El arco y la flecha

The arrival of Eros at the forefront of the social scene is undoubtedly the most profound revolution we have witnessed in the West in recent decades. But what kind of Eros is it, and how should it be addressed? Annick de Souzenelle goes beyond the "sexual freedom" that is now touted as an achievement against the moralism of the past, and takes the debate to a deeper level. For her, Eros is an inescapable dimension of being, but ignorance of its essential vocation leads to unhappiness and suffering. Its formidable energy, which encompasses both the mystical and the sexual, needs to be awakened, invigorated, and directed in a dynamic symbolized by the bow and arrow. If the arrow misses its mark and is instead invested in the external world, creating artificial objects, it can be deadly. If it strikes the inner target, it opens us to a whole world of light. This is the game of Eros, with its wonders and tragedies, which governs our journey through life.