Ecstasy: Understanding the Psychology of Joy

We’re more likely to take our clothes off in front of a stranger than we are to let down our emotional defenses in front of someone we love.

I am sorry to say that we rarely stand outside ourselves these days. The world is too much with us.

Our society emphasizes the tangible “masculine” values—aggression, power, winning, success, facts, intellectual abilities, concrete proof. The less tangible “feminine” values carry little weight. As a result many women today feel that there is no place for the Dionysian experience in their lives.

to eat, where to go, how to support our families, who to vote for.

We often bemoan the “loss of intimacy” in our society. We are quick to take a stranger

Don’t do anything that would hurt others, literally or on the unconscious level. When you perform rituals you unleash powerful psychological energy, and it is most rewarding to aim this energy

Addiction is the negative side of spiritual seeking. We are looking for an exultation of the spirit; but instead of fulfillment we get a short-lived physical thrill that can never satisfy the chronic, gnawing emptiness with which we are beset.

We are constantly working, thinking, planning, doing—what

If you invest the gift with your love, then in giving this symbol you will have ritually expressed your love. You would be surprised at how much lighter you can feel after even such a small ceremony!