The Sacred Prostitute: Eternal Aspect of the Feminine (Studies in Jungian Psychology by Jungian Analysts, 32)

The ancient connection between spirituality and passionate love has in modern times become lost to the depths of the unconscious, leaving a broad sense of dissatisfaction and boredom in relationships. When the Goddess of Love was still honored, the sacred prostitute was virgin in the original sense of the word (one-in-herself), a person of deep integrity whose welcome for the stranger was radiant, self-confident and sensuous. Her raison d'etre was to bring the goddess' love into direct contact with mankind. In this union of opposites- masculine and feminine, spiritual and physical- the personal was transcended and the divine entered in. In those days, human sexuality and the religious attitude were inseparable. This exhilarating book, solidly based on the psychology of C.G. Jung, powerfully illustrates how our vitality and capacity for joy depend on restoring the soul of the sacred prostitute to its rightful place in our conscious understanding.