Workshops by Raven Kaldera
Raven Kaldera has presented workshops on BDSM & Spirituality with a number of events and organizations, including Dark Odyssey, Free Spirit's Sacred Sexuality Beltane and the Boston Area Sexuality & Spirituality Network. These are the short descriptions of Raven's most popular BDSM & Spirituality workshops, but certainly not the only topics he can speak on. Generally these workshops run in one to two hour slots, but can be adapted to almost any length.
If you are interested in having Raven speak for your organization or event, please contact him at cauldronfarm@hotmail.com. Raven appreciates, but does not require, a small speaker's fee. He does require that his admission fee be waived. For events outside of Central Massachusetts, Raven also requires that reasonable travel expenses be reimbursed (gas or bus fare) and that he be provided with lodging for himself and his boy.
24/7 D/s: Realities and Practicalities
Presented by Raven Kaldera and Joshua TenpennySome people say that it can't be done. Some people say it's the ultimate goal of D/s. Some say that it's unhealthy. In this workshop, we'll refute all of those myths and discuss the practical, day-to-day realities of living in a full-time D/s relationship. We'll cover the differences between servants, slaves, and submissives; and Masters, Mistresses, and Owners. We'll talk about the difficult parts and the rewarding parts, and how to live this lifestyle in a healthy, sustainable way. By the authors of "Dear Raven and Joshua: Questions and Answers About Master/Slave Relationships".
Honor, Service, and Devotion: Love in a Power Dynamic
Presented by Raven Kaldera and Joshua TenpennyCan love exist healthily in a dominant/submissive power dynamic, for an hour or for a lifetime? This workshop explores the spiritual, emotional, ethical, and practical sides of consensual power exchange in relationships, whether part-time as play or full-time as a way of being in the world. We=ll delve into the fire of power-exchange ritual and the darkness of using magic to consensually enhance the training of a submissive. We=ll celebrate the many sacred archetypes of dominance and submission and see how they dance together ... Predator and Prey, Master and Servant, Owner and Slave, Magician and Enchanted Object, Priest and Worshipper, Seeker and Psychopomp, Lord and Vassal, Teacher and Padawan, Dark Goddess and John Barleycorn, and many others. Bring your stories! And your collars, and chains, and leashes ... both ends. By the authors of "Dear Raven and Joshua: Questions and Answers About Master/Slave Relationships".
The Ordeal Path: BDSM Spirituality
From the Lakota Sun Dance to monastic submission, the elements of BDSM have been part of people's spiritual lives for millenia. We'll explore the different ways one can incorporate these varied practices into your spiritual life, from sacred pain ordeals to cathartic ritual theater to an ethical and spiritual expression of submission and mastery. Although this workshop is open to anyone over 18, we suggest that you understand the concept of consensual BDSM before attending. By the author of "Dark Moon Rising: Pagan BDSM".
The Invisible Toybox: Energy Work & BDSM
There are many ways to move around that elusive yet powerful quality that most of us just call "energy", although it's been known as mana, prana, chi, ki, orgone, and many other names. Pagans, witches, and magicians move it around in ways that we call Magic; masters of Reiki and Ch'i Gong manipulate it in different ways. In this class, we'll learn about the ways in which energy work and magic can be incorporated into BDSM, for play and for intimacy. By the author of "Dark Moon Rising: Pagan BDSM".
Real Service
Presented by Raven Kaldera and Joshua TenpennyFor the service-oriented submissive and their various dominants! This workshop will discuss the day-to-day practicalities of real, down-to-earth service, designed not for the fetishy turn-on of the submissive but for the actual comfort of the dominant. We'll explore different types and areas of service - proactive and reactive, protocol-heavy or casual, flashy or subtle - and what different sorts of dominants want. Is your dominant the parental type or the rock star type when it comes to service? How can you serve them better in boring everyday life? We'll have some answers here. This workshop is a more intermediate one, for people who are intimately involved in D/s relationships of the more practical and real-life kind.
Emotional Edgeplay
Why do people play with real fear, humiliation, and even (gasp!) anger in scenes? Granted, it=s not to everyone=s taste, but what=s the appeal in risking yourself emotionally, the way that other edgeplayers risk themselves physically? Is it therapeutic, or just really hot? Tops may wonder how to make things real enough while still making the bottom feel safe; bottoms may wonder what actually is safe. We=ll delve into the depths of these controversial practices, which many more people are playing with than they=ll ever admit.
Double Edge: BDSM and Transgender
From the man or woman who cross-dresses for the first time as part of a BDSM scene, to the transsexual who is trying to figure out which play parties they can attend, being transgendered in the BDSM scene is both a blessing and a challenge. At the same time, a remarkably high percentage of transgendered people identify with leathersex - why? We'll discuss how BDSM roleplaying lends itself to gender play, struggle with the political implications of being gender transgressive perverts, talk about what happens to D/s roles when people change gender roles, and remind folks of what we have to teach the larger community. For transgendered folks of all stripes, their partners, friends and allies, and anyone who's curious about the intersection of kink, power exchange, and the gender spectrum.
