L. Ron Gardner

As a spiritual teacher, the complaint I most often hear from students is: "I don’t experience spiritual energy (or Shakti or Kundalini). What should I do?"

My answer to these students is: Practice celibacy, which means abstaining from both sexual intercourse and masturbation.

The practice of celibacy is not about morality; it’s about energy. Simply put, when one desists from sexual orgasm, the conserved vital energy can easily be transmuted into increased spiritual energy. And if one has not awakened spiritual energy, the practice of celibacy can provide the boost to awaken it.

Anyone who practices meditation will discover that his practice improves when sexual energy is conserved. This doesn’t mean that you must practice celibacy the rest of your life. It just means that you should experiment with it and see how it impacts your spiritual life. I’ve periodically practiced celibacy over the decades, and when I practice it, my meditation always improves. But when I became an advanced practitioner, the spiritual benefits of celibacy decreased for me. In other words, celibacy is most helpful for beginning and intermediate students. Once you’ve awakened intense Shakti and can "pull it down" at will, then celibacy, though always spiritually beneficial, becomes less important.

Because we’re human beings, it’s common to "fail" at times when we attempt to practice celibacy. But if you "fall off the wagon," simply resume you attempt to conserve your sexual energy.

Diet is very important if you want to practice celibacy. If you eat big, hard-to-digest meals loaded with stimulating spices (onions, garlic, and pepper), then you will find yourself horny and likely to fail. Eat simple, small meals and cut out meat, onions, garlic, pepper, and alcohol.

In addition to a strict diet, avoid sexual stimulation. Watching porno when you’re practicing celibacy is like spending time in a bakery when you’re on a diet.

Celibacy is similar to fasting: Just as the first few days of a fast are the hardest, the first couple of weeks of sexual abstinence can be the most difficult. But once you’ve made it a couple of weeks, you should really begin to notice the difference in your meditation.

In Hindu Yoga, a yogi who practices celibacy (or Brahmacharya) is called a Brahmachari. Real celibacy, or purity, is to live in Brahman (or God). Hence, a true celibate actually practices constant "intercourse" – with Brahman. And if you want to live in Brahman, you will find that abstaining from carnal intercourse is a great aid to achieving God intercourse.

L. Ron Gardner is the author of two books: Electrical Christianity: A Revolutionary Guide to Jesus' Teachings and Spiritual Enlightenment and Beyond the Power of Now: A Guide to, and Beyond, Eckhart Tolle's Teachings. For information see his website: www.electricalspirituality.com

Hour-long interview by Conscious Evolution Media: youtube.com/watch?v=E2vIicJrZQQ

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