Spirituality and Celibacy

 

Interesting question about whether Celibacy is essential for the successful pursuit of Spirituality, and given that so many thoroughly bona fide mystical traditions hold celibacy as of the uppermost import, I am surprised the question is not more often asked, except now that it occurs to me that with Today’s Cultural Temperament, to even think of Celibacy is to contemplate a price far too high, and so it is not even considered at all.  It is like myself knowing about most every car on the market and willing to give my friends advice on what to buy, until a friend asked me about Mercedes, when I honestly bulked and said that if he could afford one of those he was well beyond any advice I would have to offer, that is, that even the idea of giving up on Sex is beyond anybody’s consideration nowadays.

 

It is not that most people still find sex inherently repugnant… just now for themselves.   People are honestly sickened at the thought of homosexual sex or sex with minors, which, factually speaking, is not much different from, well, Sex, but when it involves themselves, all animalistic grossness is forgiven and cherished as some Beautiful Natural Act.  As long as Sex is limited to Marriage, the Catholic Church even claims to have ‘sacramentized’ it… eeeoooouuu!  yuck!   Oh, and though few people confess it to their partners, isn’t it true that many people experience at least some mild disgust with sex, once it is over and the urge relieved?

 

But what exactly is the problem with Sex.   Well, it may be entirely all Pretence, but Man and Woman are Idealistic Animals, that is, we do not think of ourselves as animals at all but as Spiritual Beings.  When it says in the Bible that “Man was created in the Image of God”, well, that is referring almost entirely to our Psychological and Cultural expectations for ourselves… well, many of ourselves, as there are a few Cults that have brought it on themselves to be ashamed at their Humanity and try as hard as possible to return to being just animals – all pure appetite and instinct.

 

So, thinking of ourselves as Spiritual Creatures, there are but three or four things in our lives which counter this divine pretention, that is, going to the bathroom, eating meat, having sex, and sleeping, though Sleep is lifted up somewhat by its allowing us to Dream.   I read an essay by a Frenchman once, and he stated the contention that people think poop jokes and sex jokes are found “funny” because they dispute our Spiritual Pretentions, that is, if we did not think ourselves better than poop or sex, then we would not be laughing so hard when the subjects would come up.

 

So really spiritual people, that is, REALLY spiritual people, who have connected and truly identified with their Ideal Spirituality, well, they are deeply ashamed of their sexuality.   At the same time their Spirituality is so vibrant and full of its own powers of support, consolation, affirmation, and even just simple Bliss, that they do not mind suffering in order to maintain their celibacy – so we have Saint Dominic rolling in a thorn patch to give himself other things to think about.  Oh, and that might be what all of the hairshirts and the mortifications and self whipping among the devoutly Catholic Religious is all about, that is, being a distraction to the sexual urge, or a sizeable atonement for the act in any case.

 

Just 40 years ago the Sikh Kundalini People… I remember Kirpal Singh, and his form of Kundalini Yoga, which mixed in a lot of Shaktipat from their Guru, that is, a very powerful initiation passed by touch or through the eyes, and they demanded Celibacy… six months of Celibacy before they could join.  Well, back then I was a horribly lucky handsome young buck and so I found easier pastures to graze, but I knew some people who did join the Kirpal Singh Group and, well, they all seemed quite genuinely Spiritual, as though it may all have been working as planned.

 

But is celibacy absolutely essential?  Hmmmm.  Well, the first awkward thing to come to mind is that nobody long refrains from pooping, and that act is not terribly spiritual either.   Rumors are that some rather genuine seeming Enlightened Gurus had their discreet sexual outlets.   Also, Morally Speaking, I can’t help to think that People over-focus on Sexual Situations as being terribly Immoral, while overlooking far worse Moral Infractions such as lying, cheating, stealing, greed, exploitation, voting Republican , Human Trafficking, etc, etc.

 

Personally, I have met many people who are so focused on either Sex or Money, or Both, that they never ever really think much about God or Spirituality.  It is all Career Goals or Chasing Tail, and Spiritually they remain in Darkness and their inner lives are shallow and stupid.   They only hint that they are missing something is that they have great talents for telling Dirty Jokes…. They don’t know to Cry at their loss of Spirituality, but they sure can laugh about it.