2011 – Masturbation as polarity

I’ve been reading an article for class about the connection between the modern privacy and “the ancient sin” of masturbation. What I am finding is fascinating, just how we are directed in this world through self interest, fear, beliefs…

At first I didn’t want to read the article because of a resistance towards the topic, I am suppose to chose two articles and write about them but I was embarrassed to hand in the article about masturbation, I was both drown to it and avoiding it at the same time. When I saw I was avoiding this specific article I knew there is a point for me to walk through and decided to take it on.

So, apparently people use to masturbate since forever, cause it just feels nice I guess. Most major religions considered masturbation to being one of the worst sins, a sin that you cannot redeem yourself from. Although the Islamic and the Greeks had some common sense from this perspective, and considered masturbation to be a practical way to deal with what could be aggressive or abusive sexual expression…

Anyway, up until around the 18^th hundred masturbation wasn’t a big deal, until… taken from wiki: “The first use of the word “onanism” to consistently and specifically refer to masturbation appears to be Onania, an anonymous pamphlet first distributed in London in 1716. It drew on familiar themes of sin and vice, this time in particular against the “heinous sin” of “self-pollution”. After dire warnings that those who so indulged would suffer impotence, gonorrhea, epilepsy and a wasting of the faculties (included were letters and testimonials supposedly from young men ill and dying from the effects of compulsive masturbation) the pamphlet then goes on to recommend as an effective remedy a “Strengthening Tincture” at 10 shillings a bottle and a “Prolific Powder” at 12 shillings a bag, available from a local shop.” At this time the social and economic system had started to change in the direction of individualism,/modernism,/capitalism… it’s amazing to see how it really all connects and how we have been allowing ourselves to be puppets to this abusive and self interest system…

After the pamphlet came out many physicians started publishing how masturbation is a disease, and basically the intellectuals started a ‘buzz’ about masturbation creating diseased on one hand and being for the weak minded on the other, basically creating fear within this basic act that even babies express themselves through, as self touch and self pleasure. So at this time masturbation was considered both dangerous and sinful.

Two points I see as fascinating, the first is the power of reverse psychology, you tell someone what you don’t want them to do and that what they want more than anything… so creating this moral code against masturbation actually just made it more interesting and appealing… creating fear didn’t stop the “epidemic”, perhaps even made it worse, but either way, it created a layer of guilt and shame because people now believe they were doing something wrong and dangerous, yet there are drown to it, desire it, and secretly do it… It’s an interesting thing, this polarity of masturbation, we fear it but are drawn to it, desire it but feel shame for doing it.

The second point, is how everything is connected to money and self interest. This is also taken from wiki on masturbation, get this: “Many “remedies” were devised, including eating a bland, meatless diet. This approach was promoted by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (inventor of of corn flakes) and Rev. Sylverster Graham (inventor of Graham crackers)” – just goes to show us that when polarity is being promoted there is always someone making a profit.

Isn’t it fascinating that so much in our lives, of our thoughts, perspectives and beliefs has been directed by others through their self interests, through our fears, through our lack of self direction, self trust, self realization and self intimacy?

If we would learn to know ourselves within self honesty we wouldn’t be so gullible to believe as sheep everything ‘they’ tell us to believe.

I am so grateful to desteni for the tools I am learning.since I started walking with desteni, this process of self realization as the principle of equality, I see everything more clearly, I have become a much more critical thinking through the eyes of equality. I can now support myself with the principle of equality, to guide me when I am not sure of what makes sense, when I am too blind to see. Anything that is created within polarity isn’t of equality, but it doesn’t mean it is good or bad, just needs to be re-assets and re-defined.

I saw masturbation as a point of polarity, but does that mean it is a “no no”? at first I thought so, but now I realize that it can be done as one with self. Not as the mind, within thoughts and images, rather here as breath. It can be a cool way to explore self within the physical touch, as the body. Not as a “quick fix” to get an orgasm, but as a time of self intimacy, a time of self touching self the way self wants to be touched, with care and attention.

After redefining masturbation to myself, it holds no more polarity within it, it is simply an act of self support, self expression, and self exploration. And when polarity comes up as shame or guilt it is a point within me to look at and clear, alwasy going back to self.

thanks

For more information to explore and research further the point of equality and polarity visit:

www.desteni.co.za

and for more information about the Desteni “I” Process visit:

www.desteniiprocess.com

enjoy