Please join us for Part III of our Sex in the Integral Age series:
The Beautiful : The Breeder, the Hedonist, and God
Even with a 4 quadrant, Integral map of sex (put together in session #1), we still managed to get lost in the maze of moral considerations during session #2. In a world of perspectives, it appears quite difficult to define and hold onto hard and fast rules. This might be a failure on our part, or this might a be a paradox we must learn to live with.
Nevertheless, let us move on—unstoppable and highly determined—to explore the creative aspect of sex: sex in the realm of the Beautiful. Let’s start with some simple questions: What are we supposed to do with sex? What shall we do with our desires, fulfilled or thwarted? With our longing, our pain, and our hunger? How are we supposed to discover peace, beauty, and perhaps even God in a world that so often deceives, overwhelms, and burns us? Is sex the ultimate paradox, where all extremes meet—pleasure and suffering, ecstasy and annihilation, dignity and shame, God and Evil?
We invite you to meditate on those questions and share your answers with us, if you have any.
Suggested reading:
"The secret of my desire for you is written on your body. But I cannot read it; I cannot decipher the hieroglyphs in which it is encoded. There is not the slightest doubt about the significance that your body holds for me: every hollow, every contour, every modulation of your flesh that evokes my desire is filled with intense and urgent meaning. But it is meaning of a different order, composed according to some alien logic. Perhaps is is comprehensible to angels; perhaps somewhere there are creatures who speak the mystical language in which it is inscribed. Something is going on, clearly, something that cries out to be understood, but I am not the person who is permitted to understand it."
-----Excerpt from Love's Irony, David Halperin
Series Description:
Sex in the Integral Age
How can we initiate an authentic and ongoing discourse on the topic of human sexuality?
Our exploration of human sexuality will extend over three sessions, each one with a particular theme and unique intention. The first one will be dedicated to the True, or the objective reality of sex; the second to the Good, the intersubjective world of morals and shared beliefs; and the last one to the Beautiful, the inner realm of individual expression and creativity.
This progression from the True to the Good and the Beautiful is also recapitulated through the IT, WE, and I perspectives. In addition, we can look at sexuality through the lens of "far," "near," and "here." Our intention is to get closer and closer to the individual’s sexual consciousness BUT ONLY after having understood how each person’s experience is effected by and dependent upon the larger context in which it arises.
We would like to invite you to join us in opening that dialogue, sharing an unusual exploration into the world of sex, Integrally informed. Let us approach this topic with humility, acknowledging that we are still grappling with sexuality and have more questions than answers.
Facilitators: Gilles and Robin
P.S. For a full description of this special series, please feel free to check out the announcement that was posted to our message board.
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