The ease with which AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases spread is the pathological reminder of an essential Taoist insight into the nature of sexual intimacy: lovemaking is a physical and energetic exchange that can profoundly influence the health and well-being of both partners. In our Western emphasis on individuality and independence we have forgotten about this interdependence and interpenetration. The sexual revolution did not fully take into account the significance of this exchange. As sexually transmitted diseases such as herpes and AIDS will not let us forget, we are deeply affected by our sexual histories. Although Western medicine recognizes that bacteria and viruses can be transmitted during intercourse, it has yet to recognize the rest of the biochemical and energetic exchange that takes place during sex. According to the Taoists, every time you and your partner make love you exchange hormones, enzymes, vitamins, and so on through your sexual secretions. This seems straightforward enough. Through the entwining of your bodies and your engorged genitals, the Taoists also believe, you exchange much more – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It may be some time before Western science can distill and quantify the various components of this exchange, but if you practice Sexual Kung Fu, you will have the proof of this exchange in your own body. Caution is an important response to the AIDS epidemic, but the fear that stalks our bedrooms misses the point. Sexuality has always been powerful; intercourse has always had the potential for miraculous creation or tragic destruction. Sex can heal us or hurt us. Respect and even awe, rather than fear, are the appropriate components of a healthy attitude toward sexuality, which the Taoists have always known was the true alchemy, the source of our life and health.
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