Gender and Joy: Reclaiming Feminine Spirituality

BY NICOLE LAU

Embodied Pleasure as Sacred Path

"Why is embodied joy coded as feminine?"

This is not biological essentialism.

This is historical analysis.

Patriarchy systematically suppressed:

• Embodied spirituality
• Pleasure as sacred
• Dance, ecstasy, celebration
• The body as divine

And coded these as:

• Feminine
• Dangerous
• Sinful
• Must be controlled

This was not accidental.

This article explores:

• Patriarchal suppression of embodied joy
• Feminine spiritual traditions and celebration
• Reclaiming the body and pleasure
• Goddess traditions and ecstasy
• Contemporary feminist spirituality

Because reclaiming joyful spirituality is feminist work.

And feminist work is reclaiming joyful spirituality.

I. Patriarchal Suppression of Embodied Joy

A. The Pattern

Across patriarchal religions:

1. Demonize the body (especially female body)
2. Suppress pleasure (especially female pleasure)
3. Control women's spirituality (no female priests, prophets, leaders)
4. Erase goddess traditions (replace with male god)
5. Criminalize embodied practices (dance, ecstasy, celebration)

This happened across cultures, religions, continents.

B. Examples

1. Christianity:

• Eve as temptress: Woman blamed for fall, body as sin
• Virgin/whore dichotomy: Only acceptable women are sexless or shamed
• Witch hunts: Women healers, midwives, spiritual leaders killed (estimated 40,000-100,000)
• Dance banned: Especially women dancing (too sensual, dangerous)
• Female pleasure criminalized: Clitoris seen as devil's work

2. Islam (in some interpretations):

• Women's bodies covered: Female form as temptation
• Women's voices silenced: Singing, speaking in public restricted
• Dance forbidden: Especially for women
• But: Sufi traditions (Article 9) include women mystics, ecstatic practice

3. Hinduism (Brahmanical):

• Devadasi system: Temple dancers stigmatized, eventually banned
• Women's spiritual authority limited: Vedic study restricted
• But: Tantra, Shakti worship preserve feminine divine

4. Buddhism (institutional):

• Women's ordination restricted: Nuns subordinate to monks
• Female body as obstacle: Must be reborn male to achieve enlightenment (some texts)
• But: Dakini traditions, Tibetan yoginis preserve feminine spiritual power

Pattern: Institutional religion suppresses feminine embodied spirituality.

C. Why Embodied Joy Was Targeted

Patriarchy fears:

1. Female pleasure:

• Women who know pleasure don't need men
• Female sexuality not for male control
• Autonomous pleasure = autonomous women
• Threatening to patriarchy

2. Female spiritual authority:

• Women as priestesses, prophets, healers
• Direct access to divine (no male intermediary)
• Power outside patriarchal control
• Must be suppressed

3. Embodied practices:

• Dance, ecstasy, trance
• Body-based knowing
• Not controllable by doctrine
• Dangerous to institutional power

4. Goddess worship:

• Female divine = female power
• Challenges male god monopoly
• Women see themselves as divine
• Must be erased

Suppressing embodied joy was suppressing women's power.

II. Feminine Spiritual Traditions

A. Goddess Traditions

Before patriarchal takeover, goddess worship was widespread:

1. Ancient Near East:

• Inanna/Ishtar: Mesopotamian goddess of love, war, fertility
• Asherah: Hebrew goddess, consort of Yahweh (later erased)
• Isis: Egyptian goddess, magic, healing, motherhood

2. Europe:

• Pre-Christian goddesses: Celtic, Norse, Greek, Roman
• Suppressed by Christianity: Demonized or absorbed (Mary)
• Survived in folk traditions: Fairy tales, festivals

3. India:

• Shakti/Devi: Divine feminine power
• Kali, Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati: Fierce and gentle goddesses
• Survived in Tantra, Shaktism: Goddess as supreme

4. Indigenous traditions:

• Earth as mother: Pachamama, Gaia, Spider Woman
• Female deities: Across cultures
• Women as spiritual leaders: Shamans, healers, elders

B. Ecstatic Feminine Traditions

Traditions that preserved feminine embodied spirituality:

1. Maenads (Ancient Greece):

• Followers of Dionysus
• Ecstatic dance, trance, possession
• Women leaving domestic sphere
• Wild, free, powerful
• Feared by patriarchy

2. Devadasi (India):

• Temple dancers
• Sacred sexuality
• Embodied worship
• Later stigmatized, banned

3. Dakini (Tibetan Buddhism):

• Female enlightened beings
• Fierce, wild, free
• Embody wisdom and bliss
• Dance in charnel grounds

4. Sufi women mystics:

• Rabia al-Adawiyya (8th century)
• Ecstatic love of God
• Poetry, dance, devotion
• Challenged gender norms

5. Christian mystics:

• Hildegard of Bingen, Teresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich
• Ecstatic visions, embodied experiences
• Erotic language for divine union
• Subversive within patriarchal church

C. What They Share

Common elements:

• Embodied practice (dance, movement, breath)
• Ecstasy, trance, altered states
• Pleasure as sacred (not sinful)
• Direct experience (not mediated by male authority)
• Female spiritual power
• Often suppressed by patriarchy

III. Reclaiming the Body

A. The War on Women's Bodies

Patriarchy's messages:

• Female body is shameful
• Must be covered, controlled
• Pleasure is sinful
• Sexuality is for men's use
• Menstruation is dirty
• Childbirth is punishment
• Aging is failure

Result: Women alienated from their own bodies.

