sacred sex

[sophiaserpentia]

This idea has been floating around in my mind since a discussion some time ago in yahvah's journal.

For a time I actually wrote an online column about the subject of sacred sex. The idea that sex is sacred, and sacredness often has a sexual undercurrent, is natural to me.

The authors of Why God Won't Go Away believe that the mystical parts of the brain evolved hand-in-hand with the parts of the brain that make sex enjoyable.

[Poll #230322]

Comments

[brigid-shine.livejournal.com]

a couple of years ago i was consistently practicing kundalini yoga. i couldn't believe how my libido spiked. i was horny all the time; i was also very spiritually aware at the time.

i never considered a correlation beyond that.

i'm going to read your article.

[sophiaserpentia.livejournal.com]

Kundalini yoga directly affects the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, which in turn affect the limbic system; these are all parts of the brain related to libido and sexual pleasure.

[firinel.livejournal.com]

Do you agree there is a link between high sexual libido and strong interest in spiritual, occult, philosophical, and/or metaphysical matters?

I didn't answer this one because I didn't feel there was an answer I agreed with. I definately think that there's a link between sex and interest in spiritual, occult, philosophical, and/or metaphysical matters, but I don't think that immediately extends to mean that there'll necessarily be a high libido. IMOAE, there are an awful lot of things which factor into the state of mine, and other's libidos, for me to feel comfortable saying that high interest in spirituality = high libido.

For a personal example, I have a very high interest in those things, and yet I don't have a particularly high libido-- I believe this is primarily due to a variety of chronic pain issues that not only make most forms of sex physically painful, but it also leaves me fairly grumpy at times, and exhausted others- neither of which states are particularly productive to sex.

[sophiaserpentia.livejournal.com]

Good points -- libido is an extremely complex and fickle bodily state. This in itself might tend to make it harder to demonstrate that there is any correlation. I'm not necessarily looking to demonstrate a causal link, but I think there is a correlation there on some level and I want to explore it more.

[archanglrobriel.livejournal.com]

I always think it's amusing that if you look at shamanic art from the pre-Christian influenced eras, a lot of the time there are depictions of shamanic characters walking around with these vast (and I mean EPIC) erections. Geez, I could list ten cultures off the top of my head that have overtly sexual spiritual images showing up in their Pre-Christian art and belief structures.
It's so weird to me that so many in the Christian camp are trying to -neuter- God.
Talk about your unexplored Shadow issues...whew! This is why I think so many Christian denominations have a history of weirdo repressive behaviors and scandals erupting all over the place.

[sophiaserpentia.livejournal.com]

Christianity represents in some ways a unique spiritual current, in that it tends to be highly mistrustful of sex and especially of feminine sensuality. The NT states in several places that women have the burden of seeking to "lighten men's load" by not being so alluring they distract them from their virtue. Islam has some of this too but not to nearly the same extent.

Elaine Pagels did an excellent treatment of this issue in Adam, Eve, and the Serpent, wherein she explained that Christianity, as a Stoic- and Platonic-influenced movement, was responding to the sexual morality of Pagan Rome and Greece, and to the marriage practices of the Jews. Her thesis is that the Christians sought to retain certain elements of both, especially the Pagan emphasis on monogamous marriage.

[soulsong.livejournal.com]

Heh. I think you have a lot of very sexual people reading your LJ! I wonder what the result would be if you asked a less biased group :p

All I see so far in the results is everyone saying "yes I'm spiritual" and then saying that whatever their level of sexual energy, that's the best level for spiritual inquiry.....

[sophiaserpentia.livejournal.com]

It is hard to draw a correlative conclusion, I know, especially since I have so many heathen types on my friend's list. I suppose it might be worthwhile to post this in a few communities with even splits, and perhaps one like christianity as well -- though even that might not prove much since LJ tends in general to draw sex-positive types.

There may be more of a correlation between certain types or styles of spiritual approach and high libido. I'll have to see if I can construct a poll that will properly gauge that.

[soulsong.livejournal.com]

Hey! I'm "sex positive", I just don't have much of a sex drive myself! Let's make that distinction clear shall we? :)

(just kidding, I know what you mean)

I think you may be on to something regarding the difference between certain types and styles of spiritual approach though. They do tend to range from advocating abstinence as a way of generating (or maintaining) chi, to sex as a means of experiencing union with the divine...

[sophiaserpentia.livejournal.com]

Your second point is a good one, too. I'll have to see if there is some way to demonstrate why sex might have important spiritual overtones (and vice-versa) whereas something else just as common, like sleeping, might not. That will require some thought

[hai-kah-uhk.livejournal.com]

I find that every time I try to think or write about sex, spiritual/mystical undertones always slip in. However, it's not necessarily the opposite. A great deal of my spiritual/mystical exploration does not require a tie to the physical body, so sex, at times, is irrelevant.

[sophiaserpentia.livejournal.com]

This is a good point. The same is true for me; my erotic fiction and poetry has always had a strong mystical undertone, whereas much of my mystical writing does not have much of a sexual undertone.

[sophiaserpentia.livejournal.com]

Welcome to my journal.

It saddens me to hear of your trauma. I understand the ways in which such traumas can affect one in ways one would never even expect. For example, so many people lose their faith after a trauma. I sometimes wonder if one of the purposes of our God-concept is to give us comfort, but to also give us the comfort of having someone to blame when things go wrong.

[alobar.livejournal.com]

I did not answer your question about whether I have a high libido because there is no easy anser. When I was a young, many I feel my libido was very high but I was far more intetrested in immediate orgasm than protracted love play. As I have gotten older my libido is very much less than it was 30, 20, or even 10 years ago -- probably due to my bad diet induced diabetes. However, because libido used to be tied strongly to magick, the desire for sexual union remains high even if the ability to actualize is much lower.

[sophiaserpentia.livejournal.com]

Several others have mentioned health or other factors that have hindered what would have otherwise been a high libido. I didn't take that into account when designing the poll.

[azaz-al.livejournal.com]

Heh.... yeah, for example, right now (due to my illness), I'm not particularly horny... then again, I'm not feeling particularly interested in spiritual experiments either!
I checked not sure in the first question. I think it is not impossible to be asexual and a powerful peron spiritually, but overall I feel that a healthy person is going to be the best at magickal/spiritual pursuits, and that most (but not all) healthy people will feel a normal or high libido due to it being a natural function of a healthy body.

[aethyrflux.livejournal.com]

keep up The Great Work!

[yvesilena.livejournal.com]

I've thought about doing a poll like this for some time but don't have a paid account. I'd add the following questions:

Ever felt compelled to masturbate while praying?
Ever felt compelled to pray while masturbating?

BOY, that used to worry me when I was a naive Christian. :)

Interesting poll~

[lady-dindraine.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately it brought to mind for me, Michael Douglas and his sex addiction problems. I never saw Him as being very spiritual. Also Doctor Ruth, I have never read of her discussing spiritual aspects of sex. I may have missed that though.

I put low libido. As I am not much into sex. With strangers, etc. per say. I go weeks without it.

Yet, I can say I am into sexual exploration. With a partner. A mystical partner. Sexual ritual, Bdsm aspects. Bondage, masochism. These types of exploration. Yet I am not constantly horny.
I also enjoy mystical erotica, romance novels.