What Do You Have on Sex, Spirituality, and Religion?

http://www.reuniting.info

I’m just catching up on my RSS feeds, so I apologize if this is too late. My proposal for a Ph.D. thesis in 1999 was “A Theology of the Erotic,” which was received favorably, but unfortunately my job forced me to move before I could start. I had mainly done exegetical work around the image of God (Gen 1:26-27) and the sexual aspects related to that so I didn’t get too far down the theology book path, but a few I recommend are:

Roger Scruton, “Sexual Desire”–A philosophy book rather than theology, but very insightful, especially his use of Wittgenstein’s “Private Language” argument.

Helmut Thielicke, “The Ethics of Sex”–More than just ethics, an insightful examination of sex from a Christian spiritual aspect

Phyllis Trible, “God and the Rhetoric of Sexuality.”–I didn’t always agree with her exegesis or conclusions, but interesting, thoughtful and provocative

Shmuley Boteach, “Kosher Sex”–An interesting presentation of intimacy from a Jewish perspective using the Talmud and OT

Taboo: Sex, Religion & Magick
By Christopher S. Hyatt and Lon Milo DuQuette
http://tinyurl.com/y2phl6

Sexuality, Magic, and Perversion
By Francis King
http://tinyurl.com/yzqf2sv

Sex, The Secret Gate to Eden – Alchemy, Tantra, and Kabbalah
Video from Thelema Press
[Sketchy at times, and makes a fundamental error (from a tantric-variant's bias) about the relationship of the orgasm to the specialized definition of "chastity", but extraordinary in illuminating core symbolism.]
http://tinyurl.com/yhavkdt

Consider:

Masonic symbolism…as you are probably discovering.

The mapping of modern masonic myths (clothed in the mythology of esoteric Judaism) to their Egyptian origins (Memphis-Misraim).

The “lost word” in relation to the (in your words) “basic nature of all religions” as the unity form of the ubiquitous glyphs of primary duality involving a “cross” and a “circle” (ankh, celtic cross, rose cross, sacred heart, etc.), and their procreative aspects depicted in the three-fold expressions as the various glyphs of trinity, and finally the self-reflexivity in the four-fold expansion as the tetragrammaton…the Logos as Ouroboros.

Solve et Coagula.

The procedure for the Philosopher’s Stone as given in the Emerald Tablet: solutio, putrefactio, albedo, citrinitatio, destillatio, coagulatio, tinctura.

The Kybalion.

Unrelated (perhaps), here are some inter-woven almost-quotes from the New Testament and Liber AL vel Legis:

“In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God.”

“God is Agape.”

“Because of your Thelema they existed.”

“Your kingdom come. Your Thelema be done.”

“On these two commandments [of Agape] depend the whole Nomos.”

“Agape is the Nomos, Agape under Thelema.”

“The Logos of the Nomos is Thelema.”

“The Book of the Nomos is Written and Concealed.”

“Nor let the fools mistake love; for there are love and love. There is the dove, and there is the serpent. Choose ye well! He, my prophet, hath chosen, knowing the Nomos of the fortress, and the great mystery of the House of God.”

“Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”

“For I am divided for Agape’s sake, for the chance of union.”

Moab-Ammon, Ben-Ammon, Ben-Moab, Moab-On
“rise up and walk”
Son of the Father, Seed of the Sun
IAO

Aum Ha

Brian McLaren has written a book called “A New Kind of Christianity.” I’m not usually a fan of his, but I’d heard some good things so I thought I would give it a go. Honestly, most of the book was pretty fluffy, but the chapter on sexuality was very powerful, interesting, and thoughtful. I’ve done a review of it on my blog, and there are a lot of excerpts there if you want to get a taste before you dive in.