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Sacred Sexuality
Kama Sutra & the erotic sacred
23 entries · 5 sections
Kama Sutra
In addition to Tantra, which attributes a spritual dimension to sexuality, India has produced a rich literature of sophisticated sex manuals. In spite of their practical nature, they demonstrate how Indian culture integrated sexuality into everyday life, (including religion and spirituality). This knowledge was supposed to be part of the repetoire of any intelligent and well-educated adult. Several of these were translated in the Victorian Era by freethinking Orientalists.
Sacred Sexuality in the Ancient World
In the late 18th century, classical scholars began to take note of a phenomena which they termed 'Priapus worship'. This was a complex of religious ideas in antiquity including phallic votive objects, fertility ceremonies, sacred prostitution, female and hermaphroditic creator deities, and other heterodox aspects of ancient religion. Much of this information had been surpressed or ignored.
The Royal Museum at NaplesStanislas Marie César Famin, 1871 — Sixty lithographs of erotic Roman art and artifacts, many from Pompeii.Mimes of the CourtesansLucian of Samosata, 1928 — An unexpurgated version of Lucian's comic sketches of the world of the Greek HetaeraeA Discourse on the Worship of Priapus/Worship of the Generative PowersA Discourse on the Worship of PriapusRichard Payne Knight, 1786 — One of the first studies of 'Phallic worship'.The Worship of the Generative PowersThomas Wright, 1866 — Of interest because it attempts to connect the dots between the 'Witch cult' and phallic worship.The Masculine Cross and Ancient Sex WorshipSha Rocco, 1874Influence of the Phallic Idea in the Religions of AntiquityC. Staniland Wake, 1870Phallic WorshipHodder M. Westropp, 1870The PriapeiaL.C. Smithers, 1890 — An anonymous collection of bawdy Roman epigrams to the phallic garden-god Priapus
Modern Rediscovery
In the 19th century a number of pioneering sexologists started to independently rediscover the basic principles of sacred sexuality that were known in India many millenia ago.
Male ContinenceJohn Humphrey Noyes, 1872 — John Noyes was the founder of the Oneida colony, a group which somewhat successfully abolished marriageKarezza, Ethics of MarriageAlice B. Stockham, 1903 — Stockham addresses the wisdom of controlled intercourseThe Karezza MethodJ. William Lloyd, 1931 — A practical manual of controlled intercourse.
General Works
Other texts
The Song of SongsOne of the most celebrated love poems of all timeThe Poems of SapphoThe famous poetess whose romantic and erotic love poetry transcended gender in the worship of the Goddess Aphrodite.The Love Books of OvidJ. Lewis May, 1930 — Ovid discusses the fine points of the Art of Love.The Satyricon of PetroniusA satirical trip through the underbelly of Neros' RomeThe Kojiki and NihongiThese traditional Japanese creation myths have several episodes which have been cited as indicating a relaxed attitude about the role of sexuality in life.Site copyrightsTerms of Service