Lloyd Bradford Syke chats with Naree Shields – co-creator of The Sensuous Woman.
Your show is called The Sensuous Woman. What characterises The Sensuous Woman? Or sensuous women in general?
A sensuous woman is ‘virginal’; i.e. the true meaning of virgin is to be whole & fully contained. You can see a sensuous woman by the way she moves. A sensuous woman is one fully inhabiting her body and senses. She is very present in the moment, aware of the feelings in her body. She moves with a natural grace and power, which radiates from her spine, her womb and her heart. Her head is held high and her eyes see far. She is flirtatious and playful, wise and capable, sexy and spirited.
You say you’re fascinated by the notion of ‘the sacred prostitute’? What fascinates you and how did you come to it?
I am fascinated by the notion of a woman being shamelessly embodied in her sexuality. Personally I have had deep shame in relation to my sexuality, which I have come to know stems from deep cultural wounds that have been festering for thousands of years. The split between spirituality/sexuality, spirit/matter, male/female, is intrinsically part of this wound. I first discovered the notion of the sacred prostitute through some women’s work that I did, through the Numina Institute: rites of Initiation; deep soul work. It became apparent to me that there are many faces to ‘woman’ but, sadly, what is culturally accepted is the bubbling, youthful maiden and breastfeeding mother. Aspects of the wild, crone, priestess & prostitute, among a huge smorgasbord, have been sent underground. And often, as was my case, a woman separates from parts of herself to be what she deems as socially acceptable. However, this splitting off is detrimental to a woman’s health & welbeing.
Susanne Evans, my co-creator, says: “The holy whore has fascinated me ever since I was deflowerd by the Green Man as a child. You notice the archetypes of the femme fatale, the beautiful enchantress and the wicked witch, which all point to the character of the holy whore. When I was initiaed as a high priestess and learned the European-based rites of the sacred marriage, at age 18, I was enthralled by the world of ritualized, sacred sex in ceremonial magick. I have been practicing it ever since, when I can find a high priestly partner. For the last 6 years, I’ve been practicing the sacred sexual aspects of Tantra. This is great, as it can be done with a partner, or alone. It is good to do these ancient and modern, sacred sexual rites, and consciously aim to cause energy shifts in the world or your local community. Very altruistic, whilst still hedonistic. And yes, it works.
Do you think this ancient rite fulfilled a purpose that still has some kind of relevance today? Surely we don’t need fertility rites! We’ve got going on 7 billion and IVF. Oh, ok, fertility of the soil. Did it work better than blood ‘n’ bone?
I read a wonderful quote that expressed that a woman’s health is the soil out of which all humanity grows. A woman’s health, I believe, is dependent upon being able to be connected with your soul and all aspects of yourself. The ancient rite of the sacred marriage, I believe, is about wholeness within; absolutely vital and relevant.
Susanne says it very well: “The rite of the sacred marriage is more relevant today than ever. As a people, it’s up to us to realign ourselves, body and soul, with the natural rhythms and cycles of the Earth. Our very survival as a species depends on this. Our work as performing artists is to use the ritual of our piece of theatre to instigate an inner journey to a place of ultimate connection between body and spirit for those who witness it. As for whether it worked for the farms, well, if the crops had failed, we wouldn’t have been descended from those people would we? It’s agreed by most historians that some aspect of this holy fucking existed all over the world, so our existence (all 7 billion) is testament to how well it did work. Perhaps the fertility rates dropping off now are a further reflection of this connection between our bodies and the Earth: the Earth is trying to rebalance itself by causing more people to become infertile.”
What’s sacred about sexual intercourse (or anything else, for that matter) today? Should sexual intercourse ever be sacred. Can it be? Doesn’t that whole notion play into the hands of those who’d rather we didn’t do it nearly so much?
