worship through sexuality
Although modern monks and nuns are mostly celibate, celibacy was not originally a tenet of the ancient clergy. In the ancient world, priests and priestesses married and had thriving families. In addition, ancient priestesses were viewed as living embodiments of the Goddess - and their sexuality was worshiped. Often, they served as tantric healers, making ritual love to worshipers to perform sophisticated energy healing techniques that humanity has forgotten today. Men respected and honored the Goddess, and priests often channeled her energy during ritual.
While these ancient functions of the clergy continue to be neglected by most, here at Grey Priestess Abbey we embrace and celebrate sexuality as an essential part of spiritual work. Whether our monastics choose marriage, serial monogamy, polyamory or celibacy, or even sex work, we are able to incorporate their sexuality into our lives in a nourishing and healing way. This gives us much more access to our personal power and allows us to be more effective in everything we do.
Like Japanese Buddhist nuns, some of our monastics choose to get married. Others choose serial monogamy or polyamorous relationships, according to their most deeply-held beliefs about what is right for them. For sexually active monastics, we offer an introductory course in sex magick and access to resources that can help you explore your sexuality. These resources will soon be available for purchase on our new website, but in the meantime you can get them for free by reaching out to us here.
For monastics who are practicing voluntary or involuntary celibacy, we also offer resources that will help you remain sexually healthy. Far from being a vehicle for closeness with God, for example, celibacy is shown to be highly detrimental to one's health, atrophying the sexual organs and affecting mental health. We have access to ancient meditation techniques which, when performed regularly, nourish the sexual organs and regenerate sexual health. As a member of the Abbey, you will also have access to founder Helen O'Neil's decades of writing and research into celibacy, as well as access to a monthly counseling session that will help you come into a sense of your power.
For sex workers, we celebrate the tradition of the sacred tantrika and honor your path. There are many ways to practice sex work, and we encourage you to find the path that works best for you. For those interested in sex work as an energy healing modality, check out this quick video below for ideas on how to more safely practice tantric healing and rejuvenate your practice.