Watch for “Goddess Temples” moving into your neighborhoods. They apparently are reviving an ancient religious practice of pagan antiquity: sacred prostitution. It took parking and traffic complaints to get one to move out of Scottsdale, Arizona, to Phoenix:
Police have investigated a sexually oriented temple operating in a downtown Scottsdale home after complaints from neighbors.
A city zoning code enforcement case, which started in October, is separate from the more recent police visit to the property at 68th Street and Exeter Boulevard.
The temple plans to move to Phoenix next month because its residential property is not large enough for a church under Scottsdale’s zoning code, said Tracy Elise, temple mother priestess.
The temple has drawn police attention because its tenets connect spirituality and sexuality and it employs sexual healers and teaches its members about tantric sexual techniques.
“It’s perceived as a sex church,” Elise said.
The 48-year-old priestess was unapologetic about the temple and its views on sex, which she said are far more enlightened than those of most other religions.
A waiver that members sign states: “I acknowledge that I will not receive any type of sexual gratification in exchange for money during my session” at the temple.
A citizen’s complaint to police alleges that prices listed at the temple say services are $204 for one hour and $440 for 2 1/2 hours but do not say what those services are.
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