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Sex, Gender, and Genes Is it only about the ‘entanglement’ of cells?

This poster session is an artistic exploration of the term ‘entanglement’ a term borrowed from quantum mechanics, and used in relation to sexuality. Accompanying the poster is a paper exploring sexuality from evolutionary and mystical perspectives. I begin the paper by defining entanglement and how it relates to the subject of sexuality. I further explore the terms dependency, self- sufficiency, interdependence, interconnectedness, and their relationship to love and sexuality. Next I define sexuality, and briefly trace the evolution of human sexuality and the various theories on why sex is part of human nature. I go on to explore how sexuality has been misused, the ramifications of what it means to our spirituality and what can be done to elevate the human sexual act back into the sacred. Drawing from writings and talks by Dr. John Douillard, the Mystic Almine, Naqshbandi Sufi teacher Llewellyn Vaughn Lee, the Spiritual Catalyst Teal Swan, psychologist and yoga teacher Mariana Caplan, and Christian Pastor Robert Bell, I begin to see hope for humanity to make the shift from viewing sexuality as a commodity into giving it the sacred and spiritual status it so rightfully deserves.

Sex, Gender, and Genes Is it only about the ‘entanglement’ of cells? By Suzy Adra For Poster Session Science and Non-Duality Conference San Jose, CA October 24, 2014 Sex, Gender, and Genes 2 Sex, Gender, and Genes 1- Flower of Life. Acrylics and 24 karat gold leaf on canvas. 28"x 25” 2- Yin and Yang. Acrylics and 24 karat gold leaf on canvas. 19” x 16” 3 Sex, Gender, and Genes 4 Abstract This poster session is an artistic exploration of the term ‘entanglement’ a term borrowed from quantum mechanics, and used in relation to sexuality. Accompanying the poster is a paper exploring sexuality from evolutionary and mystical perspectives. I begin the paper by defining entanglement and how it relates to the subject of sexuality. I further explore the terms dependency, self- sufficiency, interdependence, interconnectedness, and their relationship to love and sexuality. Next I define sexuality, and briefly trace the evolution of human sexuality and the various theories on why sex is part of human nature. I go on to explore how sexuality has been misused, the ramifications of what it means to our spirituality and what can be done to elevate the human sexual act back into the sacred. Drawing from writings and talks by Dr. John Douillard, the Mystic Almine, Naqshbandi Sufi teacher Llewellyn Vaughn Lee, the Spiritual Catalyst Teal Swan, psychologist and yoga teacher Mariana Caplan, and Christian Pastor Robert Bell, I begin to see hope for humanity to make the shift from viewing sexuality as a commodity into giving it the sacred and spiritual status it so rightfully deserves. Sex, Gender, and Genes 5 We are each of us angels with only one wing and we can only fly embracing each other Luciano De Crescenzo Science has discovered that the universe is made up of particles that are in constant interaction and are both positive (male, projecting) and negative (female, receptive). Entanglement as defined in quantum mechanics is the interaction and connection of these particles in energy and matter regardless of the distance between them (Rouse, 2006). Although the term entanglement may also be used in reference to relationships, my main focus here is exploring the definition of entanglement as it relates to sexuality. By understanding the theory of quantum entanglement we learn that everything is connected and in constant interaction, despite the fact that we do not see this with our eyes there is always subtle interaction taking place on a quantum level. Everything in us and outside of us is in constant interaction. If everything is interacting this implies dependency. Our cells need each other for survival. Many have argued against dependency as that which destroys relationships. Several gurus these days are proponents of self-sufficiency, learn to live alone, love your own company and you will find happiness. ‘Do not fulfill your needs through others’ has become the mantra of the age. It helps to distinguish between fulfilling ones needs through others and needing others for our survival. These are two different things. Interdependence and interconnectedness are not bad words. An example of one way we as humans seek connection is through our sexuality (Bell, 2012). Sexuality is about seeking to experience a feeling of oneness and yet has been exploited by us humans and has become a commodity. Further, the definition of sexuality does not relate solely to the act of lovemaking but also extends to include every aspect of our life that brings out feelings of passion, joy, creativity and wonder. Like eating a ripe fruit, wearing our favorite Sex, Gender, and Genes 6 outfit, and watching