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To: alt.magick.tyagi,alt.magick.sex,alt.religion.sexuality,alt.magick.tantra,alt.philosophy.taoism,alt.pagan,alt.pagan.magick
From: nagasiva@luckymojo.com (xiwangmu)
Subject: Taoist Sex Worship? (was Worshipping Tao ...)
Date: Sun, 18 Jun 2000 23:12:22 GMT

50000618 Vom

mu:
>>>usually one places oneself BELOW that which is worshipped.

Ruby:
>>Unless the object of worship is a woman.

papaj418@aol.com (Papaj418):
>Oh, *especially* if the object is a woman!

how odd. 

there are many ways that Ruby's comment could be taken here,
and I am confused.

is it that Ruby is complaining that women are far too often
"worshipped" while (excuse the graphic nature of this notion)
the "worshipper" stands above them?

is Ruby saying that worship of a woman DOES take place
from above her as a sort of convention?

is Ruby saying that worship of a woman SHOULD take place
from above her because that it the proper configuration?

or is Ruby trying to point out the beauty of women in
inferior positions? 

where "worship" of other humans is concerned I have most often 
heard serious discussion about this with respect to sex and 
in the context of comical or real attempts to ritualize or
'sacralize' the giving of pleasure to another. occasionally
this was purely heart-based and consisted of treating them,
effectively, like a statue to which one brings offerings of
food, incense, flames, and obeisance.

in the context of worshipping a woman, the less intimate
method would not seem to require a superior or inferior
specifier (though it could).

the more intimate method would seem to vary based upon
one's notions of 'worship', perhaps whether one is a
woman or a man (though I'm not sure this is true), and
what type of pleasure we're discussing.

the stereotypical pleasure of sex (coitus) would seem to 
be CONTRADICTED by Ruby's statement, since there seems to
be a predominant opinion by women that being on top is
more pleasurable (by no means universal, but it does
seem to be quite common, and their will and direction
may provide an experience of 'being worshipped').

the pleasure of oral sex would ALSO seem to be
contradicted by Ruby's statement, since the most
stereotypical configuration (no matter who was doing 
the worship) places the worshipful BELOW her. aside
from this, perhaps Ruby is referring to supine 
reception of oral worship.

is there a Taoist standard for worshipping of human
beings? the only comparable example of which I am 
aware in the East is the tantric (neo- and traditional),
and this varies in ritual specifics and whether or 
not it includes intimacy.

are there any Taoist alchemical practices (sexual
or not), for example, which are describe in some way 
what could be translated as WORSHIP? I know that 
twilight classics (like the sex alchemy described in 
"The Art of the Bedchamber" ed. by Wile, consisting 
of all known ancient texts on sexual alchemy as well 
as solitary practical instructions for Buddhist nuns)
do mention coital woman-superior, but this is not
described as "worship" as far as I know, and the
impression I get is much like the Tantric writings
for males who are the focus and target reader of
the instruction (containing data about the things
to be chanted by the man, visualized, etc.).

most of the stories I remember hearing/reading
about Taoist sexual alchemy feature male main
characters, and their vampiric 'retention of
chi (semen)' while absorbing the yin-energies
(sometimes called inexaustible) of the woman.

it was this unbalanced polarity that led me to 
construct the following legend of Hsi Wang Mu/Xiwangmu 
when I discovered a love for, and *identification 
with* her after seeing the film "Farewell My Concubine":

	Many centuries ago, in Old China, before the
	Warring States Period, there was born a girl
	called White Peony (her name was the Chinese for 
	this flower), whose parents were very cruel to
	her. They made her work from an early age to
	support their sedentary ways. Peony was a smart
	girl and, as she grew up, she set aside stolen
	coins here and there until she had enough to
	use to run away (as a young teen). The country
	was very hard for a lone girl to find a home,
	so she went to the city some distance to the
	West. Here she met with horrible fortune,
	winding up in debt to a brothel-owner, who
	told her that she must work for him until he
	was completely paid.

	In the brothel, Peony met a wondrous woman
	named Lustrous Cloud, who showed Peony all
	the tricks of the trade, sheltered her from
	the most villainous of customers, and took
	care of her as if she were her own child
	(ignoring their somewhat impoverished and
	indentured circumstances). Peony's natural
	innocence and kindness impressed Cloud, and
	she was always sure to send the occasional
	(Taoist) monks who would come to the brothel 
	to see Peony, as they were generous and 
	reliable.

	It was during the visit of one such monk
	that Peony began learning about the joys
	and mystery of something called Taoist sexual 
	alchemy that the monk was studying, and of 
	which he was reputed to be an adept.

	A cocky rascal, he brazenly explained to
	her the entire corpus of principles, the
	techniques he had learned, and described
	the objective of developing an Adamantine
	body and becoming an Immortal, said to
	dwell in magical places like in the clouds,
	under the water, or, quite often, on a
	fabulous island to the East.

	Peony's sweet demeanor won the confidence
	of this monk, who returned repeatedly to
	dally with her at the brother and to try
	out new practices as he learned them.
	Eventually he disappeared, but not before
	he had inspired within her a desire to
	herself achieve the successes described
	as solely the domain of men. She developed
	the ability to absorb the chi or bodily
	energies of her customers, and she
	refined this skill to such an extent
	that they never knew what she was doing,
	even when they were monks.

	And yet her adeptship proved a boon to
	both her employer as well as to some 
	who sought her out. She listened with 
	patient sympathy to the elderly men who 
	came to her, and, when they complained 
	bitterly about wanting to leave the 
	world, she used her skills to drain them 
	completely of life. It is said that this 
	is a most pleasant way to die, being 
	transported directly into heaven, a 
	joyous smile ornamenting the face of 
	every satisfied corpse.

	Some monks also came to her and,
	believing that she was so advanced
	that she was the veritable Ming Vase
	of sexual alchemy, presumed that
	she could through draining their life 
	away whisk those who were properly
	prepared into Immortality (serving 
	as a kind of 'booster').

	Through the years the chi she
	absorbed kept Peony young, and she
	drained the life from hundreds of
	men, each of them ecstatic and so
	grateful.

	The story goes that one day she was
	seen walking through a wild field
	of White Peonies in swirling robes,
	and that the flowers before her shifted 
	from the ground, rising up into a kind 
	of ramp or ladder into the sky. She
	walked up into the clouds and was not
	seen for some time.

	Later, stories were brought back of the
	rise of a mysterious Queen in the Kun Lun
	Mountains to the West, and those brave
	souls who had caught a glimpse of this
	beautiful and monstrous goddess described
	her as looking quite alike to the girl 
	White Peony, now dwelling in a fine palace 
	so difficult to reach, the Guardian of the
	fabled Peaches of Immortality.
        -------------------------------------------- 
	(end of story)

it was not in my mind at the time I constructed
this tale that either Xiwangmu ought be worshipped 
(though this may well have been one relation people 
have had with her) or that White Peony would require 
the female-superior position in order to vampirize 
energies, but this is would not surprise me (if it
tied into the stereotype of male practice :>).

comments?
mu 
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