The Lure of Masturbation   

A number of people, particularly men, have asked me to say something on the subject of masturbation. Firstly it’s to know that there’s nothing wrong with the act itself. The feelings of guilt that often follow are an effect of the absence of the fructification of love that only two bodies can produce in the flesh. Over time, a subconscious smear of shame covers the natural expression of pure sexuality which magnifies the dishonest nature of the self. The preoccupation with sex over the millennia without the presence of love has now saturated the human psyche to such an extent that pornography and graphic sexual content are now commonplace in modern society. The insidious effect on today’s young people is numbing their sensitivity to love and whetting the appetite for ever more intense experiences in adulthood.

Children and those in the transition of puberty should be encouraged to speak openly to parents and teachers about what’s happening in their body. But the question is whether those in a position of responsibility are up to the task when called upon to give guidance in love and wisdom in these matters. One of the great burdens for many adults is that the first introduction to the sexual energy of the unconscious has been tarnished by the fear of disapproval of the parents or guardians who have themselves suffered at the hands of the ignorance of the generation before. If a child lives in an environment of love, there will more chance of being able to openly communicate, not only about the changes happening to their body but in other areas of their life.

For a young boy or adolescent discovering for the first time the extraordinary pleasure of the genitals, the impact is immense. But the normal reaction is not to reveal this, especially in a household where there’s no acknowledgement of love nor any real communication between family members. Masturbation then becomes a solitary, isolating experience. For a young girl in her transition into womanhood and still in touch with the innocence of love, there can be a natural connection with the sensual experience of the body. The difficulty is that she often becomes confused and self-conscious due to the absorption of the sexual tensions gathered from the father and other males in the household. This is compounded by the bombardment of overt sexual content from the internet and society at large. She may then throughout her life suppress the spontaneity of her natural feminine nature or, conversely, flaunt it sexually to attract man. Sometimes she may masturbate to temporarily relieve herself of the unconscious energy absorbed from being in a world built on male sexual force.

Human beings lend themselves to the psychic possession of sex without love. In extremes this entices a person to masturbate excessively, often for many years or perhaps a lifetime. Such an individual will struggle to hold things together in a relationship and will function erratically in other areas of the life. The more frequently someone masturbates, the greater the attachment to orgasm as a conclusion to the lovemaking act. The sexual self relies on the repetition of experience to sustain its presence as a negative force within the personal subconscious. One of the common negative traits is a poor attention span due to the psychic interference of errant sexual energy unable to be eliminated from the psyche, the overall effect of which dulls the perception and vitally of the being. This can become more problematic should habitual use of recreational drugs be used to enhance a greater psychic intensity of experience.

I say again: it’s not to be judgmental should the impulse to masturbate arise and overwhelm the mind and emotions. Self-judgment feeds the sexual constriction within the psyche. The problem is not the masturbation itself but the misuse of the psyche. Without the imaginative element, the desire to masturbate gradually recedes and is eventually transcended as any personal need for sexual release. The conservation of vital energy usually dissipated in habitual sexual release instigates a natural restorative recovery. And should the opportunity arise to enter a relationship with the desire to be more conscious in love, the more the concentric pleasure waves of the body consciousness become aligned with the act of love itself. This brings a much broader vision of life and reality, and assists greatly the process towards a more balanced state of being. It’s a harder road for some than for others to break the pattern but it can be done. My writings on love and relationships contain guidance and practical advice in these areas.