the sunrise. All these events create feelings of bliss within us (Almine, 2009). I recently read a blog post by the spiritual catalyst also known as Teal Swan that inspired this paper and artwork. Teal wrote that if we look closely at independence we notice that it separates us from the group and brings about feelings of isolation. When we isolate, we are in duality. There is me and there is them. Accordingly, independence is a paradigm that does not really exist! You are dependent just by existing. We need the sun, the wind and the stars, we need the water and the earth and we need each other. This dependence is what allows for connection and in turn for becoming one. Teal concludes her post saying it is time to create ‘empowered interdependence, instead of powerless dependence’(2014). How do we go about creating empowered interdependence? The first step is acknowledging that it is okay to need one another. The psychotherapist, Katherine Woodward Thomas writes: “The simple truth is that human beings need other human beings. And while men and women may not need one another for economic survival any longer, we do need one another for nurturing and for emotional wellbeing. We all need to feel connected, valued, cared for, and respected. These experiences do not exist in a vacuum. They exist in relationship to one another. We’ve become so afraid of appearing too needy that many of us have given up a healthy sense of entitlement. Many of us have given up entirely on expressing our needs to others. It’s appropriate for us to go into a relationship with the intention of caring for the needs of another, with the anticipation that our needs for love, connection, and belonging will be cared for in return. It’s part of what makes us human. Love Sex, Gender, and Genes 7 requires that we give up a certain degree of autonomy and allow ourselves to become unguarded and accessible. Love is about feeding one another. It is about coming to rely on this exchange and to depend upon it for our health and well-being. Loving relationships must include the ability to be vulnerable enough to depend upon someone (2004, p. 27).” While contemplating the subject of love within this idea of dependency, I began to contemplate its relationship to sex. I soon had the insight that it is sex, not love that creates feelings of attachment and connection in a relationship. Also that sex is indeed a sacred and spiritual act. The pastor Rob Bell says that sex solidifies a loving relationship (2012). Leonard Shlain, in his book Sex, Time and Power traces the reasons sex evolved in Homo sapiens to the need for iron. Yes, blood iron. Shlain argues that human digestive systems can only absorb iron from animal meat. Early women recognized that they lost iron due to menses, pregnancy, delivery, placenta loss, nurturing babies in their wombs and breast-feeding and thus exchanged sex only with the men who could provide them with meat (2003, pp. 23-36). In Shlain’s eyes, having an orgasm was essential to the continuation of the species. According to Shlain and proponents, Homo sapiens are obsessed with sex, the reason is not because of repression, but because of a genetic predisposition (2003, pp. 109-110). Geneticists believe that the purpose of sex is for the mixing of the races. Molecular biologists believe it is for repairing DNA, while ecologists are more interested with which species are asexual and which are sexual (Ridley,1993, p. 41). The Red Queen theory states that sex is not about adapting but it is about acquiring the ability to combat the enemy (Ridley, 1993, p.65). Maybe the reason humans have sex is a combination of all the above, but I prefer not to reduce the reason to any of what has been stated so far. Perhaps sex is a way to preserve the Sex, Gender, and Genes 8 species and strengthen DNA, but there is more to it than just that. Here is where I get to the main point I am trying to make in this paper: I speculate that the sexual act makes us feel connected because while we are present physically something also happens on a mechanical quantum level. This ‘something’ is part of the mystical nature of sexuality. As the theory of entanglement states: two particles at a huge distance apart can communicate with one another instantly, which means something is connecting them faster than the speed of light. If particles connect at huge distances, they must connect at very close proximity. One does not need to be a quantum scientist to realize that our bodies are communicating on physical as well as quantum levels. Sex is the expression of love. Love is the force behind the unity of life: “The energetic filed of quantum consciousness itself is the divine activity of pure love (Varan, 2013).” Because of love’s intangible nature, quantum mechanics maybe a way to understand how this subtle connection we call love works. Sadly, the power of sex has been abused by society. Social programming and the