This was a post meant for Reddit, but it kept getting banned for some reason. A user was curious so here it is – enjoy.
These are just ten guidelines I keep in mind when it comes to SR. Yours may differ, and these might even change for me as time goes on.
The Ten Commandments of Semen Retention
- Thou shalt preserve thy seed and retain this sacred energy
- Thou shalt increase, nourish and protect this energy
- Sublimate and invest this energy in the betterment of thyself
- Thou shalt strengthen and develop the physical body
- Thou shalt strengthen and develop the mind – meditate
- Free thyself from the shackles of comfort, distraction and sensual lust, meeting fear head on and seeking beneficial discomfort
- Thou shalt develop and grow the heart
- Thou shalt actively help others – a rising tide lifts all ships
- Separate from Woman, that one may learn what it is to be Man
- Return, and embrace and respect Woman as equal
1. Preserve thy seed – This one needs no explanation. It’s the essential first step. Abstain from masturbation, and if having sex, try not to release. That second part is tricky, but can be done.
2. Increase, nourish, protect this sacred energy – That sexual energy can still be squandered though, throwing it away to social media, excessive gaming, drugs/partying, etc. Many people stop at simply not masturbating. They’ve plugged the leak – what else is there to do? Unfortunately, they fail to realize all the ways in which this energy can be further enhanced. They also don’t realize how easy it is to waste this energy in sensual distractions. The rubber meets the road when you learn to not just prevent its leaking, but to increase this sexual energy as well.
3. Sublimate and invest this energy back into yourself – Conserving sexual energy means a sudden increase in willpower, and a drive to get things done. What are you going to do with all this new energy? Now’s the time to set up healthy habits and routines to invest this energy and newfound badass-ness in. Read uplifting texts; start working out; start that business you always kept on the back-burner; ask out that girl you’ve been crushing on; pick that guitar back up; figure out your goals, write em out, and start chipping away. Investing this energy back into yourself increases it ten-fold – don’t squander it on meaningless pursuits. It also keeps your motivation high – look at all this stuff you’ve accomplished after you started retaining. Part 2 went over some sublimation insights.
4. Strengthen the body – I highly recommend you guys look into lifting weights – it will help rebalance hormone levels, i.e. increase testosterone, DHT and HGH. Hill sprints are great in this department as well, and you’ll get a huge confidence boost once you see your body starting to develop. It’s also a great way to practice discomfort. Whatever you do, stay healthy through diet, exercise of some sort, stress reduction and good sleep hygiene. If you’re massively overweight, sickly, or up all night getting high and gaming, you really think cutting out porn and masturbation is gonna improve your life much?
5. Strengthen and develop the mind – The mind is the tool through which you interact with the entire world around you, and through which you interact with yourself. IT IS THE GATEKEEPER! In my eyes, this is the most important commandment. You don’t want to be at the mercy of the world, because the world is unpredictable. It’s unreliable. At the same time, you don’t want to be at the mercy of your internal world, of your cravings, desires, attachments, fears, and emotions. A strong, well-developed mind is unruffled by both exterior events and internal states – it is like a huge battleship, able to weather any turbulent storm, and wait it out till the seas settle. The mind is key – see Part 5.
6. Overcome your attachment to comfort and sensual distraction, and embrace fear and discomfort – Part 4 went into detail on this. Your fear and attachment to comfort keep you stuck at your current level. You must confront both to start progressing. “We don’t rise to level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training” – Archilochus. You’ll never reach your goals if you keep doing the same comfortable, safe shit you’ve always done. And when shit hits the fan, if you’re weak in heart and mind, you’ll get scared, you’ll falter, and you’ll shrink from the uncomfortable. Time to shake things up, challenge and scare yourself, and nut up!
7. Develop the Heart – At a bare minimum, practice compassion, patience, generosity and forgiveness. Start developing these things towards yourself first, then others. Think of your heart and mind as a movie projector. Thoughts and feelings pop up, and these get projected outward. This is why some people have good vibes, and some people bad vibes – you’re just picking up on their thoughts and feelings. When you start retaining, you start projecting those thoughts and feelings out there BIG TIME. Your little movie projector has turned into a spotlight/Bat signal situation – your vibes become strong as hell, and right as rain, people will notice. You don’t want negative thoughts and feelings muddying up your Shen/pranic field/aura, so as we develop the mind, we simultaneously develop the heart and emotions. Part 3 goes into detail on this.
8. Help others, a rising tide lifts all ships – What do you think of when you think of a real man? Big, buff, burly and strong? Rich and charming? Athletic prowess? I think of my father, my grandfather, and my stepfather. Each are very successful by every metric of the word, but most importantly, these are men that come from a place of abundance, and are quick to help those around them. In my eyes, a willingness to help others comes from a place of strength and abundance. Think of the alpha male in a tribe – sure, they get all the credit as the toughest guy in the group, but they also provide for the rest of the group. They look after the others, and they make sure they’re taken care of and protected. You’ve discovered this great gift of retention – it’s now your responsibility to help others less fortunate. Generosity is a gift that gives back, and a gift that you can never run out of. People are more willing to help you when you’ve already helped them. It’s called the rule of reciprocity.
9. Separate from the Feminine for a period of time – Why do you think rites of passage are common among all indigenous peoples? Both the men and women have their own versions. For men, it usually involves separating from the women for a period of time, during which they complete arduous tasks and hardships, even usually a symbolic death and rebirth. The child dies and is reborn a man. Semen retention is a step in this direction. But you can’t reap the benefits of semen retention by simply not ejaculating – if you’re still obsessed with women, well, this practice won’t fully blossom. I strongly advise to start a period of deep self-discovery and self-development when you start retaining. I’m not saying dump your lady, I’m not saying avoid all females like the plague, and I’m absolutely not saying look down on them or disrespect them. I’m just saying don’t obsess over them. A bit of selfishness is healthy right now. It’s likely not feasible for you to split from society and go hunting wild boar with the boys for the summer, but just focus on yourself. David Deida talks a lot about this.
10. Return to and embrace the Feminine – This is the last step in the process, but guess what? It’s come full circle, the process has been completed. But like the alchemists that we are, we no longer are dealing with women from a place of craving or want – we are now complete, whole, and able to appreciate the feminine as our equal and our complement. It’s very important to cultivate the feminine energy within as well, and as counterintuitive as it sounds, it will make you into more of a man. But that’s a topic for a whole other time.
What would some of your commandments be?
My challenge to you brethren – create a modern version of a rites of passage. This could be a weekend solo camping trip, with no cell phone and no distractions, where you contemplate your place in this world. It could be 3-5 day fast – work up to this one if you’re inexperienced. It could be a meditation retreat. For the psychonauts, it could be a heroic dose. You could go all out and do a 3 day contemplative fast/vision quest out in the woods culminating in a psychedelic experience!
Whatever you do, make sure it contains three elements – it is done with intentionality, that some part of you symbolically dies, and that you are reborn and reintegrated into the modern world.
I love what you have here. I would have to disagree about embracing the feminine. This entire journey is about understanding masculinity and how to cultivate it for the betterment of humanity. Of course it is much healthier to see women as equals rather than from lustful cravings. But we cant let that cloud judgement of thee natural order of things. Women are our compliment but they are hardly our equal. Women want an alpha male because they look up to them for the strength, leadership and creativity. Women dont want an equal beta male.