Answers to Frequent Questions about Sacred Sexuality

What is Lust?

Although originally referring to any sort of pleasure, and then later to unruly or very eager behavior, with the spread of fundamentalism, the word lust became associated only with strong, self-indulgent, sexual desire. Lust is also known as lechery, sensuality, licentiousness, carnality, the hots (slang), libido, lewdness, wantonness, salaciousness, lasciviousness, concupiscence, randiness (informal), chiefly Brit. pruriency.

Lust is differentiated from sexual energy or sexual activity. Lust is egotistical and selfish and is driven by craving for sensation. Natural or normal sexual activity is guided by pure motivation and interest, occurring in levels.

Sexual energy is divided into three distinct types.

First: the energy having to do with the reproduction of the race and the health of the physical body in general.

Second: the energy having to do with the spheres of thought, feeling and will.

Third: the energy that is found related with the Divine Spirit of man. - Samael Aun Weor, The Perfect Matrimony (1950)

Lust is not driven by or beholden to these three types of sexual energy. Instead, it steals them for its own purposes.

Lust is a psychological phenomena, and can be conquered and removed. What remains is the natural sexual force, in harmony and without suffering.

Quotes about Lust

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man; but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. - Christianity: James 2

Lust indulged became habit, and habit unresisted became necessity. - St. Augustine

By Lust I mean that affection of the mind that aims at the enjoyment of one's self and one's neighbor without reference to God. - St. Augustine

The source of your arrogance and anger is your lust and the rootedness of that is in your habits. - Islamic Sufism: Jalal al-Din Rumi

Lustful people do not enter the path of liberation. - Padmasambhava, from oral instructions to Lady Tsogyal

Moses saw there [in Hell] men tortured by the angels of destruction. Some of the sinners were hanged by their eyelids, some by their ears, some by their hands, and others by their tongues, and they cried bitterly. And he saw women hanging by their hair and by their breasts and in such like ways, all were hanging by chains of fire. And Moses asked the Lord of Hell, and said "Why are these hanged by their eyes and by their tongues and are so fearfully tortured and so sorely punished?" And the master of Hell answered: "Because they looked with an evil [lustful] eye at fair women, and at married women, and at the money of their friends and neighbours, and gave false witness against their neighbours." - Judaism: Gedulath Mosheh, Beth-hammidrash

This momentary joy breeds months of pain;
This hot desire converts to cold disdain.
- Shakespeare, Lucrece 690-1

'Love comforteth like sunshine after rain,
But Lust's effect is tempest after sun;
Love's gentle spring doth always fresh remain,
Lust's winter comes ere summer half be done;
Love surfeits not, Lust like a glutton dies;
Love is all truth, Lust full of forged lies.
- Shakespeare, Venus and Adonis 799-804, Adonis

Worse than killing, lust.
- Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus 2.2.175, Lavinia to Tamora

Without knowledge [gnosis], without asceticism [renunciation], and without the Yoga practices, lust and other passions can never be destroyed. - Hindusim: S'rîmad Devî Bhâgawatam, Sixth book