Life is a constant blend of the sacred & profane: the sacred paradox. I’ve come to understand that when I’m deeply connected to myself, the sacred will be present. However, it is a vigilant act of consciousness to remain connected to myself; i.e. not split off from myself. Sure, we can have mundane experiences, mundane sex, mundane conversations, mundane getting kids ready for school, etcetera, or it can be sacred, by being fully present and attending to exactly what is happening in the moment; no easy task, in our fast-paced world.
Susanne says: “Sacred doesn’t mean it should be kept for only sometimes. Sacred, holy, yes, and to be celebrated as much as possible! The goddess loves our sexuality, which celebrates the blissful states our bodies have available to us any time. Not ALL sex is conscious and sacred. It has to be soulful as well. Sex can be the conception of a new life, tender lovemaking, half-conscious making the beast with two backs: sometimes sacred, sometimes unconscious and profane. There is a time appropriate for either, which we know instinctively in our bodies. Our piece examines the knowing of the woman’s body: when to fuck and when to nurture oneself, when to conceive and when not to, when to give birth and when to choose abortion.”
Were sacred prostitutes willing volunteers (or did all the other women in the temple take a step backwards) and, if so, what was their motivation? Spiritual, as well as physical, conjugation? Did they have to be virgins? Or just nominally so?
Susanne says: “It depends on the culture. There have been holy whores in many cultures. The earliest mention of the holy horii (whore) is in the earliest text we have: Glilgamesh, from ancient Sumeria (modern day Iraq), c.7000 BCE. It’s thought by modern historians that the priestesses of the temple were all considered to be vessels of the Goddess, sometimes they might be married to a God, as with the Dionysian priestesses, or our modern nuns; sometimes not. So it was an honoured place in the village. I suppose; yes, a priestess WOULD be a virgin, but not in the sense we know the word. In Goddess culture, a virgin is someone who is whole unto their self. Embodying fully their own masculine and feminine aspects so deeply they’ve no need of a partner. This is why they dedicate themselves to service of the Goddess or God, and the community. Magically, they may have helped bring fertility to the land but, physically, the role the whores played in village life was to keep the men loved-up so they’d be less likely to fight. They would’ve helped to civilize the men in this way, and they would’ve taught the men how to pleasure a woman too, which would in turn keep the women happy.
How sacred were these high priestesses? Was it just promiscuity wrapped in a spiritual sheath? Or were these women exploited by men, under that guise? Was it religiously-sanctioned rape?
I believe they were highly revered, priestesses of the highest order. There were also the mundane prostitutes down the road. I sense we are talking about a quality of mind and thinking around this. I don’t believe the sacred prostitutes were exploited. They existed in cultures that had a completely different mindset. I suspect there was an understanding of the importance of being connected to the land and that humans play a vital role in ensuring the fecundity of the land and honouring the earth & earth spirits; and honouring human flesh as sacred and the human body as a vessel that is intrinsically connected to the land. To separate from the land is to separate from yourself. Also, I think there were very different attitudes around sexuality. In ancient Sumerian texts, Inanna says, ‘Who will plough my Vulva?’ There are pages about a woman/priestess revelling in her vulva and calling to her lover to plough her. A deep understanding of the connection of ‘cunt’ to ‘country’.
Susanne says: “That’s very hard for us to know for certain. I read about one place where women who’d never had sex had to go sit on the temple steps and go off with whoever asked them, and donate the money earned to the temple. You had to have been taken from there as a virgin before you were allowed to marry. In a more recent perversion of the rite, in medieval times, European lords used to have le driot de seigneur: they had the right to be the first man to have sex with a bride on the wedding night, before she could visit her husband. Sloppy second wedding nights can’t have been everyone’s joy.
All jokes aside, did these ancient rites put women in a position of high status, power, wealth and influence? Was this an early instance of blue stockings and bra-burning? Were these hierodules, as I believe they were called in ancient Greece, icons of feministic integrity? Or even feminista, because of the distinctive robes with which they were adorned?
