The Sandbox sleepover weekend is Friday 4/2/10 - Sunday 4/4/10. Come co-create a stronger Sandbox community! I was inspirited both by the New Culture weekend and the Sandbox cabins/kitchen at Beltane.

Please RSVP here.

• opening circle Friday night to create safe container and introductions
• plenty of unstructured time to hang, interact, play
• workshops, some dance/movement
  • Contact improv dance
  • a morning yoga class
  • Millie wiccan ritual
  • Buddhist meditation (developing bodichitta)
  • Aural sex (yes the ears!)
  • Cuddle pit
  • Finger (and other body parts) painting
  • More to come
• closing circle Sunday lunch
• space to sleep over if you chose or commute to and fro
• shared meals - breakfast, lunch, dinner
• everyone helps out with prep and clean up like at Wednesday gatherings
• support for clear communication throughout the weekend
• Cost is on a sliding scale donation basis so that all that want to attend can. Suggested donation $50 for the whole weekend - Friday night, all day Saturday, Sunday til after lunch closing circle. If you only come for part of the weekend then make a partial donation.

This entry was posted on February 18, 2010 at 3:45 PM and has received 1225 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we join Whittney is learning new ways to pleasure your male's member.

Space is limited - Please RSVP here.

Do you love your Male's Member? Here's a way to show him. Bring your male, and his member, to learn new ways to stoke his... ego. The techniques you learn in this hands-on workshop are culled from a variety of teachings, relying heavily on Taoist techniques of male self pleasure (masturbation). Getting to the root of the matter, this class teaches physical techniques and breath work to get his whole body focused on what you are doing to him. 

Participants are encouraged to prearrange who they will be partnered with for the class.  Pairing up at the class is possible but not guaranteed.  Paired participants must have at least one functioning penis between them for the active partner to practice on.  Solo female attendees will be asked to find a partner or withdraw from the class.   Solo male attendees may find a partner at the class or participate in the class practicing on themselves.  (This class is hands on only - no voyeurs). This class is limited to 40 participants.

Please bring towels or mats to lay on for comfort and to help keep the space clean. Lots of massage oil (coconut oil) is used in this class so bring soap and a clean towel if you wish to wash up afterwards. Please bring towels or mats to lay on for comfort and to help keep the space clean. Lots of massage oil (coconut oil) is used in this class so bring soap and a clean towel if you wish to wash up afterwards.

The workshop 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 February 16, 2010 at 1:36 PM and has received 1298 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Sandboxer Millie Knox has a movie about her gender transition called Soulmates premiering at Avalon Theatre in DC on Sunday 2/21/10 8pm.

As many of you know, our good friend Millie, has lived an incredible life. And just one of the incredible things about her is the many courageous things she has done to reach her own gender integrity. An experienced producer learned about Millie’s journey and chose to make a full length film. It’s called “Soulmates” and it is premiering February 21st at 8:00 pm at the Avalon Theatre NW in DC, just below Chevy Chase Circle. (5612 Connecticut Ave NW Washington, DC 20015). Gail and David Hollies saw a rough cut of the film with Millie some time ago and were was very impressed. Many indie films are almost entertaining and almost engaging. This film really delivers and it’s about someone we already know and love. David and Gail have also decided to do what we can to make the evening special for Millie. Not only is a movie about your life a nerve wracking experience, but this movie deals with some shocking twists and turns that will “out” Millie in all kinds of ways. So she may well need some friends around her.

You can buy tickets and you can buy the DVD at soulmatesmovie.com     The pre-party will start Sunday  Feb 21^st at 4:00 at David and Gail's home in Annandale. 

This entry was posted on February 2, 2010 at 1:36 PM and has received 1445 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we are joined by sex educator extraordinar Sherri Winston (who you may have seen at Beltane) will be giving a presentation on "A Sneak Peek at Women’s Anatomy of Arousal". It will be juicy! Please RSVP here

She will give a mini-presentation and book signing drawn from Sherri Winston's acclaimed book, Women's Anatomy of Arousal: Secret Maps to Buried Pleasure. Learn about the female parts even gynecologists don't know about, and how to make them ecstatically happy! Discover how much you've been missing! Chat with the author and get a preview of her longer Thursday, class. Find out why sex educator Pat Parisi calls Sheri’s book "the best work about female sexuality I've ever read."

