Musings of the Day
On Erotic Energy
What exactly is erotic energy? Is it just sex? And when I say, “just sex,” do I mean to diminish the value and importance of it? No to all of that. Erotic energy is life energy, creative energy, the force behind all life. There would be no life without it. It fills our bodies and souls with passion and vitality, adding a certain openness to how we view life from day to day. More seems possible when we’re tuned into this energy and allow it to flow freely through us. Can you imagine life without it? I can’t.
So many of us grew up in homes where this energy was repressed, consequently causing us to associate shame with our erotic desires. Our culture does not support this in a healthy way either. It is turned into something sordid and dark, something that is dangerous and forbidden. But it is the forbidden that often calls us because it is part of our dark side, our shadow. Our erotic energy stems from this deep place of mystery and begs to be heard. It is not bad. Not dirty. And certainly not shameful. It is our full soul, both dark and light, calling for expression.
Like so many of us growing up in the “free love” era, I experimented with all kinds of things. I allowed myself more freedom in this area, but not in a way that cultivated and honored my erotic life force. Who knew about that back then? I wasn’t taught anything about the beauty and power of this energy, only told that any desires I had were shameful and wrong. Desire was considered something to fight against, not revel in. It has taken a lifetime to awaken to the fullness of this beautiful energy within me, coming in layers as so much of my awakening has. It began to show up when I first started painting again many years ago and has infused just about everything I have created since that time. Now I can celebrate it openly and let it burn brightly without shame, because it is the force that informs all that I am and all that I create. Hiding it away, diminishing it in any way at this point in my life would be extinguishing my own life. It would be saying to myself and everyone else that who I am is wrong and shameful and to be hidden away.
The series of paintings shown here is the beginning of another celebration of Eros. It is not just about my own awakening, but a universal one. An awakening to the truth of this incredible creative force. This is so beyond “just sex” that those words seem ludicrous to me. It is about passion and desire, creativity and joy. Most of all it is about life itself. And it is to be cherished, honored and celebrated, bringing the power and beauty of all that we are out into the light. We are physical beings with senses and emotions. We are spiritual beings being given the opportunity to experience this incredible force within us. Eros is a spiritual life force that can only be experienced in a physical body. It transcends time and space. And I am thrilled to feel it coursing through my veins.
You can find all three images on my website. Simply click on the links below each one.
Listen to this read aloud below.
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