Customer Reviews

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

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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 beautiful historical images of the Sacred Feminine, from Aphrodite to Sophia, this book is not difficult to read. It is written in a scholarly style but it typically defines any specialized vocabulary, making it accessible to those who have never read anything in Jungian psychology before. "The Sacred Prostitute: Eternal Aspect of the Feminine" is book number 32 in Inner City Books' series of "Studies in Jungian Psychology by Jungian Analysts."

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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.

Our Western culture has evolved to a point of sad and profane sexual disconnection. How can a woman who is devoted to serving Goddess or God be a sexual being in a culture without being a whore? How can a whore be anything other than profane? This book answers these questions and gives hope and validates my already held belief: We are given the joy of sexual union for something other than procreation. A must read for the 21st century feminist and also for the new evolving integrated man.

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!

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!

This book has been out now for over 20 years but I'd still recommend it, as I've referenced it often. I read this alongside the Kenneth Ray Stubbs work Women of the Light-The New Sexual Healers a decade back when I was exploring massage and yoga and Tantra for the first time. The concept of including rather than excluding the body in the business of healing and union with the Divine was a bit new to me then.

Like many, I was crawling back from the dung heap of death in a lifeless, loveless back marriage then, starting over. As a pastor and priest, a former Protestant Evangelical and now sacramental, high church/old church convert to Eastern Christianity, I was intrigued with the Qualls-Corbett notion of not only the body being holy but the roll of the divine feminine and her leadership and priestly place in this yin-yang male-female processional road back. At the same time I kept coming across this Divine Eros theme among traditional Christian monastics old and new in the church. Indeed, from the extreme surrender of Eros Maniakos in Maximus the Confessor forward (including to the modern saint of love, Elder Porphyrios who was kind to prostitutes--see Wounded By Love) , many Christian ascetic and writers spoke about union with God in terms not dissimilar with some new age constructs.

I was also fascinated with Qualls-Corbett's work in presenting the historical juxtaposition of the holy and profane, of prostitution and the high priestess who served in sacred temples. Some of these were the same women who availed themselves as mentors to take the hands of young and newly pubescent men--sons--brought to temple by their mothers to be initiated into the erotic arts and sciences in the way of love. From boys to men indeed. To be taught from their first encounter forward that sexuality was indeed divine and a gift from heaven to point a fallen race back there. The religious cry and spiritual mantra, "Oh God, Oh God" does comes to mind. Or as the Italians say: bed is poor man's opera. Religious opera I'd add.

What keeps coming back to me with my experience with this little book is what feels as unfair treatment (sorry God) of the sacred prostitutes of the "high places" in the Old Testament. These were certainly not all the pleasure first and flesh only markets seen depicted in Hangover Part II type movies that bachelor night out whackos might seek in such destinations as Bangkok. The concept of Sexual Healer vs. the Profane is a key theme here. The Jungian point here is wholeness, getting healed, making it back alive.

I found this delightful Qualls-Corbett piece of retold history in a small bookstore at a favorite naked healing spa retreat center a decade back. I've since met and attended workshops by more than a few flesh and blood sex workers, healers, body workers, courtesans and former porn stars. These women I have been graced to meet and befriended have graduated to what I would describe as a true sacred, spiritual and healing realm: Nina Hartley, Veronica Monet, Annie Sprinkle, Carolyn Elderberry, Juliette "Aunt Peg" Anderson of blessed memory.

The work of poet courtesan Veronica Franco in 16th Century Venice as well as Japan's Geisha House women also come to mind in this tradition of sexual teacher/healer/priestess. Also my 1997 movie favorite Bliss with Craig Sheffer, Sheryl Lee comes to mind. Terence Stamp is masterful as the sex therapist/sacred prostitute/healer Balthazar who saves the day. (At the time this was the only film by writer director Lance Young.) This film is wonderful and explores the same Dr. Qualls-Corbett theme.

I'd recommend this book for theologians, priests, pastors, therapists, counselors, doctors who work with clients seriously beat up by a bad marriage or damaged by sexual abuse. This is a good book for any professional in healing work, actually, who would like to increase their skill. This is not a stitch to be dropped in researching the erotic fabric of our sexual lives. Yes, this book should be in your library.

If, like me, you find yourself wondering about the anima, the femme inspiratrice, and the ancient temples of Ishtar, this is the book for you. Where does the feminine come from and where can it go after a couple thousand years of patriarchy in the west? Nancy Qualls-Corbett's superb study provides answers to ancient mysteries that beguile those of us living today and reintroduces truths long buried in human experience. Through her scholarship on mythology and psychology, she makes the case for our collective need to exhume our inherent (and sadly repressed) celebration of the creative powers of the feminine.

Our Western culture has evolved to a point of sad and profane sexual disconnection. How can a woman who is devoted to serving Goddess or God be a sexual being in a culture without being a whore? How can a whore be anything other than profane? This book answers these questions and gives hope and validates my already held belief: We are given the joy of sexual union for something other than procreation. A must read for the 21st century feminist and also for the new evolving integrated man.

...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.

I am doing work with School Bullying and LBGT youth services. I find that most harassment is religious based intolerance aimed at the Feminine. Jungian Psychology demonstrates why our culture is so unhealthy and how a balance of masculine and feminine is the way to achieve healthy lives. Of the many Jungian books I have read, this is the best for my purpose and I just purchased extra copies to use in my work. The Abrahamic religions have a long history of abusive practices against the feminine. The bullying and hatred shown against women and feminine men (Queer, Fags, Homo, Gays) is illustrated by the term FAGGOT which is a bundle of sticks used to start fires. This term is a result of the Catholic Church's campaign to burn midwifes at the stake after Augustine determined that women were meant to suffer childbirth for the "sin" of Eve. So young feminine boys (sissies) were used to start the fires at the burning of millions of women. The abuse of feminine children continues today in many churches. Women forced to suffer and even die rather than terminate a pregnancy.

This is a great book for understanding the unhealthy relationships that are so common in our schools and society. Sexual abuse of children is not about gratification, it is about POWER and CONTROL.