Do you really want to kill the moment? Condoms are a great way to be safe, but can quickly eliminate the vibe, especially while applying. If you ask your partner to wear a condom, make sure to sustain the mood with erotic talk. Start touching yourself and moan loudly. The guy should be able to maintain his erection throughout the awkwardness of applying the condom. Better yet, you put the condom on him, he will enjoy watching you stroke his man-hood and remain in “good-to-go” mode. If you decide not to use a condom, imagine yourself playing Russian roulette, not knowing if a bullet is going to result in a pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease.

Are you at a point in your life where you want a baby? Condoms are not 100% effective against impregnating someone, yet they can be a great preventative measure. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll pull out.” Some guys claim to pull out before having an orgasm, but pre-ejaculate comes without warning and can knock up a woman pretty easily. If having a child with your partner makes you twitch, perhaps protection should be considered. If you are completely against condoms and in a safe relationship, there are other methods of birth control.

Do you really need a sexually transmitted disease? The pill, the patch and the shot are great ways to get pleasure from sex and help prevent the stork from flying in with a baby. However, contraceptives do not protect against STD’s. If you are with a steady partner, go and get tested. Once the doctor gives both of you the thumbs up, cross your fingers and hope your partner is faithful. Having unprotected sex is a gamble, and with every good thing in life, comes consequence.

How much sensitivity will you accept during sex? Condoms vary in styles from ultra-thin to ribbed, which will give you much more pleasure than the standard condom. For most guys, the standard condom can detract a good amount as far as feeling and it is easily compared to wearing a raincoat. Now imagine the raincoat giving you a big hug, forcing you to gasp for air. Suffocated and robbed of sensitivity is how a penis may feel, trapped inside a standard condom. Girls may also loose some sense of gratification when their man wears a condom. Vaginas are generally sensitive to touch, thus the naked penis gently sliding in and out may feel great. Is it worth the risk or are you going to accept a little less sensitivity by using a textured or ultra thin condom instead of the standard raincoat?

If babies and sexually transmitted diseases are not on your gift list this year, be careful and come to an educated decision. Remember, sex is not only penis to vagina contact; sex involves mood, touch and respect. Whether your choice is to wear a condom or not, you must listen to one another and work as a team. Watch out for the stork, he can be brutal to those without protection. For me, I will give up a bit of sensitivity, wear a condom and protect my partner and myself against an unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease.

In the last few centuries, quite a few societies have been constructed by committees, and there have been many more failures than successes. Sparta can serve as an example of both a success and a failure, and it would be helpful to remember these ancient people whenever we opt to design anything, such as a business or family.

In English, the term “Spartan” has connotations of discipline and frugality. A Spartan room, for example, might contain nothing but a table and chair. This is an accurate description of the Spartan way of life. In the mind of a historian, however, the meaning of “Spartan” leans more towards “brutal” and “militaristic.” Sparta was a society designed to dominate its neighbors: A warrior culture.

In a time when cities were typically surrounded by walls to protect them from the latest conquering horde, Sparta needed none. Each and every male citizen was trained literally from birth to be a hardened, world-class soldier.

Sparta was a considerable military power for over a thousand years. Their system of warfare based on hoplite spearmen was copied by every army in the Mediterranian region. Their soldiers’ prowess was demonstrated most vividly in 480 B.C. at Thermopylae, a narrow stretch of land between cliff and sea where only 300 Spartan hoplites held off an entire Persian army numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

This power dearly cost the Spartan citizens, and their unusual society eventually garnered a more humble status as a Roman tourist attraction.

Sparta took common Greek practices to extremes, even ones which would seem brutal to modern people. For example, it was acceptable in most of Greece to abandon an unwanted newborn in the woods. There was a chance that someone would find and adopt such a baby. In Sparta, babies were a communal asset, unless they were considered a liability due to being somehow weak or deformed. These infants were thrown over a cliff!

Every day of a young boy’s life was a struggle for survival. Boys lived as members of small bands, living off the land and raiding farms and villages. They were punished for stealing from other Spartans, but more for getting caught than for the act itself.

Surviving teenagers were each assigned a mentor/lover (homosexuality was considered necessary for a soldier far from home). They were put through a coming-of-age gauntlet during which a significant percentage were mortally wounded.

Marriage was a contract between two families. Young women were trained for marriage and child rearing as young men were trained for war. Women were responsible for controlling all aspects of sex and reproduction. This was often a jolting experience for the man who had seen few women during his short life.

