This week’s Freedom Friday topic is a juicy one, a many faceted thought-gem that teases me with glimmers and shadows.

@eaglespirit spearheaded this idea, and the entries each week are phenomenal. Be sure to check #freedomfriday for more goodness—there’s a lot of inspiration there.

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I’ve chosen to lead with this photo because it shows a lot of leg and a lot of joy.

It’s a sensual photo, one I’ve been afraid to post before now—afraid it would seem inappropriate to share this moment where the ocean got me wet and made me laugh.

I find it hard to override the instinct to hide myself… This makes me think I should refer back to last week’s Freedom Friday posts on Personal Power, and remind myself I recently wrote this:

You belong to yourself.
Not to him.
Not to them.

Stop listening for whispers.
Stop caring what thoughts might
Fly through someone else’s mind.

Shed the limitations that
Pull you back and
Freeze you with fear.

Sing the song that wells up
From the starlight
Of your soul.

Read the full poem here: Claim Your Power

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Sexual Freedom = Freedom of Expression

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My first thought when I think of sexual liberation is it’s another element of freedom of expression.

Sexuality is part of human nature. It is a primal, natural act, a beautiful thing that’s been outrageously oppressed and shamed. We’re encouraged to fit into a mold, shaped by a culture of fear and repression, when openness and communication are what we need.

This made me think back to a poetic piece of erotica by @enginewitty, and a critique left in the comments that seemed to imply that making love and fucking were two separate things. I left a loooong reply, but here’s the crux of it:

I disagree with the critique saying that making love and fucking can't be brought together in the same poem. I don't think one is beautiful and the other vulgar—that is cultural programming. Why shouldn't they both be beautiful? How are they separate, unless the intention behind the act is severed thus?

I think we need to refer to @zen-art's post about Beltane, celebrating sex, passion, and LIFE to remember that sexuality is sacred. (@trucklife-family also had an excellent Beltane post on this subject.) I'm not against religion as a whole, but there's been a lot of damage done by the patriarchy and the church, and I'll call it out here! They've done a good job of brainwashing us.

I'm still trying to reconstruct my thoughts and feelings on this subject, to let go of false ideas that keep me from experiencing my wild, free self as fully as I'd like—lifetimes of baggage dragging me down and censoring my ability to experience ecstasy. Damn patriarchy, making women's bodies nothing but an object to be tamed, shamed and restrained!

The good news is, the more we talk about this subject in a respectful way, the less taboo it is.

^^ That last part is crucial.

The more we talk about sexuality in respectful ways, the less taboo it becomes, and the easier it is for people to express it in their own ways.

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Sexuality, sensuality, and everything in-between.

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What’s in-between sexuality and sensuality? Often, a whole lot of confusion.

I think sexuality and sensuality are best when mashed together, but there tend to be feelings involved with the intertwining of two people on many levels.

Sometimes more than two people.

I find it interesting, and, quite bluntly, unbelievable that we are taught the ideal is to have one partner for our entire lives. Do we learn everything we need to know from a single book? Do we eat only one type of food? Do we live in one place from birth to death?

I’m not saying monogamy is a bad thing. It’s a good thing in many ways. I’m just looking at the reality of human tendencies and the diversity of nature, and thinking mainstream ideas could use some broadening.

I remember reading Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsh, and being relieved by a passage that basically tore down the ideas of shame and judgment around sex, instead encouraging us to “Play with sex. Play with it! It’s wonderful fun.”

And it can be!

Of course, such a powerful thing carries responsibility. It would be nice if sex education weren’t the joke it is in most places. We could definitely evolve on that one.

But let’s get back to those feelings we were talking about…

For me, sexuality has carried a juxtaposition of excitement and trepidation, bold seduction and a sense of shame. I think the shame part is something old, something I picked up from Catholic roots and cultural conditioning. Yes, I’ve gotten over it… mostly.

Still something holds me back, makes me want to hide myself, hide my sexuality, conceal the desires that seep into my mind and electrify my body. So where is the liberation I seek? Is it a door in my mind, a binding that must be released so the last claws of shame retract and fall away?

I don’t know.

But it’s a dangerous, seductive thought: To let loose the wild thing that lives in this body, to stop holding back for fear of wrongdoing based on some tattered decree that doesn’t apply to me.

I think sexual liberation comes in layers of self-realization and experience, elation and heartbreak, wanting and satisfaction.

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Bound Desire

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This poem has been pulled from my Steem blog for use in publication. Thank you for your interest in my writing! Please visit me on Twitter for current content: https://twitter.com/KatrinaAriel

Damn. I meant to write that poem about release, yet it ended up being about restraint. That annoys me. I might have to assign myself more #FreedomFriday homework, and work on letting that animal loose. It's ironic that I can write novels with a healthy amount of sex in them, but I still don't have my own mind straight about it. Admittedly, writing is a form of therapy. ;)

I’m looking forward to reading what others have to say about this subject. Like I said above, the more we have open conversations, the less hold oppressive thoughts can have, and freedom floods in.

Thank you for reading. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Take care of yourself, you are a gift!

Peace. @katrina-ariel

Photos mine unless otherwise credited.

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Author bio: Katrina Ariel is an old-soul rebel, musician, tree-hugging yogini, and mama bear to twins. Author of Yoga for Dragon Riders (non-fiction) and Wild Horse Heart (romance), she's another free-spirit swimming in the ocean of Steem.

dragon art: Liiga Smilshkalne

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