Page:Fielding - Sex and the Love Life.pdf/28

 fancies, which, however, is a peculiarity of all primitive religions. Consequently, sex symbolism is one of the oldest of our social heritages. As far back as we are able to trace, we find evidence of man's worship of the reproductive forces of nature.

Among the more primitive peoples, sexual phenomena were sanctified in their normal forms, literally and undisguised. There are still extant countless examples of these early specimens of adoration. In the course of time, however, with the departure from simple, primitive norms, these customs underwent modification and refinement.

As a result, there was a gradual drifting away from the cruder forms of worship of the generative organs and sexual acts, and their literal representations, and symbolic expressions of the earlier practices were substituted. Unnumbered examples of these symbols in social custom and tradition, as well as in material form, some highly disguised, others plainly evident, are to be observed about us in everyday life. Many of these interesting symbolic heritages still show amazing vitality in their hold upon the emotional life and imagination of civilized people.

Within the historic period, various forms of sex worship—notably phallicism (adoration of the generative organs), sacred prostitution and other types—were practiced by the Egyptians, Phœnicians, Pompeians, Greeks, East Indians, and other widely scattered peoples. Not only are phallic images found among the ruins of these races, but they are still in evidence at the present time in the temples of many of their descendants.

Many Variations of Nature Worship. There are many variations of nature worship besides the Phallic and Venus