Ordeal & Catharsis

Crafting Sacred Trauma

Ordeal, Catharsis, Initiation. There is a growing shift towards doing structured rituals designed to effect the internal or spiritual tidal shifts that can sometimes happen as an byproduct, intended or otherwise, of the kind of play that we do in the kink/BDSM world. This class will help you learn to deliberately craft these types of rituals, for yourself or for others. We will discuss when and why this kind of ritual is valuable, how to determine the best techniques and processes to achieve a desired goal, and how to fit the work into a broader personal, spiritual, or religious context. Although the instructors are coming from a pagan perspective, this class is open and appropriate for people of all faiths and those with none.

A Crucible For One: Creating Solo Ordeals

There are many reasons why a trial may need to be faced alone: Perhaps there isn’t anyone who can help create the ordeal experience that you need; solitude could be an important aspect of the ordeal itself; or maybe you are (or soon will) experiencing some form of challenge in your life that you want to bring a structure and spiritual context to. This class will help you learn to deliberately craft rituals for yourself to effect the internal or spiritual tidal shifts that can sometimes happen as an byproduct, intended or otherwise, of the kind of play that we do in the kink/BDSM world. Building on the structure from his popular “Crafting Sacred Trauma” class, Wintersong will cover topics such as when and why this kind of ritual is valuable, how to determine the best techniques and processes to achieve a desired goal, and how to fit the work into a broader personal, spiritual, or religious context.

Reconciling Safety and Spirituality in Ordeal and Sacred Play

What do we do when the needs of the the spiritual, or the spirits for that matter, seem to call on us to go to physical or psychological places outside the bounds of what we or our community might see as “safe?” How do we strike for the delicate balance between fulfilling the spiritual purpose of an scene or ordeal and protecting ourselves and those we guide (or are guided by)? What additional precautions do we take to ensure maximum safety when we are likely to be distracted by all the extra woo woo shit going on? And what can be done when what needs to happen is simply outside the bounds of what seems like a good idea? This class won’t give you the answers to these questions, because frankly there aren’t hard and fast answers. But we work to determine how to approach each situation with new strategies and perspectives.

Personal Practice & Ritual Creation

Sacred Sex: A Ritual Primer

There is a widespread belief that all sex is sacred sex, and there is definitely something to be said for that perspective. However, there are times when something more structured, intentional and perhaps dearer is desired. Rather than giving the participants a particular ritual to duplicated on their own, this workshop will cover the principals of ritual construction with a focus on creating sacred space, opening and closing the ritual, preparation, and of course, why you’d want to do any of this in the first place.

Sacred Sex for One

When most people think of sacred sex or sex magic they automatically think about activities involving more than one person. Just as you can have plenty of erotic fun by yourself, you can have meaningful sacred or magical sex by yourself as well. This class will address specific strategies for building rituals and constructing sex magic specifically to be done solo.

Sex, Magic, and the Great Outdoors

Neo-paganism spirituality is often referred to as “earth-based.”  People who feel drawn to neo-paganism have a deeper connection to the earth and the natural world around them than most other folk. This connection is all too often centered in our minds. How do we connect to the earth in a more visceral way? In this participatory workshop we’re going to use energy work and our own bodies to share, if only for a while, an intimate personal connection with earth and the world around us. The objective of the class is to form magical connection to nature through erotic play, although how you define “erotic” is entirely up to you. The class will culminate in a guided meditation and no one will be forced to go beyond what they are comfortable with in order to participate.

Ritualized Kink

From planning and negotiating a scene, to gathering tools, setting up playspace, the various stages a scene may go through, and aftercare, kinky play is full of ritual. These and other ritualistic structures our play context, and help make us secure in our play. This workshop looks at a vast array of kink activities and dynamics, with an eye towards how we can build on the rituals that already exist within kink/BDSM in a way that fosters our own spiritual growth and helps us form connections with other people or something Greater. Bring your own ideas, experiences, and a very open mind, and together we will expand our ideas of spirituality, kink, and play.

Kink for Meditation

To many people meditating means sitting still and thinking of nothing. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work out so well for quite a lot of us. One alternative is to have something to focus on and/or something to remove outside distractions. In this class we’ll be taking some familiar techniques and toys from our kinky toolbox and seeing how they can be used as focuses or other aids for meditative contemplation. Feel free to bring along some of your favorites toys too.

Honoring Your Personal Darkness

We all have inner darkness and demons of various kinds. No matter what the nature of the darkness you hold in your soul, you’ve probably been taught that it is “bad” or even “evil” and that you should try to drive it as far away from your conscious mind as you can. At the same time, you also draw strength and power from it too, even if you may be ashamed to do so. This workshop will focus on how we can, in the course of our daily personal and spiritual lives, recognize and honor these parts of ourselves for the benefits that they provide us, without overly glorifying or becoming dominated by them.

The Spirituality of Kinky Sex

Does our existence as spiritual beings and kinksters intersect? Where throughout the “lifestyle” can we find spiritual meaning and value? What is it about kinky sex that draws us to seek deeper meaning, and where in our sexual expression do we find that depth? In this class we’ll look at various activities and segments of the kink world and look beyond the surface to find something that touches us on a spiritual level.

Communication For Magical Erotic Play

What are the challenges and requirements of negotiation and communication for incorporating energy, sex magic, or spirit work in your sex play? We’ll be discussing issues such as: how do you make sure that all parties involved have a shared understanding of terminology such as ‘energy?’ How do you talk about these topics with a partner who isn’t sure if they believe in magic etc? How do you negotiate ‘spooky’ safe sex with someone whose concept of magic or energy is different from yours? What are the key questions you need to ask a partner you are going to be having some sort of magical sex with? Participants will come away with a new set of communication tools specifically for these sorts of instances.

Dark Eros Rituals

Ritual of Blood, Earth, and Letting Go

Together we shed blood and let regrets, old wounds, and bitter emotions, be carried along in the release of our inner essence. Coming together we can find comfort and support in our shared experience before drawing on the energy of the Earth itself to fill each of our inner voids left by letting go of a piece of ourselves we were ready to be free of.

Ritual for the Breaking of Energetic Ties

Been through a rough break up? Still feel tied to someone or something in your life but feel like you need to move on? We’ll join together to sever the ties that bind us and hold us back. Although the ritual will have a pagan framework, it will be welcoming to everyone.

(Note – Guided Meditations are currently unavailable for medical reasons)

Meditation Ritual: Guided Journey into Your Personal Underworld

Join us as we Journey together into the dark, alluring, and sometimes terrifying realms that exists within each of us. Wintersong will be the guide into our inner depths as we explore the landscapes that help shape us. In this guided meditation ritual we’ll seek self knowledge, understanding and strength through venturing into those places in ourselves we usually leave unseen and walking the inner roads generally left untraveled.

Guided Meditation Ritual: The Elemental Lovers

In this erotically charged guided journey, we’ll meet four lovers representing each of the elements. Through intimate encounters we can form deeper connections to the elemental forces in our world, and within each of us. Wear comfortable clothes and bring something to sit or lie on.