Interesting blog by a friend of mine called Tom who is living at Amma's ashram in Kerela, India. How he is being coming more mindful and noticing his own reactivity.

This entry was posted on January 14, 2010 at 6:29 PM and has received 713 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 1204 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

This a great sex positive event in DC - covers sacred sexuality, BDSM, transgender, poly and more. I have been to many Dark Odyssey event and I highly recommend it. It has sessions on sacred sexuality, BDSM, transgender, tantra, poly. Plus there are several play spaces - a sex play room, very well equipped dungeon and parties. All the people I have met there have been respectiveful and open. It is like going to an erotic candy store but if you don't like certain favors no one is going to force you to try them. And you will not be judged if all you like to do is suck on large mints and nothing else. Many Sandboxer have been to past DO events, so it is likely you will see some people you know. You might think of it as Beltane in a hotel.

Michael

http://www.darkodyssey.com
February 26-28, 2010
Washington, DC


We also want to let you know that we have some great new presenters coming
to Winter Fire for the first time. Our presenters come from all across the
country to share their skills, experiences and classes with us all. With
over 45 workshops and special events scheduled they add to our amazing
community of sex-positive people.

BRAND NEW PRESENTERS TO WINTER FIRE
If you have been following us on Twitter you may have seen some sneak peaks
to this year's presenter line-up! We are happy to announce an amazing
line-up of first time Winter Fire presenters this year. They include:

   * Angel & Sebastien - Activists & educators on gender, kink,
spirituality, and society.
   * Bobby - Polyamorous Dominant, speaker, trainer, and transgender
healthcare advocate
   * Danielle dv8 - Matriarch of House dv8, personal trainer, energy
worker, and yoga instructor
   * Julian Wolf - Leather Queer Educator and Author of "Carnal Conundrums"
column in the Weekly Alibi
   * Lqqkout - Fun-loving rope geek, sex educator, and Minneapolis
TNGÅ“"Min-KY" board member
   * Mistress Max Rulz - Mistress, Educator, and founder of "Just Us -
Women in Kink" BDSM support group
   * Q - International Ms Bootblack 2008, sexuality educator, and
alternative porn actor
   * Sir C - Bondage expert, polyamorous Master and BDSM educator

Be sure to follow us at twitter.com/darkodyssey
<http://twitter.com/darkodyssey> for the latest news on presenters!

All this happens in an upscale hotel located near the Capitol in Washington, DC, with all the amenities you'd expect at a nationally known hotel and an amazing rate of only $129/night! You can book your hotel room at the same time you register, and be included in the attendee's room block.

Reminder: we have extended the current registration rate through December
15, so don't miss out on your chance to register at the current rate!

Dozens of community organizations have signed on as participating groups in
Dark Odyssey, and we add new groups every day. Check the website to see if
your group is one of them, and you'll be entitled to a registration
discount.

Visit our website, http://www.darkodyssey.com for more details. We hope you
will join us for this exciting event!

Best Regards,

The Producers of Dark Odyssey:
Tristan, Colten, Greg, and Karri

Register Now: http://www.darkodyssey.com/winterfire/registration.html
Follow us: http://www.twitter.com/darkodyssey

This entry was posted on January 5, 2010 at 4:50 PM and has received 1408 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

FYI several Sandboxers have been in the previous version of this group and said they got a lot out of it.
FYI Barra will be presenting at Sandbox on Wed 1/6/10 - save the date!
Michael

Core Energetics is an evolutionary form of body-psychotherapy, based on the ways in which energy and consciousness work together in the transformative process of healing. It holds that we all harbor energy blocks in our bodies that keep us from living our lives fully.

Energy blocks are unconscious defense mechanisms to prevent wounding, which likely happened early in life, from happening again. These defenses are called blocks, which stop the free flowing expression of who we really are.

Along with talking about the issues in your life, we use certain modalities, like body readings to uncover the stuck places and physical processes to move that stuck energy. This frees you up to explore the issue from a different perspective.

A Core Energetics process group is composed of individuals who are committed to change in the context of a safe space. Group provides a magic that cannot happen in individual work

The group process involves a physical warm up, grounding exercises, role plays, deep interaction with group members, moving energy through physical modalities, connecting at a deep level.  By using and moving the energy in the body you can learn important things about yourself that you were not aware of, and make changes that allow freer expression of your essence.

The process of this evolutionary work is to unblock our defenses, move the stuck energy to create healthy flow and to transform the negative, distorted emotions from the Core. This is done by penetrating the mask, softening the body armoring, transforming the negative emotions of the shadow self, and expressing primal wounds.  The Core Self is then experienced as loving, joyful and connected.

