Spheres of Intimacy

Intimacy can be experience in many different forms - emotional intimacy, sexual intimacy, vocational intimacy (shared work), intellectual intimacy, recreational intimacy (shared delight in play), creative intimacy (shared experiences in creating something), aesthetic intimacy (shared enjoyment of beauty), and social justic intimacy (working together to make the world a better place)

The deepest spiritual friendships are based on ever-increasing spheres of intimacy.  This is most crucial in marriage, where it is easy to be intimate with one's spouse in one or two dimensions, but outsource intimacy in other areas to friends.  (Benner, Sacred Companions, pg 72-73).