what is eroticism? — brianne patrice
“the erotic is not just about what we do but how we feel when in the act of doing” - audre lorde
via unsplash.
audre lorde defines the erotic as a measure between the beginnings of our sense of self (the unknown and the unfamiliar) and the chaos of our strongest feelings. in other words, the erotic is the distance between the unidentified or the unexplored and discovering. eroticism is an organic energy, a revelatory power source, connecting us to and flows from our energetic life force. it is an wakening of ourselves to ourselves. and is our most intimate journey in the process of becoming. and with our consent, much can be revealed about our pleasantries.
the erotic is reimagining the way we’ve been taught to think about ourselves, understand ourselves, speak to and even access our identity. mara brock akil wrote about writing horny and how tuning into her creativity arouses her. i think about these words often because same. how many of us can relate to her? how many of us have noticed that when fully immersed in our creative flow or our creative energy, attraction and arousal aren’t too far behind? there is reason for this that surpasses our limited understanding of the erotic as taught by the patriarchy and it’s heteronormativity. “it’s as if my ideas secrete pheromones that actually get me turned on — like, straight up horny. i can literally feel the energy pulsate through my body and it amazes me that there is a physical manifestation of how i feel when i’m engaged with my art” says mara, acknowledging the erotic as a rushed sensation impelling her body. the erotic is that spark of inspiration that meets us in the middle of the night, quaking from our dreams. it’s in the fullness of our hearts and is invitation and receptivity. it’s in our ability to transform something so mundane or routine into something personal, beautiful and delicious. the erotic is appetizing and to embrace it means that we are fully engaged with life, yielding to its process, renouncing the result (thank you for these words, you know who you are) and welcoming all that it unearths.
there is excitement in exploring. the erotic lives there between the spaces of our curiosities. that is why we’re spending the first quarter around the theme reimagining your erotic as a means to get you into to your body (and your bag); connecting you further to your deservedness and your worthiness. for the next three months we’ll be awakening, accessing and embracing our own erotic energy as a tool of manifestation, practice and verbalizing. we come into eroticisim by awakening our own erotic intelligence. we can attribute it to where our experiences and our environment, our awareness of self (physical, emotional, mental and spiritual) and our relationships meet. at the bridge of these things can we learn what turns us on, what excites us bridging the gap between acceptance and community. however, because we’ve been taught to fear her, because we’ve yet let learn how to honor and acknowledge it— we find ourselves confused by it. ignoring what she is trying to tell us and denying the joy that awaits us.
the erotic requires presence and open-mindedness— welcoming the unknown, the unfamiliar and the unexplored without judgement. the erotic wants us to get curious about any and everything; nothing is off limits when we are in its presence. instead, we are gifted vast opportunity to know ourselves more intimately, nurturing our erotic self and embodying our erotic truth. what is your erotic truth? could knowing it embolden you? would celebrating it, free you? could sharing it deepen your kinship to love and bravery? what could understanding your erotic do for you?
there are many truths to be discovered about the erotic. it is breath, movement and joy. it is love, lust and desire. it is power and mystery; imagination and fantasy. it is collaboration through our minds, bodies, hearts and senses. and it is compassion, boundaries and self-prioritizing. the erotic (or eroticism) is the intricacy of our sensuality, sexuality and our human experience divinely coupled together, charging and powering one another so that we may live in cosmic flow.
the erotic is whatever you want it to be because it’s personal. and that is the most beautiful thing about it. it can be as loud or as quiet as you want it to be. it can be soft and gentle. pronounced and boisterous. it does not matter. the erotic is for you because it is yours and always has been. it gives you all the power and the responsibility to define and know what you want and to be in constant pursuit of it. the erotic is your reminder not to settle. activating your power to heal and create through the gardening of your presence, compassion and wonder.
have a story to tell? we’d love to hear from you.
BY BRIANNE PATRICE
(she/her)
website:
briannepatrice.com
brianne patrice is a sensuality doula, spirited creative, writer and founder of twenty nine thirty— a restorative community connecting the dots between sensuality, sexuality, healing and wellness. with a decade of experience, her work in women’s rights intersects at the helm of pleasure and wellness studying mind-body modality as it relates to self-discovery, mental and emotional fulfillment. her work has been seen in xoNecole, Black Girl In Om, Keys Soulcare, Voyage Dallas, Voyage LA, NBC 4 NY, Life, I Swear and more.