The Evolution of Sex



As human beings evolve from being homo-sapiens to homo-
spiritus, then it would naturally follow that something as important and significant as sex, and the way we choose to perceive and use it would evolve as well.

For thousands of years in our Western Christian Culture sex has been thought of as only a means for procreation of the species and what a husband and wife do in the privacy of their bedroom.

The earliest misinterpretation of the sex act comes from the story of Adam and Eve. Here we are told that it was because Eve bit the apple of knowledge, which is the knowledge of her sexuality, her humanness and then seduced Adam to do the same that sex and womankind were doomed. With this story, they made sex shameful. Now this is just one interpretation of that act, and there are countless others that you may wish to explore for yourself.

Christian doctrine began to teach in the 3rd and 4th Centuries that sex was the root of all evil and that it was because of man’s awakening to his sexuality by woman, that humankind was dammed for all eternity. Woman became the symbol of the seductress that was sexually insatiable and who's sexuality would distract men away from the high path of living a chaste life devoted to God. Sex and women were given a bad rap and were banned by Christendom, and other religions, except for the act of procreation in the marriage bed. This doctrine today is still followed by many fundamentalist religions and in fact, has been the underlying premise for all of our sexual behavior. This is the origin of why our culture often uses  words like sex is dirty, forbidden, shameful etc.



The Roaring 20's and the Decades After


In the Roaring 20's sex was liberated maybe for the first time in hundreds of years. Especially for women. This was a decade where many young women came out of the closet to find out what sex was all about and to get some. The youth went crazy and sex, partying and having fun was the way to go. On the whole most of the culture was still steeped in its Puritanical roots but for a brief time in our history sex was something to enjoy.

During the 30's and 40's women were often portrayed as independent working women or 
sophisticated women of the world, implying that sex in or out of the marriage bed was OK.
  The medium of film and the creation of movie stars began to influence generations of men and women on sex and morality.

During WWII as women began to do men's jobs, their was a sense once again of life is short so why not enjoy yourself. Many people had premarital sex but most ran off and got married to have it. In the 50's repression was the theme, family values and good girls vs bad. It was
 a man's world and women stayed at home. Sex was never talked about anywhere, and if you were a girl and had sex before you were married, you were a "bad girl". The morality of the 50's said that sex was forbidden unless you were married, and it was never portrayed as something you did for fun or pleasure.


The Sexual Revolution


Now it may seem to you that what we think about sex has not evolved much in the past hundred years, even with the sexual revolution of the 60’s, but it has. The women’s Liberation Movement in the 60’s and 70’s, along with the advent of the flower children, brought sex out of the closet. It was because women were finally given permission to enjoy sex that sex actually evolved beyond its former limitations and was allowed to be talked about. This set our sexuality free and introduced the idea that having sex was an act of supreme pleasure and fun. In many areas of the country the shackles of sexual repression were loosened and in some, such as my very own home town, San Francisco there was wild abandon and everyone began to have more sex with more partners. We all got drunk on this new sexual freedom. Our viewpoint of sex had finally shifted from one of just being an act of procreation to one of recreation.

The U.S. is really a teenage culture when it comes to how sex is viewed. This was demonstrated to me many years ago when I began to give pleasure parties for women. When I was demonstrating sex toys to women at these parties, it would always amaze me how the women would behave. They acted as if they were teenagers, giggling and laughing, as if they were doing something so very naughty. Their level of immaturity was astounding to me and proved that we, as a nation, had only evolved just past sixteen when it comes to sex talk.

The Present

The evolution of how we as a society think about sex is also reflected in our media. Today, and for the past few decades it seems that we have gone in the opposite direction of sexual regression tosexual obsession. Everywhere you turn you see billboards, videos, magazines and listen to music that is selling SEX.  Does the MTV, movies and the availability of porn on the Internet tell us that we have evolved into a more progressive and open society around sex? Does sexual obsession and over exposure to sex in the media really tell us that we have as a nation evolved our views about sex? I think not. Porn is now a 90 billion dollar industry selling anything that will get a man off quickly. 

The porn industry keeps pushing all the boundaries and has created a culture where sex in any form is OK. Violence and aggression toward women is becoming eroticized and more and more young men are becoming addicted to the dopamine rush and hook that watching porn provides. What use to be something that we used to titillate, provide a little juice to spice up one's sex life has now become a serious threat  to men and some women ability to have real sexual intimacy with a partner. The easy availability of porn has created a new environment  offering variety and quick satisfaction. 

 Hooking-up like the 70's one night stands, tell us that sex is once again something to do for sexual gratification, fun and pleasure. The climate has shifted from seeing sex as something we do with the one we love to something we do to get off.

"The consistent exploitation of women's sexuality as a commodity has actually regressed our sexual IQ."



The Future of Sex


 There is still hope for our society and for the future of sex. The future belongs to the youth of our society and only if we can create new ways to educate, and talk frankly about sex,  will we be able to counter act the effects porn has had on them and the culture at large.

Sacred sexuality also provides another way to uplift how our society sees sex. Even though it is not yet in the mainstream it has nevertheless taken root through the Neo-Tantric movement. For over 30 years the revival of Tantra and Sacred Sexuality in the West has been slowly gaining momentum. It may in fact be our only saving grace. For it has been through this movement that our views on sex have truly evolved. The way in which sexual energy is defined and used in Neo-Tantra have taught us the importance of understanding how to use our sexual energy to not only increase our ability for sexual pleasure but for our spiritual evolution as well.

We may be able to say in the not to distant future, that as a nation we have finally
  matured and have come to see sex no longer as a commodity but as our vital life force energy, the energy that is creation itself and an expression of our divinity. The evolution of sex is an on-going process that reflects the consciousness of the culture we live in.

The second sexual revolution will not be about sexual freedom but about restoring the sanctity of sex, sexual intimacy and relationships. It can also provide us with a new meaning of what it means to be a sexually whole and empowered person





If you have any thoughts you would like to contribute I would love to hear them.

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