Saturday, June 11, 2005
THE HISTORY OF SACRED SEX
Throughout history the "sacred prostitute" or priestess was seen as a holy person and these priestesses provided a service of the Goddess. A man could enter the temple with an offering, and request the services of a Priestess within.
He wished to gain the favor of the Goddess, or obtain an extra bit of fertility for his fields, or herds of sheep, cattle or camels. In having sex with the Priestess he would feel blessed and honored, and go home full of confidence.
To a great extent the myths of the Greeks is to a greater or lesser extent concerned with sex. The Greek pantheons constantly sought out human partners who's conceived children became demi-gods. These myths had both a good and bad side of their tale. On one hand, divine unions were seen as gifts from the Gods and often became ritualized. They became honored experiences even if they didn't yield a child. On the other hand some tribes such as the Samothraki, involved the sacrifice of young men at one point in their history. Some Priestess would lay with a young man and to ensure she would become pregnant, she carried a very sharp, leaf-shaped knife which she used to take the life of the man she lay with. Sacrificing his life would ensure his essence was transferred to her womb.
There is even evidence of Sex and the Goddess in Biblical Times. It is held by some historians that the Hebrew God Yaweh was originally a phallic deity. In fact it is an accept historical belief that the Hebrews were not always a monotheistic society. Phallic pillars were set up for worship in many of those early Hebrew villages, along with images of the Goddess Anat or Anath. Even today, the lineage of the faith is passed through the feminine side of the family. If a Jewish woman marries outside the faith, her children can be counted as Jewish, but if a man marries outside the faith it's not straight forward.
The website, "Celtic Sacred Sex and the Grand Rite," promotes ritual sex.
If sex is sacred, it is welcome in the House of God where other sacred things are appropriate. We have ample historical evidence that religious people ritualized sex. Why did the Catholics dispense with that ritual?
If sex is sacred and part of the marriage rite, why is it separated from the rest of the rite? Why does it not take place during the ceremony? Why is there not a bridal chamber in church where the sacrament can be consumated? What other sacrament has a portion of it which is not acceptable to take place in church? Why does this sacrament have an element of the ritual that is considered unacceptable in sacred places? Why does a portion of the sacrament need to be hidden from view as though there is something shameful about it?
