The Soul of Sex

In this provocative and highly original work, the bestselling author of Care of the Soul and Soul Mates at last restores sex to its rightful place in the human psyche. Describing sex as an experience of the soul, Thomas Moore here brings out the fully human side of sex -- the roles of fantasy, desire, meaning, and morality -- and draws on religion, mythology, art, literature, and film to show how sex contains the most profound mysteries. While finding the spirituality inherent in sex, Moore also explores how spiritual values can sometimes wound our sexuality. He recommends many ways in which society can tone down its moralism and create a public life that is erotic, one that affirms desire and pleasure. He interprets the media's obsession with sex as a symptom of our failure to weave sex into the whole of life, and spells out an Epicurean lifestyle where the simple pleasures of good food, friends, family, and intimacy with nature give our sexuality a broad and supportive base. Blending rather than opposing spirituality and sexuality, The Soul of Sex offers a fresh, livable way of becoming more deeply sexual and loving in all areas of life.

Thomas Moore is a writer and lecturer and lives in New England with his wife and two children. He was a monk in a Catholic religious order for twelve years and has degrees in theology, musicology, and philosophy. A former professor of religion and psychology