Barbara Carrellas - Urban Tantra, Second Edition: Sacred Sex for the Twenty-First Century

This book was first imagined many years ago in my warm and wild sex and spirituality workshops in Australia. It has taken the love and support of many people to take Urban Tantra out of the workshop room and put it on the page.

To my partner in love, art, and life, Kate Bornstein: Thank you for your unwavering belief in me and in the importance of this book. Thank you for the inspiration and encouragement to go far beyond the scope of my original idea. Thank you for reading every chapter of this book over and over again. Thank you for loving me.

To Chester Mainard: Thank you for giving me a language for bodies and pleasure. You are the finest teacher I have ever met, and teaching in partnership with you was one of the greatest thrills of my life. I have tried to capture the spirit of your teachings in Urban Tantra. I will love you forever.

To Louise Hay: Thank you for your unconditional love, for your continuing delight in my more extreme diversions, and for always being there when I need a good cry, a good laugh, or a good zing. Thank you especially for the intensity of your support during the final stages of this book.

Thanks to my sister-of-the-heart, Annie Sprinkle, who held my hand as I dove into the deep end of sex and has been my dearest friend ever since. Thanks also to the other ladies of Club 90: Veronica Hart, Gloria Leonard, Candida Royalle, and Veronica Vera, who have encouraged me every step of the way. Special thanks to Linda Montano, who has provided me with spiritual guidance and art/life counseling for so many years.

I have learned so much from my friends and colleagues: Lily Burana, Kutira Decosterd, Betty Dodson, Raelyn Gallina, Lynda Gayle, Jwala, Robert Lawrence, Christiane Northrup, Carol Queen, Pat Sinatra, and especially Joseph Kramer. I am eternally grateful not only for what you have taught me, but also for allowing me to fold bits of your brilliance into this book.

My deepest thanks to my Australian national workshop coordinator and best mate, Hayley Caspers. Thanks to my brave and wise regional presenters, Margie Fischer, Sue Marley, Kirien Withers, Di Alexander, Alka, and Joanne Baker. The success of my workshops was in large part due to the physical, emotional, and psychic support of Catherine Carter, Steve Cairnduff, Heather Croall, Cyndi Darnell, Lianna Gailand, Diana Haigh, Laura-Doe Harris, Debra Kaplan, Peter Masters, Jenny Navaro, Alison Partridge, Justine Watson, and norrie m y-welby, among others.

Thank you to my literary agent, Malaga Baldi, for your total devotion to and belief in this book. With your help, it has evolved into everything I imagined, and more.

Huge hugs of enthusiastic ecstasy to Colleen Coover, who created the perfect illustrations for Urban Tantra.

Gobs of gratitude to Ten Speed Press, who helped heal the wounds of a past publishing nightmare with their respect, enthusiasm, and love, and particularly to my editor, Brie Mazurek. Brie, you are a star. Thanks also to Mark Rhysberger and Felice Newman for editorial help on an earlier version of the manuscript.

Its truethere are no people like show people. Thanks to James M. Nederlander, Herschel Waxman, and Jim Boese of the Nederlander Organization, and to the crew and staff of the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, who not only tolerated my frequent authors angst, but also supported me with good humor and good cheer throughout the process. Most especially, my deepest thanks and love to Marilyn S. Miller, who covered countless performances for me so I could write. Bravo, all.

I am very grateful to Tristan Taormino for her ongoing support of my work as well as for her part in the creation of Dark Odyssey, where I was inspired by so many erotic pioneers. Thanks especially to Anton, Phoenix Benner, Blair, Sir C, Colten Tognazzini, femcar, Lee Harrington, kate and David, Lolita, Major, and puppy for their wisdom and friendship. Extra special thanks to Tantric authors and teachers Mark Michaels and Patricia Johnson for their inspiration and camaraderie.

My gratitude to Mary Wallach and Rod DeJong, who cared for my emotional and physical bodies while I wrote, and to Osho, who cared for my soul.

Thanks to family members and friends: Michelle Ainsworth, Lynn Birks and Judith Wit, Frances, Gizmo, Goose, Chele Graham, P. Kitty, Sara Miriam, Mollyanna, Patricia C. Lee, Patricia Neilson, Daniel Peralta, Beverly Petty, Kaylynn Raschke and Alexis Hurkman, and Ron Tillinghast, who gave me the space and opportunity to hide, scream, imagine, rage, howl, and giggle throughout the writing process.

To all the participants of my workshops for the past many years and to everyone at a play party, ritual, or erotic retreat who has ever blown me away with their honesty, passion, wisdom, courage, and creativity, thank you. You inspired me and kept me on my path. This book is not only for you, but its also partially by you.

Over the past ten years I have been further inspired, encouraged, and educated by my community of several hundred graduates of the Urban Tantra Professional Training Program. These training programs have been made possible by the fierce dedication of my local coordinators worldwide. My deepest thanks to Elise Bish, Hayley Caspers, Liana Gailand, Lola D. Houston, Amanda Gay Love, Donia Love, Rebecca Lowrie, Gina Machado, Tara Phillips, Carl Johan Rehbinder, Jennie Rehbinder, and Lorenzo Stiernquist. Equally huge thanks to the brilliant, committed, and loyal team members who gather each year in support of this training and this community.

Extra special love to my spirit child, Rowan Tinca Parkes, who drops everything, gets on a plane, and brings their magic to every wild and crazy endeavor I embark on.

Thanks once again to Ten Speed Press for their loyalty and commitment to this book and for yet another blissful publishing experience. My editor, Kate Bolen, and designer, Angelina Cheney, have been a joy to work with.

A very special thanks to the amazing artist YuDori (yudori.com), who stepped up to provide additional illustrations for this new edition, and to Cyndi Darnell for the images in The Atlas of Erotic Anatomy and Arousal, on which the illustrations were based. Thanks also to the BDSM Book Club of Lexington, Kentucky, for asking great questions and offering fresh insights into Tantra and BDSM.

And finally, to everyone who has read and recommended Urban Tantra, thank you. We are changing the world one breath at a time.

SO YOU SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION

As I began the first draft of the first edition of Urban Tantra, I wrote, I want a revolution! Not only did I want a revolution in cultural attitudes about sexuality and spirituality, but I also wanted a revolution in Tantra: the only spiritual practice Id ever found that welcomed sexuality as a path to spiritual freedom. I wanted that revolution. Then and there.