caelibacy / homosexuality

normal sexuality

"A serviteur will initiate the marriage to achieve certain ends, often having to do with luck in his or her affairs, or to seek special protection ... When the serviteur makes the proposal, the lwa may expect the human spouse to remain celibate as far as mortal marriage is concerned ..." (Parabola 29:76)

"a lwa will propose the marriage (either by speaking through a possessed person or in a dream) ... once married, the serviteur must spend at least one night per week in the lwa's (as opposed to his or her mortal spouse's) company." (loc. cit.) "he or she must ... undergo the mystic marriage before the mortal marriage" (Parabola 29:77)

This is the Catholic marriage of nuns to Christ: the nuns (not Christ!) take the initiative, and therefore must "remain celibate as far as mortal marriage is concerned ". This would furthermore characterize a "covenant" (such as that of the Old Testament, or of the New Testament ekklesia), where initiative is taken by mortals, who, in so endeavoring to force the deity, succeed in hampering themselves. This would be the circumstance of Catholic priests who practice paederasty, etc.

"A woman appeared in a dream and spoke ..., "If you marry me, I will assist you in whatever difficulties you encounter." " (Shaman 8:189)

nat-gadaw (nat "a spirit['s]" + gadaw "wife") = shamaness: "In some cases the women are homosexual. ... Another spirit communicator ... is known as the mane ma shar nat. The Burmese use this term specifically for men who merge with female nats. Literally, this term translates as "a spirit that causes a male person to have female behavior."" (Shamanism 15:31)

This would be the practice in "sexual alchemy": "You will be able to perceive that the dream character making love to you is [divine]" (SA, p. 314) "The woman will imagine a spirit inhabiting and possessing the body of her male lover, and the man will conceive of a spirit possessing the body of his female lover." (ibid., p. 318)

dangerous

useful

"Men and women who enjoyed the nighttime embraces of spirit lovers could become so enthralled with their spectral spouses that they stopped eating, sickened, and died. ... To prevent this from occurring, the flower sheath of a banana plant was laid between the legs near the thighs. This effectively ended the relationship by halting the spirit lover's nocturnal visits." (HR&M, p. 130) {cf. Papuan use of banana-fruit to halt clandestine adulteries.}

"...<aumakua could ... have sex with living persons during the night. These spirit mates ... caused no harm or problems to their living spouses, and could be of help ... The woman began dreaming that a man who perfectly resembled her husband came to her from the sea." (loc. cit.)

"There are also people who say that they are married to a ginni." (W&D, p. 41) The Muslim doctrine of all persons being married to spirits of the opposite gender is to be related with the shark as clan-totem of Muh.ammad; and insofar as Muh.ammad was engaged in mass-murder by treachery, this would be the dangerous aspect.

The Hawai>ian shark-deities were clan-protectors, reputed to rescue clan-members in peril at sea; this would be the useful aspect.

Baule

Kic^e – Z&QuDSh

"Baule statuary is dominated by elaborate figures carved to symbolize "spirit spouses." Baule mythology dictates that every adult, male or female, has such a spouse, manifested through dreams." (B)

"male elders ... all possess female personal icons (bara) which commonly manifest themselves in dreams as women." (p. 121) -- "Quiche`s openly talk about the bara as a spouse" (p. 111)