Polarity Play and Gender Fluidity — Luminous Tantra examination

Eleven questions. Nine of eleven passes, and you can take it again as often as you like.

In the tantric language of this chapter, what do Shiva and Shakti represent?

Good and evil, locked in eternal and unending conflict Body and mind, understood as two separate substances, under most conditions Man and woman, understood as fixed biological roles Consciousness and energy, whose union creates existence
What insight in David Deida's polarity model does the chapter keep?

Feminine energy belongs only to women and never to men, at least at first Masculine energy belongs only to men and never to women Erotic charge tends to arise from complementary difference Partners should be as similar to each other as possible
Why does the chapter call the equation of polarity with gender 'empirically wrong'?

Only non-binary people actually experience energetic polarity Everyone contains both qualities, distributed variously within any gender Polarity does not really exist in any intimate relationship, whatever the genders involved Energy has no meaningful relationship to lived human experience
Whose work on gender performativity does the chapter use as a theoretical framework?

Martin Buber Judith Butler Helen Fisher, the anthropologist Ken Wilber
According to Helen Fisher's research, which neurochemical system is especially activated by novelty and contrast?

The oxytocin system of attachment The serotonin system of mood The dopamine system of attraction The testosterone system of lust, regardless of context
What characterises the consciousness role in polarity practice?

Withdrawing attention to rest Free movement, sound and emotional expression Directing the partner's every movement, though not always Stillness, presence, witnessing and containment
What characterises the energy role?

Setting the rules for the practice Stillness, witnessing and steady eye contact Movement, expression, surrender and flow Analysing the partner's responses
How do the two roles amplify each other?

Steady presence makes surrender safe, and surrender deepens presence Each role competes with the other in order to dominate the shared experience The two roles cancel each other out to produce a neutral calm Only the energy role has any real effect on the experience
A couple of the same sex wonders whether polarity practice applies to them. What does the chapter say?

Yes; polarity concerns complementary energies, not anatomy Only in group configurations with several people No; polarity practice requires one man and one woman in order to work Only if one partner adopts a fixed masculine identity
What is the most advanced polarity practice, according to the chapter?

Avoiding all roles entirely from the very start Letting one partner always take the lead Mastering one role and keeping it permanently, at least at first Moving fluidly between poles, or embodying both
In the Polarity Flow practice, how do partners switch roles?

By asking a facilitator for permission first Without words, through the felt sense of the field By announcing each switch aloud to the partner beforehand By following a timer that dictates each change