Beyond Conquest: Sexuality and Infinite play

In the theater of human existence, the concept of play takes on a multitudinous array of forms, expressions, and interpretations. In "Finite and Infinite Games" by James P. Carse, we are presented with a dichotomy between two forms of play: finite games, those played for the purpose of winning, and infinite games, those played for the purpose of continuing the play. This philosophical framework provides a robust lens through which we can examine sexual experience, especially when filtered through the metaphysical perspectives of the Left-Hand Path.

The Finite Sexual Experience: An Initiatory Analysis

Sexuality, within the constraints of finite games, is often approached with definitive ends: satisfaction, procreation, relationship status, or adherence to societal norms. These are the "victories" sought within the finite sexual game, a game governed by the imposed rules and roles of external society, and thus limited in its potential for personal and spiritual evolution. It is a game bounded by the immediate, often material, triumphs which, once attained, leave no room for continuity of growth.

From an initiatory standpoint, the finite sexual game can be seen as a stifling construct. It is the antithesis of the principle of Xeper, the central axiom of Setian philosophy, which stands for self-directed personal growth and the quest for individual evolution. The finite game imposes an artificial terminus on an aspect of our being that is naturally inclined towards exploration, towards becoming.

Infinite Sexual Expression: The Path of Continuous Becoming

Conversely, sexuality in the guise of an infinite game transcends these finite goals and transforms into a complex journey of discovery and self-expression. It is not a process determined by the rigidity of "winning" or "losing," but rather a fluid continuum of experiences that nourish the soul and expand the boundaries of being.

For a practitioner on the Left-Hand Path, infinite sexual expression aligns with the ongoing quest for self-deification. It allows the individual to use their sexual experiences as a means to understand deeper elements of their psyche, to confront and integrate the shadow, and to channel sexual energy towards magical practices and the greater work of self-becoming.

This is not sexuality for the sake of pleasure alone, nor for procreation, nor for any external validation, but sexuality as a sacrament to the self—a dynamic rite that continually renews and reaffirms the individual’s path.

Ritual and the Reconfiguration of Sexual Energy

Incorporating sexual practices into ritual work is a profound application of this philosophy. By approaching sexual experiences as ritual, Initiates can invoke the transformational energies inherent in these acts. They can direct these energies towards specific magical intentions, harnessing the raw power of creation and dissolution that sexuality embodies.

This ritualized approach to sexuality enables the practitioner to detach from the finite goals of sexuality and to reterritorialize sexual energy in alignment with the practitioner’s will. This act of reterritorialization is not a return to prior states, but an advance into uncharted realms of selfhood, an embodiment of the serpent’s ever-climbing path.

Challenging Norms and Embracing Non-Attachment

True to the adversarial essence of the Left-Hand Path, Initiates may employ sexuality to challenge and transgress the normative boundaries imposed by society. By doing so, they perform an act of liberation—not only of the self from societal constraints but also of the very energy that sexuality represents.

However, in this space of freedom, there is also the necessity for responsibility. Sexuality and sexual expression does not always, or often, relate to the act of sex itself. The initiate must understand where their understanding of sexuality ends and begins. Additionally, non-attachment to the outcomes of sexual encounters becomes vital.

By engaging without the expectation of victory defined by finite games, the practitioner ensures that sexuality remains an act of infinite play—an exploration that is free from the confines of attachment or imposed definition and thus open to the full spectrum of transformational possibilities.

Conclusion: The Infinite Play of Sexual Becoming

For the Initiate, sexuality is not a conquest but a continuous field of experiential play that facilitates personal and spiritual evolution. It is an infinite game where the horizon of becoming extends eternally forward, beckoning the practitioner to explore, to express, and to exist in a state of perpetual self-creation.

Through this perspective lens, we may perceive our sexualities as mirrors reflecting the broader cosmos within—ever expansive, ever mysterious, and ever inviting us to the higher understanding that in the most profound of plays, we are both participant and path, ever becoming, ever Ourselves.