Erotica
Explore Erotica
WHAT IS EROTICA?
Erotica is defined as any artistic or literary work that depicts, or is in itself, sexually arousing or stimulating content. In both erotica and pornography there’s nudity, genitalia, depiction of sexual arousal and satisfaction - and yet there are distinct differences.
Pornography is focused on the physical aspect of sex and not much about the psychological, emotional, sensual side. Erotica, on the other hand, raises questions, and gives us pause to reflect. A key distinction from pornography is that pornography’s objective is the graphic depiction of sexually explicit scenes, while erotica seeks to tell a story that involves sexual themes. Additionally, works considered degrading or exploitative tend to be classified as "porn" rather than as "erotica". .
Further, goals are typically different when viewing porn compared to erotica. With porn, people look for excitement and results. With erotica, it’s different. When you view erotic art or read an erotic novel, you’re more likely to be intrigued and curious, wanting to open your mind and eyes to different ways of viewing the human form and sexuality. Porn provides a quick fix, while erotica can make your life more sensuous and full.
Erotic art may use any artistic form to depict erotic content, including painting, sculpture, drama, film or music. Erotic literature (short stories and novels), audio erotica (audio content with sexual themes) and erotic photography have become genres in their own right. The works tend to be beautiful representations or media reflecting human sexuality and love.
As a spiritual path, erotica or erotic spirituality have become popular as humans seek a sense of oneness, unity and ecstasy in their relationships, above and beyond the act of physical sex. Tantra, a spiritual path that combines aspects of Tibetan Buddhism and Hinduism, has become popularized in the West as a path to enlightened sex and a subset of erotica. In recent years it has also been blended with aspects of Taoism, Christian and Jewish paths as a way to re-envision sexuality.
Ultimately, through eroitca and saced sexual practices, practioners can achieve a heightened awareness that sex is truly the inception of life and that sexual energy is the basis of our lifeforce.
WHERE DOES EROTICA COME FROM?
Erotica has a long history which dates back to the publishing of the ancient Indian handbook of love and sexual positions, the Kama Sutra. Attributed to Vātsyāyana, the Kama Sutra was written as a guide to the art of living well, the nature of love, finding a life partner, maintaining one's love life, and other aspects pertaining to pleasure-oriented faculties of human life. Its chapters discuss methods for courtship, training in the arts to be socially engaging, finding a partner, flirting, maintaining power in a married life, when and how to commit adultery and sexual positions. Historians have placed its origin between 400 BCE and 300 CE.
Other historical books of erotica include the works of Marquis de Sade (the basis for the word Sadism) and D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley's Lover. Today’s mainstream written erotica spans the mass market romance novel to the recently popular Fifty Shades series of books.
Throughout history and into modern times, there is a vast storehouse of Erotica, a staple of the arts and culture. Paleolithic cave paintings of men and women show exaggerated genitals; in Mesopotamia, explicit sex scenes were depicted on stone or clay and later, the Romans and Greeks expressed their ideas on sex in murals, statues, pottery and so on. Before print and TV, there were the visual delights seen in Titian’s Venus of Urbino and Hokusai’s Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife.
HOW TO PRACTICE EROTICA?
In today’s society filled with sexual repression, plastic surgery and body size expectations, it is difficult to feel your full sexual power. Throughout history however, there have been various practices to keep women (and to a lesser extent, men) sexually vital. These practices let Greek Goddesses feel fully connected to their bodies; let Chinese High Priestesses stay sexually alive; and let Tantric Indian Goddesses worship and celebrate their bodies. Due to years of feminine sexual repression, these ancient practices have almost all been forgotten.
It is important to remember that being erotic is not exclusively sexual. The following erotic practices will complement and put into action the various forms of erotica seen in erotic writing and art and help to restore sexual awareness.
Read to each other - find romantic, or even sexual, poetry or prose. The point is to be physically close and mentally connected to your partner.
Take a class in a foreign language - learn how to say “I love you,” “thank you,” and “you are important to me” in another language.
Go on dates with each other - pretend you are dating someone new and try to act really interesting to the other person. Ask them questions about things you don’t usually talk about.
