The Sacred Flame
Co-creating with the Sacred
Our hearts overflow with awe and gratitude as we contemplate the profound mysteries of creation and sexuality. In every act of selfless love, in every moment of soul-stirring beauty, in every birth of new life, we glimpse the boundless divine energy pulsating through this world. This energy, this eros, is the very wellspring from which we drink deeply. It is the life force that animates our beings and propels us ever outward in search of union, connection, and that which lies beyond our small selves.
We cannot help but be humbled by the realization that this eros, this passionate yearning for communion, is instilled within us as a sacred gift from the Source of All That Is. Our very bodies, with their capacities for intimate embrace and creative co-mingling, are woven from the eros fabric. Yet we know this mystery extends far beyond mere physical desires. It is a cosmic longing, searing us with a holy restlessness that can only be satisfied by the ultimate union with the Beloved.
In our most transcendent moments of profound intimacy, when another soul sees us and receives us in the rawness of our being, unveiling before us their own fragile essence - in these holy instants, we taste the bliss of divine embrace. The alienating shroud of existential separateness falls away as we are mirrored in the eyes of the other. "You are enough. You are lovable. You are seen." This affirmation, freely given, ignites the flame of agape within - sweeping, expansive, all-encompassing love that originates from the very heart of the Source.
Agape does not negate or destroy eros, but elevates and sublimates it through the transforming power of radical self-gift. The more we pour ourselves out in love, the more boundless our capacity for love becomes. We draw living waters from an inexhaustible stream, for divine passion is infinite and insatiable in its thirst to give life. This is the true culmination of our sexuality - that by embracing its holy eros potential, we become conduits for agape, co-creators with the Source of an ever-more loving Universe.
With profound gratitude, we open ourselves to this sacred flame, allowing it to consume us. May our desire for union never be extinguished, but continually stoke the fires of passionate creativity, selfless service, and reverence for this exquisite gift of embodied life. In this way, we become living temples of divine eros, agape's blessed miracle unfolding in flesh and spirit alike.
KEY POINTS
1. Creation reflects God's overflowing energy or presence in the world, witnessed through human generosity, forgiveness, and desire for more life - this is referred to as the "eros" energy within us.
2. Sexuality is a broader mystery than just physical expression. It is an inner drive or "eros" toward connection with the other beyond the self. Celibacy doesn't negate this pull, and sexual activity without self-giving is merely lust, not true "eros."
3. Healthy intimate relationships overcome existential anxiety and feelings of separateness by affirming that one is lovable and enough. This allows discovering "agape" or divine, inclusive, all-embracing love that transcends but builds on "eros."
4. Agape is God's selfless, active love manifested by Jesus for justice and authentic human community. Reflecting God's image means nurturing loving relationships.
5. Positively embracing human sexuality is critical to agape, as sexuality provides the capacity for relationships. Sexuality is a gift from God that helps humans become more fully human through loving relationships.
6. Human passion is more than just lust or sexual desire. It is the divine energy, God's love within humans, compelling life-giving, creative activity and relationships with all creation - a glimpse of God's perfect passion for life.
7. An appreciation of human passion/sexuality as reflecting God's passion demands an embrace of human sexuality itself.
The ideas presented have profound and wonderful implications for humanity on both a practical and spiritual level:
PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS:
1. Embracing healthy sexuality and intimacy: By viewing human sexuality as a sacred gift that facilitates loving relationships and self-transcendence, we can move away from societal repression, shame, or objectification of sexuality. This promotes healthier attitudes and behaviors around intimacy, consent, and mutual respect in relationships.
2. Fostering deeper human connections: Recognizing the human drive for connection beyond the self (eros) and cultivating selfless, inclusive love (agape) can lead to more authentic, meaningful bonds between people. This can strengthen families, communities, and reduce social isolation.
3. Motivation for generosity and service: If human passion is seen as a reflection of the divine passion for life, it can inspire people to engage in more generous, life-giving activities of service to others and the planet itself.
4. Transformation through forgiveness: The idea that creation testifies to God's overflow of generosity and forgiveness can inspire a culture of extending forgiveness - helping to heal personal, social and political divides.
SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS:
1. Seeing the sacred in sexuality/body: Viewing sexuality and the human body not just as physical, but as expressions of the sacred divine energy, can lead to a more holistic spirituality that embraces embodiment.
2. Unitive spirituality: The synthesis of eros (passionate desire for union) and agape (selfless, inclusive love) reflects a spiritual path of uniting the human and divine through self-transcendence in relationship.
3. Co-creation and theosis: If human passion reflects God's perfect passion for life, then human creativity and generativity can be seen as co-creating with the Divine. This aligns with the spiritual idea of theosis or deification.
4. Ecstatic embodied spirituality: The idea of finding glimpses of divine bliss through embodied intimate connections points toward an ecstatic, tantric or erotic spirituality rooted in the delights of conscious incarnation.
In essence, integrating healthy sexuality with selfless love and divine passion opens up paths for humanity to experience deeper personal fulfillment, richer relationships, service to others and the world itself, all while seeing this journey as a profound spiritual adventure of co-creating with the Sacred. It's a world-embracing, life-giving vision.
SUMMARY
Creation itself testifies to the overflowing divine energy or "eros" present in our world, seen through human generosity, forgiveness, and desire for more life. Sexuality represents a broader inner drive of this eros - a pull toward connection with the other beyond oneself. Though celibacy does not negate this pull, mere lustful sexual activity without self-giving is not true eros. Healthy intimate relationships overcome existential anxiety by affirming one is lovable and enough, allowing the discovery of agape - God's selfless, all-embracing divine love that transcends yet builds upon eros. Reflecting the image of God means nurturing such loving relationships, as manifested by Jesus for justice and authentic human community. Positively embracing human sexuality is critical, as it provides the capacity for these relationships. Sexuality is a gift from God helping humans become more fully human through loving bonds. Human passion is the divine energy within, God's love compelling creative, life-giving activity and relationships across creation - a glimpse of God's perfect passion for life itself. Therefore, an appreciation of human passion and sexuality as reflections of God's passion demands an embrace of human sexuality.
(inspired by: Richard Rohr and Cynthia Bourgeault, God as Us! The Sacred Feminine and the Sacred Masculine; Kelly Brown Douglas, Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective; James D. Whitehead and Evelyn Eaton Whitehead, Holy Eros )