The Playful Science of Orgy
In ancient Greek religion, an orgy was a secret overnight ritual, overseen by an orgiophant (a teacher or revealer) and celebrated with erotic dancing, intoxication and singing.
The underlying theme is almost universal, being traceable to earliest times. Anthropologists speak of ‘rituals of license’ – ceremonies, found just about everywhere in the ancient world, during which marital sex yields to eroticism of other kinds. Participants internalise sacred constraints, making sure erotic contact is not privatised but shared widely across the community. These practices produce powerful social bonds.
Sex of the kind that might risk pregnancy is not allowed. Everything is thereby rendered playful, long-drawn-out and in a sense simulated. Think of the Notting Hill carnival, when the bodily motions of sex are playfully acted out in the streets, accompanied by laughter, rhythmic music and song. Relaxed exuberance feels safe precisely because everyone is aware of certain boundaries not to be overstepped. Orgy is sexy, but it’s not just sex. Males in particular must know how to behave. Think of it as sex – but on a higher plane.
When all humans were hunter-gatherers and lived by the moon, time tended to be cut neatly in two. Waxing moon was sacred time (‘moontime’); waning moon was ordinary or mundane time. Procreative sex was restricted to full moon (‘honeymoon’) and to the nights immediately following. At dark moon – the moment of ‘moon-change’ or menstruation – blood was believed to be flowing, prompting women to set themselves apart. Their periodic withdrawal lasted until full moon and may be thought of as a sex strike. But it didn’t stop all kinds of erotic enjoyment: only marital sex was off the menu. Other possibilities were allowed and even encouraged. The origins of sacred orgy lie here.
Footnote written in 2011
Let’s put these ancient traditions into practice on the day of the Royal Wedding, April 29! The dying days of the April Moon may not be particularly auspicious for a young couple’s wedding, but they certainly call for orgiastic celebration. Looks like the Court Astrologer cocked up there!
The underlying theme is almost universal, being traceable to earliest times. Anthropologists speak of ‘rituals of license’ – ceremonies, found just about everywhere in the ancient world, during which marital sex yields to eroticism of other kinds. Participants internalise sacred constraints, making sure erotic contact is not privatised but shared widely across the community. These practices produce powerful social bonds.
Sex of the kind that might risk pregnancy is not allowed. Everything is thereby rendered playful, long-drawn-out and in a sense simulated. Think of the Notting Hill carnival, when the bodily motions of sex are playfully acted out in the streets, accompanied by laughter, rhythmic music and song. Relaxed exuberance feels safe precisely because everyone is aware of certain boundaries not to be overstepped. Orgy is sexy, but it’s not just sex. Males in particular must know how to behave. Think of it as sex – but on a higher plane.
When all humans were hunter-gatherers and lived by the moon, time tended to be cut neatly in two. Waxing moon was sacred time (‘moontime’); waning moon was ordinary or mundane time. Procreative sex was restricted to full moon (‘honeymoon’) and to the nights immediately following. At dark moon – the moment of ‘moon-change’ or menstruation – blood was believed to be flowing, prompting women to set themselves apart. Their periodic withdrawal lasted until full moon and may be thought of as a sex strike. But it didn’t stop all kinds of erotic enjoyment: only marital sex was off the menu. Other possibilities were allowed and even encouraged. The origins of sacred orgy lie here.
Footnote written in 2011
Let’s put these ancient traditions into practice on the day of the Royal Wedding, April 29! The dying days of the April Moon may not be particularly auspicious for a young couple’s wedding, but they certainly call for orgiastic celebration. Looks like the Court Astrologer cocked up there!