Author Marc Gafni always intuitively felt that the erotic must have a powerful link to the sacred, but not until he committed himself to the study of Hebrew mysticism was he able to articulate this link. According to Gafni, most people assume that eros is just another word for sex. "The fact that we so often confuse eros with sex merely reminds us of how distant we are from true erotic engagement," he writes. And herein lies Gafni's mission for this book.
"Eros is to be fully present to what is," he declares. "It is to open your eyes and see for the first time the full beauty and gorgeousness of a friend, to smell the richness of an aroma, to feel the fullness of throbbing desire, and to taste the erotic experience that connects you with every being. It is to feel the palpable love that dissolves the walls of ego, anger, and anxiety."
Drawing from the ancient texts of the Kabbalist tradition, Gafni unravels the wondrous relationships among sex, eros, love, and the sacred. He calls this discussion "Hebrew tantra," yet readers of all denominations will find this an inspiring book on sacred sexuality. As in his previous book Soul Prints, Gafni remains eloquent and intelligent while also offering accessible insights. Don't expect advice on sexual positions or eye-gazing foreplay. Rather, he uses brief essays, ancient teachings, and heartfelt wisdom to help us nurture our erotic potential even as we face our aging bodies and shadowy desires. At its core, this is a worthwhile book about living with great love and great spirit, written by an author who obviously does both. --Gail Hudson
From the author of Soul Prints comes this book about the profound link between sex and spirituality. Gafni, a Kabbalah scholar, television host and rabbi, argues thoughtfully and thoroughly that the erotic and the holy are one and the same. If readers can get past the initial shock of Gafni's claim that the cherubs on the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies were in fact locked in sexual embrace (a provocative suggestion supported by some Kabbalistic texts), then the book is sure to be a mind opener. Gafni writes: the secret of the cherubs is that sex is our spiritual guide. He carefully reclaims the word eros, broadening it from the narrow sexual meaning it has today to encompass a larger life force: eros is the source of all creativity and pleasure. In this context, eros is synonymous with the divine and the sacred. Sexuality (e.g., as portrayed in the Old Testament's Song of Solomon) is a model for the larger concept of eros and holiness. Gafni meticulously builds on this central argument with generous helpings of parables and stories from mystical texts, observing that we often lead nonerotic (although not necessarily nonsexual) lives. He invites readers to learn to fill their emptiness with eros rather than its pale imitations. Those frustrated with the spare documentation of his argument can look forward to his upcoming two-volume scholarly work expanding on the material in this fascinating book.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Gafni, the rabbi and kabbalist who wrote the popular Soul Prints (2001), now delves more deeply into the nature of love, a topic only touched in that book. Expanding the concept of love, Gafni encourages readers to live erotically--not sexually as the word is often defined--but rather with a passion that encompasses all areas of one's life. The book entwines this notion with the teachings of the temple in biblical Jerusalem and with kabbalistic ideals. Kabbalah has become a hot topic, and Gafni plays right into the new interest in this formerly secret knowledge. After getting past the irony of ancient lore suddenly being trendy, readers will find a book that, at its worst, is engaging and, at its best, inspiring. Gafni knows how to mix Talmudic teachings, folklore, meditations, and plain common sense to encourage and exhort people to love themselves and others with an intensity that changes worlds. An ad for a certain rye bread used to say you didn't have to be Jewish to love it. Nor to be enlightened by this book. Ilene Cooper
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Review
"Into a world filled with hate and boredom comes a tour de force on love and passion. Gafni has written a remarkable book, inviting the reader to understand and to feel the energy at the heart of all of life. Erudite and simple, wise and personal, mystical and pragmatic, this book can change your life!"
-- Irwin Kula President, CLAL (Center for Learning and Leadership)
About the Author
Dr. Marc Gafni is a visionary thinker, social activist, passionate philosopher, wisdom teacher, and author of ten books, including the award-winning
Your Unique Self: The Radical Path to Personal Enlightenment, the two-volume
Radical Kabbalah, and the recently published
Self in Integral Evolutionary Mysticism: Two Models and Why They Matter. He holds his doctorate in philosophy from Oxford University, rabbinic certification from the chief rabbinate in Israel, as well private rabbinic ordination.
Dr. Gafni teaches on the cutting edge of philosophy in the West, helping to evolve a new 'dharma,' or meta-theory of Integral meaning that is helping to re-shape key pivoting points in consciousness and culture. He is a guest editor of the Journal of Integral Theory and Practice on issues of integral spirituality, and has been a faculty member of JFK University. He is the co-founder, together with Ken Wilber, of The Center for Integral Wisdom, a leading activist think tank dedicated to articulating a practical politics of love, and to catalyzing an emergent personal and global vision of ethics, eros and meaning.
Known for his rare combination of brilliant mind and overflowing heart, Gafni is a leading public intellectual impacting the source code of global culture, and has been called a trail-blazing visionary in opening up new possibilities for love, eros and relationship. He has led international spiritual movements and learning communities, as well as created and hosted for several seasons a popular national Israeli television program on culture, meaning, and spirit on Israel's leading network. Over the past 30 years, Dr. Gafni has developed educational programs and workshops rooted in traditional wisdom and yet fully adapted to the needs of the contemporary world.
