Last night I attended a reading and talk by Dr. Bud Harris, author of The Fire and the Rose: Wedding of Spirituality and Sexuality. It was an intimate gathering in Accent on Books on Merrimon Avenue in Asheville, NC. I wasn't quite sure what to expect and so was glad for the opportunity to simply sit and listen to his readings, his presentation and the subsequent discussion, which moved beyond the standard Q&A format pretty quickly. I bought the book and am reading it now, so don't have tremendous insights to offer other than this wonderful quote from the book:

"Conventional wisdom fears passion because it may thrust us blindly out of the pinched shoes of propriety and the roles we've been shoehorned into by family and society, and into the chaos of ecstasy or despair. Whether recognized or not, passion fuels the divine courses of our sexuality and spirituality until either they come together in a blossoming tree of fire or we shrink back into the safety of provisional lives."

He described the nature of the relationship of spirituality and sexuality not as polar opposites or opposing forces in our hearts and minds, but rather as the complementary elements of yin and yang which work in synergy and balance to complete us, to make us whole and fully engaged in the pursuit of our fulfillment.

"When these forces become separate and isolated they aggessively turn on each other and their outuput is destructive. Reconsidering the things we think we already understand about sexuality and spirituality as opposites will help us bring them back into a circle of relatedness--the circle of the soul."

He spoke very eloquently and lyrically on the elements of love, spirituality, Oneness with Nature, sexuality, passion ... one particularly beautiful analogy was in reference to the importance of loving oneself first and wholly. He said that love for oneself is like water filling a pond. Only once the pond is filled with water can it overflow to that which surrounds it.

His message was not one of reassurance, necessarily, so much as an invitation into the chaos and "terror" (as well as the utter joy, satisfaction and fulfillment) that living fully in pursuit of wholeness evokes. It's an offer we can't refuse.

"To feel the sense of wholeness supporting life is like coming home to ourselves. It is a moment of joy and serenity. And while it's a moment we can enjoy, it's not one we can hold on to. If we try, the effort will imprison us in the same way that never wanting to leave home can prevent our journey from continuing."

Let's join the Dance!

Love,
Sophie

Dr. Bud Harris is a Jungian analyst in private practice in Asheville, NC. His book The Fire and the Rose: The Wedding of Spirituality and Sexuality is available at Accent on Books on Merrimon Avenue in Asheville.