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by Christian de la Huerta Excerpt from Coming Out Spiritually |
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When we are able to discard the perceived (and false) dichotomy that separates humanity from the rest of the universe, when we can identify and feel as part of the natural world, then we can acknowledge at a deeper level that we, too, are sexual, and that our sexuality is to be celebrated. In her book The Art of Sexual Ecstasy, Margo Anand writes that "our culture has lost the understanding that sexual energy is a physical expression of spiritual power." Anand and others have suggested that a human being's hunger for sexual union is ultimately an expression of a subconscious spiritual drive for wholeness and completion, a desire to transcend our universal sense of separation and alienation. It is a soul-level longing to re-experience the sense of union we felt in the womb, and, even more, a yearning to recapture a sense of oneness with creation. Feeling trapped, abandoned, and lonely in our small, separate, and isolated cells, we long to feel the freedom, expansion, and unlimitedness of union with All-That-Is.
Seeking that transcendent experience of union in ordinary sex (or drug-enhanced states, for that matter) is doomed to be unsatisfactory, because of those experiences' transitory and impermanent nature. Although we can and do have occasional glimpses of freedom during lovemaking, at the moment of orgasm, or during chemically-induced states, they are not lasting, and inevitably leave us feeling separate and lonely again. So we go back for more, hoping against all odds that one more sexual encounter, or hit, or line, or pint of vodka or ice cream, will do it.
Human sexuality is a complex phenomenon involving all aspects of our humanity -- including the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual realms. Sexuality and spirituality are inseparable. In fact, many Eastern sages point out that the Kundalini energy -- which resides at the base of the spine in the root chakra, and which, when triggered, rises up the spine and is integral to the process of enlightenment -- is the sexual energy. Although as Westerners we have been trained to view the world in terms of dualism and hierarchies, many of the world's mystical traditions reveal a holistic nexus between body, mind, and spirit. Rather than arbitrary dichotomies between body and mind, or spirit and flesh, they teach that the body-mind-spirit are one. This approach heals the long-established fixation among many religious traditions of denigrating the physical realm in favor of a "higher" spiritual reality. Obviously, as part of the physical realm, the body -- and in particular, sexuality -- have long been relegated to this "lower" reality.
Because Western Judeo-Christian-Islamic beliefs and values spread throughout the world by means of colonization and aggressive programs of conversion and evangelization, many Eastern and indigenous cultures that previously honored the body and celebrated the erotic now exhibit what some refer to as "erotophobia" -- fear of the erotic. Sex became functional, and reproduction its sole purpose. This notion was (and still is) indivisible from the oppression of women as reproductive machines which, like houses, cattle, or other property, belonged to their husbands. When sexuality was split from the sacred, the missionary position between man and woman became the only acceptable form of sex, and any behavior that deviated from that was a "waste of the seed," shameful, and morally reprehensible.
Erotic energy is powerful, sacred, and universal. It is creative and transformative. It is the same as the universal forces of creation which cause flowers to bloom in sensual displays of color, texture, and scent; which cause volcanoes to erupt and generate new land masses; and which give birth to new, unimaginable star systems. We live in a sexual universe.
When we are able to discard the perceived (and false) dichotomy that separates humanity from the rest of the universe, when we can identify and feel as part of the natural world, then we can acknowledge at a deeper level that we, too, are sexual, and that our sexuality is to be celebrated. Whatever "moral" beliefs and negative judgments now exist about sexuality have been added on by misguided humans. The truth is that when we develop, or remember, a sense of cosmology -- of our place in and as part of the cosmos -- we realize that all forms of sexuality (and not just its reproductive aspects) are sacred.
Sexuality devoid of its sacred element is limited in scope and is often relegated to the realm of "animalistic" instinctual drives. When sex is not regarded with reverence, it can deteriorate into a weapon of power, control, and dominance, and some of the consequences of that are sexual abuse, rape, and other violent or disrespectful expressions. When we acknowledge its sacred dimension, sexuality makes possible a deepened sense of connection with all of life, and becomes a catalyst for healthy relationships (of all kinds, not just sexual ones).
According to Anand, " -- having' sex, as one -- has' other things, seems to be self-limiting. Using sex for relief, entertainment, or reassurance that one is attractive appeals to needs generated by the ego but diverts attention from our real sex potential. We need to bring the spirit -- the inspiration to manifest our highest potential -- back into sex."
To the mystics of any religion, the goal of life is nothing less than the direct experience of God. Professing beliefs, attending services, performing particular acts, rituals, or practices, following dogma, is not enough. Many mystical traditions and ancient mystery schools taught sexuality as a direct path to the divine -- a means to develop love and compassion, expand consciousness, deepen wisdom, and connect with Spirit.
Explaining that there are really three kinds of food: junk food, health food, and gourmet food, Annie Sprinkle uses food as a metaphor. She describes junk food as "not particularly nourishing or satisfying, but it gets you by." In America, the average sexual experience is equivalent to junk food; she says "we are a junk sex country." When it comes to health food, according to her theory, "not everyone has a taste for it, and you need a certain skill to prepare it." This is the level of "sex for health: for emotional healing, for curing a headache, for anal or vaginal health, as therapy, or even as aerobic exercise." Finally there is gourmet food, which is "an art. You put a lot more into making it, and it can be a spiritual experience. It is sensuous, deeply satisfying, takes more time, and can make life a magnificent experience. It requires skill and knowledge, but instead of everyday reality, we end up with paradise." That is the level of sacred sexuality.
