The Sacred Prostitute: Eternal Aspect of the Feminine

Dr. Qualls-Corbett claims that modern people are wounded by our separation of sexuality from spirituality and suggests that the study of the ancient sacred prostitutes and sexually oriented temple priestesses will assist in a conscious "union of opposites," restoring sexuality to its rightful place in spiritual and religious thought. While her alchemical view of sexuality is firmly grounded in Jungian thought, Dr. Qualls-Corbett often uses sources that are somewhat less than reputable for her historical information. In many places where Dr. Qualls-Corbett is more accurate in her history, she often provides rather unorthodox interpretations of historical items, places or writings. When viewed from a Jungian perspective rather than a historical sense, however, Qualls-Corbett's interpretations are mythically sound. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to explore notions of sexuality from a stance that empowers both women and men as well as anyone who is considering developing ritual work in a sexual vein, especially rites of initiatory sexuality.The book is divided into five major sections:* "The Goddess and her Virgin: Historical Background" examines evidence of the sacred prostitute in the ancient world. Though the history here is often shaky, this section still contains much of value if one chooses to read critically.* "The Psychological Significance of Sacred Prostitution" examines the archetypes of the Goddess, the Sacred Prostitute, the Stranger who visits her, and the "Heiros Gamos" or Sacred Marriage.* "The Sacred Prostitute in Masculine Psychology" examines the male view of woman, anima and sexuality. Dr. Qualls-Corbett discusses the dreams of some of her male clients as well as the relationship between the Jesus character and the Magdalene/priestess character in D.H. Lawrence's "The Man Who Died" in an attempt to demonstrate that the healing power of consciously regarding the sacred prostitute is not limited to women.* "The Sacred Prostitute in Feminine Psychology" first explores four of Dr. Qualls-Corbett's female clients -- three single women and one married woman -- as they explore their evolving sense of Self and sexuality. Dr. Qualls-Corbett then links these four stories together by relating them to the D.H. Lawrence short story, "The Virgin and the Gypsy," a story of lost innocence and overwhelming sexuality in which the male stranger, the Gypsy, plays the initiatory role to a young virgin in much the same way that the passing stranger would initiate a virgin waiting at the temple in ancient times.* "Restoration of the Soul" examines the ...madonna paradigm of the feminine and attempts to integrate these two aspects by using Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary as personifications thereof. Dr. Qualls-Corbett also discusses the Black Madonnas found throughout Europe, suggesting that the image of the Black Madonna holds a key to the integration of the feminine.The book concludes with a thorough bibliography and index.Peppered with

In every heart, both male and female, there is an eternal and immutable touchstone of joy. All too often that joy is lost in contemporary society, through harsh experience, or in the rush towards simplistic ideologies like "men bad, women good" (or the opposite). Nancy Qualls-Corbett attempts to show both men and women how to transcend the narrowly-defined sex roles and oppressions that have been imposed on them from childhood and to rediscover that touchstone of joy. She succeeds admirably, I think. The Sacred Prostitue is not about selling our bodies or the prostitution of pleasing and serving others to our own detriment. Rather, it is the antidote to these kinds of self-destructive behaviors. As we learn to express the source of joy in ourselves, to glorify it despite what we have been taught or bad experiences or what society may say, we liberate our lives. We transcend the old boundaries and grow. I am not talking about joy in a strictly sexual or sensual way here, and neither is Nancy Qualls-Corbett. The prostitute is a metaphor for the kind of healing that happens when we give ourselves over totally to love and the possibility of allowing joy to happen in our lives. First, we must learn to love and please ourselves, then we can learn to love and please others. And that is the true sacredness.

This book opened my eyes and helped me to understand myself on another level. It also helped me to understand my husband and his dreams. I gained a deeper level of compassion for him. Now when I listen to his dreams I learn more about who he really is and how he interprets the world.As I read The Sacred Prostitute I remember having a feeling of "Oh, I get it!" but couldn't stop reading to re-read the passage. I felt I had de-ja-vu only deeper. Not only has this book helped me to gain insight into myself and my relationships, but it has also helped me to see how sex, sexuality and sex in dreams is not negative like some religions lead you to believe. I feel less inhibited in sharing my dreams and all the details as well as my inner thoughts. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding themselves with a new perspective!I will never see my dreams the same!

...waits integrative visions of what women and men can be. This book furthers that process by getting past our cultural tendency to split women into idealized Virgin Marys and rejected Mary Magdalenes. Recommended. -- Craig Chalquist, M.S., creator of the Thineownself.com self-exploration site.