The erotic is a deeply spiritual and female source of power that has been suppressed, vilified, and confused with pornography in Western society. Women have been taught to distrust this resource which rises from their deepest knowledge due to male domination. However, the erotic offers replenishing force for any woman who does not fear its revelation or succumb to sensation without feeling. It encourages excellence and demands self-respect once experienced fully.

The erotic teaches us to strive for excellence, but it should not be mistaken as a demand for the impossible. It is about feeling fully alive in everything we do, including our work, which can become empowering when approached with an awareness of its potential for satisfaction and fulfillment. However, societal systems that prioritize profit over human need or ignore emotional components rob work of its erotic value and reduce it to mere duty.

The word "erotic" comes from the Greek word eros, which means creative power and harmony. The erotic is an assertion of life force that empowers women to reclaim their knowledge and use it in all aspects of their lives, including language, history, work, love-making and dancing. It forms a bridge between spiritual and political realms by connecting physical emotional psychic expressions with our deepest knowledge.

The fear of our deepest cravings will always keep them suspect and lead us to settle for or accept so many facets of our oppression as women. When we begin to live from within outward, in touch with the power of the erotic within ourselves, it informs and illuminates our actions upon the world.

Recognizing our deepest feelings empowers us to take action against oppression and become responsible for ourselves. The importance of the erotic in developing and sustaining power is often overlooked, leading to abuse when we use others' feelings without consent or misname the need as pornography or obscenity.

The speaker reflects on how the conference has brought up deep feelings and a genuine desire for action. She emphasizes that embracing the power of eroticism can lead to self-affirmation, creativity, and positive change in an anti-erotic society. The hope is that by staying connected to these feelings, it will help bridge differences among women with different experiences.