This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we do an Imbolc ritual with Devinder Kaur to goddess Brigit, light the fire of purity and rededicating yourself for the remaining year. With Imbolc on Tuesday 2nd on Wednesday February 3rd we will kick off the Valentine erotic theme of the month with an Imbolc ritual. Imbolc means, literally, 'in the belly' (of the Mother). For in the womb of  Mother Earth, hidden from our mundane sight but sensed by a keener  vision, there are stirrings. The seed that was planted in her womb at  the solstice is quickening and the new year grows. Imbolc (or  Candlemas)  may then be seen as the Pagan version of Valentine's Day,  with a de-emphasis of 'hearts and flowers' and an appropriate  re-emphasis of Pagan carnal frivolity. This also re-aligns the holiday with the ancient Roman Lupercalia, a fertility festival held at this time, in which the priests of Pan ran through the streets of Rome whacking young women with goatskin thongs to make them fertile. The women seemed to enjoy the attention and often stripped in order to afford better targets. While I don't see things getting quite that wild we will have  plenty of fun!

Brigid is the traditional patroness of healing, poetry and smithcraft, which are all practical and inspired wisdom. As a solar deity her attributes are light, inspiration and all skills associated with fire. Although she might not be identified with the physical Sun, She is certainly the benefactress of inner healing and vital energy. So if you are inspired to heal or share poetry or craft your future for 2010 then come along. We will do a fire circle too.

The ritual begins after dinner at 8pm.  I invite you to join us, though as always what ever choice you make you will be honored in.

This entry was posted on January 26, 2010 at 5:17 PM and has received 1130 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we practice expressing our boundaries and giving hugs. Do you have trouble saying what you want? Or saying no to a request? Here is a safe time to practice and experiment in the Sandbox - where you know that any boundaries that you express will be supported by others and the group as a whole. We will also look at the different kinds of hugs that people give - the firm bear hug, the wimpy hug, the A-frame hug and the yummy hug. And how to graceful sidestep a hug if you don't want to hug that person right now. If you have other hug types to suggest let me know!

Ostara (spring equinox pagan holiday) is on Friday 3/20/09. So this is a great time to think about planting new ideas and habits for the coming year. So if you have trouble asking clearly for what you want, or saying No, or hearing No or saying Yes or hearing Yes then come to this gathering and we will plant some seeds for new behaviors in time for Beltane!

The hugs begin after dinner at 8pm.  I invite you to join us, though as always what ever choice you make you will be honored in.

This entry was posted on March 18, 2009 at 1:05 AM and has received 1115 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Happy Imbolc! Today is the pagan cross quarter day of Imbolc. I suggest we celebrate with a small ritual at this week's Wednesday gathering. Perhaps lighting candles and creating new passion for the year ahead - which would fit in well with the topic of "the passion test" for Wednesday. Any other ideas?

While less famous than Solstice or Beltane, Imbolc, also known as Candlemas,  is the re awaking of the Earth Mother so that She may return to make our lands green again. It is also a time when the Sun God is encouraged to grow in strength so that He may awaken the Goddess from Her Winter slumber.

Imbolc actually means "in womb". This refers to all the Life that is laying beneath the hard frozen ground, in our Earth Mothers "womb", waiting to come forth in the Spring. It is up to the Sun God to warm the frozen ground and stir these seeds so they may blossom.

In our tradition, we take this time to encourage others and ourselves. The dark Winter months tend to depress many people, and several seem to give up hope. On Imbolc we restore that hope in order to survive. We light candles in a variety of ways to show that there will be brighter times and hopefully to encourage that inner light within all of us to ignite and flare.

Interestingly Imbolc may also be seen as the pagan version of Valentine's Day, with a de-emphasis of 'hearts and flowers' and an appropriate re-emphasis of Pagan carnal frivolity. This also re-aligns the holiday with the ancient Roman Lupercalia, a fertility festival held at this time, in which the priests of Pan ran through the streets of Rome whacking young women with goatskin thongs to make them fertile. The women seemed to enjoy the attention and often stripped in order to afford better targets.

