The Masculine Cross and Ancient Sex Worship (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

The author of this taboo-breaking 1874 work of mysticism explores and develops his notion of religious phallic worship of the Sun and fire, or “phallism”—making sure to explain he uses the word in a “non-gendered” sense, which encompasses the female as well as the male anatomy. He begins by studying the symbols and vocabulary of religion, continues into discussions of “religious prostitution” and other obscure theories.