Sheri Winston is a medical professional, sexuality educator and author who is on a mission to transform our culture's attitudes about sex. Sherri is a certified nurse-midwife and gynecology nurse-practitioner. During her first two decades of clinical practice, Sheri Winston also taught Childbirth Education & WomanCraft, classes on pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and women's health issues. She expanded into sexuality education and began development of what has become her major work, the Wholistic Sexuality Curriculum.
 

She feels that life is for learning and believes that her current calling is to help transform our culture into one that celebrates sex as our vital life force, as a source of ecstasy, and as the glue and lubricant of delicious intimate relationships. She invites you to make your own journey to empowering yourself with information about your body, your potential and about Wholistic Sexuality!

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

Did you know that:

* Women have as much erectile equipment as men? * Most women aren't having as much pleasure as they could because they aren't using their entire "instrument?" * The whole truth about women's genital anatomy is incomplete and misunderstood, even by professionals?

There's more to the clitoris then meets the eye, and more to women's arousal than the clitoris. We're not just talking about the G-Spot here - there's an interconnected set of structures responsible for arousal and orgasm - much of which is absent or misunderstood in both how-to sex books and medical textbooks!

When you come to this fascinating class, you'll find out what's really down there and how to make it work better than you ever dreamed was possible!

You'll discover the largely unknown Female Erectile Network, a crucial part of a whole system responsible for arousal & orgasm.

You get an erotic art romp through history plus an delightfully illustrated overview of cultural ideas about female sexuality and how we came to suffer from "genital anatomy amnesia."

You'll get a super useful simple framework for really understanding feminine sexuality so you can appreciate how it operates and learn to really rev it up!

Whether you're a woman or a lover of women, this invaluable information will transform your sex life -- because knowing what's actually there enables you to reach your full pleasure potential (or help your partner do so).

You'll go home with:

* The secrets of female ejaculation * The joy of knowing how to help your partner achieve extraordinary ecstasy * Empowered sexuality, easier arousal, orgasmic abundance (easier, bigger, better, more, more, more ...)

All this and more awaits you once you know the maps of Women's Anatomy of Arousal!

This entry was posted on January 26, 2010 at 6:41 PM and has received 1415 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we explore Erotic and Sensuous Movement with Jim Guzel.

Everybody moves - faster, slower, gracefully or not, sooner or later, we all move. Sometimes, we move for fun – eat something, play a favorite sport, dance, whatever. But for the majority of us, the most fun is when the movement involves our sexual energy.

Perhaps the movement is as simple as taking a deep breath followed by a sharp exhalation. Wiggling toes, thrusting hips, stalking like a tiger, slithering like a snake, maybe it is a dance, following the music as the drums pound into our guts. Maybe it’s just moving to our own increasing heartbeat. And it can be a lot of fun to move in response to another human being who has the same general idea in mind or body.

Often we get hung up in some way about doing this kind of movement. Injuries, age, taboos, bad body image, all prevent us to being less than we might be. I’m a portrait photographer and I wasn’t long into following that career path before I discovered, wonder of wonders, that people look their best when they are turned on. I’ve added many tricks to my bag since then and all those tricks are designed to do one thing, turn people on so that their beauty shines. Along the way, people have lots of fun and discover that they are capable of doing a lot more with their bodies than they previously thought. I’d like to share the movement portion of that experience with you.

Please come prepared to move - dress or undress accordingly. Three piece suits or birthday suits will all work if you let it. Just ask my clients. Be careful with the flowing sorts of clothing and props. You may be rolling around on the floor a bit and the costuming could tangle you up. Actually that can be a good bit of fun, too. But just know in advance that you may be exploring some light, self-imposed bondage if you do go that route.

Jim Guzel is the owner/operator of Aphrodite Photography in Washington, DC. www.AphroditePhoto.com He is also the DC area promoter of a variety of conscious and improvisational dance events, including Gabrielle Roth’s 5Rhythms, Toni Bergins’ JourneyDance and Amy Mattison’s Ecstatic Dance. For longer than he would care to admit, Jim has been pushing his own boundaries and those of anyone who is crazy enough to hang out with him. With surprising frequency, he is also paid to do the same for clients.

