Sacred Pleasure: Sex, Myth, and the Politics of the Body--New Paths to Power and Love

Riane Eisler is a treasure. In SACRED PLEASURE, she meticulously documents the corrosive nature of the male dominance that permeates all aspects of human society. Eisler makes a strong case that there is a better way, one that is based on mutual respect and partnership between the sexes. Creating a sustainable future for humanity depends on making peace with the natural world. A crucial step in making that happen is for men and women to learn to live in harmony while joyfully valuing the things that make each sex unique. An engaging and very worthwhile read.

In this book Riane Eisler focuses on the issues surrounding joy. Why, she asks, are love and evil, cruelty and pleasure, so confounded in our private and public lives? Her answers involve a journey through the heart of civilization as we know it: "...it may well be that at least in some instances the Christian condemnation of sexual "licentiousness" was due to the ... all too common association of sex with violence and domination. ... But the Church did not then - any more than it does now - condemn the association of sex with violence... Instead, it condemned sexual pleasure." Eisler sets out to reconstruct the history of sex and love, starting with the bonobos chimpanzees. She traces the biological evolution of pleasure and the "chemistry of love". Endorphins become a powerful pleasure-reward for social bonding. Sex takes an importance far beyond reproduction. A different Darwinism emerges, stressing the survival of those with the greatest capacity for joy, love and mutual care. In Eisler's critical path, the future belongs not to those with the greatest means of coercion, or even with the best means of production, but to those able to inspire partnership between former competitors. It may seem odd, but the view that love and joy are central in human development is a dubious and unproven theory. Before it can be taken seriously, it must be backed with "hard" scientific and historical evidence. Eisler therefore supports her observations with a respectable 54 pages of reference notes. Most of the book comes under the heading, "Where Do We Go From Here?", in which Eisler spins her distinctive moral vision. To her mind, the modern media link of sex with violence: "...is not (as is often claimed) a product of modern sexual "laxness", but imbedded in ancient dominator traditions - this is not "the sexual revolution". It is the dominator sexual counter-revolution." She turns to praising real people who are building families of mutuality, politics of compassion, or to use Hazel Henderson's term, "the love economy". Through her Partnership Studies Center, Eisler works with like-minded people around the world. She introduces some of them: the Ecopolis Culture and Health Center in Moscow, a network called Women Living Under Muslim Laws, the Oakland Men's Project, the Mothers of El Salvador, Business for Social Responsibility, the Defense of Children International, the Prague-based East-West Gender Studies Center, or the Partnership Research Group at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing (which has produced a book called The Chalice and the Blade in Chinese Culture). As she writes, Eisler's sentences grow longer, with the cadence of someone excited. The sympathetic reader may feel walls crumbling. If the sentences are run on, who cares? In her last section, Eisler looks to myths and stories for a reconstruction of love. Among the stories she shares is a poem by her partner David Loye, transforming the tale of Adam and Eve into a tender

Raine Eisler once again breaks new ground as her research and hypotheses continue to boldly challenge the dominant paradigm under which the human family still lives. In this millennia sweeping text from the Paleolithic & Neolithic to the current media frenzy and possibilities for social transformation Eisler's exploration of and frank discussion concerning the myths and politics of "western civilization" is provocative and long overdue. Referencing prolific researchers like, Marija Gimbutas and Ashley Montagu the author paints a stunningly vivid picture of the other histories. The histories that have for to long gone unspoken, been buried, and deliberately hidden in order to maintain status quo. The author's scrupulously accurate examination of the politics of pain and how western culture has come to erotize violence will make any mindful reader rethink their own relationship to and responsibility for private and public tolerance of this dominate mythology and politics. Referencing events through out history Eisler traces the paths western culture has chosen, carefully marking each crossroads with examples, accurate evidence and a reverence for the triumphs of the human spirit even in the most dire of circumstances. The issue and impact of class structure within patriarchal society could have been explored with more depth although Eisler does address material poverty and politics of greed as one of the ploys of current social domination. As in her previous work, Chalice and the Blade and Partnership Way, the writing is accessible and a pleasure to read. Eisler is careful not to place blame, instead highlighting how this social structure has created deep wounds of the spirit to both women and men. In closing she attempts to provide a salve for humanity, offering clear actions that can be taken on individual, communal and global level to create positive change thus supporting her theory of cultural transformation. Sacred Pleasure, examines the complex realm of intimate relations between women and men looking at sexuality, communication, the mythology and politics that have brought current "western civilization" to its knees and, gives us the opportunity to seek alternatives to the current state creating possibilities of a future where sacredness is not a part of but, the whole of sexuality, mythology and politics. An uplifting and inspiring read

FINALLY we get a hard look at the history of humanity's most intimate relationship and the role it plays in our greater society. A book that is millenia overdue. I recommend it to anyone who wants to understand how the greater culture is based on our interpersonal relationships. Saying society is based on the intimate relationships between men and women is about as obvious as saying matter is based on the intimate relationships between neutrons and eletrons, but the lengths certain people will go to in order to deny this basic fact are incredibly funny.

Reclaiming pleasure as our birthright is a bold and revolutionary act...one that I like a lot. I'm inspired by Eisler's vision and courage-it goes to the heart of what it means to be human. Several times throughout the book I've thought...surely we, as evolution's children, were't put here to bear and deal pain. It's way past time to leave domination behind! Embracing Eisler's partnership ethic is a pleasure, and it makes perfect sense.