Synopsis

A young man in Victorian-inspired clothing drifts through a dreamlike world of locked doors and mysterious female figures. Each room reveals a new vision of desire, from a masked woman and a figure hidden in a web to a pair of identical, heavily made-up women. A strange matador-like character appears between the encounters, adding to the video's ritualistic atmosphere. Slow motion, warm colors, surreal costumes, and sensual imagery turn the song into an abstract fantasy rather than a conventional narrative.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was released in 1991 to accompany Enigma's third single from the debut album *MCMXC a.D.*

• On the album, "Principles of Lust" is a multipart sequence combining "Sadeness," "Find Love," and "Sadeness (Reprise)." The single version is centered on "Find Love" and includes additional instrumentation.

• The video's imagery follows the sensual and mysterious visual language established by Enigma's early promotional films, blending religious, erotic, and dreamlike references without presenting a literal storyline.

• The full-length *MCMXC a.D. - The Complete Video Album* used the video as one of four central visual pieces. Material from those videos was also reused across the longer album presentation.

• Enigma's official video catalog continues to list "Principles of Lust" among the project's key early videos, alongside "Sadeness (Part I)," "Mea Culpa (Part II)," and "The Rivers of Belief."

• The track's seductive mood is reinforced by whispered vocals, breath sounds, electronic rhythms, flute-like synth lines, and sampled Gregorian chant elements.