A Series of Writings that Celebrate Sexuality and Gender Expression
Sexuality and Spirituality: Living in Bliss
by Peter Welch
I have been asked to write about the relationship of the spirit to the body. I have been pondering this for weeks now, without much clarity. Maybe some of you would ponder this too. Sexuality and spirituality, two very complex experiences, yes? When I use the world Spirituality, I’m not talking about Religion. They are different to me. Spirituality, to me, is a blissful connection within myself to myself, to others, and most importantly, to this earth. I feel deeply connected to what I would define as a state of bliss when I am in union with the earth, whether it be hiking in a beautiful mountain range, or swimming in clear aqua waters to name a few. There is a sense of being in these places that allows me to connect to something deeper within myself and with the earth. The experience is physical, moving my body along a trail or through the water, and spiritual, simply being in these extraordinary places with myself and with people that I care about, who care about me, and who have a similar reverence for treading lightly on our planet. . There is a quiet within that happens at these blissful moments, and it’s reflected in the quiet that surrounds me here. These are moments of sacred grace. In these moments, my reality is this relationship I am in with the experience of hiking or swimming, or being with the earth. Isn’t sexuality also a way that we relate to reality? If we are actively and purposely being in our bodies as sexual beings, experiencing the sacredness of sex, aren’t we in communion with something greater, something deeper in meaning? Aren’t we, in these blissful moments, experiencing a sense of transcendence? Aren’t we, at these moments, living in intimacy, experience genuine pleasure? Am I talking about sexuality or spirituality now?
What I do know is that I have come to believe that my sexuality and my spirituality are one in the same. Who I am becoming as a sexual being and who I am becoming as a spiritual being are nearly identical.
Betty Dodson, internationally known sexuality educator writes, “my sexual evolution has been an integral part of my spiritual growth.” Mark Belletini, Unitarian Universalist Minister in Columbus, Ohio shares his insights into this powerful connection. “The relationship between the spiritual and the sexual is far more complex, far more woven together than our common cultural experience would dictate.” He goes on to say, “honor the reality of this sublime connection.” Joan Timmerman, in a course she teaches entitled, “Sexuality and Spirituality” at the Interfaith Sexual Trauma Institute in Collegeville, Minnesota, helps young women to better understand their sexual lives in relation to their spiritual journey. One student writes that she feels most alive when she is actively engaged in the process of integrating her spirituality and sexuality. James Hillman in his book, “The Soul’s Code”, sees human sexuality as a call that is intrinsically connected to the experience of personal spiritual evolution. Sandro Kopp writes “sex is the highest form of celebration of our life in these devine yet physical bodies.”
There is a robust and profound connection between our sexuality and our spirituality. Learning to live within the sacredness of this connection, deeply honoring it, is a unique challenge and an exciting adventure. Creating space where we can talk about and be with others who are able to reflect upon their own sense of awe and wonder about these experiences is also important. It’s in these spaces, where we are gently encouraged to safely explore our beings, that we gain a unique and wonderous clarity about ourselves as sexual and as spiritual beings.
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