Hmmm,
This was posted last June and no comments. I got it. I think it is valid. I just don't see why one has to go there. This point can be made with so many other "Items". Yes I am aware of both the present and historical significance of the "Vagina" however, I believe this point can be made without it's help, keeping in mind that a great many people have minds much more shallow than a vagina!

I feel honored to be the first to respond to your very perceptive and sensitive piece here, Tony. It took me years to move from the God in religion box (in which I experienced some tremendous blessings of Love, loving community and beauty by the way) to the God as a free power in and at the Source of all existence. The Creation is so blessedly sensuous. As a photographer I wallowed in the sensuousness of nature... and as a poet celebrated it in words. But the sexual thing has been a long journey of healing for me. Now it is almost central because it is the primary Life Force, and the pure ecstatic nature and I deeply believe our relationship to it is mirrored in all of our life and perception.

A woman's yoni is the door of Life itself... as such it is holy in the best sense of that word. And it can be, is meant to be, so alive. I now believe that how a man sees a woman's yoni reflects his entire relationship to Life and thus to the sacred source of Life. I don't mean standing back and genuflecting, rather coming with joy and innocence of being to the wonder of a woman and her amazing body and being as a reflection of our passionate Love of Life itself.

A huge subject. I'll stop here. All good to you, Tony. I'm so glad to connect with you on rb. Your being, work and seeing resonates deeply with me.

Blake Steele

Please, read this as a little inspiration, not as critical review! There is no rule for faith! It is individual. Although the church says something different... I think a little bit different about your intention "God is to be found in the most powerful
of experiences" like sex. In this case god seems to be in drugs, too. The fact is, when you are on hard drugs the "feelings" are much stronger than "sex-feelings". That's the problem of heroin addicts and why it is so difficult to stop beeing on drugs then.
Drug addicts are victims and not nearer to god than people who are not on drugs. Or would you say they are prophets?! ;) Maybe you think the feelings of sex and drugs are basicly different. From the spiritual point I don't know. From the biological point it's
empirically compareable. Back to spiritually point I remember native americans and their peace pipe. Drugs are deeply ingrained in religion and faith (even religion and faith are different. Today religion is an institution [in germany where I am from] but
to the time the native americans practise their faith it was not like that.) Sorry for my bad english it's difficult for me, speeking about this complicated theme in an other language. Maybe that's also a point we think different. In my opinion god is everything
and nothing. He is something/anything we can't understand with our mind. But we believe to be closer to him in extremly situations (good and also bad situations). That makes us strong and let us don't giving up our lives. But I think it's dangerous to base
or faith on passing/evanescent things. Quickly they are gone but we are without god then :) Or do you think if you are an old >mybe impotent< man god leaves you? No, I think not. For me (23 years old) god or the belive in god is not helping me in my live (since
now -> that must not beeing like this the rest of my live). Live is so fast and convertibly - so there is no place for him. I live with the thinking: Help yourself than god helps you. Because god made you. And god watchs over his work. We are not alone ;)
Sorry for my english again. Hope I give you food for thinking. Greetings from germany André H.

Hi Andre, Thanks very much for your comments on my leapoffaith site. Re faith I think that there is a truth that every person can connect to if they go deep enough. It is not like what the church promotes but it is like a gut feeling that we can access.
I believe from this common truth each individual is in perfect harmony with each other. However this place is often hard to follow as it is often not directing us to the easiest or quickest fix. Suppose with my statement that God is found in the most powerful
of places then drugs can also be relevant. I think that anything in relationship that is powerful is the biggest test of a person’s sense of self. It is easy to remain stable with moderate sensory experiences but incredibly hard to handle experiences that
are well in excess of what we usually experience. So sex or drugs or a host of things can be destructive or enormously empowering dependant upon how deep we are prepared to honour the experience. It is likely true that drug addicts are victims just as sex
addicts or any addicts may be victims. However we do have the ability to use our consciousness to not be victims. People who lose control and respect in sex are also not accessing their God selves but could if they took deep thought to their losses of control.
I think that people who experience drugs, sex ect at a very deep level could be like prophets if they brought knowledge or wisdom to a level as deep as the sensory feeling. However most choose to experience on the sensory level but place a barrier to the rational
mind level once what they sense becomes overwhelming. Re God I am not necessarily referring to him in a religious sense. In the piece the reference was more symbolic than definitive. Suppose what I was suggesting was that the potentially most gifted person
is the one who can experience the greatest sensory events and still remain secure and self aware. Also with regards to sex I don’t necessarily view sex as penetration. My Dad has had his prostrate out but still has the ability to send tingles through you when
he hugs you dependant upon where his mood is at. However in general the piece is more about the deepest sensory experiences than it is about sex or even intimacy. These topics are very difficult to write about with real clarity. I think you have raised some
great points though and your English is great. Best Wishes Tony.

Again, this rings so true to me, Tony. The very first imprint of our existence in a body is our mother's nipple. It is deeply etched into our brains and wired into our entire survival nerve system. To me it is the purest icon of innocence and of the bounty of Life. I have some images you may want to look at that I created to be icons of innocence, to reconnect us to the deep and primal core of our beings. Wm. Blake wrote about the full circle from innocence, through experience and back to wise innocence, a wild, expansive connection to the God beyond all images of god we have inherited.

http://www.sexandspirit.info/gallerybreasts.htm


(PS. this gallery is part of an entire web site I have created especially for those with a pornographic addiction, to reconnect sex and the human body to soul and spirit, to bring a respectful, freshness and freedom that washes away the filth of disrespectful, abusive language and often twisted utterly selfish treatment. The very existence of the pornographic industry is, I believe, the dark belly of a restrictive, repressive religious paradigm. It is tragic that so many most often young people are drawn into it by an unconscious need to celebrate sexual energy, to bring it out into the light of day with joy and even a primal innocence, and are then twisted by the predatory professionals of the multi billion dollar industry.

Good to you, friend,

Blake

So true, Tony. I wrote a 700 page novel last year reinvisioning the Life of Christ and then following the life of Mary Madelene after his resurrection and absorption back into the essence of existence. In the story I bring out such things as sacred sexuality because I believe deeply that until we can initiate young people into sacred sexuality at the point of their adolescent awakening we will never have a truly healthy mankind.

On my Sex and Spirit web site I put a short story about this initiation, Tony, which was just the opposite of what happened to me in my sexual awakening. It was deeply healing to write this.

http://www.sexandspirit.info/gallerywriting.htm

Love and good to you,

Blake