Suffering for Spirit: An Overview of Ordeal
What is Ordeal, and what does it offer? What is the difference between an Ordeal and any other intense or spiritual scene? In this workshop we’ll take a panoramic view of Ordeal, touching on the theory behind Ordeal rituals, and exploring the many ways in which agony can lead to transformation and empowerment.
Sacred Crisis: The Anatomy of Ordeal
What makes an Ordeal? What is the difference between an intense or spiritual scene and an Ordeal? How do Ordeal rituals help us reach our deepest selves? In this workshop, we’ll explore the essential components of Ordeal, and learn how to make the most of our suffering.
The Ordeal Path: Sacred Suffering Beyond the Scene
Explore methods for seeking wisdom in life’s pain without drowning in sorrow or clinging to a silver lining. Learn to walk a road of joy and delight, where every scar strengthens us, and every challenge pushes us to become our better and truer selves.
The Sacred Way of Consent
The most universal concept in kink is consent; it is in the premise of our lifestyle, that informed consenting adults may do as they please with one another. What are the spiritual implications of this core belief? Come explore how consent can be more than an ethical justification. The concept of consent can show us a sacred way of living and engaging with one another. It can guide us to our better selves, and teach us how to form deeper, more fulfilling connections with others.
Cathartic Flogging
Catharsis is a process of release, purification, and relief, whereby one is rid of repressed emotions and energies. Come learn how flogging can elicit mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual catharsis. This workshop does not focus on technical flogging skills, so please have some knowledge of the fundamentals.
Impact Catharsis: The Metaphysics of Sensation
Pain is a well-known mechanism for cathartic relief and release, but how does that work on an energetic level? How does the energy body respond to different types of sensation, and how can you use those responses to help someone achieve catharsis? Come learn how physical sensation can facilitate spiritual healing.
Sanctify Your Kink
Are you yearning to bring your kink into the realm of the sacred? Have you stumbled into that numinous place where the boundary between sex and spirit disappears? Do you want to incorporate an element of spirituality into your existing kink dynamic? Join us to learn skills and strategies for bringing spirituality to your scenes, and nurturing the sacred moments you discover in your play.
Creating Space for Sacred Sexuality
Are you drawn to the idea of sacred sexuality, but uncertain of how to start practicing it yourself? Are you looking for a way to give your intimate encounters a deeper connection to the sacred? Would you like to add a few new techniques to your sacred sex practices? Join us for a practical introduction to creating sacred space for sexual encounters. We’ll examine the basic features of ritual, and discuss a spectrum of methods for engaging in sacred sexuality, ranging from formal and ceremonial to simple and spontaneous.
A Kinkster’s Guide to Western Occultism
BDSM offers visceral exploration of spirituality, but where do you go to learn more about how and why sacred kink works? What types of training systems are available, and how do you figure out which one is right for you? How do you find a group you might get along with? Come dip your toes into the world of occultism with a kinky guide to contemporary western mystical traditions.
Queer Sex Magic
Sexual energy is a potent source of magical power, but generating that power is too often discussed purely in terms of polarity. Let’s journey outside the binary and explore other ways of generating sexual energy. We’ll briefly examine a Queer take on polarity, then dive into resonance, balance, and synergy as intentional tools that are sometimes even better choices to power our magical intentions.
Through the Dark
For centuries religious and philosophical figures have written about the “Dark Night of the Soul” – that moment all of us face sooner or later, in at least some aspect of our lives, when something that used to bring us joy or elation or excitement suddenly feels empty. Spiritual practitioners might experience it as an inability to sense energy or feel sacredness around them. Kinksters might experience it as a favorite play modality feeling dull or unsatisfying, or a familiar dynamic feeling inexplicably distant or disengaged. What brings us to those dark places? What can we learn by wandering through that long night? How do we find our way to the light of dawn? Come explore the many paths we might take through the dark.
