I am going to start filtering some of my more private musings. Since blogger does not have a tool for that, you will need to visit my Live Journal and ask to be friended there. I will continue to post Daily Gratitude and other subjects here. There is also a FAQ for my Journal at the same link.
Eleven Minutes
| Saturday, October 07, 2006 @ 09:35 I have been a fan of Paulo Coelho for many years. I own most of his books and have found him to be a kindred spirit and something of a guide/mentor in many matters. I just finished reading one of the novels I missed in the past few years, Eleven Minutes. It has left me in something of a quandry. The book is a story about a Brazilian prostitute living and working in Switzerland. Apparently the story and many of the elements are based on the lives of actual prostitutes that Paulo encountered. He wanted to write a book about sex, and this is certainly one of those. Most of the insights and information he provides about sex are things I already know. There wasn't an "a ha!" moment in this book as I have experienced in reading his previous works. Which is all fine. It was still a mostly enjoyable read, to experience the viewpoint of a female prostitute through the lens of a male author (actually, through the words of the translator). Except for the part where he discusses the role of BDSM and sex and his views on sacred sex vs. profane prostitution. I was impressed that he presented the two bdsm experiences of his protagonist as having value. They seemed accurate and honest accounts. The problem was the usual retreat into bdsm=bad, additive, and distracting. He fully admitted that you can experience the divine and transcendent aspects of love through bdsm encounters. He just has his characters conclude that it is the wrong way to reach it. I'm kinda tired of the idea that bdsm is about embracing your inner demons and your "dark side." BDSM is about so much more than that. I guess I have to realize that a Catholic-raised Brazilian man who dabbled in Satan worship in his early career would be dead set against anything "dark" or "evil" and that he might not understand the other ways of approaching SM, Master/slave, D/s, etc. It's just a bit disheartening that this man is trying to illuminate the role of sex in our lives to the masses (each of his books is translated in dozens of countries around the world) -- and in the context of our personal growth and spiritual lives! -- and is telling all those people that BDSM isn't a preferred or acceptable path to obtaining a healthy, sexual & spiritual relationship. I would also have liked to see more exploration of the idea of sacred sex and the sacred prostitute. He does present the historical context of sacred prostitution and there are allusions to elements of tantric sex, but he ends up dismissing both. The characters conclude that sacred prostitution no longer exists and that any type of prostitution is damaging. I guess he hasn't seen the independent film documenting contemporary sacred prostitution in the USA. And, like any good catholic boy, believes that monogamy is the only appropriate way to conduct a sexual relationship. And, while we are supposed to be more communicative with our spouse about our sexual needs, we don't need to worry about breathing or meditating or anything that might enhance our experience, love & knowledge of the g-spot are really all we need to know. I guess I wasn't so much "troubled" or "confused" about this book as I was angry. Amazing what journaling about something can reveal to/from mysElf.
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