What are the most important aspects of the nature of the sacred slut? What must be done to create a sacred slut in today's world? These are the two questions I probe in this essay...
(Incidentally, you might be intrigued by the illustration of the woman. This is slightly modified from an illustration by John Wiley in his "Bizarre Magazine" from the 1950s. Let me point out a few subtle things about this costume, which is a feasible example of a "sacred slut" costume. The diaphanous gown not only displays her body well and makes it largely accessible, it also encloses and covers her hands in such a way as to make it difficult for her to use them, thus rendering her somewhat helpless and vulnerable. Moreover, moving her arms to any extent makes her sex even more accessible and visible than it is already. Presumeably the gown is slit ass-high in the back, but this is not shown. On the upper body it fits snugly, so presumeably on the back are lacings to draw it tight. It is also not obvious due to the scale of the drawing but her nipples are exposed through openings in the decorations on her breasts. Note also the shoes on her feet. These are "highheel toe shoes." It IS possible for a woman to wear these with suitable foot training and properly built shoes (but this is another topic). However, even adapted to wearing these she would usually be found sitting or lying down because she could walk only short distances while very carefully keeping her balance. Wearing such a costume must bring about unusual feelings due to the combination of its exotic and erotic design, its extreme degree of body exposure and decoration, and the sense of helplessness and vulnerabilty it must induce. This costume thus is ideally suited for her performing in the role of a sacred slut. Well done, Mr. Wiley!)
Do we have an antidote to a poisoned idea? One initial, obvious comment must be made at the beginning. Whether we call this woman sacred slut, or temple whore, or holy prostitute it really makes little difference. There is emotional baggage attached to the terms slut, whore, and prostitute which clouds our ability to think clearly about her and her role. Frankly, we do not have words commonly used in our vocabulary today to describe her which have not been poisoned. I've tried to come up with other more "acceptable" terms, but all of these seem to have difficulties. So, right at the very beginning we have a problem. What should we call her?
I have decided here to call her a "goddess." Of course, calling a woman a "goddess" does seem a little odd, but there are good reasons why this is appropriate. First, her role has a powerful linkage to worship of the Goddess. By acting as a surrogte of the Goddess, she surely deserves the use of the honorable title of "goddess" (using the lower case). Second, her sexual mores are outside of our society's normal sexual mores. For this reason, using a word like "goddess" which also transcends our normal range of experience is also appropriate. And finally, the goddess lives a role outside of the mainstream of life. Calling her goddess not only recognizes this difference, it further separates her. It serves to remind her of her spiritual link with the Goddess she serves through her lifestyle. And thus, in a sense she brings the Goddess to real life, and so truly is a goddess herself.
A look at our goddess today. Our goddess experiences a number of special situations in her life: the act of offering and opening her body to others, her celebration of desire and lust, her need for compansionship and intimacy with male-kind, her submissiveness towards male sexuality, exchanging her time and intimacy for money, her commitment to satisfying the sexual and emotional needs of others (including the one who manages her and oversees her performance), and her ability to feel her spiritual linkage with the Goddess whom she represents. All of these are important aspects to her real-life role. Although not all parts of this scenario may not fit every goddess equally, no one part can be excluded from the others in our study of her as a type.
It is ironic that it is honorable and legal to sell your sweat, your ideas and your ideals, your companionship, your body parts, and even yourself in marriage to another -- and yet it is in some sense deeply immoral to sell intimacy and sex! Does this make sense? Of course not! And yet, a woman who wishes to live and explore the role of goddess finds it very difficult (although not impossible) to do so today. In this "New Age" where people are exploring new directions, both outwardly and inwardly, it is no surprise that the question of "goddessy" is once again being seriously considered by some brave, pioneering souls. Remember that for thousands of years this honorable institution existed, and clearly the need for it still exists.
Given this situation, it is in some sense inevitable that in our world today individual men and women are struggling to recreate the essentials of the goddess. The only question is, what form will this take? Our world today is in certain important respects fragmented, with individuals going off into their own directions, or small groups forming to pursue common goals. It is in this context that we will find the goddess today.
What women today are good candidates for becoming a goddess? Basically, I see three different types. First, there are the sex workers. Some of these women already are -- or are on the verge of -- becoming goddesses. The ones who are not yet goddesses still need to achieve an awakening as to their spiritual role in ministering to their clients. Equally important, they need to achieve a profound understanding of their spiritual linkage with the Goddess they serve through their lifestyle. Note that they do not need to actually worship the Goddess -- they just need to feel the connection with Her and all her sisters who also serve Her.