Grounding, Centering, and Shielding for Kinksters
When a scene has set you spinning, but it’s time to transition back to a normal state, how do you find stability? How can centering your awareness in your body help you seize and wield the power of a scene? How can you protect your mental, emotional, and energetic resources, even in in the midst of a chaotic crowd? Join us to explore the fundamental principles of grounding, centering, and shielding, and learn how to use these techniques to enhance our kink.
Stumbling Into Spooky
Ever find yourself in a scene that unexpectedly takes on profound personal meaning? Ever accidentally discover a sacred dynamic in your kink? In this class we’ll share stories of kinky play that became unexpectedly spiritual. We’ll learn some techniques for processing and embracing these moments for ourselves, and find out how to help our partners and play partners navigate these experiences.
Intimate Energy Dynamics
Join us for a participatory exploration of how energy exchange and manipulation can enhance intimate connection. We will discuss and practice techniques for deepening awareness and intensifying sensation with our partner. In order to fully participate in this workshop, you will need a basic ability to sense and direct energy. Please bring a partner to practice with.
An Introduction to Needle Play
Are you intrigued by needle play, but not sure where to start? Do you find needles a bit intimidating, and want information to help you feel more comfortable? In this 101 class, we’ll discuss some of the dreadful delights and sexy scenes needles can offer. Then we’ll learn how to prepare, play, and clean up safely, and we’ll cover the basics of placing and removing needles.
Having Fun With Needles
What makes a needle scene fun for both the bottom and the top? What types of fun do needles offer? Once you get the needles in, then what? Come learn how to create a needle scene that all participants will enjoy, from the very first poke to the very last pull. We’ll briefly review safety and setup, then cover placement, aesthetic options, manipulation, sensation, and removal.
Blood Painting: Needle Play Body Art
Do you love the idea of aesthetically pleasing needle scenes, but struggle with creating perfect designs in steel? Do you want to create something beautiful without using a ton of needles? Do you just really love blood? Come learn how blood painting uses impact and palette knives to give you a new way to make stunning art with your needle scenes.
Reaching Through Steel: Connective Needle Play
Needle play is a technically demanding kink, and it can be tough to maintain a connection with your bottom while also focusing on sterile technique and needle safety. From negotiation to aftercare, and all the fun in between, come learn new tips and tricks for keeping your bottom engaged and connected from start to finish.
Pretty Needles for the Risk Averse
Needle play offers fabulous opportunities for aesthetic creativity, but each technique comes with its own considerations for safety. This class explores how to create fabulous art with string, feathers, beads, and more, all while minimizing risks to our bottoms. Come learn how to create beautiful needle art within a conservative risk profile.
Tiny and Vicious: How To Be Mean With Little Needles
Wanna have a good time with little holes? Come learn how to make your sadistic needle play excruciating at any gauge! Discover locations, techniques, patterns, and manipulations that are sure to elicit some delightful screams, all at 20 gauge and smaller… because it’s not the size that counts, it’s how you use it.
Needle Predicament Bondage
This intermediate class explores how to create delightfully devilish predicaments with needle play. Whether you’re binding your bottom in challenging postures, or tying them to other objects, needle bondage offers a variety of unique physical and psychological challenges.
Sacred Blood
Blood is a substance deeply rooted in spirituality and magic, and widely regarded as a material component of our life essence. This workshop examines different ways to use blood in sacred kink, starting with a brief discussion touching on the cultural history of blood, then diving into practical techniques and demonstrated methods for exploring this vital part of ourselves. Topics will include mundane and spiritual safety protocol, negotiating sacred blood play, different methods for drawing blood, and how to use spilled blood for sacred work.
Communicating Risk: Creating Informed Consent
Risk aware consent lets us ethically and responsibly indulge in our darkest fantasies, but getting there isn’t always easy. From both the bottom and the top perspective, what should you ask or tell to help your partner fully understand what you want to do, and where your limits are? What do you need to disclose in order to ensure that your partner’s consent is adequately informed? Come discuss the complexities of negotiating scene limits, develop skills for communicating your needs your own needs, and learn tips for helping your partner(s) communicate theirs.
