The Legacy of the Sacred Prostitute Part II

“We cannot become the means for the resanctification
of society unless we are willing to become the priestesses
once more who serve the divine not in theory and empty practice,
 but from our very nature.” Deena Metzger

Over time, tribal life turned into larger communities where the Temple was the center of life.  All religious ceremonies, yearly celebrations and dedications to the Goddess as well as life transitions such as births and death were presided over by the priestesses of the Temple. 
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 In many cultures young girls came to the temple for education and many stayed to serve as a priestess. Often the youngest female of a family was given to the Temple to serve as a priestess as was the custom. These young women were trained in many of the healing arts as well as developing many of their spiritual gifts. They were taught to read and write and given a comprehensive education.

Once they reached puberty and were initiated into their womanhood they were often able to decide on a specialty to focus on such as; herbology and being a healer, working with younger initiates and being a teacher, dancing or playing music or being an artist, working with the sciences, becoming an oracle or becoming a sexual healer to name a few.

A priestess who wanted to specialize in sexual healing began their training in the Tantric arts of love and in being able to attain very high states of consciousness to literally let go of her own identity and allow herself to be used by the energy of the Great Goddess. They also used their healing arts and spiritual gifts as needed. Some of the temples had names for these sexual healers such as  The Priestess of the Flame and Keepers of the Flame.

When a Holy Whore or Sacred Temple Prostitute made love with a man, the heart and genitals were brought into alignment, especially if a warrior was returning from war and needed a place where he could reconnect again with his feminine nature. Actual sexual intercourse was not always what was called for. A Sacred Prostitute stood in for the Goddess in bringing a man back to wholeness and this could be done in a variety of ways.
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It has been said that a man would go to the Temple and receive sacred sexual communion or a healing with a Sacred Prostitute  and then when he was ready, he would return to his family restored and balanced within himself.   The act of lovemaking was literally an act of the divine, it was considered sacred and thus the body of a woman was considered sacred.

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