Women and Spirituality

God heard my prayers! Another snow/cold day! Wheeee! Or maybe there was some consensus in the prayers.

I wanted to put in a plug for Sally Smits and her awesome class, Women and Spirituality. No, she doesn't read this blog, so I'm not angling for a better grade. I just every once in awhile like to endorse what I find worthwhile. Not often, just once in awhile. The books she has chosen are wonderful and the lit theory is, well, the most satisfying lit theory I've ever had to plow through. Here's a little snippet from Audre Lorde's "Uses of the Erotic."

"...we have often turned away from the exploration and consideration of the erotic as a source of power and information, confusing it with its opposite, the pornographic. But pornography is a direct denial of the power of the erotic, for it represents the suppression of true feeling. Pornography emphasizes sensation without feeling.

"The erotic is a measure between the beginnings of our sense of self and the chaos of our strongest feelings. It is an internal sense of satisfaction to which, once we have experienced it, we know we can aspire. For having experienced the fullness of this depth of feeling and recognizing its power, in honor and self-respect we can require no less of ourselves."

Great class. Next time Sally is teaching this, take it!