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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.

Kama Sutra of VatsayayanaRichard Burton, 1883 — The earliest and best known of the Indian sex manuals.The Ananga RangaRichard Burton, 1885 — An important work of Indian erotology.The Perfumed GardenShaykh Umar ibn Muhammed al-Nefzawi, 1886 — The best-known work by an Islamic scholar on erotology.

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 Hetaerae A Discourse on the Worship of Priapus/Worship of the Generative Powers A 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, 1874 Influence of the Phallic Idea in the Religions of AntiquityC. Staniland Wake, 1870 Phallic WorshipHodder M. Westropp, 1870 The 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 marriage Karezza, Ethics of MarriageAlice B. Stockham, 1903 — Stockham addresses the wisdom of controlled intercourse The Karezza MethodJ. William Lloyd, 1931 — A practical manual of controlled intercourse.

General Works

The Sacred FireBen Zion Goldberg, 1930 — A comprehensive look at the intersection between religion and sexuality.

Other texts

The Song of SongsOne of the most celebrated love poems of all time The 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' Rome The 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 copyrights Terms of Service