In January, I am starting a new Core Energetics process group in Falls Church - a mixed group that meets on Wednesdays from 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Groups are magical... wonderful ways to explore, risk, and grow. A great way to engage in the powerful work that is Core Energetics.

If you are interested and want to try something new for 2010, reach me at 703-786-7065, or barra3 (at) gmail dot com

This entry was posted on January 5, 2010 at 4:46 PM and has received 1087 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

The raw food diet is based on unprocessed and uncooked plant foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, nuts, dried fruit and seaweed. It is believed that heating food above 116F destroys foods’ natural enzymes that aid in the digestion and absorption of food. Even if you don't want to eat 100% raw increasing the percentage of raw food does help.

Health benefits of a raw food diet include:

• Increased energy
• Improved skin appearance
• Better digestion
• Weight loss
• Reduced risk of heart disease

While maintaining a raw food diet for a prolonged period of time is difficult for most, this food challenge is a fantastic reboot for your body. Tips to make it easier at

http://www.doctoroz.com/challenges/raw-food-challenge

This entry was posted on January 5, 2010 at 4:39 PM and has received 1208 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 731 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 678 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

12/31 is a Blue Moon - the second full moon in one month. Pretty rare and also there is a lunar eclipse that day and it is last day of the year. Additionally Mercury is retrograde that day. So plenty of astrological excitement to go around.

This entry was posted on December 29, 2009 at 4:48 PM and has received 1145 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Interesting graphic showing the quality, costs and envirnomental impact of bottled water at Fast Company

I use a filter on my tap at home and the office and refill my bottle for the car.

Bottled water? "Just say no"

This entry was posted on December 14, 2009 at 5:58 PM and has received 767 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

For this Yule party I surrendered control of hosting - both to the many helpers and to the universe and turned down the perfectionist voice in my head that said I "should" do this or that. I also set a clear intent that the event would be easy, fun, spiritual and growthful and exactly the right people would turn up for that to be. Thank you universe for helping!

Thanks everyone who helped, if I missed your name below it is not due to lack of gratitude; rather it is lack of sleep on my part!.
Thank you to

• Thia for long hours of help on the basement and backyard and love and support for me and for looking after herself
• Millie for early set up, cuddle area design, apple cutting lesson and magic
• Leonard for candles and light in back yard, greeting, lots of clean up and for bearing his chest to all
• Gail for leading the quarter callers, calling East, cleaning up spilt candles in basement and for having firm buns in Santa Baby outfit. And for being so empowered that when you wanted to be sure that there was great dance music you brought your own dance mix CD along and got the dancing going.
• Marley for offering to call a quarter and gracefully being ok that someone else ended up calling it and for lots of dish cleaning without being asked
• Edie for smudging, calling South so passionately, sharing her Yule poem in circle, washing dishes for reuse and for doing healing on me when I got overwhelmed
• Roseann for calling West so beautifully and clearly
• Roger for calling North with gusto even though he was a quarter virgin until the party
• Ondre'a for fire tending and bring her magic powders to add to the fire
• JudyRose for doing a wonderfully spiritually smudging for the circle abd for sexy dancing
• Anthony for playing violin to both get people to the ritual and for the improv quarter music
• Hillary for enthusiastically leading people to the ritual even when they were distracted by the party upstairs, for starting the pagan singing by the fire (what an unexpected delightful surprise)
• Davinda for leading the singing of beautiful native American songs by the fire
• Penelope for sharing her laser wand healing with me and others and for changing out of jeans into one of my sexy red skirts in mid-party then doing a yoga demo in it too
• Floyd for dancing up a storm with me and at least 20 other women
• Jeanne for helping with clean up and food and drinks and for unzipping her bond-girl jump suit just a bit more
• Barb for calmly organizing the food area
• Kathleen for helping to greet
• Lori for helping to greet
• Erika for offering to play piano
• David G for helping to clean up (as he always does at Wednesday gatherings too)
• Randy and Richard for starting the fire and making it roar
• Alex for teaching me Tibetan breathing healing methods and a wonderful shoulder rub
• David H, Reed, Kathy et al for helping start Sandbox all those years ago
• Tom and Melanie for doing an impromptu tantric yoga set on the dance floor at 2:30am
• Everyone who stepped up and helped out when they saw something needed doing without being asked.
• Myself for setting a clear vision, inviting interesting and diverse people and for looking after myself before and during the party so I could be a centered, calm, playful and welcoming hostess.

Merry meet, merry part and merry meet again
love
Michael/Michelle

This entry was posted on December 13, 2009 at 4:55 PM and has received 906 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.