what is the erotic?

my definitions, based off of Audre Lorde’s essay: Uses of the Erotic: the Erotic As Power

THE EROTIC: The erotic is your life force — the deepest energy living in your body. Born of eros, love in its purest meaning, it is the fullest sensation of yes inside of you.

WHAT IT DOES: The erotic awakens your pleasure, your creativity, your intuition. It returns you to your liberation and your power.

EROTIC EXCELLENCE: Erotic excellence is the devotion to living at the full depth of your sensual erotic power — refusing anything less.

What Is Erotic Power?

I am divinely guided by Audre Lorde’s teaching on the erotic as power:

“The very word erotic comes from the Greek word eros, the personification of love in all its aspects - born of Chaos, and personifying creative power and harmony. When I speak of the erotic, I speak of it as an assertion of the lifeforce of women; of that creative energy empowered.”

This is not about sexuality alone. The erotic is far more than sexual or sensual contexts; it motivates excellence, survival, and delight through all of life’s activities. 

Reclaiming your erotic power means:

  • Choosing what brings you alive

  • Leading your life from your deepest feeling

  • Refusing numbness and disconnection

  • Trusting your body’s wisdom

  • Becoming, as Lorde says, less willing to accept powerlessness 

This is the work of the erotic root - guiding you back to this power within yourself.