things they tell us about what is appropriate and what is not have really influenced what and how we think about sex. We either shun it as evil and a sin, or we over indulge in it until it becomes an addiction. These are two very harmful extremes with very harmful results. In Sex God, Pastor Rob Bell says humans combine both animal and angel traits as described in Genesis. Humans are made of a combination of animal instincts and an awareness we call consciousness (2012). The sacredness of sexuality has been completely wiped away by the media. They have an invested interest in keeping humanity blind to the fact that sex if viewed as and performed as a sacred act can actually aid in liberation and enlightenment. The media would prefer humanity to remain blind and ignorant, falling into the ‘consumerism’ pitfall of porn, objectification and addiction reducing what is sacred into a mere commodity and a lucrative business. I am simply Sex, Gender, and Genes 9 trying to make sense of a taboo subject that we are taught to view as a ‘sin’ when in reality is one of the most sacred acts we ever perform on this earth. A powerful description of how sex has been misused is one discussed by the Ayurvedic physician, John Douillard (2014). Douillard explains in a recent teleseminar that sexuality is a means to experience pure consciousness and transcend the ego. Douillard says we are all born of a pure satvic nature1, if we hold in that goodness, our neurological system collapses because we are born from love and therefore must give love. The key here, according to Douillard for a healthy neurological system is ‘giving love’. Sex is one of the tools to express this purity. It allows us to experience oneness. There are many channels or nadis in our body that can carry this energy of love. Out of seventy thousand channels, only six carry sexual energy. These nadis travel from the base of the spine to the top of the head. The energy of pure love resides at the base of our spine. Yoga and meditation allows the prana or life force to move through the body, activating these channels in the body. At the time of activation, the energy will choose one channel to move through to the top of the head. If you have a life that is more traumatic, the pathway is not so direct but the more balanced the childhood the easier it is to enter into a direct Kundalini rising. The three main channels for Kundalini to rise through are: the brahma nadi through the nose, shushumna nadi which goes from the base of the spine through every chakra, vajra nadi goes to the brain centers in the side of the head and cortex. This starts in the sex organs. Douillard believes that what has happened mostly in Western society is that around seventeen years of age sexual development activates the last channel, the vajra nadi which does not give the spiritual satisfaction and leaves the person wanting more sex. This he calls ‘saraswati’ rising. 1 Satvic means pure, and is from the root Sattva in Sanskrit meaning purity. Sex, Gender, and Genes 10 From the Vedic perspective when you have a lot of sex early on in life, that’s the nadi you use for spiritual rising. Saraswati rising produces the addiction to the energy of sex. Love is experienced when there is a direct Kundalini rising. How can we experience more Kundalini rising as opposed to saraswati rising? The answer is simple: integration. Psychotherapist and yoga teacher Mariana Caplan explains that Tantric philosophy is a method of integrating our being (2009, p.160). Tantra is about appreciating the body because it is the manifestation of the divine, it is the doorway to experiencing the world. Most esoteric traditions teach that there is one non-dual, formless eternal source of existence and we as manifest reality are separate from it. Tantra on the other hand teaches that both the dark and the light ( angelic and animal ) serve in helping us know which is not knowable, when we reject parts of ourselves we reject union with the Divine (Almine, 2014). Duality and non-duality are not separate , so duality is not the illusion or Maya, it is our relationship with the duality that is the illusion (Caplan, 2009, p.163). When we learn to access, understand, and direct our sexual energy, it can be used for any number of purposes, including accessing higher knowledge, supporting creative endeavors, simply enjoying the precious gift of human pleasure. We need to have a conscious relationship to sexual energy (Caplan, 2009, p.174). It is important to understand our life force (prana) and how it gets depleted and restored before we can engage in sexual tantric techniques (Caplan, 2009, p.175). This is what integration looks like. Accepting all parts of ourselves. Approaching sexuality with consciousness results in enhanced energy, increased consciousness, and awareness. Almine writes: “ To truly experience another is a matter of the heart. The mind and senses can only appreciate