Speaking From Experience: Advanced Negotiation
Negotiating before a scene helps both tops and bottoms play with risk aware consent, but what happens once the scene starts? Communication can’t simply stop when play begins, but calibration requires a rapport between top and bottom, and mid-scene negotiation can be dangerous territory. Come learn important skills that will help you and your play partners express desires and boundaries, set parameters for play before a scene begins, and communicate your wants and needs in the heat of the moment.
Serene Sadism: How To Be A Nasty Top Without Loosing Your Balance
Sadistic play lets us indulge in fantasies of violence and suffering, often providing a necessary release of visceral desires… but sometimes it feels like the urge is too strong, and the monster once freed will never go back to sleep. How can we be our nasty selves, and still maintain enough stability to function in the outside world? Come learn how to feed your inner beast without loosing your inner balance.
Sensual Sadism: Connection Through Pain
Whether you’re a sadist or a masochist, pain can be a lot of fun! But what makes the difference between a good scene and a fantastic scene? It’s that delicious feeling of intimate connection. Come learn how to use pain as a vehicle for connection, and make your sensation play extra steamy.
Poly Compatibility
Why do some relationships fail even when it seems like you’re perfect for each other? How can you tell if someone is going to be a good fit for you, or you for them? In this workshop we’ll investigate the many facets of compatibility in polyamory, from sexual and romantic desires to logistical planning and metamour relationships.
Consent for Polyamory
Polyamorous relationship structures come in all shapes and sizes, each one negotiated with its own allowances and limits… but how do we make sure those boundaries are clear to everyone involved? Consent is a huge part of what makes our non-monogamy ethical, but what can we do to ensure that our consent is adequately informed? In this workshop we’ll share tips and techniques for communicating your needs and making sure that everyone is on the same page, and we’ll learn how to avoid common pitfalls.
Redefining Virginity for a Sex-Positive World
What does it mean to be a virgin? How did virginity become so important to contemporary western spirituality and society in the first place? In this workshop we’ll trace modern virginity back to its ancient Greek roots, and discover how old beliefs continue to impact modern realities. By untangling ancient baggage, we’ll empower ourselves with a better understanding of how we can redefine “virginity” for a modern world.
Queer Enough
Have you ever wondered if you truly qualify as ‘Queer’? Have you felt like an outsider at a Queer social event? Do you organize Queer gatherings and struggle with being inclusive enough for broad definitions of ‘Queer’ while still maintaining a safe space for Queer people? In this discussion-based workshop we’ll talk about our experiences of not feeling Queer enough, and come up with ways that we, both as individuals and as a community, can feel confident in our self-expression, support each other in Queer spaces, and still protect our sense of identity.
A Pagan Primer on Sacred Kink
What is kink, and how can it be sacred? How is sacred kink both similar to and different from sacred sex? How can sacred kink contribute to and enhance a Pagan lifestyle? We’ll examine potential answers to each of these questions in this Pagan’s introduction to sacred kink. This workshop will be equal parts class and discussion, so whether you’re ‘curious about’, ‘into’, or ‘live it 24/7’, come share your ideas and experiences. Join us to explore the beautifully diverse and magically empowering world of sacred kink.
Rope Magic
Dive into the ‘woo’ of rope! In this class we’ll learn how to infuse rope with energetic intent, and work magic with knots, lines, and postures. Connect with your partner or with yourself. Quiet the static that plagues your spirit. Release the potential you hold back. Collect your pieces, and find a happy whole at your center. This class includes both demonstration and practice, so bring some rope and a partner if you’d like to participate. All skill levels welcome!
Rituals of Kink
What is ritual, and what is its purpose? How can we use ritual to enhance our experience of kink? From fetish outfits, to setup and cleanup routines, to complex D/s protocol, kink is full of ritual language. Let’s look at rituals both sacred and secular, and explore how actions can speak louder than words.
