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Issue 43  /  March–May 2009
SEX
The Good, the Strange, and the Sacred

For our second issue under the name EnlightenNext, we take an in-depth look at the always provocative relationship between sex and spirituality. Surveying the latest trends in the field—including the neo-tantric dharma of David Deida, the One Taste community’s practice of “orgasmic meditation,” and psychologist Jenny Wade’s research into transcendent sexual experiences—we deliver a thought-provoking exploration that you won’t want to miss. Featuring: Ken Wilber, Steve McIntosh, Andrew Cohen, Gary Lachman, Shawn Phillips, Michael Murphy, special tributes to Adi Da Samraj and Marilyn Ferguson, John White’s “sci-fi books for evolutionaries,” and more.

Note: This issue contains explicit language and content.



· Buy this issue · Back issues
 
table of contents
Andrew Cohen

Editorial

Andrew Cohen

features
Is Sex a Path to God?

THE GURU AND THE PANDIT

Is Sex a Path to God?

Andrew Cohen and Ken Wilber

Can tantric sex be a fast track to enlightenment? Or is the attempt to unite lust with liberation inherently fraught with peril? The Guru and the Pandit explore the multidimensional relationship between sex and spirituality.


Pulp Dharma
Pulp Dharma

He’s bold. He’s edgy. And he’s one of the most popular teachers on today’s sex-meets-spirit scene. But could David Deida’s neo-tantric dharma be the philosophical shell game of the century? EnlightenNext investigates in this adults-only exposé.

by Ross Robertson


Their Stroke of Insight
Their Stroke of Insight

Naked yoga? Sensual research? Orgasmic meditation? The One Taste community’s “urban monks” are forging a provocative new spiritual path. But can their metaphysics of masturbation take us all the way?

by Maura R. O’Connor


Transcendent Sex
Transcendent Sex

Developmental psychologist Jenny Wade takes a ride on the mystical side of sexuality with her groundbreaking study of strange awakenings in the bedroom.

Interview by Elizabeth Debold


The Genesis Device
The Genesis Device

Deep below the surface of the earth, the Large Hadron Collider is poised to answer scientists’ most pressing questions about the origin and structure of the universe. What new conceptions of the cosmos await us?

by Tom Huston


The Buddha of the North
The Buddha of the North

Discover the life of Emanuel Swedenborg—scientist, statesman, and mystic extraordinaire—whose easy access to altered states made him one of the world’s foremost cartographers of human consciousness.

by Gary Lachman


 
departments
News from an emerging culture
PULSE: News from an emerging culture

Richard Dawkins supports Public Displays of Atheism;
Ray Kurzweil’s Singularity is near; EnlightenNext picks the top ten spiritual clichés; an interview with human potential pioneer Michael Murphy; remembering Adi Da and Marilyn Ferguson; the many colors of Christ; Politics and the Occult; and more.

 
Sky to Street
Closet Mystics
Closet Mystics

Hidden away on the jagged coastline of California’s Big Sur, the Esalen Institute’s secret society of scholars are quietly defining the cosmology of the future.

by Joel Pitney

 
Voices from the Edge
Map of Afghanistan
Winning in Afghanistan

Should Pakistan annex Afghanistan? An integral philosopher’s bold strategy to redefine the outdated border between two of the world’s most volatile nations.

by Steve McIntosh

 
The Beauty We Create
The Beauty We Create

Postmodern art turned its back on the beautiful and elevated the mundane. But can culture evolve without beauty to compel us forward?

by Carol Ann Raphael

 
 
Shawn Phillips
Natural Selection

Reviews of books and film

Plus: Books for Evolutionaries with John White;
an interview with Shawn Phillips.

 
Peter Ragnar
HEALTH

Is Sex a Blessing or a Curse?

by Peter Ragnar

 
Kosmic Concepts
KOSMIC CONCEPTS

Defining “Postmodern”

by Tom Huston

 


Karma-Free Sex
EVOLUTIONARY ENLIGHTENMENT
Karma-Free Sex

by Andrew Cohen