the form, but the heart can know the divine essence within. In Sex, Gender, and Genes 11 this way another being, whether a partner or a lover, become the doorway that leads from the world of mirrors into that which is real (2009, pp. 191-193).” Almine goes on to describe the stages of sexual development. We can also call it sexual consciousness. According to her, there are four stages in how the sexes relate to each other (2009, pp.101-108): 1- Seeking sameness (infant to toddler) 2- Seeking sameness with interest (seven to early teens) 3- Understanding the opposite by experiencing it within the familiar (late teens, early twenties) 4- Experiencing the opposite ( mid twenties and later) Almine writes that there are even deeper stages of sexuality with advanced spiritual evolution. The first stage is that before God-consciousness, the second is the two stages of Godconsciousness, while the third is re-entering the human condition and the fourth is ascended mastery: 1- Opposites merge : the masculine and feminine become balanced. 2- All is experienced within and the need for sex becomes ‘nonsensical’ (2009, p.107). 3- Examining humanness within oneness: sex becomes sacred and no longer is directed through the physical. 4- Seeking only sameness: Sex is not necessary and becomes solely a sacred act. Almine also describes three types of orgasm in one of her podcasts. The first is the orgasm of the body, the second is the emotional orgasm and that which is experienced where there is deep love or a connection to nature, and the third is that of the spirit referred to as rapture. The core origin of an orgasm is gratitude (2012). Sex, Gender, and Genes 12 Naqshbandi Sufi teacher, Llewellyn Vaughn Lee mentioned in a recent talk that it is up to us to reclaim our connection to the divine Feminine (2014). Sex is a celebration of the divine, while orgasm is a way to experience the soul. Thus there is a deep connection between sexuality and spirituality. They both utilize Kundalini energy or earth energy. Vaughn Lee goes on to say that most of the esoteric teachings about sexuality have become lost and it is important that we re-discover them, we cannot reinvent these teachings. A first step to access them is by honoring the sexual act as sacred in ourselves. Many spiritual teachers and leaders will agree that something “mystical” happens with sex. It is the expression of divine love and a mingling of two souls (Bell, 2012, Chapters, 6-8). As more and more of us move deeper into connection with our self and integrate both our light and our dark, our feminine and masculine polarities, we are helping shift our consciousness back into knowing of this esoteric wisdom. There are many spiritual teachers who are urging us to rediscover the divine feminine in ourselves and in all life. The mystic Almine’s teachings are steeped with information about the divine feminine and the way to activate and integrate this aspect of being in all that we do whether we are male or female. It is imperative that we start listening and applying all these ancient teachings that have re-surfaced and continue to do so. It is no secret that all of creation is a balance of yin and yang, the feminine and the masculine. It reflects a timeless eternal divine dance. Sex, Gender, and Genes 13 References Almine. 2009. Journey to the Heart of God. Mystical Keys to Immortal Mastery. Newport, Oregon. Spiritual Journeys, LLC. Almine. 2012. Answers for Light Workers. Becoming Heralds of Hope. Retrieved from www.spiritualjourneys.com Almine. (2014, April). Unpublished Personal Notes from Toronto, Canada retreat. Bell, R. (2012, July, 10). Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections Between Sexuality and Spirituality [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from www.itunes.apple.com Caplan, M. 2009. Eyes Wide Open. Cultivating Discernment on the Spiritual Path. Boulder, Colorado: Sounds True. Douillard, J. 2014. Episode 10. Love, Sex, and Yoga.[Video Podcast]. Retrieved from: http://lifespa.com/webinar-love-sex-yoga/ Ridley, M. 1993. The Red Queen. Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature. New York: Harper Perennial. Rouse, M. 2006. Entanglement. Retrieved from: http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/entanglement Shlain, L. 2003. Sex, Time, and Power. How Women’s Sexuality Shaped Human Evolution. New York: Penguin Books. Swan, T. 2014. The Acorn. Retrieved from: http://blog.thespiritualcatalyst.com/the-acorn/ Varan, V. 2013. Consciousness, Love, and Healing. Retrieved from: http://consciousnessloveandhealing.com/?tag=love-as-quantum-consciousness Vaughn Lee, L. 2014. Mystery of the sacred feminine, sexuality and the sacred. Retrieved Sex, Gender, and Genes From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxjuotDU3II&list=PL3zKED8yspIc7ajRtv ZoTwtLHwhFp18w3&index=4 Woodward Thomas, K. 2004. Calling in the One. New York: Three Rivers Press. 14