A Narrow Thorny Road: Master/Slave Relationships as a Spiritual Path
Presented by Raven Kaldera and Joshua TenpennyThere's using D/s and M/s to add a spiritual dimension to a relationship ... and then there's dedicating yourself to this work as a spiritual path in and of itself. This workshop will explore the latter condition. We'll compare spiritual power exchange to monasticism, noblesse oblige, asceticism, liege-fealty, and other similar roads. We'll also dive into difficult questions: Should the master be the slave's spiritual superior? What if they're on different paths? What happens when the slave's spiritual path interferes with the master's desires? How does one keep a balance between humility and hubris? This is a difficult road, and we need to talk about the thorns.
General Sexuality Workshops
Sacred Prostitution
Sex work of all kinds has been around as long as there has been cities and civilizations. In many ancient civilizations, however, it was considered sacred work, dedicated to the Love Goddesses. Today, some sex workers are rediscovering the concept of sacred public service through sex work. We'll discuss how it used to be done, how it's done today, and how it differs from "secular" sex work. The sacred whore is returning, and wants some respect.
Sex Magic in the Northern Tradition
In the Norse/Germanic cosmology, nine worlds spin around a world tree from heaven to underworld, and each has something to teach us about sexuality and sex magic. In the Northern Tradition, sex magic is a shamanic tool to raise power in many different ways, on different spectrums. Male, female or in between? Sky, roots, or Midgard=s earth? Transcendent, material, or community? Come and hear the stories of the northern Gods and their sexual magic.
100 Things You can Do To Keep Sexual Freedom Alive
Want to make the world a sexually freer place? Find out how! It's not just for activists any more - no matter who you are, you can do a few things on this list and add to the Work of Sexually Healing The World. This is a fun and innovative workshop that is also inspiring. Appropriate for any sexuality-conference audience.
Intersex/Transgender Workshops
While not related to BDSM, these workshops have often been of interest to sexuality-themed groups. Raven can present on a variety of other issues related to gender and sexuality, appropriate for a wide range of audiences. Please contact him for more information.
Transgender Spirituality
We have been symbols of the sacred two-in-one for thousands of years. Come hear the ancient stories about us, and rediscover our sacred nature. For transgendered people of all stripes, and anyone who is just interested in more direct ways of spiritually balancing male and female. By the author of "Hermaphrodeities: The Transgender Spirituality Workbook".
Intersex Issues in Social Health and Politics
How does the conundrum of intersexual identity fit in with the various facets of gender politics and activism? How does it figure as a social health issue, or as an issue of feminist and progressive politics? More to the point, what can we actually do about the problems of intersex people, without seeing them as theoretical justifications, colonizable poster children, or circus freaks? This workshop will discuss practical possibilities for all of us.
The Two-Ton Gorilla Standing Between Us: The Feminist-Transgender Barrier
The feminist movement and the transgender movement have gone back and forth between being uneasy allies and being outright enemies, when both sides would be better off being friends - especially when so many more cross over both groups every day. Still, issues of ideology keep us apart, and it's time to face and discuss the two-ton gorilla in the corner: the politics of gendered body modification. This is a controversial, in-your-face workshop; heated debate is fine, but let's remember to be respectful with each other.
The Sacred Third: An Exploration of Transgender Sacred Sexuality
Sex is sacred, and can be a source of great spiritual power and beauty. Walking the path of being the Sacred Third in this world can also be an integral and powerful part of one's spirituality. Yet in general, few know what a cross-section of those two paths would look like. The surviving traditions of sacred sex, sex magic, and energy work do not have clear guidelines for the work of those of us whose souls, energy, and sometimes our bodies exist somewhere between male and female. What does sacred sexuality look like when we do it, in all our ambivalent glory?
Loving Two In One: Sex and Relationships with Transgendered Lovers
It takes a special kind of person to be in a relationship with a transgendered person. We're complex people with a lot of special needs, but we're worth it. We'll explore what it takes to date, love, and commit to people who are more than just male or female. This workshop is for anyone of any gender who loves, lusts after, or embodies the sacred Third.
Transitioning With A Third Gender Identity
Let's think clearly about what physical transition means when it intersects with identity. Wondering whether to physically transition but held back because you don't have a solidly male or female identity? That doesn't have to be a barrier. Let's talk about the ambivalencies of shapeshifting your flesh when your identity is all over the place. Come with questions!
All content © Raven Kaldera unless otherwise specified. Do not post or reprint without permission. cauldronfarm@hotmail.com