How Pagans Learn: Teaching, Training, and Mentoring
Many prominent Pagan educators have pointed out that all of us, regardless of age, learn as children when we approach divinity. In this workshop we will discuss how theories in early childhood education pertain to adult spiritual development. We will explore the differences between declarative and experiential knowledge, examine schemas and cognitive dissonance, and explain how these and other concepts apply to how we process spiritual experiences.
Essential Ritual Design
What does it take to create meaningful ritual? In this nondenominational workshop, we will explore ritual’s essential components, and discuss what makes a ritual ‘good’. We will examine both practical and spiritual considerations in designing and executing effective ritual for groups small and large, public and private, traditional and eclectic.
Coven Craft Without Binary Gender
How do you cast a circle without a priest or priestess? What dynamic roles can arise when officiators shed the cultural associations of binary gender, and explore other modes of complementary function? Come learn how to set an altar, call the quarters, and honor the Gods in ways that can reflect, support, and celebrate any gender identity.
Horse Handling: Supporting the Possessed
Preparing for and recovering from a possessory experience can be tremendously taxing for a person being ‘ridden’ by a spirit or deity. This workshop addresses practical strategies for how we as ritual officiators, assistants, and energetic ground crew, can help create a better experience for the ‘horse’, the deity, and the community. We’ll discuss tools and techniques that can facilitate an easier ride for everyone involved, from preparing beforehand, through the experience itself, to helping the horses be fully themselves again when the Work is done.
Introduction to Hellenismos
The Gods of ancient Greece are popular figures in contemporary Paganism, but do our modern visions of these old Gods match their spiritual history? How did the ancient Greeks view and honor their Gods? What can we learn from these ancient traditions, and how are they useful to modern Pagans? Explore the answers to these questions and more in our introduction to Hellenismos.
Grounding, Centering, and Shielding for Non-Standard Energy Bodies
Just like our physical bodies, energy bodies come in many different shapes and sizes, and with a variety of sensitivities and needs. Grounding, centering, and shielding are necessary techniques for anyone who works with energy, but typical methods may not be effective for individuals with non-standard energy bodies. In this workshop we will explore different types of energy bodies, and explain how to modify common grounding, centering, and shielding techniques to accommodate various needs.
Energy Healing for Diverse Energy Bodies
In this workshop, we will discuss various ways in which a person’s energy body can be unusual yet still healthy, normal, or necessary. Come explore how these variations affect energy healing techniques, and how we can modify our approach in appropriate ways. This class is designed for individuals who already have proficiency in some method of energy healing.
Introduction to Astral Travel
What is the astral plane? Where does it go, and who and what can you find there? How do you get to the astral, and what do you do once you’re there? In this workshop we will discuss some of the theory behind astral travel, then make a short trip along a well-traveled road. Please bring something comfortable to sit or lie on.
The Elemental Tarot Spread
Come learn and practice an elegantly simple Tarot spread utilizing the elemental associations of the four powers of the sphinx: to know, to will, to dare, and to be silent. We will explore the fundamental concepts of the spread, discuss a demonstration, then give it a try ourselves. Please bring your own Tarot deck if you would like to practice.
Negotiating With Deities and Spirits
Many Pagans believe that deities or spirits can sometimes desire or even demand specific action. Answering these calls can be joyous and rewarding, but sometimes finding an appropriate response to a divine request can be tricky. In this workshop, we will discuss when one might wish to negotiate with Gods or spirits, and how to go about negotiation respectfully and constructively.
Making Friends With Vampires
Discover how you can interact with psychic vampires in a way that is healthy and nourishing for everyone involved. We’ll briefly cover standard grounding and warding techniques, then go beyond personal protection and learn how to turn a draining dynamic around. Join us to find out how you can make an antagonist into an ally.
Thista Minai 