Loss of What?

[This is an update to the Troth page] I heard an interesting phrase the other day: "Loss of Consortium". The dictionary defines Consortium as "the legal right of a spouse to the company, affection and service of the other." I had some thoughts: Can we define a right to affection? Is there a legal right to having your spouse sleep in the same bed with you? (I ask because to me, marriage has two irreplaceable elements: frequent sex and sharing a bed, because I can't get those from anyone else.) Where does sexuality fall in the three rights? Is it Affection? A Service? All of them? Can you sue for "specific performance"? (You will be affectionate towards me!) This sounds like a contract that only has meaning if one party defaults. (But isn't that true of all contracts?) If the two spouses differed in the extent to which they offered or felt a need for any of these 3 (or what-all else is covered by them) what then? Who decides if someone has "given enough"? This arises from a situation of excluding others. No one would lack for company, affection or service if they were not exclusive: we have created a problem that we can't solve. You don't have to force people to care for each other if they do, and cannot if they don't.

Name

Until recently, the Mystic facet stubbornly refused to suggest a name for himself. But I came across this German word which means 'sanctuary': Heiligtum. I found it in Schiller's Ode to Joy which is sung in Beethoven's 9th Symphony. It has always fascinated me, but I received a boxed set of all of the Beethoven symphonies as a gift and it includes commentary and the words and translation. I can't think of a more appropriate name for this aspect of myself.