Witihin Reach Part 5: A Glimpse Into Sacred Sex Starts With Me

For the whole picture check out Part 1, Part 2,Part 3 and Part 4

To conclude this series on personal sharing; I would like to share what I learned from my own workshop. (Don’t worry the benefits of the  Self Guided Version of Within Reach are available for everyone free until February 15, 2010.)

A Glimpse Into “Sacred Sex Starts With Me” lead by Cheri Michael (hey that’s me) starts by addressing two questions. What is Sacred Sex Starts With Me and why are we using the arts to explore sexuality?  It also covers a little bit on various sacred sex traditions and yes there are arts exercises. The arts are the basis of the program after all and why not start exploring your sexuality right now.  Some words from the Oct. 17 group word popcorn on sexuality  were : warmth, connection, intimate, fire, bodacious, smiling, power, freedom, passion…

Leading this workshop always teaches me something new and/or reinforces the significance of something I already know. Two significant things that I took away from Within Reach were:

1 Hearing my personal experience of how sexuality and the arts have affected my life is important to people, for some much more important than knowing the theoretical concept, the why.  Which in its simplest form is “No matter how often I feel disconnected in my sexuality, if I allow myself to create art, using specific arts exercises or not, I feel myself become more connected in my sexuality.”

2 Since people are different in each moment, I consider it a fact that each time I run an exercise the responses will be different even if all controllable factors were equal. This is just one more way each person is uniquely wonderful and amazing. i was reminded there will also be words that haven’t come up before. No matter how many years I do this, nor how many people I work with in groups or individually and I hope this always happens!  How beautiful is it to have bodacious, vitality and connection all shared in response to the word sexuality.

Check out the information and try the exercises here.

Now that I have shared all there is for me to share – on this topic
On to planning the next event, whatever that may be!

Explore with Passion,
Cheri

Within Reach: Infinite Possibilities of Sex and Sexuality is available in a self-guided version.  It’s free and you can find it online at http://www.erosfinearts.com/withinreach.html until Feb. 15, 2011.

My Thoughts Part 4: You Are So EcoSexy

For the whole picture check out Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

It’s just over four weeks and I am happily still working on sharing the Infinite Possibilities presented in The Within Reach Symposium held on Oct. 17th, 2010. This is my third post where share what I learned from one of the  workshops. The benefits of the  Self Guided Version of Within Reach are available for everyone free.

Kim Sedgwick offers great tips on choosing a toy while still making healthful choices without sacrificing comfort, satisfaction or playfulness in your sex life in You Are So Ecosexy: Enhance your love life while being good to the earth. Her list of things to consider, some of which we just don’t think of, takes some of the guess work out of buying a toy. She doesn’t leave you hanging but gives a little guidance on what to do with those answers too.

Just two of the questions she poses:

What is the main purpose for your toy?
Are you planning on using it for solo and/or partner toy?

If you’re in the market for a new toy or just want some good insight into toys or even yourself it’s worth a read.

My favourite moment was realizing that, even though something is really important, it hadn’t occurred to me to take it into consideration.  It may surprise  you, it sure surprised me.   Thinking about things with this perspective had not occurred to me.  If you remember I’ve worked with sex toys for years and know first hand how great all of these tips are. So giving me something new to ask when I buy a sex toys is pretty cool.

I’ll set the scene.  I’m standing in the back of Red Tent Sisters greeting people as they walk in the door and trying to catch at least some of the workshop. Then bam my attention is fully focused on the workshop.  “You don’t want to be looking around in that critical moment. ” I hear Kim say.   Batteries. She’s talking about batteries. Specifically what type of battery does it take. I don’t just mean will it run my toy – but how available is that type of battery? (Ie..AA vs those little tiny round button batteries.) Does the value of the toy outweigh any challenge I might have in finding the batteries.  It really hit me how many toys are in my drawer that I’ve used only once.  If the batteries are not easy to  get in a store I’m less likely to  have them on hand at home.  Of course this leads to all sorts of reminders of those moments the batteries run out and you’re running around.  Of course the solution is to keep a stockpile of batteries with my vibrators. Which I do But I need to be able to find them in a store to make it possible

Yes, this is my highlight – my aha moment and I am proud to say it can improve my life.  Which tip will make a difference in your sex life?

In tomorrow’s post get highlights and my favourite points from from my workshop, A Glimpse Into “Sacred Sex Starts With Me”.

Express your Ecosexiness,
Cheri

Within Reach: Infinite Possibilities of Sex and Sexuality is available in a self-guided version.  It’s free and you can find it online at http://www.erosfinearts.com/withinreach.html until Feb. 15, 2011.

On Within Reach: Part 3 The Dance of Yin and Yang

For the whole picture check out Part 1 and Part 2

The Within Reach Symposium held on Oct. 17th, 2010 is still sending ripples out in my life.  This is the second blog posts sharing  something I learned from each of the four workshops.  Get the benefits of the  Self Guided Version of Within Reach for yourself completely free.

In The Dance of Yin and Yang: Active and Receptive Bedroom Arts Shahrazad helps us become aware of how we express yang (active) and yin (receptive) energies in sex play.

Yin: Receptive, Water, Flow, Surrender, traditionally associated with Feminine Energy
Yang: Active, Fire, Spark, Give, traditionally associated with Masculine Energy
Regardless of your gender, these energetics present within everyone.

