Have you ever noticed that in many ways there is a curious similarity between many expressions of man's notions of sexuality and man's notions of his relationship with God?  Have you ever heard a popular song and thought that it was somehow speaking to a more spiritual level of your psyche?  Or have your ever heard the words, rhythms and emotions of a spiritual song and felt you might be having feelings and responses of a more base nature and were confused or even embarrassed by that?

  Maybe there is nothing wrong with you and there is a simple explanation for all this.

    Consider the following verse from the song "Here And Now" as recorded by Luther Vandross:

            Here and now

            I promise to love faithfully.

            You're all I need

            Here and now

            I vow to be one with thee

            Your love is all I need

    Is this merely the pledge of a lover or could it also be the prayer to one's God?

    If humanity is a reflection of the nature of God, there naturally arises a dilemma relative to the significance of sexuality.  Is human sexuality to be seen as an indication that God's nature is dualistic, or of God's nature is one of Unity, how then does sexuality relate to the notion that humanity is indeed a reflection of that which is "One" or rather asexual?

    The fact that Mankind is male and female is not necessarily an indication that God is dualistic.  There are many instances in nature where distinct separation of the sexes is difficult, if not impossible to define, and these in turn serve as no better indications as to what the answer to the problem truly is.  However, there is a condition of "sexuality" which I believe does give us a clue, and does in fact display itself throughout nature.  It is that of the active/passive principle and the nature of that principle's function, which is equilibrium, or balance.

    Masculinity and Femininity have been equated with the active/passive for centuries, and despite the fact that misunderstanding of that relationship has led to many prejudices about the roles of the sexes, modern psychology and physiology have shed much light on how the masculine/feminine concept affects all humans.

    Physiologically, no one can be said to be 100% man or 100% woman.  Rather, from the common condition of a single cell, we evolve in the womb into a primarily male or female being.  Whichever evolves, due to our genetic coding, is, however, never completely free from the influences of that other "gender" that potentially could have developed.  Neither sex is without physical traits that mirror the "opposite" sex.

    Psychologically, it appears that many of our mental conflicts if not outright mental disorders can be a result of our neglecting, suppressing, or on the other hand, overemphasizing the influence of the nature of our opposite "mental" sex.

    But again, how does all of this relate to the question of how man is a clue to the cosmic condition?  Simply, it is this.  All of nature seeks to balance itself, fill the vacuum, and seek the level.  Sexuality's function is to urge that same condition of rectifying the imbalance of a given gender to assure that Mankind, or any other being or organism for that matter, might continue to be dynamic, rather than static.  

    If each being were self-contained, there would be no need to communicate with another, resulting in the possibility that there might be no motive to reproduce, as all attention might be directed within.  If I am ALL that I am, than why should I, how could I be more?  But if I am the means for procuring the future, then I must project myself beyond.  

    That is not the case though.  I am a part of the cosmic continuum and I cannot fulfill that function alone.

    Sexual balance does not stop with the physical.  It exists in all three areas of Man.  In the mental or psychic area, each contains the masculine and feminine urge, or rather an active and a passive nature.  Mental health is dependant upon the complimentary balance of the two.  None of the predominate characteristics of ones sex should become absolute but instead, an individual should develop both, resulting in the benefit of being able to call upon either as the situation or condition at hand requires.  God could neither be primarily masculine or feminine and conceive a universe which is one of dynamic balance,  God must be of a Mind which conceives of both the active and the passive equally and applies either to the necessary degree as the condition requires.

    The Life Force, or Spirit is viewed in an individual as flowing from one condition to the other and back again throughout one's physical life.  It is a condition of life.  In the first sense, each individual foes through, on all three levels, periods of either primarily active or passive states of being.  One example of this is when a person is said to be "moving ahead" until he "reaches a point" which is followed by a period of "making no progress".  When a person realizes that these phases are natural, they can be utilized effectively and not seen as either negative or positive, desirable or undesirable.  Also, a person's life in general can be said to start out, via the growth process, as being primarily active, followed by a period where there appears to be neither significant growth not deterioration, naturally followed by a period of decline, resulting in physical death.  These periods, whether they be on a daily cycle, weekly cycle, monthly cycle etc., or the life phases, can be likened to the general conditions that in the past have been linked to gender.  (One sex being attributed to and active nature and the other to a passive nature.)

    The sexual roles acquired by individuals urge a person to develop either primarily active or passive natures.  One's need to seek a balance in life can be accomplished by one of two basic methods.  First, one can train oneself to be alternately active or passive as the situation requires, or secondly, one can seek a partner to fulfill those areas outside of one's tendencies.  In this way, the spiritual conditions of a person manifests itself in the physical, motivating his actions.

    That condition of sexual balance is rather like God, not dualistic but in equilibrium.  When we observe a man and a woman in the struggle to achieve balance in their relationship, we see a demonstration of the condition of all of nature to bring itself into balance. Likewise, when we see an individual who has combined the male/female characteristics into a dynamic equilibrium within himself, we see a reflection of the entity known as God, who has no gender.

    And when mankind strives for the bliss that the balance of a full relationship with the Creator can bring, with a passion and dedication that surpasses that of that strongest of human urges, sex, it is no wonder that religious passion, expressions and symbols can seem a bit erotic and libidinous.  Or when an individual who has struggled for spiritual balance in his life experiences the emotions of sensual song or poem it  would seem natural that he would be reminded of those religious experiences he has had.

    All of our life forces and yearnings are akin.  If God created sex, there is a "religious" aspect to it.  Likewise, if God created our capacity to seek spiritual balance, just as we seek mental balance or physical balance, there will be a "sexual" aspect to that.  Any attempt by a person or group to separate or suppress either will lead to disintegration of that individual or society.