Second, there are women who are highly sexed and desire greater intimacy and sexual fulfillment in their lives. They face the challenge of freeing themselves from both social constraints and personal inhibitions. Becoming a goddess is not easy, and it requires a profound personal transformation. In some ways their challenge is twice as great as those who are already sex workers, yet they face a similar path.
Finally, there are women who have broken social convention by permanently committing themselves to a life of submission to their Master. It is this group that I will discuss in more detail.
Slavery and our goddess. Is being a slave compatible with being a goddess? In the ancient past, it was considered an honor to be a temple slut, and it was even a normal part of a woman's development. Later, after it became less honorable, slaves were used as temple sluts. However, in today's society in which legalized slavery does not exist, a "voluntary slave" is in some ways well suited to become a goddess. Her service to her Master in various ways incorporates some elements of "temple sluttery," although in some ways it is very different. Still, it provides an important point of entry into this role. Even more important, being a slave perhaps is inherently an aspect of being a goddess, although not fully realized as yet.
Perhaps the most important similarity is the issue of "sexual liberation." A goddess is offering herself as part of a process of service, liberation, and transcendence, and a modern day slave is consciously doing the same thing. The most important difference is that that a modern slave offers herself to a specific man -- her Master. Some slaves do experience supplementary sex with other sexual partners according to the wishes of their Master. A temple slut on the other hand generally offered herself to whoever came into the temple. This goes to the key difference in how "sexual liberation" is defined, because a modern slave focused on serving only (or primarily) one man cannot attain the true liberation of the temple slut. Thus, it is clear that a modern slave must offer herself -- naturally under the approval and guidance of her Master -- to a number of men. (How this is to be accomplished is discussed later.)
The satisfactions of our goddess. A woman who is a goddess immerses herself in two deep-seated female feelings of personal satisfaction. One comes from satisfying her strong (and too-often repressed) sexual nature. Thus, the more highly sexed the woman, the more easily and the more benefit she gets from this satisfaction. The other comes from feelings of nurturing from freely providing male-kind with sexual and emotional intimacy. Rather than conserving and hiding her sexuality, she has come to realize how much more joy comes to her from opening herself, freely offering intimacy, and sharing with her male supplicants. This can be a revolutionary sexual awakening within her spirit, and probably is essential if a woman hopes to truly attain the role of goddess.
The spirituality of our goddess. A goddess who has had this revolutionary awakening within her spirit has attained a fundamental redefinition of herself. She realizes that her sexual service serves a profoundly spiritual role in the daily life of her male supplicants. Immersing herself in her goddess role in turn enriches her spirituality, giving her a sense of her unique role and special value in life. She must also be able to fully accept her unconventional life, for the role she is now cherishing is one which society around her disdains, and she runs the very real risk of becoming a social pariah if her activities become publicly exposed. On the other hand, awareness of this differentiation can serve to tie her more strongly to her role, especially when she obtains strong emotional support from her male supplicants. For a goddess, sex is not merely a pleasure for her and her partners, it is also a meaningful social and spiritual exchange which enriches her and those around her. The goddess thus has managed to escape the Judao-Christian guilt regarding sexuality, and she has come to view exercising her sexuality as an inseparable part of her spirituality.
How our goddess appeals to men. A goddess is viewed differently by male-kind from other women. For one thing, she is seen as a freely open source of pleasure and satisfaction from which they can draw sustenance. She understands and accepts the strength of the male need for sex and intimacy. Her joy at being a source for this is, for them, a treasure and a wonder. For another, she is transcendent in her ability to nurture them. Her spirit itself is renewing, and the lack of restrictions on her attentiveness, her devotion to her lovers, and the openness of her body and sex makes her especially appealing.
How a Master views his goddess. A Master is different from most men in that he need not be anxious or jealous of his slave's role as a goddess. Indeed, her goddessy emphasizes her special qualities and the degree to which male-kind holds her in regard. While husbands in our society normally could not accept the sexual openness and acessibility of the goddess if practiced by their wives, a Master is much more easily able to do so. A Master has already tested and proven his slave's commitment to him. A Master knows he owns and controls the goddess within his slave's body. As her Master he regulates the access of others to her and oversees her performance. In a sense, then, the goddess is liberating for the Master as well, for he can enjoy her sexuality being exercised openly with others. So, it might be that in our paternalistic society a Master-slave relationship is the one form of pairing which is most likely to support the female role of goddess in a viable form.
Creating a goddess today. To effectively create a goddess in today's world -- since there are no sacred temples to which the woman can go to offer herself -- requires both the Master and the slave to create a "sacred space" within which she can develop and practice the art of "goddessy." This is a critical aspect of how a slave becoming a goddess requires her Master's assistance. Now her Master is transformed into her temple priest, and she performs her sexual duties under his watchful eye. This sharing of "temple roles" further bonds her as slave to her Master, and yet still allows her enlightenment and transformation into a goddess within the duties of her submission to her primary lover and Master.