My favourite line from this workshop is “1+1 = 3 two energies combine to make a third that is greater than the some of it’s parts.”  If this does not immediately seem like a ‘yes’ to you, I hope you will explore your own experiences and see how/if it makes sense. It does ring very true for me. I have a lot of thoughts about this idea but I’m not going to share them at this time.  I hope you will share yours though.

This weekend I tried out the homework assignment and I give it more than two thumbs up. Try it!

You can find highlights and my favourite points from the other workshops in the previous post and the next two.

Tomorrow: You Are So Ecosexy: Enhance your love life while being good to the earth.

Play,
Cheri

Within Reach: Infinite Possibilities of Sex and Sexuality is available in a self-guided version.  It’s free and you can find it online at http://www.erosfinearts.com/withinreach.html until Feb. 15, 2011.

My Thoughts on Within Reach: Part 2 The Elements in Sensuality

Yes this one is a multi-parter! Check out Part 1

Weeks later I am still thinking about what I learned on a personal level from Within Reach on Oct. 17th 2010.  I learned something from each workshop, including my own.  There is one blog post for each workshop. At the time I felt great excitement from the possibilities and I still do. More than once I have visited the Self Guided Version of Within Reach to refresh myself on the ideas.

One thing that was particularly relevant to my personal, and yes sexual, life came from The Elements in Sensuality with Reneé Pilgrim. The focus of this workshop is exploring the various components of the 5 elements which helps us to recognize patterns of balance and imbalance.  We can learn through their relationship how to thrive in our sensual beings.

What I learned that had the most impact on me:

The element of fire can be dampened if water is seeping out and water can be contained by earth which is structured by wood which is tempered by metal.

One way I relate this to my own life is:

My joy [fire] – which for me can also be passion can be dampened if my fear [water] is seeping out. However  fear [water] can be contained by nourishment/integrity [earth] which is structured by vision/benevolence [wood] which is tempered by inspiration[metal].

So if I have little  joy (or passion) there may be too much fear. I can contain my fear by nourishing myself. Having a strong vision, perhaps of how I want my life to look,  can help form how I nourish myself.  Inspiration that comes will help me to adjust my vision and therefore how I nourish myself as needed.

How’d I do in my interpretation Renée? There are so many intricacies I couldn’t have got them all but the five element chart is a great starting point.

Come back over the next few days for some highlights and my favourite points from the other workshops.

Tomorrow: The Dance of Yin and Yang: Active and Receptive Bedroom Arts

Have a sensual day,
Cheri

Within Reach: Infinite Possibilities of Sex and Sexuality is available in a self-guided version.  It’s free and you can find it online at http://www.erosfinearts.com/withinreach.html until Feb. 15, 2011.

An Apology and A Promise

Being this is a blog on Sacred Sexuality the title might make you think about sex and expectation and sex as manipulation and a number of other things. Although very good topics and I’d love to discuss with you all sometime, tonight the apology and promise are from me to my readers. My thoughts on each Within Reach workshop are still ‘coming soon’. I apologize for the second delay and promise there were very good reasons both personally and professionally. I promise I have not forgotten – they will arrive one day.

In the meantime I am happy to say that the Self Guided Version of Within Reach will be online here until Feb. 15, 2011. There is a lot of informative and interesting information, as well as some exercises, for you to explore at your leisure. I hope you will check it out.

Are in person workshops more your style? Sacred Sex Starts With Me is running on Nov. 30 at Aangen Community Centre $40 including materials. Take advantage of our special price of $35 for everyone who registers and pays in full prior to Thurs. Nov. 25. Details are available at www.erosfinearts.com/calendar.html– please contact me to register and receive the special rate.

I apologize but I must sign off now. It’s time to sleep. But I have one last thought – how over- or under-, used is an apology. Do you mean it when you say it?

The big consideration for today is: When, if at all, do you think an apology related to sex is appropriate – are there times it is not appropriate? How do your actions fit with your beliefs?

I’ll leave you with a little arts exercise. Write an acrostic* on sexuality using the word peace. You could also write one for the word sex immediately before or after peace to give more context.

P
E
A
C
E

Have a good night,

Cheri

PS I apologize if I’ve apologized too much – or is that an inappropriate use of an apology.

*An acrostic is where you write what the word means to you using the letters of the word.

My Thoughts on Within Reach: Part 1

Thank you to everyone who came out to Within Reach on Sun Oct. 17. Thank you to the magnificent women I had the  honour to share the day with and thank you to my partners and friends for all their help before during and after the event.

It’s now Friday night and almost bedtime.  This week has been filled with so much follow up and catch up – since Within Reach – that I am behind in posting my updates for you. Tonight will  be a quick blog on the day overall and then over the next 4-7 days I will write something on each workshop.

Exciting News – Within Reach: Infinite Possibilities of Sex and Sexuality is now available in a self-guided version.  It’s still free and you can find it online at http://www.erosfinearts.com/withinreach.html until Feb. 15, 2011.

I had a fantastic time and  I learned something from each presenter.  It is always a gift to learn something – especially related to sexuality.

My highlights from the day:
We had the best attendees -  attentive , involved and asked question either in the group or during breaks.
I particularly loved how many personal stories & experience were shared by the presenters.
The group acrostic was incredibly fun – as they always are.

Here is one we created in the afternoon:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And on that happy note … off to bed I go!