Politically, they were considered equal to men, and could own land, and inherit from their fathers and mothers. They were educated, and some temples held up to a thousand women, so they must have liked it. I can’t imagine you could keep that many women under wraps is they were dissatisfied. There was also profane prostitution, in ancient Greece and Rome, although these women didn’t have the high status of temple prostitutes.
How far does the practice go back? And when did it cease?
Well, as they say, it is the earliest profession. Our first records of temple whores are in our earliest writings, from Sumeria, 7000 BCE, in Gilgamesh, an epic tale which must’ve had far older, oral roots. Also, in the Code of Hammurabi, the earliest laws ever recorded, the sacred whore is accorded the rights I mentioned before. It’s unclear when it ceased. There were some in ancient Greece, and it was part of the early days of the Christian church, Gnosticism, but we kind of lose track of it after the gnostics went underground, in about 100 CE. You can hire sacred prostitutes today, they go under names like Tantric Goddess.
You’ve said these women fucked the war out of men. Did it even work at the time? Given the emphasis on military operations down through history, they don’t seem to have fulfilled their mission.
I read an extraordinary work, The Chalice & the Blade’, by Reiner Eisler (I need to check that reference), where she argues there was a time of peace, when men & women lived in true partnership. This was prior to the commencement of patriarchy. She speaks about this as being the ‘dominator mentality’, in contrast to the partnership model. And yes, our recorded history is built on the patriarchal mindset. However, some of the findings of archeologist Marija Gimbutas also speak of there being times of peace. She dug up thousands of relics in honour of the sacred mother, suggestive of people who honoured the sacred feminine. So yes, there is the recorded history but there is also history passed down through folklore, art, and even understandings in the cells of the body, passed on from mother to daughter in the womb!
Susanne: “It could’ve been far worse, mate, if it hadnt been for these women’s glorious orgasmic sacrifices. We can’t know. But imagine a culture where anyone could go down to their local church and get laid. Wouldn’t it be a happier place?”
You’ve described your show as ‘a comic sextravaganza’. But is there a serious intent here? Is there a feminine, or feminist, voice you hope will emerge?
It is a blend of the sacred and the profane: the sacred paradox; the place of no separation. This work is my prayer in honour of the sacred feminine. I would be delighted if people felt more connected to themselves & each other through having a cheeky belly-laugh.
Susanne: “Look, to be honest, The Theatre of Living Light’s work is all about activating something deep within the audience. This piece aims to activate people’s sensuality, and unleash their kundalini, put them in touch with their sexuality and join it deeply with their souls. It goes beyond feminine, to the wholeness of embodying the feminine fully, but also the masculine, so we can all be whole beings. But all that’s so lofty. We have to come at it like clowns, and first have a big laugh about it all.
You employ terms like ‘feminine sovereignty’ and ‘vagina renaissance’. Again, are you merely being provocative, for its own sake (not that there’s anything wrong with that), tongue-in-cheek, or is there a political mission?
Again, the blend of the sacred & profane: no separation. “I have found my voice through my vagina.” As a woman, if I’m not fully connected to all aspects of myself I feel sick (literally). To be connected to my vagina, staying inside my own body, I have to be be vigilantly conscious. There is so much baggage and shame about female sexuality. However, I feel it’s vitally important to have a lighthearted approach. I call my work clown medicine. Incredible transformation can take place through laughter.
If political means fully standing my ground as a woman, expressing my voice shamelessly, then yes, this is a highly political work.
Susanne: “We want to activate the wild, sensuous nature of women. We want to bring them back into alignment with their soul’s journey. We want to bring them back into deep alignment with the natural rhythms of Earth. Nurture the spirit of woman and you feed the roots of the family tree. It will bear marvellous, juicy, creative and engaged children, if the women carry this medicine into their daily lives.”
What can you tell us about the character, form and content of the show, without giving too much away and dissipating the mystique, not to mention the hard-on that arises from it?
Think film noir; physical, devised theatre; Newtopian cabaret; live, sultry jazz and rootsy blues. Ancient myth and personal stories. And some very hot, very wet femininity.