The Giant Yoni was resting in my garage on the way to another midwifes home office alter to await more ritual appearances. I found it a wonderful conversation starter with my daughter and especially delighted with her showing it to her friends. I explained that it represents the sacred power of the feminine in all its aspects and that she was free to touch, but was to big to get inside. I saw the energy flow through her as she slipped her hand into the opening.

I wondered where the companion pillow had wandered off to? Though it had always seemed a little small to me, I appreciated the balance and wholeness this masculine representation represented, although as far as I know it does not have a name. Then I remembered, the member is a favorite snuggle toy of the creatrixes granddaughter, and as it doesn’t have an eight foot internal frame of rebar, takes up a lot less space. I breathed relief as a understood that it was only a matter of time before these two ritual softies were reunited.

My experience too is that it’s part of most teenager’s experience and development to be embarrassed by us. For my own, I figure it’s tough enough having a witch/queer/anarchist mom. Compounding this with large velvet vaginas I know push’s it over the edge. Better to have some good books on sex casually tucked in the bookcase.

But then, I still cringe at how we feminists went whole hog with our cunt coloring books and speculum circles. I’ve seen enough cervix’s to last a lifetime, let alone big ‘ole yoni representations in every fabric, color, and size imaginable.
I still like The Dinner Party by judy chicago though! contradictions are the spice of life!!

I have a hard time getting past how immediately judgemental and poo-pooing this sounded of someone else’s expression that you knew nothing about the spirit behind – and kids are embarrassed by anything that acknowledges sex in front of both them and their parents, period, and that’s not because its gross or wrong to do so, its because society teaches us this should be embarrassing and that thinking about your sexual organs is embarrassing. To me, that’s a problem, much more so than a statue of a vagina. Heck, lets see more vagina statues and less use of the female body as an object for judging, scorning, or financial gain! I am not some “out there” feminist, whatever that means, just someone more skeptical of those who are embarrassed by a harmful self-expression of reverence for the female body that might have been executed poorly in one’s opinion than dismayed by the messages young people received everyday about the value of the female body.

I admire you for writing this post on a tough topic and grappling with it. I just don’t think we come down on the same side of it. People who manipulate faith to get sex or break boundaries exist in every faith path – its a human problem, not a Pagan one.

And to respond to someone earlier, sexual repression does hurt more than just the individual, it is spread through mass cultural venues like churches where many are hurt, it passes on to all the children in your life, it gets all over everyone and it does stunt a part of a person that effects the health and well being of almost every other part of who we are, for the majority of us. That damage has been downplayed so long, it might be why many pagans would rather error on the side of sexual abandon and freedom to the point of excess.

Like any religion, we have some people who do not respect boundaries. Our thealogies can further contribute to that. I’ve seen issues come up recently in the Pagan community that show that many are completely clueless of the dynamics of sexual abuse, and that we’ve got a long way to go to educate on the subject.

It would be great if an 8 foot tall vulva made of crushed velvet and feather boas was the worst thing we had to grapple with. I wish you’d taken the first step and asked the parents what it was all about, instead of just imagining what you think they might have said to you if you asked.

When I read Cora’s description of sexual energy being the same as spirit energy, and that removing sexual blocks advances spiritual development, I was so excited. Finally someone wrote what I had known since I was 10. I never found that in the Catholic catechism.

I would much rather have a velvet vagina on the altar or in the ritual space than a model slinging her boobs to sell whiskey or cars or stock options. Give me that statue of a satyr with an erect phallus, celebrating our lust for its own sake!