Sex as Symbol

Sex as Symbol

Have you ever thought of sex as a symbol? What does sex symbolize to you? Always begin with your own associations before taking on others perspectives. Take some time to contemplate and journal what sex means to you (from a very grounded place) before reading on. Writing down your own personal associations with the symbol and listening to where that takes you into your own history or in your current life. Are there particular aspects you are drawn to amplify within or around the symbol of sex? Amplification means to consider the symbolic meaning via nature, culture, myth, and all branches of sciences to gain different perspectives and then following the thread of your research, what resonates, and where that leads you. Are you called to amplify any of the associations that come up for you around sex?

Some other collective associations about sex as symbol to feel into for resonance; sex is freedom, sex is power, sex is love, sex is liberation, sex is divine union, sex is dangerous, sex is taboo, sex is exploitative, sex is consumerism, sex is religion, and the list goes on. I sense that people forget that sex is more than a word, it is a symbol with layers and layers of meaning behind it and your soul is communicating something to you through your own associations with the word.

Other ways to unpack the symbol via amplification are as follows. Sex is biological, instinctual, and an act of procreation. Within the word there are also variations on how sex is imagined and what flavor of sex brings one the most pleasure, peace, satisfaction and ecstasy based on one’s own inborn archetypal makeup and the conditioning that was reflected back to them during their life based on that archetypal makeup. From an erotic perspective, sex can be sensual, sex can be energetic, sex can be spiritual, sex can be kinky, sex can be tantric, sex can be a lot of things to a lot of different people. What comes up for you?

There are also the deeper layers around sex in different cultures across all time and space within the collective unconscious to tap into, consider, and create from.

(Warning for those who have sexual wounding that the part below could bring up some emotion)

Nancy Qualls-Corbett’s (1988) book ‘The Sacred Prostitute: Eternal Aspect of the Feminine’ is a valuable tool for diving deeper into one’s relationship with sex, body, earth, and the archetypal feminine portrayed as the priestess archetype within who is intrinsically tied to sex as symbol. It may bring new perspectives about how you relate to your body, sexuality, other humans, and the earth or what soul wants you to know about your relationship to the symbol of sex or the symbol of priestess or prostitute. Know that this ancient split in the psyche related to the Feminine is within all of us and within the collective unconscious. Feminine the archetype not the gender.

Ishtar - Mesopotamian Goddess. A dualistic deity of Babylon

In the example given in the book Corbett (1988) speaks to the split between the sacred prostitute/priestess and the profane prostitute. She explains “there is no question that sacred prostitution existed for thousands of years in widespread civilizations. Wherever the goddess of fertility, love and passion was worshipped, the sacred prostitute was an integral member of the community” (p.1). Babylonian period imagery describes the sacred prostitute as “In her embodiment of the goddess, she is the bringer of sexual joy and the vessel by which the raw animal instincts are transformed into love and love-making” (p.34) Corbett references the sacred prostitutes’ role as having the effect of mellowing the behavior of men. (This myth is of ancient times so excuse the heteronormative narrative.) She describes the Vestal Virgins as being dedicated to the higher purpose of bringing fertilizing power of the goddess into effective contact with the lives of human beings (p.36). The ancient history she describes also goes into the protection and legislation that supported and protected sacred prostitutes (p.37).

Profane prostitutes, on the other hand, had a difficult life according to Corbett (1988). Both sacred and profane prostitution existed at the same time during the Roman period as she describes:

During Trajan’s reign, in Rome alone thirty-two thousand prostitutes were registered in the office of the aedile, as required by law…it was reasoned their actual number was much higher. They were subject to abuse, arrest, and banishment from the city (p.38).

Corbett (1988) goes on to explain that profane prostitutes were not allowed to ride in a vehicle, wear fancy clothing, jewelry or mix with society and were often sent into this role as a punishment for crime. She says:

The degradation of the profane prostitute-who represents the dark side of feminine sexuality-was profound; she was the very antithesis of the sacred prostitute, whose sexuality revered the goddess; yet they existed in juxtaposition. One wonders what led some women and men to the temple of love and others to the brothel (p.39).

We can see how this dark side of sex and power still lives today in the collective unconscious and is acted out unconsciously in a variety of ways in a variety of lives, relationships, and systems. Take a pause, breathe, and let your nervous system settle before reading more.

My invitation to you is to consider and feel into both sides of the prostitute/priestess archetype within your own personal psyche and reflect about how each of them play out in your life in relationship to yourself, to the earth, and to others. Reading the book may also help with amplification by taking in the myth and allowing your psyche to process it on a deeper level over time. Note also that each time you read a myth you may discover a new meaning that speaks to what soul wants you to hear and understand at this time in your life.

By identifying the aspects and parts of yourself that relate with both the sacred prostitute and the profane prostitute, you bring yourself into a higher state of consciousness and awareness around the archetypal patterns at work within you. Consider the characteristics, attributes, and qualities of the archetypes and the feeling tones associated with them. This step alone creates substantial change and may lead you to new revelations about your relationship to yourself, body, earth, and humanity.

This process may open up a third way of being or seeing that is neither a representation of the sacred prostitute within nor the profane prostitute within. It is not a linear process and will organically emerge from within you. Allow yourself to feel into each archetype or create from each one. Dance them, draw them, embody them by feeling how it feels to be them or act them out at home, or any other form of creativity that emerges from within you or calls to you. This is an invitation for you to deepen into your connection to your body, your eroticism, your sex, and your soul Self through these archetypes.

Of course your soul may take you down a different path other than amplifying the prostitute or priestess archetypes such as the lover or the siren, for example. Perhaps there are two other polarizing archetypes that you associate with the symbol of sex. Listen to that call and follow the thread of associations and amplifications that resonate with you and your body the most. I know it sounds heavy, given the heaviness of the archetypes and the archetypal patterns, however you can make it fun through your own creativity. Making outfits and playlists is one way to make the embodiment practice a fun and enjoyable experience. Then see what unfolds; being open and receptive to what arises in your dreams or your outer life and then following that thread of archetypal energy slowly over time to see where it wants to lead you. Reach out to me if you need assistance with the process should you be called to take the quest.

Resources:

Qualls-Corbett, N. (1988).The Sacred Prostitute: Eternal Aspect of the Feminine. Inner City Books.