This entry was posted on February 2, 2009 at 3:10 PM and has received 1195 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Sacred Sexuality Beltane is a great festival in northern Maryland. The next for next year are Thurs, May 1 to Sun, May 4, 2008. New this year are pre-conference set of intensives beginning Wed, April 30, in the evening and continuing into the next morning. These intensives will be an opportunity for attendees to get in-depth knowledge from select presenters. Registration will open in January 2008

I have been for the past five years and it is a lot of fun. More info at

http://freespiritgathering.org/beltane/index.html

This entry was posted on September 25, 2007 at 8:08 PM and has received 1225 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

I helped to write an article on Wikinews about the pentacle being accepted by the VA as a valid symbol for soldiers' grave stones.
http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Pagan_pentacle_accepted_by_U.S._Department_of_Veteran_Affairs

This entry was posted on May 4, 2007 at 5:30 PM and has received 1224 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

I am giving four workshops at this Beltane. Hope to see you there!

http://www.free-spirit.org/Beltane/Classes.html
Better Sounds of Sex
Erotic Trance Dance for Release
Getting Real: Practicing Honesty in Sex and Relationships
Sandbox Exploration

Better Sounds of Sex
Do you have difficulty making sounds during lovemaking? Would you like to experiment with making louder and more passionate noises and moans? Would you like to enhance your and your partner'(s) orgasms with sound? Then come and have fun at this workshop! We will play with sounds in a safe environment and practice different love noises. Either come with a partner(s) or be prepare to match up with new people or do solo sound sex work! Audience: Anyone who would enjoy making sexy sounds!

Erotic Trance Dance for Release
Do you hold on to stuck emotions in your body? Do you enjoy moving freely, uninhibited, to the sound of primitive rhythms? Do you want to go on an erotic shamanic journey with others in a sacred space? Trance Dancing is easy to learn and releases stuck emotions from both mind and body. Plus it is fun to do! The focus is on connecting with self and spirit, not on how well you "perform." To facilitate this we will dance in a darkened space. Join us as we dance to the five rhythms: the feminine, masculine, chaos, integrated and stillness. Dancing to stillness? How can that be? —find out at the dance! To help people get into the trance, there will be no talking at this event once we start dancing. Wear fun clothes or bring scarves or blindfolds to dance with.

Getting Real: Practicing Honesty in Sex and Relationships
"Presence is what makes you radiantly alive, confident, and attractive. The key to presence is honesty."

Being present and honest has helped me greatly in my relating! The key to good sex and relationships is honest communication—but how often do we get to learn how to communicate honesty in a safe environment? How often does it happen and why is it so hard? Most people are afraid to be totally honest. They fear damaging relationships by creating conflict, or hurting another's feelings. But learning to attend to your own here-now experience rather than worrying about the outcome, uncovers the real source of personal power and self-trust. This workshop will help by experiencing the difference between thinking, feeling, and noticing You will practice speaking honestly and noticing how language affects the way we communicate. Engaging games & exercises make this workshop fun too! Whether your interest in communication is for polyamory, S/M, coming out, or other relationship reasons this workshop will help.

Sandbox Exploration
Do you want to have clearer boundaries? Are you afraid to ask for what you want? Do you get anxious that you won't say no when you want to? Come to the Sandbox and learn how to create clear boundaries. Practicing saying "No" helps us be clearer on what we want to say Yes to and to whom. Learning to hear No from someone else without having to turn it into a rejection story is refreshing too. Saying or hearing No can be hard at first, so we will loosen up first with some body movement exercises! Finally we will practice our skill in a play sandbox where you can ask for touch and decide if you want to accept touch or not from others.

Sandbox Explorations gets its name from the idea that when we take responsibility for establishing clear personal boundaries, it makes it safer for us and others to play together in a safe, authentic way. More connection, joy and intimacy result. So, if I tell you some clear basic ground rules about what it takes for me to feel safe in my own virtual sandbox, than you can safely get close to me and I can safely open to you.

Sandbox Explorations is a community of diverse folks who share the desire to expand the level of fun and connection in their lives. We meet every Wednesday in the Washington DC area for a gathering and dinner.

This entry was posted on April 26, 2007 at 5:34 PM and has received 1163 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.