Bare naked fun: discovering the transformative spiritual power of a Bacchanalian orgy

Dionysus from the Richelieu Collection
Wikimedia Commons: Photographer Marie-Lan Nguyen

Lissa and Michael are on a mission to change the world, one orgy at a time. And their plan just might work. Michael is a modern day priest of Dionysus, the mythological Greek god of wine, who is most notorious as the inspirer of ritual madness and ecstasy. The ancient Romans called him Bacchus, and made him the patron deity of agriculture and the theater. He was also known as the Liberator – the god who helps free the human spirit through ecstasy, or wine. Of course that was back in the days when Jesus could turn water into wine without anyone suggesting that he should go to an AA meeting. Even today many Christians sip a bit of wine, portraying it as the symbolic blood of Christ. One can't help but think that the dynamic duo of Bacchus and Jesus might have been a lot of fun at parties. "Wine, women, and salvation" has a rather nice ring to it.

A lot has changed over the past 2000 years, but the human thirst for spiritual enlightenment and liberation is still a powerful force in all cultures of the world. And, as the internet and other forms of modern media prove on a daily basis, we still have an insatiable interest in sex. Wouldn't it be nice if our spiritual lives and our sexual lives could team up and provide a whole new meaning to the idea of a "church social"? Indeed, this is roughly the sort of vision that Michael, Lissa, and other Pagans wish to share with the world. Sex, they would say, is sacred and should be celebrated as an integral part of our social and spiritual lives.

For some, the term "sacred sex" might conjure up images of a solemn ritual – about as fun and exciting as lecture on tax law. The instinctive fear is that by making sex "sacred" we will dull it down and strip it of the naughty zest that makes it so sinfully delicious. This, however, is not the Bacchanalian way. No sir. The plan is not to convert sex to a "no laughing" zone. On the contrary, Bacchanalian sex is all about deliciously naughty fun, seasoned with a hint of good old fashioned debauchery. One does not justify sex by calling it spiritual; one celebrates sex as a form of spiritual playtime and soul-nurturing recreation. Sex, Lissa says, "needs no justification. When we indulge in it, when we are absolute and unabashed hedonists, we are embracing a divine gift and using it the way the Gods intended." Amen.

No doubt many who learn of the bacchanalian vision will think this is all a very bad idea. One might think that lowering inhibitions and promoting orgiastic frenzy can only lead to social disaster. Didn't Bacchanalian excesses cause the fall of Rome? Well, not exactly. Sure, the Roman aristocrats tended to eat and drink to excess, but according to some historians, the real problem was lead poisoning. In any case, the modern Bacchanalians are not advocating utter insanity, or reckless, inconsiderate behavior. Encouraging individual liberation is not the same as encouraging social mayhem. Lissa says:

Of course, with every right comes additional responsibility. While pioneering new (and old) territory in love, sex and relationship, we also proceed with caution and integrity. We must. Poly-erotic people, by virtue of the limitations of “reality” around us, can stir up a lot of emotion.

Anyone who rocks the boat is bound to make some people feel queasy. Upon hearing about a modern day Bacchanalian priest organizing "sacred orgies," cynical people have a tendency to react with, well, cynicism. Michael and Lissa, of course, have met more than a few cynics. Lissa has a provocative response:

It’s amazing how supposedly enlightened people react to this. The most common condemnation is that we are interested in getting laid. Right! We are! And what’s wrong with that? We’re liberated people.

But, despite the emphasis on fun and frolic, there is a serious, transformative aspect to the Bacchanalian path. Michael maintains that, historically, the Bacchanalia served many purposes not the least of which was to "preserve the sanctity of the human experience as Nature intended it as opposed to how patriarchy oppressed and corrupted it." Note the hint of cultural/political transformation that goes hand-in-hand with the spiritual. There is a definite flavor of grassroots organizing at work here. "Many cultural and religious taboos," according to Lissa, "rest not in the welfare of humanity but rather in the perpetuation of a political, social and economic system consciously designed to milk the many for the benefit of the few." She offers the institution of marriage as a prime example of this:

Marriage is not a union of spirits but a sickening list of contractual obligations providing both church and state with powers over the sanctity of the bedroom but more importantly and by extension over the productivity of our entire lives. Control marriage and you control vast populations because you are, in essence, harnessing the power of sex.

One may recall certain feminists saying similar things over the past few decades, and today we see the power of social control spelled out in the debates over gay marriage. Clearly, if marriage were really about "the union of spirits," there would be no gay marriage debate. But of course it is not all about politics. Bacchanalia is about the transformation of life on many levels. It is about Liberation, and coming to mystical gnosis; it is about embracing a new vision in which the sacred and profane are not divided, but united. Michael says:

I recall the end of summer in 1976. I would be returning to school the very next day. I had spent the afternoon playing baseball. As my friends left the park, I noticed a light shining amongst the trees at the edge of the diamond. It was almost as though the finger of god had made its way to the forest floor. It was then that I realized more deeply than before that I viewed the entire world as a cathedral.

Lissa offers a similar view:

Bacchic spirituality is both an awareness of and sensitivity to the spiritual nature of a thing and of all things, but arguably more importantly a process whereby a person discovers and defines, actualizes and accepts who and what she is by nature (as opposed to enculturation).

So, how does one find a Bacchanalian orgy? This summer (June 30th - July 4th), residents of Indiana and surrounding states will be able to find one in their own back yard, so to speak. Michael and Lissa, through Sun at Midnight Entertainment, will be hosting the Summer 2010 Bacchanalian at a lovely Pagan-friendly site in French Lick, Indiana.