Man’s Task in Love
Man must be willing to confront his sexual self. This is a momentous task since the drive of the sexual self is the fundamental energy behind every action in existence. The energy of sex is intrinsic to the life force, which supports the principles of nature and the procreative instinct amongst the myriad species of the earth. It’s only in human affairs that sex sullies the harmony of life, perpetuating the pain of existence as an unconscious demand for self-satisfaction whatever the price.
A man willing to be more responsible for love must first examine his life to see how sex controls his actions in the world. He must make the necessary changes to transform the ingrained sexual urges that manipulate him in his daily activities. It’s the attachment to the sexual feelings and psychic intensity that keeps man sexually loaded. As a consequence, he’s continually primed for sexual release by looking at women through predatory eyes or studying erotic images. This inner pressure is usually relieved through masturbation or physical sex as an animalistic urge for orgasm.
The world has little time for the truth of life – and even less for love. It’s up to the individual man to take up the challenge as the mythical Arthur with his sword Excalibur. The sword symbolises the penis, which in its purified state has the power to slay the inner beast of sex. Initially, the task of the penis is to enter the female lovingly to gather the tensions and stresses of the world that have lodged in the vagina. This connects the woman to her essential nature of love. It is a most honourable undertaking in man because, to do this, there cannot be the normal unconscious lovemaking and fantasy images to excite the mind and emotions. Man must be willing to transcend the habitual need for orgasm and let it happen naturally without looking to release his semen every time he makes love. The penis becomes an organ of love, and less demanding, as a man attunes himself to the reality of his interior world. In becoming more conscious of his inner space, the man transforms the coarser energies of sexual greed and is able to appreciate the finer octave of beauty in the sensual exchange of love.
The fascination and pleasure of the genitals, both as a child and then into adulthood, creates a separate consciousness centre. For man in particular, the task is to broaden the concentric pleasure waves of the genital region to encompass the totality of his body consciousness. Increasing stillness greatly enhances his presence in lovemaking so as to enter more profoundly the mystery of the vagina. He develops a sense of love that is sensitive and alert. When making love, the sublime pleasure is the means in which to transcend the threshold of existence. The idea is to merge with the extraordinary beauty and participate in the love being made by the source of love itself. This is divine love: the original consciousness of life that is always present underneath the personal drive for sex.
It takes a long time to get it right because the resistance in the bodies is compacted in layers of granite-like matter. These layers of past are symbolised by the strata of earth which archaeologists study when excavating the soil at historical sites. The deeper the penetration, the harder the substance – and the greater the resistance to love. Arthur could only draw Excalibur from the rock because he had purified his sexual self, thus demonstrating his worthiness to be master of his realm. When the greater part of man yields to love, he too is able to harness the sword of truth. This is the integrity that resides in the depths of his being.