Tantric Mystery Dances

by Anja Heij

 
An endless row of small figures zigzags up the mountain in a snow-white Indian winter landscape. The Buddhist monastery of Likir in northern India lies on a Himalayan top and forms a colorful mandala in the midst of a virginal white world. I feel like a pilgrim on a sacred yet unknown journey. The other foreigners on their way up are a Dutch man who studies Tibetan Buddhism, and two young Germans who work as volunteers in an educational institute for the local people. Unlike the touristic Buddhist festivals in summertime this two days Tantric Winter Festival is very genuine. It is one of the highlights of the year for the Ladakhi people of this region.

ALCHEMY

There are some definite misconceptions expressed here on Alchemy.

Alchemy is not about transmuting lead into gold (that was, at the most, a test on your elixir), it does not involve using electricity, it is not part of tantric.

One of the problems involved is that people get a tradition that they don’t understand and misuse the term until it loses almost all of its original meaning.