"In our culture, men are conditioned to act as sexual initiators. In contrast, Tantra recommends that, in general, women should preside over the ritual of lovemaking, and that men should honor women as their sexual guides and teachers," writes Jalaja Bonheim. The author, a private practice counselor, believes that sexuality, spirituality, and creativity all come from the soul. In ancient India, temple dancers were priestesses whose libidinal energies were held to be sacred. They helped men see how lovemaking can lead to states of bliss and communion with the divine.
Through this wide-ranging collection of contemporary women's sexual stories, Bonheim reveals the transformative powers of love, marriage, giving birth, motherhood, lovemaking, celibacy, and passion. She also looks at the shadow side of sex in betrayal, addiction, and abuse. Aphrodite's Daughters is peppered with mythological insights, unique slants on inner beauty, and repeated meditations upon sex as a spiritual practice, a healing force, and a quality of light that streams from the body.