However, it is not easy to create a "walk-in temple" in which to install the goddess, and there are no conventional religious orders which she can join to practice her art. No, to actually be a goddess will require establishing one of several alternatives. Perhaps the best alternative is to establish a "cult" which would be managed by the Master. Although it likely might have mostly single male members, it is possible (and perhaps even desirable) that the cult include more than one goddess, but this is certainly not required.
I use the term "cult." What exactly does that mean? Well, that depends on exactly how it is set up according to the wishes of the participants. Of course, a "sacred cult" could be established, but not many people today truly believe in worshipping the Goddess in a religious setting. However, if they can be found, such a cult can be established. The advantage of a "secular cult" is that the goddess can express both her own spiritual values (emulating the service of the Goddess) and meet the secular needs of her supplicants. Thus, the cult could provide not only a healthful sexual release, it could also provide a valuable education in sexuality for single males.
A "how to" step-by-step outline.To summarize the steps which would most likely be required by a Master to make his slave into a goddess:
1. Prepare the slave emotionally and spiritually for her goddess role. In particular, she should read the history of the sacred slut and discuss how she sees herself performing this role. She should read such books as "The Art of Sexual Ecstasy" which describe sexual-spiritual exercises and how to attain the higher energy orgasm states. It is important that she be interested in this as a growth experience for her, because simply forcing her will not produce the best results.
2. Create a "sacred space" which the goddess can use for her activities. Ideally it should be an area set apart, but if it can't be, then manage it so that it can be something special. For example, the minimal sacred space might be defined by nothing more than a special colored sheet placed down with throw pillows around it, special lighting, incense, and a tangible symbol (a poster or statue) overlooking the area which represents the Goddess. It would also be very good to involve the slave in the selection and preparation of the sacred space. The more enthusiastic she is, the better.
3. Anoint the sacred space. The goddess should find some way of dedicating the space to the Goddess and to spiritual sexuality. She should use the area alone, studying, meditating, masturbating. In this way the space becomes her space and it becomes sexually charged for her.
4. Select candidates for supplicants. Ideally the first one or two should be known to the Master and/or the slave. They should be introduced to the slave as supplicants and there should be an open discussion (which includes the slave) concerning her role as goddess and the purpose of her goddessy. Each of them should be brought into the sacred space and she should take charge and sensually arouse them and bring them to a climax -- all done in a special, ceremonial fashion.
5. After the first few supplicants have been sexually serviced individually, then a gathering should be held for the goddess to meet with them all as a group. It is at this point that her Master will define the rules of access to her and the operation of her cult. Her identity as the property of the Master should be made clear. After this, new members can be added according to the rules agreed upon.
6. Group meetings are particularly valuable to a cult, since they build a sense of community. Group meetings are also necessary for inducting new members, saying goodby to departing ones, and celebrating special occassions. Each meeting should basically have three parts. First, it should open with a symbolic homage to the Goddess. This should be a special little ceremony in which the supplicants acknowledge the power and beauty of the Goddess, and the goddess should act in her place receiving the homage of the supplicants. Second, comes the discussion part of the meeting. The goddess should address the supplicants as a group. She can share what she has learned about love, sex, her feminine nature, and her feelings in serving as their goddess, and any revelations she might have had being a goddess. Individual members can also speak concerning their experiences with the goddess. New members should introduce themselves, and departing ones should say goodbye. Lastly, the highlight of the meeting is when the goddess provides a variety of sexual services to the cult members. This should begin with the goddess going to each member and collecting his payment for her services, which she then turns over to her Master. Note that this amount should be a meaningful amount, although its primary purpose is not to raise money, but to teach the goddess that her intimacy has real value in the world. Since the goddess is also a slave, if desired the cult could include introducing some members to BDSM, although clearly the goddess' primary role is that of sexual service. The night of the full moon (once every four weeks), the night symbolizing the Goddess, thematically fits perfectly as the meeting night; there are 13 of these a year.
Conclusion.To conclude, being both a slave and a goddess does appear to be a potentially viable combination in today's world, as long as it is done right. It potentially could be very rewarding emotionally and sexually to the slave, to her Master, and to her other lovers. The most important benefit, though, is that it could be the key to a rebirth of sexual spirituality. Perhaps the final test to the whole issue is this -- is the sexual-emotional exchange between the goddess and her supplicants truly rewarding, enlightening, and revolutionizing to the spirit and consciousness of them all? If so, then the goddess will have truly become a reality once again through one woman's dedication and effort.
[Copyright © 1997 by New Age Quest]