Dark Moon Rising Campout: Workshops
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.
Dating & Divine HR: A Discussion
There are few more personal choices than whom we date and sleep with. But when we work closely with spirit and deity, these choices can become not entirely our own. This facilitated discussion will address a range of scenarios, including jobs/on-duty-lights that involve dating or intimacy, facilitating sexual rituals, deity-arranged relationships, and strategies for knowing if an attraction is your own or part of a Job the Universe wants done. Bring your questions, strategies, fears, success stories, horror stories, and most of all, an open mind.
Hands on Needleplay
Most needle play classes talk a lot about basic versus advanced needle play, about artistic placement, ribbons and corsets, but really what we're here to do put sharp metal in tender flesh? So we'll learn some simple and easy ways to use needles to have a good time. We'll start with what you need to know about safety, set up, proper tools, and cleanup afterward, then get to the hands on learning. Bring the partner/victim of your choosing (or be willing to be partnered randomly) and get ready to get your gloves on!
Finding the Light, Approaching the Dark
Braden Darkwind and Joshua Tenpenny
The "light" -- love, compassion, joy, forgiveness, etc. -- may come naturally to some, while others may be more comfortable with the darker aspects of reality. How does one learn to embody (or at least comprehend) the other? In this discussion, light and dark people shall come together and explore the importance of both aspects, barriers to expressing or relating to "the other side," and ideas for learning how to do so more effectively. Come and learn how to do what is the hardest for you, be it manifesting light or approaching the dark.
Transgender BDSM Spirituality Roundtable
Raven Kaldera and Joshua Tenpenny
For anyone who has connections between those labels. Come and share your stories. Moderated by Raven Kaldera at Ruth's request.
Clearing the Tree: Sexual Energy Healing Techniques
There's a lot of talk out there about healing with sexual energy, but far less in the way of simple techniques to actually do it. This workshop will explore and demonstrate techniques that one person can use to assess and clear their partner's built-up negative energy during sex and/or SM.
Negotiating Sex And Spirituality
Raven Kaldera and Joshua Tenpenny
Your partner wants you to do that hot activity, but you don't feel it's appropriate for your religious views. The new flame wants you to do this hot activity to them, but you have a spiritual taboo. You'd like a tattoo, but your religion says no marks, and you want to respect that, even in the face of pressure from your body-modifying friends. You're looking for a power dynamic relationship, but you need to find one that respects your spiritual requirements. How do those of us with sincerely held beliefs navigate an overculture that says Sex Is Bad, and a subculture with an underpinning of "religion is for mocking and spiritual taboos mean that you're hung up"? Let's talk about ways that we can keep our spiritual boundaries solid in the face of external social sex-negativity and community disdain, and be models of balance between faith and body.
Mythology and BDSM Storytelling
Has your BDSM been inspired by a particular myth? Are there dynamics in mythology that you find useful in your kink? Then join us for an informal storytelling session. Come prepared to share a story or two from mythology that really speaks to you about BDSM. Fascinated by the Decent of Inanna? The D/s dynamic between Yaweh and Satan? Sit with us, clear your throat, and tell the story in your own words.
The Spirituality of Feast and Fast
To be announced
Description is not currently available
Basics of Mythic Scene Work: Combining BDSM with Mythopoetic Role-Play for Magickal Purposes
The Pink Sphinx (AKA Tannin Schwartzstein)
For some of us, taking part in a “scene” as a “top”, “bottom”, “dominant” , “submissive” or “switch” is, indeed, “second nature”. For others, playing such a role may only be a once-in-a-lifetime act in ritual context. In this workshop, The Pink Sphinx will talk about staging power exchange in the context of re-enacting the stories of Gods, Heroes, and Villains for the purpose of instigating change in our lives.
Psychic Shielding & Sacred Sex : Introduction
The Pink Sphinx (AKA Tannin Schwartzstein)
Sacred Sex can be an amazing tool for communing with the divine and other human beings. As wonderful as connecting with others on an energetic level can be, there can be unintended consequences and undesirable side effects if one does not know how to ground, center and shield properly in physically intimate circumstances. In this unusual and very informative talk, The Pink Sphinx will talk about potential energetic and spiritual boundary issues that can crop up during practicing sacred sex with others in both kink and non-kink, and how to troubleshoot them. For this workshop a background in the basics of energy work will be helpful in understanding the content of this class!
Main Ritual
The Pink Sphinx (AKA Tannin Schwartzstein)
"Blessings of Light and Shadow": All attendants & staff of DMR are welcome to join us at the Great Crossroads where our various paths meet for a ceremony where we will take some time out to cleanse, focus (or re-focus), and meditate on The Great Work. While not required, the Pink Sphinx would like to invite participants to bring their "spiritual tools" to be cleansed, dedicated, or re-dedicated if they wish.
Ground Crewing Done Well
For any ordeal or possession having a good ground crew can mean the difference between success and failure. This class endeavors to answer questions about how to handle a horsing from the perspective of the ground and/or the ritual designer. How do you assemble a good ground crew? If someone asks you to be part of a ground crew what should you expect? Through lecture, personal anecdotes, and discussion we'll help you understand all of the answers to these questions and more.
Aftercare for Spiritual Scenes
When people talk about spiritual BDSM or cathartic scenes it is often in the context of how to “get there”, but what happens when you come back? In this class we'll talk about handling aftercare for experiences that may have been the most intense of your life. How to do self care, how to set up support networks, how to handle aftercare if a "normal" scene suddenly turns into something deeper, what happens if someone close to you has an experience like this and turns to you for help.
Communion- Ritual of the Sacrifice of the Carpenter God
Christians are often seen by Pagans and kinksters, with good reason,
as the enemy. Yet, those who speak for the institutional "Church"
represent only one portion of those who look to the teachings of
Christ as one way of understanding the divine. For many, the lines
between Christianity and Paganism are rather porous- other Pagans are
coming to look to the carpenter God as one of many divine figures
which can offer insight or power. We will together enact the ritual
of communion, experiencing Christ's sacred table in a setting where
all are welcome, whatever understanding we bring. All are welcome.
After the ritual, we will have an informal discussion of Christianity
and Paganism and sexuality.
© Raven Kaldera. Do not post or reprint without permission. cauldronfarm@hotmail.com