As with you, this image is one that has been arresting for me for many years. I should say at the outset that I am transgender and of retirement age and do not expect to give this form of divine service form in my own life. And, like many in our time, I’m sure, the desacralization of sex in general into something to be worshipped in lust or hated in fear took a very long time to heal.
Your mileage may vary; but I am convinced that sex is always a spiritual event – that sex and spirit are inseparable, two sides of the same coin. When it is done in the right spirit, it opens the door to spiritual good; and, when done in the wrong spirit, it opens the door to spiritual evil. As to the latter, I can testify to the truth of it from personal experience; and, believe me, no one could be more surprised than I was.
The Goddess has begun showing me things about sacred prostitution in earnest recently. I haven’t done much reading on the subject; perhaps that’s a good thing. I’ve ordered some books; but it’s really not a rational awareness being sought.
It has been surprising to me, and a source of wonder, that spiritual sex can transcend sexual arousal, i.e. that it can occur in an atmosphere devoid of sexual excitement. That doesn’t mean that it’s clinical! Rather, it means that something transcendent is occurring that is not always evident in merely conscious terms. There can be an awareness that something is happening, but it’s beyond the veil.
As idea that has been long with me is that the hallmark of a priestess is sacrifice. Perhaps “surrender” is an easier word, though, in the end, I think the practical result is the same. I know many women would not agree with me; it’s not exactly the way we’re supposed to think about ourselves these days. But sacrifice is not sex-specific; only its form is. Women and men sacrifice themselves in different ways, because they are different. In the end, it’s about giving oneself to one’s deity as an act of love, just as I might give myself to a husband, or a husband his wife – an act of love, with no thought of tit-for-tat, no bargaining, just the simple joy of giving out of love.
And that’s my vision of sacred prostitution: a gift to the Goddess out of love. And, I suspect, if you can’t do it for this reason, then best you don’t do it at all.