B. Reclaiming Embodiment

Contemporary movements:

1. Body positivity:

• All bodies are good bodies
• Reject patriarchal beauty standards
• Celebrate diverse bodies

2. Menstrual activism:

• Menstruation as sacred, not shameful
• Moon lodges, red tents
• Reclaiming cyclical wisdom

3. Birth reclamation:

• Birth as powerful, not medical emergency
• Midwifery, doulas
• Women's bodily autonomy

4. Pleasure activism:

• Female pleasure as birthright
• Sex-positive feminism
• Reclaiming sexuality from patriarchy

5. Somatic feminism:

• Body as site of knowing
• Somatic practices for healing
• Embodied resistance

C. Sacred Sexuality

Reclaiming sexuality as spiritual:

• Tantra (authentic, not appropriated): Sacred sexuality, embodied awakening
• Sacred prostitute archetype: Reclaiming from stigma (Inanna, temple priestesses)
• Pleasure as prayer: Orgasm as spiritual experience
• Body as temple: Not sinful, but sacred

This is radical in patriarchal context.

IV. Reclaiming Pleasure

A. Pleasure as Resistance

Adrienne Maree Brown: "Pleasure Activism"

"Pleasure is a measure of freedom... Pleasure activism is the work we do to reclaim our whole, happy, and satisfiable selves."

For women, pleasure is political:

• Patriarchy denies women pleasure
• Claiming pleasure is resistance
• Joy is refusal to be controlled

B. Types of Pleasure

Not just sexual:

• Sensual: Touch, taste, smell, beauty
• Movement: Dance, yoga, embodied practice
• Creative: Art, music, expression
• Relational: Connection, intimacy, love
• Spiritual: Ecstasy, bliss, union

All are sacred. All are resistance.

C. Pleasure Practice

Cultivating pleasure as spiritual practice:

1. Notice pleasure: What feels good in your body?
2. Allow pleasure: Don't deny, suppress, or feel guilty
3. Amplify pleasure: Breathe into it, let it expand
4. Share pleasure: Celebrate with others
5. Defend pleasure: Protect your right to joy

This is reclaiming what patriarchy stole.

V. Contemporary Feminist Spirituality

A. Goddess Spirituality Movement

1970s-present:

• Reclaiming goddess worship
• Women's circles, rituals
• Moon ceremonies
• Celebrating female divine

Key figures:

• Starhawk (The Spiral Dance)
• Z Budapest (feminist witchcraft)
• Marija Gimbutas (goddess archaeology)

B. Ecofeminism

Connection between:

• Oppression of women
• Destruction of earth
• Both seen as resources to exploit

Reclaiming:

• Earth as sacred feminine
• Women as earth protectors
• Embodied connection to nature

C. Embodied Feminist Spirituality

Practices:

• Women's circles: Sharing, ritual, celebration
• Red tents: Menstrual wisdom, cyclical living
• Ecstatic dance: Embodied freedom
• Womb wisdom: Connecting to creative power
• Pleasure rituals: Celebrating sensuality

D. Intersectional Feminism

Important: Not all women experience oppression the same way.

• Race, class, sexuality, ability intersect
• White feminism has excluded women of color
• Must center marginalized voices
• Goddess spirituality must be inclusive

Reclaiming joy must be for all women, not just privileged ones.

VI. Beyond Binary

A. Gender is Not Binary

Important clarification:

• "Feminine" spirituality ≠ only for women
• "Masculine" spirituality ≠ only for men
• These are energies, not genders
• All people contain both

B. Queer and Trans Spirituality

LGBTQ+ people reclaiming:

• Embodied spirituality
• Pleasure as sacred
• Gender fluidity as divine
• Queer joy as resistance

Historical precedents:

• Two-Spirit people (Indigenous)
• Hijra (South Asia)
• Mahu (Polynesia)
• Gender-variant shamans, priests, mystics across cultures

C. Inclusive Language

When we say "feminine spirituality":

• We mean embodied, receptive, cyclical, pleasure-affirming
• Not exclusive to women
• Available to all genders
• Reclaiming what patriarchy suppressed

VII. Practical Applications

A. For Women

Reclaim your body:

• Dance, move, feel
• Celebrate your cycles
• Honor your pleasure
• Connect to goddess within

B. For Men

Reclaim your feminine:

• Embodiment, not just mind
• Receptivity, not just action
• Pleasure, not just achievement
• Support women's reclamation

C. For All Genders

Integrate both energies:

• Masculine and feminine
• Action and receptivity
• Doing and being
• Wholeness

D. For Communities

Create spaces for:

• Women's circles
• Embodied practice
• Pleasure celebration
• Goddess worship
• Inclusive, intersectional

Conclusion: The Return of the Goddess

They tried to erase Her.

The Goddess.

The Divine Feminine.

The Sacred Body.

They burned the witches.

They banned the dances.

They shamed the pleasure.

They silenced the women.

But She never left.

She survived:

• In folk tales
• In women's circles
• In secret rituals
• In our bodies

And now—

Now She returns.

In ecstatic dance.

In pleasure activism.

In embodied spirituality.

In women reclaiming power.

This is not new.

This is remembering.

Your body is sacred.

Your pleasure is holy.

Your joy is divine.

Dance Her back.

Sing Her back.

Celebrate Her back.

The Goddess returns.

And She is dancing.

Next in this series: "The Future of Spirituality: Luminous Depth" — the final article, exploring post-religious spirituality, science and spirituality integration, global joyful movements, and building the future of spiritual practice.