I like the myth of the Sacred Prostitute, the woman who gives of herself sexually/spiritually so that men can learn to connect more to their bodies (and their spirits) through touch.

I like to believe that there was a time that many women felt called to be of service in this way and that it was something that brought healing energy to the men they came in contact with, the women themselves and their culture. That it was a calling that was accepted and honored.

This is a myth that inspires Tantric Dakini Workers. It's what fed me when I did my Courtesan and Dakini work.

It's a nice myth, but we simply can't know if it's true. We have definitive information that there were women in temples who had sex with men in honor of "the goddess." We have all sorts of theories about what the mindset of these women was, especially the stories that are told about pre-recorded cultures of the Middle East where Matriarchies predominated.

I have to question it. When I read that every young woman was required to go to the temple and sleep with a stranger, or that every family had one daughter dedicated to a temple, I have to wonder. What was it like for these women? Were they really there by choice? And how did it affect them? Was it really that healing for everyone concerned?

image is of a DevaDasi fromhere