Cook a meal together - do the planning, shopping, preparing and cleaning up together. Feed each other while you cook and while you eat.
Do things you don’t normally do - Go out to breakfast or lunch, shop or see a movie. Get off work early and have a happy hour date together. Change your environment for time together.
Serenade - if one of you is musically talented, play or sing for your partner. Entertain each other with your talents. Go to karaoke and sing a love song for your partner.
Erotic sex talk - practice saying and listening to a variety of terms for sex, sexual behaviors, and body parts. Pay attention to how this feels, what you like and don’t like to say and to hear.
Visit a sex shop - walk around the store with your partner and look at the items for sale. Talk with each other about whether they are exciting to you or not. Or walk around separately and have each partner bring something that arouses them back to the other person.
Massage - become expert in massaging the body part that your partner loves best—head, hands, feet, neck. Experiment with techniques and learn by trial and error.
Take a shower or bath together - Find products and toys that help you to touch and explore each other’s bodies (i.e.loofahs and differently textured washcloths). Look at each otherand tell your partner what you like and appreciate about their body. Wash your partner and attend to a body part that your partner really loves to have touched. Brush their hair, shave or moisturize a part of them that they like to be smooth and soft.
Lay together in bed - try it with the lights on and include looking at each other, or turn them off and focus on how each other’s body feels. Pay attention to how your partner’s skin feels under your hands—notice the different textures of skin, hair etc. Or change the focus by staying purposefully silent—notice what kinds of things you can hear when you stop talking and purposefully listen.
Stand in front of a mirror together and face your bodies - talk about how it felt to do this and identify your erogenous zones. The genitals, breasts and mouth are erogenous zones for most people, but each of us have our own unique pleasure maps that may be related to previous pleasurable body experiences (i.e. your back, your cheek, your toes, your palms or your teeth).
Extend foreplay - If you are sexual together, make plans to do so and use the preceding 24-48 hours to prepare and spread out the pleasure of being together. Attend to your body in the ways that you like, and take pleasure in these very acts—washing your hair or moisturizing your skin. Imagine your partner’s appreciation of these parts of your body later. Think about whether you might want to wear special clothes and then spend time shopping for these and savor the anticipation as another way of experiencing intimacy.
Phone sex - by not being physically together, you may feel less threatened by what your partner may or may not expect from you. Try reading something erotic over the phone and touch yourselves while you do this.
Play verbal sex games - narrate your favorite sexual fantasy to your partner, and vice versa or write your fantasy down and then read it out loud to your partner. Or keep it in writing and send in the form of a love letter or sexy email
Do it in public - There’s something exciting about doing it in a non-private area, which could be on the beach or a park, an elevator or even a restaurant restroom.
Light the way - Turn off the lights and take a small flashlight to guide the glow to areas of your body that you want him to lick or rub. Start with your neck, ears, nipples - go wherever you want him to explore. Even if it's a nonsexual area like your back, he has to pay attention to that area until you stop shining the flashlight on it.
Take control - Your man or woman will love it if you take control if you are typically the more reserved partner.
Turn on the lights - turn on the lights and become turned on by what you see as both men and women are stimulated by erotic visuals. Try keeping your eyes open (this aids communication, as you can see what pleases your partner).
Sleep naked - Skin on silk or cool cotton is a great combination and is further heightened when touching your partner skin-to-skin. It will lead to sexy dreams, a sensual cuddle and more.
Do something physical together - exercise, complete a house project, garden or fix the car. Pick one activity per week to engage in together in order to support closer personal and physical bonding.
WHY PRACTICE EROTICA?
Ultimately, through eroitca and saced sexual practices, practioners can achieve a heightened awareness that sex is truly the inception of life and that sexual energy is the basis of our lifeforce.
To that end, erotic literature can help you discover your sexuality and make you feel more comfortable. It can relieve stress and anxiety, often barriers to an active and enjoyable sex life, and can also help you navigate your own sexuality and express yourself in a healthier way. Much erotic literature highlights consent and safe sex.
