The Latin root for lust is lustrare, which means to illuminate, to brighten. Like a moth, irrevocably attracted to a bright flame, lust is an overwhelming desire or craving to merge with or consume an object that shines with the promise of deep satisfaction.

Lust is most frequently associated with sexual passion, which comes online at puberty, fueled by hormones whose biological urgency is ultimately the intent to bring forth new life. Typically, one becomes sexually attracted to the shine or glow one sees in another, and lusts for some kind of sexual release with them.

The overwhelming power of lust challenges deeply the ego’s reasoning ability and will. The emotion of lust is so binding and blinding one often feels powerless to not acquiesce to it. Despite very negative consequences for acting it out, lust, due to its compulsive power of attraction, can frequently defeat the ego’s best of intentions of restraint.

Interestingly, the guidance upon dying is for the soul to travel directly toward the light. That which most powerfully Illuminates is the ultimate Creator. Union with God is union with the light. Passion is the energy of creation.

Lust imbues the human experience with creative energy from the most primal levels of biological desire to the highest form of spiritual love. Lust is the energy that the subconscious employs to draw to it the materials for its creative activity as it embarks upon the task of fulfilling a suggestion.

Lust is also the energy that feeds addictions. Addiction is a spiritual disease that achieves the momentary satiation of calm through union with an object, substance, or behavior that shines with the luster of promise. Addiction binds one to the repetitive habit of seeking union with the mana of its substance, usually with diminishing returns of satisfaction, generating greater dependency and despondency.

Lust is an essential energy of life that is so powerful that it can destroy life. The desire of lust is an essential component of intimacy, yet, if it is too dominant, can forestall the development of true relatedness and connection, qualities essential to enduring relationship.

Perhaps the greatest challenge in human form is the mastery of lust. To avoid lust is to forsake the creative and emotional dimension of one’s divine birthright. To give over one’s life to the compulsions and mismatches of lust is to lose control of one’s life.

Oftentimes, a repetitive cycle of doing lust’s bidding can accrue to its loss of luster where the spark of illumination can then transfer to a true path of heart. The Buddhists call this avidya , the long path of ignorance that eventually accrues to enlightenment.

If we recognize that the true source of lust is within our own soul, which is then reflected outward to ‘catch our eye’, we might then take hold of our creative energy within ourselves. If we align our desire with the realization of our true self we present to the subconscious the intent for fulfillment.

Shine on,
Chuck