читать дальшеSacred prostitutes can be discussed in either the historical or the contemporary perspective.
Many people in modern Neo-Pagan, WomanSpirit, and sex positive culture like to perpetuate the ancient myth that Once Upon a Time the world of the Ancient Near East had many temples to goddesses of fertility staffed by priestesses who would have sex with anyone who made an offering to the temple. However, a look at the acutal source texts which proponents of this myth like to quote reveals that: a) they don't actually say what modern folks would like them to, b) some were written by enemies of the culture in question in an effort to discredit them (as in modern times, casting asperions on the sexual conduct of women is a favored way to discredit them), and/or c) the religious culture of the Ancient Near East was highly elitist, and common people would never get near the actual priests and priestesses.
On the other hand, the literary-historical record does give us good reason to believe that ceremonies of sacred marriage (hieros gamos) were performed between kings and women who represented the patron goddess of a city, legitimizing the king's rule. Unfortunately, we don't have specific descriptions of those rites, nor do we know who embodied the goddess; all we have are highly suggestive poetic texts.
/end academic lecture
In modern times there are many women and men who self-identify as sacred prostitutes, and their service/vocation can take many different forms. The quick-and-easy definition, which does not cover all cases, is that the priestess becomes the living embodiment of the Divine, and the other person experiences the passion and love of a specific deity in a sexual way.
A sacred prostitute can also be a priest/ess who serves a deity of passion and who worships and serves by engaging in sexual acts with others outside the context of a personal relationship. (The Night Court of Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel books is an excellent example of this.) There is an assumption that these individuals have invested significant time and energy into becoming skilled at a range of erotic arts and in creating environments which enhance sexual encounters. They may or may not also have skills as healers and counselors.
A less common form of sacred prostitution is to be the sexual partner of a deity, whether spiritually (as in my encounters with my goddess) or as the partner of a mortal who is "horsing" or being possessed by a deity. This is not the same as being a "god spouse", as a sacred prostitute is in a subordinate role, more like a courtesan -- or sometimes a slave -- to the Deity, however cherished and appreciated they may be.
I have acted as a sacred prostitute when my body became a conduit for energies to pass between my partner and a goddess. She did not come down into me; it was more that I became a kind of spiritual/energetic vaginal passage for the exchange of energy between her and my partner. They each "plugged in" to me on opposite sides and touched each other through the conduit of my body.
Sacred Sex also has many possible meanings, depending on context. Some people use the term to assert that all sex is sacred -- in contrast to the general Western, dualistic perspective that sex is inherently sinful, shameful, or debasing.
Personally, I tend to use the term "sacred sex" to refer to sex which occurs within a ritual setting. It differs from sacred prostitution in that one partner is not embodying a Divine presence.
However, sacred sex can also occur spontaneously between partners who are spiritually focused in a similar way.
Sex Magic/k is the use of sex to raise energy which is then applied to a magical working such as spell casting. There are many ways to raise magical energy, including chanting, drumming, dancing, and singing. Energy is raised, focused, and released in accordance with specific acts of will. This can be done with a single partner, multiple partners, or as a solitary.
(c) Tana Seonaid
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