Margot Anand

www.margotanand.com

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Books by Anand:
The Art of Sexual Sexual Ecstasy: The Tantric Path of Sacred Sexuality for Western Lovers
The Art of Sexual Magic: Cultivating Sexual Energy to Transform Your Life
Sexual Ecstasy: The Art of Orgasm
The Art of Everyday Ecstasy: The Seven Tantric Keys for Bringing Passion, Spirit, and Joy Into Every Part of Your Life

Summary: Anand is a pioneer and groundbreaker in some new approaches to sexuality . . . and while her message can potentially open some minds to some new ideas about "spirituality and sexuality," a great deal of her message is actually a "mirror of her own personal evolution".

Margot Anand is a pioneer author, lecturer, and teacher who appears to be leading lots of folks here in the Western world to bring esoteric practices of "tantric sexuality" (popularized as as "spiritual sexuality," or "sexual spirituality," or just new and better ways of making whoopie) to a popular Western audience.

A native of France, Margot graduated from Sorbonne University in Paris and spent decades on the spiritual-seeker scene, studying with the controversial spiritual teacher Osho in India (who gave her the name Margo Anand, which means "the path to bliss"), as well as several rounds of training in the pay-per-spiritual-weekend-retreat circuit: Gestalt Therapy, Bioenergetics, massage, meditation, Integral Yoga, etc. She eventually founded The SpiritWorks Church for Spiritual Partnerships and her own "SkyDancing Tantra" Institutes all around the world. Her teaching style is a synthesis (some might say, "cultural casserole") of Tibetan Buddhism, Taoist and Hindu tantric teachings, humanistic and transpersonal psychology, French erotic humor, American pragmatism, and Indian mysticism.

Since she began teaching in the 1970's and has been successfully reaching more and more folks, selling over 200,000 books and certifying thousands of additional teachers to help get her message out.

So, what is her work about?

"The illustrated, concise, and step-by-step guide
to giving "magical orgasms" to your partner."
"Help reveal and dissolve psychological and emotional blocks
inhibiting the flow of orgasmic energy."
"Enhance communication between love partners, deepening their sense of intimacy."
"Teach you, the woman, how to take responsibility for your sexual well-being."
"Teach you, the man, how to bring a woman to orgasmic ecstasy."

She also speaks about, for example, "two types of ecstatic experiences" - the moments of epiphany called "Ecstatic Awakenings," and "EveryDay Ecstasy," or the Ecstasy of Flow, a connection to our power and inner wisdom--can help us move beyond pain and doubt to reach our "highest potential."

Her work has also been praised by other authors, such as Deepak Chopra ("Ecstasy is an often misunderstood word and I admire Margot Anand for broadening its definition. I recommend The Art of Everyday Ecstasy to anyone who wants to realize their ecstatic potential for living a life in which the spirit and everyday experience are intricately interwoven") and John Gray ("Margot Anand's inspirational book is a celebration of life that shows how to nurture creativity, healing, passion, and love within yourself and in your relationships.) Anand is adjunct faculty at Deepak Chopra’s seminars and conferences and has also taught at Dean Ornish’s annual retreats for heart patients.

Anand does, in our opinion, deserve credit for taking on a touchy topic - about as touchy as you can get (no pun intended), and one that brought her former teacher Osho into a great deal of hot water. In this sense, and in opening many individuals' minds to new possibilities (although some of these minds may have been a little too open) - she has earned a sizable amount of respect and admiration.

At the same time, while Anand's message can be interesting and entertaining, as is the case with many books in this genre, it is also a bit more challenging to actually apply to real life. While her material is often advertised with the feel of a "quick and easy how-to," her material, when it is taken seriously, is a pretty demanding business, actually calling for a long term commitment with persistent dedication and even discipline.

Challenges to her approach come from many sources. For example, while the respected yoga scholar Georg Feuerstein does not single out the work of Anand specifically, he does criticize much of what he calls "neo-Tantrism," which in his words, "is the watered-down version of what I feel is one of the most profound teachings ever created on Indian soil, Tantra." *

This is similar to another criticism which claims that so much of the "spiritual sexuality" that is becoming so popular nowadays is actually just fairly ordinary sexuality - your typical run-of-the-mill romp-in-the-hay . . . only now, in the new-and-improved version, now covered with a great deal of spiritual pretense. The same old Coke in a shiny new can.

Anand also was interviewed in "What Is Enlightenment?" Magazine, where many issues that critics point out to her were discussed. (To read the interview itself, click here)

Some excerpts from the interview:

(WIE): "Traditionally, as you just mentioned, before one was initiated into tantric sexual practice, one was supposed to have done a lot of preparatory practices and demonstrated a certain spiritual maturity. For example, in Tibetan Buddhism, which has a strong tantric tradition, even the Dalai Lama has said that he personally hasn't achieved the level of spiritual attainment required to do the tantric practices with an actual consort."

(Anand): The Dalai Lama's answer is very real and legitimate. Like him I could say also that I haven't achieved that level either.
I mean, there are zillions of things you have to go through before you can achieve the state of the perfect dimension, the form and the formless merging with each other. I mean, this is like a high practice!

(WIE): "The way you're speaking about it now, it certainly sounds like a very serious practice."

(Anand): "It is, but I'll tell you sincerely that I don't find the possibility of doing that so often myself. And of the many partners I've had, there have only been certain times, in certain moments, with most of them where we have reached that level. I would say that being able to reach that on a constant basis, in the kali yuga [dark age] that we're going through, is almost impossible."

(wait a minute - this is the dark age?
I thought it was supposed to be the new age!
Gosh, could somebody please tell me what age we're in?)

And more on some of the ideas of The Art of Sexual Magic:

(WIE): ". . . the idea that it is our birthright to feel ecstatic and to have everything we want - the house, the car, the boat - we deserve it. Yet I can't help feeling that this is basically a materialistic and narcissistic approach that many people are embracing now and calling a spiritual path. My question is: Isn't there a distinction between this kind of popular-spiritual-therapeutic approach and authentic spiritual practice in which one is sincerely interested in surrendering to God, in which one seeks to come to the point where one can genuinely say, "Thy will be done"? Where it's not about me and what I want and how I'm going to get what I want?
(MA): "I agree, I agree. It's a very good point. These books have been a mirror of my own personal evolution."

Click here to read the complete interview with Anand in "What Is Enlightenment?" Magazine.

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