophy of the sacred, a way to inhabit life in its totality. Sexuality may have a place, but only when it arises from a deep commitment to consciousness.

Reflecting on these aspects and sharing one’s experiences with others can be a rich path of learning. But this space cannot integrate physical sexual practices under the guise of spiritual workshops.

🏳️‍🌈 The Queer Context: When Desire Meets the Sacred

For many queer people, Tantra can represent a path of reconciliation with the body, a way to experience sensuality without shame. Yet our communities also carry wounds: rejection, solitude, intimacy-related trauma. When these wounds encounter poorly guided spiritual practice, it becomes a misleading mirror.

“Our thirst for love can make us blind to manipulation disguised as liberation.”

🌱 A Personal and Shared Path at Fantasy Farm

My passion for Yoga and spirituality began with my initiation in 2010. I soon realized that these aspects had inhabited me since childhood, yet following the Western model of performance, I had often harmed myself and gotten lost. Through teachings outside of ashrams and gurus, and my travels to sacred places in India, I drew closer to the original texts and experimented with a step-by-step path, connecting past and present experiences.

At Fantasy Farm, my goal is to create a space where anyone can explore, share, and understand their relationship to body, mind, and consciousness in an environment free of labels and dogma, where gender and sexual diversity are respected and celebrated.

As Sri Ramana Maharshi said:

“Your true nature is always whole, complete, and immutable. What you call the ego is a passing cloud. Observe it, but do not cling to it.”

And Jiddu Krishnamurti:

“Truth is not something you can reach by following a path laid out by someone else. It must arise within you, in clear observation of your own mind.”

Regarding Yoga, B.K.S. Iyengar reminds us:

“Yoga is a light that once lit, never dims. The more precise your practice, the brighter your flame shines.”

Within this framework, no Tantra or sexual workshops are offered, as they often attract misaligned intentions. Immersive retreats in small groups explore philosophical, tantric, and yogic aspects in a personalized way. Shorter, more compact retreats focus on the body and Yoga while leaving room for philosophical reflection and consciousness exploration.

✨ Conclusion

Fantasy Farm is not a place of spectacle or performance. It is a space where sacredness and consciousness can meet, where philosophy and practice illuminate each other. Personal transformation is not a product; it is the result of authentic, gradual exploration guided by presence and clarity.

Here, anyone can ask questions, welcome their experiences, and progress in respect for themselves and others. As Krishnamurti reminded us: truth arises from inner observation, not external promises. In this simplicity, Tantra regains its original meaning: not as performance, but as awakening of consciousness.

📚 References and Inspirations

• Wei Wu Wei, The Book of Illumination, 1968

• Sri Ramana Maharshi, teachings in Tiruvannamalai

• Jiddu Krishnamurti, The Awakening of Intelligence, 1973

• B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Yoga, 1966

• Abhinavagupta, Tantrāloka, 10th century

• Vijñāna Bhairava Tantra, Kashmir Shaivism

• Hugh B. Urban, Modernity and Neo-Tantra, Oxford University Press, 2022

• Nicolette Bell, Transgressing Tantra, 2024

This article was co-written with the help of ChatGPT to structure and rephrase my original ideas, references, and reflections.