Desire was wrong, an indicator that we were moving in the wrong direction.
We couldn’t trust our bodies or what they wanted. We could barely trust our minds.
Although, compared to body, mind was always superior.
When we experienced a powerful attraction, a temptation in a direction where we weren’t in control, we learned to be trepidatious. If the desire had a strong pull, it would be dangerous to succumb.
And yet, what we learn as we age and as we dig into the dirt of spiritual traditions and ancient wisdom, is that desire is one of the most trustworthy draws in the universe.
Desire doesn’t lie.
Now, when you ask the repressed to name their desires, you might find a perversion or two.
After all, when desire is repressed, she forces her way into the folds of our psyche and builds on extremes to demand the attention she deserves.
The root cause of addiction, infidelity, and other seemingly extreme reactions to repression often begin as benign, unspoken desires, but those desires were too scary or confusing to voice or even acknowledge.
Take, for example, the Christian Leader who cheats on his wife. I’d venture to say that repression is at the heart of his infidielity.
Modern American Christianity still doesn’t know what to do with sex, one embodiment of desire. The conversations are evolving, purity culture is quickly going out of style, but what does it mean to be a Christian and have a healthy sexuality?
There is no roadmap, so we’re starting from scratch—and we are not having an easy go of it to say the very least.
It doesn’t help that there are still Christians teaching that a person’s desire for someone outside of their partner is wrong, entirely negating the ancient passages of scripture that spoke more to the heart of repression and harming your neighbor than to the evil of desire itself.
How many of our biggest issues within our faith tradition come down to misinterpretation? Quite a few, I’m learning.
Desire doesn’t lie, but repression does exaggerate.
The Divine Feminine, a seductress, welcomes desire.
She urges us on, deeper into the soul She birthed and sustains, to find what we’re here for.
She seduces us into rest when the work isn’t finished.
“The sun is warm and the breeze is cool,” She whispers, “grab a blanket and stay awhile.”
She tempts us to follow what brings us into vibrance.
She asks questions that are dangerous to those in power who have something to gain from our despair, “What makes you come alive? And what is holding you back from it? Refuse the overwork and obligation. Follow desire instead.”
She enchants us with beauty and paints a picture of a richer life.
“The surface won’t cut it, drink in the sunset or sit with the dying, and you’ll see,” She says, “there is depth to be had here. Don’t settle for less.”
And if all of this sounds suspiciously sexual, then you’re reading it right.
Sexuality, mystery, and the draw of desire have been demonized in a religious tradition that was birthed in patriarchy and that needed to dominate women’s bodies and their power.
The powerful have always been afraid of the forces they cannot control.
But the Divine Feminine redeems desire as She invites us into the meaning of life, meaning that is contrary to our culture at large.
Social media needs us to scroll, streaming services need us to numb, and the richest of the rich need us to overwork and consume to maintain their wealth.
We are sold complacency in place of depth.
We are sold numbing in place of vibrance.
We are sold repression in place of desire.
The Divine Feminine draws us back in. She seduces us with the desires of our hearts, and She tells us that we’re good and that there is nothing in the world that can separate us from Her love.
In our complacency, numbing, and repression, She asks us to dig deeper than the voice that yells the loudest in search of the desire that whispers the deepest.
What is missing in your life that you want?
Let Her, the Divine Seductress, speak through your desire, and you will be seduced into a deeper, richer, and fuller life.
Maybe someone had something to gain from telling you that what you wanted was wrong.