The movement 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 6:31 PM and has received 1367 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we listen to long time Sandboxer Milliie Knox read from her book "Crafting with Nana." A book about the four summers she spent with her grandmother learning about healing, mother earth, the Sun Lord and Moon Goddess, Full Moon ritual, and coming into being loved and nurtured. I read it over the summer and it is a touching and playful read that brings back the joy, innocence and magic of childhood.

"I looked out the window of the bus and there was Nana standing on the platform with her hands on her hips. Nana was short compared to everyone else but me, about five foot two. She stood like she was ten feet tall, with her steel gray eyes flashing a warning to all who would meet her gaze.  I felt very protected when I was around her.  Nana didn’t have much use for children. She thought they were a bother. She didn’t have much use for most adults either, but she picked me to teach and for that I am truly grateful.
 
Learning things from Nana was different from anything else. She gently guided me into a world where magic was as simple and commonplace as sitting down to a meal, enjoying a gentle breeze in the afternoon, or bathing in the dancing light of an evening fire. She led me on a journey where I found that the wonders of  the “Old Ways” opened my life and granted me gifts to powers beyond my wildest imagination. 

Here is what David Hollies had to say about it

I just finished reading Millie’s book “Crafting with Nana.”  And I really enjoyed it.  I mostly bought the book as an expression of my general appreciation of Millie.  I read the book with the hope of getting to know Millie better.  She is one of the most intriguing people I have ever known, so delving into the world of her childhood memories and introduction to things wiccan seemed quite inviting to me.  At first I found the pace slow and wondered if the book would be a chore.  But the book drew me in and I found that the pace of the story was part of the story.  Before long I was recalling the timeless adventuring of childhood.   The book stopped being about Millie and became an invitation to a state of mind that I’d all but forgotten.  It took me back to a time in life where I had so much less knowledge and yet was so much more immersed in the magic of the forest.   I’ve grown in the reading, becoming aware of the ways I’ve fallen out of awareness of the wonder that is all around me.  Thanks, Mille, for giving me back some of the kid in me.

The reading 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 6:00 PM and has received 1178 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

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 1079 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we celebrate Leonard birthday Sandbox style by doing dessert on me. After dinner Leonard will lay on a table and be covered with dessert topings, fruit, cream and chocolate then who ever wants to can eat dessert off him. A sensuous and yummy experience. (The shower is available after for clean up)

If you want to celebrate your birthday or some other special event this way just let me know and we can arrange it! You chose how much clothing to wear (swim suit or birthday suit are suggested attire and what kind of desserts you want putting on you).

The dessert 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 5, 2010 at 4:52 PM and has received 994 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we look at Clearing Fear from our lives. Where in your life is there constriction and tightness? When is your breath shallow and tummy tense? For some fear comes in at work, others in relationships and others in dis-ease in their bodies and minds. Fear is the little death, the mind killer that can seep into our lives over the years and then grow around our hearts like a vine, constricting our joy of life until there is none left.

Living without Fear.  What are the benefits and are there any downsides? Finally we will look at how can I live with an without fear independent of external circumstances. This part is especially important in the current shifts that are manifesting on our planet. Staying in heart space can be hard when others are in fear and the news is filled with panic. However I think it is vital for our health, happiness and in some cases our very survival!

We will learn some methods for moving our consciousness into a heart space of love, including a beautiful relaxing Shamballa meditation. And practice some ways to stay in our heart when others are not.

The workshop 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 5, 2010 at 2:30 PM and has received 577 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we let go of our stories with Barra Kahn. Some of you may have come to one of Barra's intense workshops at Sandbox or CSL last year and this one promises to provide deep transformations to those who chose to come.

A human being who is incapable of surrendering cannot find his core; she cannot find her divine nature; he cannot truly release into love.  The ability to surrender is an essential inner movement from which all good can flow.

How attached are you to your story?  How does it feel to let it go?  Letting go of our story can make space for new relationships, new options, new passions, new ways of being in the world to come into our lives.  In this new year session, we will explore what part of our story our ego holds onto for dear life, and how we are connected to it somatically.  We will work in community to uncover the roots of our doubt,  our resistance, our fear.  We will explore opening up to trust, to faith.

Come explore with us where you are holding on, and where you are letting go.  Bring your will, your doubt, your negative intent, and your open mind.  Bring it all.  We will explore it.  And hopefully, we will let some of it go.
The playshop 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 December 31, 2009 at 3:25 PM and has received 540 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.