Universalist Radha-Krishnaism employs a Taoist approach to Radha-Krishna devotion–natural gradual unfolding, non-striving, flowing along the middle way, being aware of God-dess’ presence in and as all creation. That is why when you read all the chapters of my next book that deal with this method, it is called “The Way of Natural Devotion.”

It can only be understood in conjunction with my first book, _Universalist Radha-Krishnaism: A Spirituality of Liberty, Truth, and Love._ It should not be confused with what various cults and sects teach. Universalist Radha-Krishnaism is a unique experience for each of us as we find our way to where we’re going.

India became dominated by the Vedic priestly theology which emphasizes Undifferentiated Oneness and worship of a pantheon of male deities who displaced the earlier female Goddesses. Tantrism reintroduced the Goddess and re-popularized her worship. This revived some ancient neolithic beliefs. Tantrism represents an earthy, indigenous tradition of Mother Goddess worship as in the great pre-Vedic Indus Valley civilization.

Goddess is at once a nurturing, protective mother, a spiritual change agent, and a destroyer of ego. God-dess, the archetypal male and female principles, govern desire, manifestation, and change, which cause the manifestation and dissolution of the cosmos. All is God-dess’ play.

God-dess, Shiva-Shakti, or Radha-Krishna are ultimately one unitive whole. Their eternal union is the ultimate bliss. They exist within us as anima and animus, and when we mystically unite both sides of ourselves, we also attain wholeness and bliss. This is the goal of the Tantric practitioner. Krishna Chaitanya is considered the perfect union of Radha-Krishna in one body.

Different tantric schools advocate different means of attaining this goal. It is a spiritual path which may or may not involve sexual practices, but it is not to be confused with material sense gratification. Transmutation of sexual energy from the mundane to the divine is an alchemical process of the highest order.

Tantric sexual union is an emotional and spiritual experience. Lust strives for orgasm. Tantra heightens sexual energy and uses it to break through to the spiritual dimension and experience mystical union with the divine. This is often described as raising the feminine kundlini, Shakti, or serpent energy from the base of the spine to the top of the head where it unites with the masculine Shiva, pure consciousness. This process invigorates the whole body with increased conscious energy, strength, and vitality.

As above so below. What exists in the macrocosm also exists in the microcosm. God-dess, Shiva-Shakti, Radha-Krishna, and their union exist within us. We are intimately related to them.

If a layman observes it in its theoretical, theological point alone, it may indeed sound complex, because the constituents of that philosophy such as soul, God, existence, etc. are pretty much vague terms, of which we have no clear definitions. However, if we step forward and apply that model onto a macrocosm of our society, which I’ve tried to demonstrate in above article, then it all becomes clear and suddenly we feel it. We are not separated from it. Only then it begins to make sense. Likewise, Chaitanya didn’t just theorize but he was applying it and his philosophy came as a natural remedy for a broken society of his time.

There’s a strong link between all our life’s philosophies and the world and circumstances we’re in. Similarly, Universalist Radha-Krishnaism (and all similar progressive thoughts aspiring positive change) is both the need and a consequence of our times.