When it came time for war, Sparta was always ready. However, they were spread very thin. The number of slaves and serfs in the wide regions around Sparta was hundreds of times the number of Spartan citizens. Sparta controlled vast wealth, but its citizens never enjoyed any of it.

Eventually, all of Greece was absorbed into the Roman empire. They were spared most of the downsides of conquest faced by the “barbarians” of places such as Gaul. Romans respected Greek culture, and even believed that Rome was founded by Greeks. Therefore, they left Greek society very much intact, including Sparta.

However, Sparta was now just another state within a vast empire. Though its traditions were still alive, suddenly they were quaint rather than brutally effective.

The Spartan culture caused each of its citizens to become an awesome powerhouse of strength and discipline. Unfortunately, there just weren’t enough of them, and there wasn’t much variety.

Rome won over Sparta because Romans valued individuality and personal rewards as well as communal strength and power. Sparta’s society had just a few fatal flaws. It was too elitist. People couldn’t “join” Sparta: They had to be born into it. Spartan men had to be warriors before being husbands, merchants, or politicians. Other cultures were allowing different men to perform different tasks. Sparta’s population began to shrink as soon as Lycurgus implemented his militaristic reforms, and it never recovered.

Of course, Rome was won over by a certain movement, and you probably know what it is (This would make a good article). Think about this also when you next decide to design something.

What does this all mean, and why should you care? History shows us what has been done right in the past, and what has been done wrong. There are quite a few lessons we might take away from the history of Sparta:

To grow and expand, to gain control of assets, you need to be able to grow internally.

It’s better to open your doors to diversity than to screen and weed people, or to stuff them into a mold. Think of some other regimes in the last hundred years or so that tried to do this, and what happened to them.

Wealth, power, and respect are all some people are looking for. Sparta had all of this, and for a long time. In the long run, however, these things amounted to only a few moments of glory and a place in the history books. Maybe you’re looking for something more “in the moment”.

Of course, you will come up with many more insights depending on your situation and frame of mind. This is the value of understanding and interpreting history.

Tantric sex is commonly misunderstood. Though most people see it as a wild, hot steamy night of sex, this is not true. Tantric sex involves a much deeper state of being and isn’t something you can learn overnight. It takes practice and most of all, patience. Tantra helps you alter sex into a spiritual and conscience liberating experience.

The heart of Tantra revolves around a channeling of sexual energy. This sexual energy is then merged with the universal energy surrounding you. The merge will bring you to a higher level of existence and consciousness. To help achieve control over your body’s energy, try and meditate. Meditation will raise your level of awareness and help put your mind at ease. Once your mind is relaxed, you will easily be able to have better control over you body.

Tantra describes men and women as opposite bodies of energy. During sex, these polar opposites come together in harmony. This harmony develops a charge, which in return, unites with the primitive force that surrounds us; the very force that drives the universe. Getting to know one’s masculine or feminine polarity brings you to a heavenly state of self.

A major distinction between Tantra and regular intercourse is how they are approached. Tantra is presented through the energy of your heart and body. Basic intercourse is simply an act based with your mind. Tantra develops a more celestial, sacred and meaningful connection between lovers.

Tantra is well known for heightening your level of awareness and prolonging the act of making love. Surprisingly, is not the “race” towards orgasm, but rather a journey to experience each other fully. Instead of focusing on each other’s genitalia, touch every part of the body.

Unlike most spiritual passageways, Tantra embraces the art of lovemaking. Tantric sex is considered sacred and couldn’t be further from sin. Sexual freedom must be achieved so all emotional, cultural and mental energy can surge without restraint.

In order for Tantric sex to work, you must involve all of your senses. If your entire being is not part of the experience, then you are not fully grasping the concept of Tantra. Put forth all of your sexual energy and don’t hold back. Even better, expand your sexual boundaries. This projection of energy is the key to becoming one with the universal energy.

Still looking for additional help? Browse our pages or post a question at AskUncleTerry.com. The Karma Sutra has many different positions that should be used during Tantric sex. These alternate methods help your bodies morph into a single force and truly indulge each other’s energy. Remember that Tantric sex is not a race or a competition, but rather your ability to connect with a partner to create a universal energy.

It is crucial to realize that sex is about being complete. A man and a woman are opposing energies that once joined — create a whole. The entire world is based on positive and negative, up and down, yin and yang. To exist we must achieve balance. Tantra is the passageway to a higher level of understanding and a mystical force of pleasure.