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SACRED SEXUALITY

Name: SACRED SEXUALITY
Author: Georg Feuerstein
ISBN: 0-87477-683-X

LIVING THE VISION OF THE EROTIC SPIRIT

by Georg Feuerstein ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 9, 1992

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Here, Feuerstein (Holy Madness, 1991) tackles the spiritual potential of sex—comparing and contrasting motifs and practices from neolithic to neo-pagan times to conclude that we need to reconnect with the ancient experience of the energy of sex. ``Our civilization encourages us to neglect the lived body, even to ignore and deprecate it,'' writes Feuerstein. ``This dovetails with the Christian ideology that the body is corrupt and that we must therefore place our attention on the Eternal, the paradise beyond the finite human body and its concerns.'' Feuerstein contrasts our disembodied, guilt-filled state with neolithic Goddess cults that purportedly encouraged—and worshipped—a magically potent, boundlessly creative female sexuality. Later in human history, he says, the spiritual power of sexuality was ritually enacted as the coupling of a god and a goddess—which evolved into the secret rites of Tantra. With the rise of the ``phallocracy'' of Greece, however, the lusty feminine part of the equation was, according to the author, lost—and with the triumph of Christianity, the essential experience of sex as sacred energy was utterly crushed in the West. Feuerstein takes heart in the magical-feminist neo-pagan movement and other ``body- positive'' efforts, but argues that an expansive vision of the divine in the ordinary is necessary to restore us fully to our senses. Only then, he says, can we experience sex as a vehicle of ``sacramental transcendence.'' An innovative treatment, muddied slightly by Feuerstein's slack writing style and tendency to overstatement. (Illustrations.)

Pub Date: March 9, 1992

ISBN: 0-87477-683-X

Page Count: 256

Publisher: TarcherPerigee

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1992

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.