This week I was visited by an angel.
He reminded me of the ancient traditions of sexual healing. I say reminded because as I listened, I felt a deep-knowing rooted within my body and soul
I am no historian, I have not conducted research on this topic.
To say this messenger’s words gave me goose-bumps is an understatement. They created an up-rising within me that felt like all my wishes had come true.
This is what I re-membered….
In the past civilisations of ancient Greece and Rome, perhaps originating further back to even more ancient civilisations, certainly in ancient Egypt, there were women who worked in temples and gave healing to men. The healing was relational.
They used their feminine powers and channelled their own sexual energy to give pleasure and healing to men who were most in need of it.
The women who worked at these temples were highly specialised and knew precisely how to create intimacy and arousal in men and they used a variety of methods to stimulate all their senses.
I can imagine the man was invited to bathe at the temple, removing his shoes and clothes, washing in healing waters before donning a ceremonial covering as a sign of respect.
He would then be taken to greet the temple priestess, who would await him in her inner sanctuary, a place where she was surrounded by sensual delights– soft lighting, gentle breeze, fragrant plants, essential oils, soft furnishings, sweet delicacies and perhaps a musician softly playing.
The man would be taken on a journey of relaxation, awakening all his senses, leading him to a place of deep inner peace, perhaps spiritual enlightenment or sexual fulfilment.
In these bygone civilisations the temple priestess was a revered healer. She may have the protection of a male emperor and only those of highest rank would be allowed to bed her, so sacred were her gifts. She really was something special.
Her gifts were revered as men knew that she, above all others possessed special capabilities including the ability to reunite mortal beings with their divine selves.
I imagine men went in search of such rare gems on their hero’s journey. Searching far and wide for a women who had just the right qualities, for they could not be easily learned….this innate women’s wisdom was passed down through reincarnation or ancestral lineage as humanity evolved.
What function did the temple priestess serve in society?
One function of the temple priestess was to initiate young men into the art of sexual pleasure by building their confidence, teaching them how to give pleasure to a women and how to receive it. Their teachings will have rippled out, influencing the sexual practices of the times and no doubt enhancing the sexual satisfaction of the women these men went on to partner with.
I am told that this service was the commercial aspect of their work and they would receive handsome gifts in exchange.
Another function of the priestess was to give healing to warriors returning from battle. Men who embodied the ravages of war, returning shattered, broken, closed off and in need of a special kind of love, understanding and acceptance that these women alone could give, restoring men to their former selves so that they could go on to lead fulfilling lives again.
I am told this healing was given as their sacred duty, as payment for the warrior’s sacrifices for the greater good.
In the main, the priestess offered the opportunity for sexual connection and expression regardless of a person’s age, visual appearance and one’s relational abilities.
The presence of these women in the upper echelons of society was a physical representation of the sexual values of the time. There was an openness and acceptance that has been eroded over time and is now completely missing in the modern-day western world, where conservative moral values censor and stifle those working to promote healthy attitudes towards sex.
Given the possibility for a healthy society this seems counter-intuitive at best, tyrannical, and at worst it is evidence of Arhamanic forces of epic proportions controlling us from afar.
What is wrong with our society?
We currently do not have healthy initiation rituals, introducing our young people to the delights of sexual pleasure. Porn has filled the gap, offering by means of a single sense, an artificial representation of the physical act. It bears no resemblance to reality, and we know this. Yet, we have nowhere to go to learn the reality for ourselves, using all our senses, engaging our emotions, learning what our bodies are capable of and how to maximise pleasure for ourselves and our partners. Thankfully there are some adult education sites out there, but we are very far from a return to the temple goddess initiation experience.
Sex is visually represented in the media as something that is a coveted experience, reserved for those who look ‘sexy’ and anyone who does not meet this visual standard often feels somehow lacking and excluded from this ‘club’. This can create a deep sense of isolation and longing that over time creates all manner of fixations, fetishes and unhealthy arousal patterns.
Men returning from war have typically been given little or no relational healing and their partners are left to handle the changes however they can. Those without any family are abandoned by the society for which they fought and often never make a full recovery. We do not rehabilitate our warriors sufficiently.
As a society we have a global epidemic of stress, depression and suicide and this is a direct result of the increase in physical separation between people and our emotional isolation, leading to extreme loneliness. All of the above are perpetuated to such an extent, particularly in males, that ‘sexual disorders’ are rife. Men are literally out of touch with their sexual selves.
What society needs is the return of the Temple Priestess...
To re-invigorate men’s sexual energy and in turn make them better lovers to their partners, to show the way and to service men in need of healing. To re-light their inner fires.
But fear not…
The priestesses live amongst us, no longer do they live in grand temples with emperors and Kings … Seek and you shall find them, quietly offering their gifts to those in need.
In practice;
As a re-incarnation of this archetype I have suffered at the hands of a society that does not value the priestess.
I have my own wounds born through misunderstanding and finding time and time again that I am not in Kansas anymore. My body is capable of amazing things, and yet its’ capacities were not recognised and have remained latent for so long that they began to atrophy, causing me to go on my own heroine’s journey in search of healing and answers.
Now I have my own temple, and you are very welcome to come and visit.
I do not have an emperor who gives me a place to live and food to eat. My gifts are my means of survival. I fulfil role of both ‘keeper’ and priestess, and I have to manage my time and both cultivate and protect my energy carefully to ensure that I am able to give myself wholeheartedly to my clients.
The services I offer are sacred and their value is subjective.
I ask that you pay from the heart for the service you receive, and gifts are always welcome as an expression of your gratitude.
In honour of my desire to live more in the gift, I offer reduced prices for those with limited means, and I offer my Sunday self-pleasure circles in exchange for donations.
If you have something to offer me other than money in exchange for my time, I am always open to suggestions.
As I embody this new knowledge, I am already making little changes in my client work and I feel a deep desire in me to work with those people in society who are most in need of healing touch, those with autism and other mental or physical disabilities. I hope to create new pathways to these communities very soon, as this will truly be my sacred work and my service to humanity.