Specificlly, erotica can be a safe place to express sexuality and explore curiosities and it can also promote communication and conversations between partners around safe, healthy, vibrant sex that all parties involved are happy with. While there are some erotic stories that don't discuss concepts like birth control, safewords, and consent, these themes are becoming more and more popular among up-and-coming erotica authors.
Here are a few reasons why erotica may be good for you:
Expanded Imagination - While most porn is filled with cliche plots working towards a sexual encounter and release, erotica has varied and expansive themes and typically high quality prose to equally titillate and increase your imagination.
Mood Booster - Erotica can drive your libido while keeping your creative brain in check without a physical sexual encounter.
Aphrodisiac - Instead of relying on Viagra or other sex-stimulating drugs, reading erotica stories can increase your libido naturally instead of using pills.
Less Judgement - Unlike pornography, reading erotica is a “softer” and less provactive option for arousal and which will not be viewed by others in the same light. Reading erotica can rid society of stigmas around sexual satisfaction.
Better Orgasms - Our favorite benefit of erotica, this conscious awareness of your ‘sexual being’ achieved through reading or viewing erotica is a great way to give yourself stronger and better orgasms
Unity - as a foundational aspect of erotica, Tantric sex practices which use deliberate breathing and touch, slow movements, and a meditative focus on each other will heighten the sensations you are experiencing and create a deeper sense of unity with your partner. The longer the period of sexual excitement prior to satisfaction, the more powerful an orgasm will be.
Relaxation & Increased Sex Drive - Reading relaxes you which makes sex easier and more enjoyable. Stress also impacts your health, including lowering your sex drive. One of the best ways to relieve the daily stress, overcome anxiety and increase your sex drive is to read a good erotic book, listen to erotic music or watch and erotic video.
Erotica Resources
Erotica Videos
Erotica Books
Vatsyayana (translated by Sir Richard Burton) | Written by Vatsyayana sometime between the 1st and 6th centuries A.D., "Kama Sutra" is literally translated as "Aphorisms on Love." Intended as a manual for not only love and intimacy but also a treatise on the politics and customs of relationships between men and women. The "Kama Sutra", while sought after for its instruction on sexual positions, is much more than just a guide for lovemaking.
Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz | This is poet and scholar-activist Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz’s first full-length collection. An archaeological exploration on love and intimacy, the book charts her journey of finding and losing love over the span of three decades with six different men who came into her life at various times, but also offers a universal take on what can happen when one seeks love and connection with others, and the lessons that follow when that connection and love is lost.
Isabel King | With a Thousand Kisses scans the centuries for the crème de la crème of poetic and illustrated eroticism, and the result is a beautifully designed gift book that will bring many smiles and perhaps a few blushes to its readers.
Charlotte Hill and William Wallace | This illustrated anthology is a thoughtfully arranged and carefully presented collection of the very best examples of sexual art and literature. It spans 2,000 years - from classical Rome and the ancient East to the novels of D.H. Lawrence and Henry Miller. The emplasis is on the life-enhancing qualities of good erotica and the result is a selection that will appeal as much to women as it does to men.
Erotica Classes & Learning
Erotica Writing Masterclass | Skillshare
Are you an avid erotica reader? Do the authors Anne Rice, Gena Showalter, Lori Foster, and E.L. James ring a bell? Chances are, if you have read erotica long enough, you begin to play with the idea of writing your own. If so, this course is for you!
Erotic Novel Writing Course | London School of Journalism
In an Erotic Novel, if you were to remove the sex, you would no longer have a narrative at all. This course will consider the grey dividing line between eroticism and sex.
Free Online Sex Classes | Wellcelium
From program website: Wellcelium is a learning community that spreads pleasure, on purpose. Our mission is to bring skills for thriving relationships & wellness through online sexual classes for people of all walks of life.
Passion 101 Sex Ed @Sexploratorium
The mission of Passion 101 Classes is to provide interactive, educational, and entertaining learning experiences to help better understand sexual techniques, improve the dynamics of relationships/intimacy, practice useful methods of communication, maintain and improve spiritual/physical/sexual health, and to develop an appreciation of diverse sexual expression.
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