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Sex Skills Bootcamp!

Hi Everyone! I have exciting news!

In a few weeks, I’ll be teaching a course at Portland Underground Graduate School with my favorite co-teacher, Gretchen Leigh. It’s called Sex Skills Bootcamp, and it welcomes adults from all backgrounds, experience levels, and relationship structures to explore their erotic curiosities, boost body confidence, deepen relational skills, and unleash their bedroom prowess.

You can see the full class description by clicking here. It’s a 4 week course, which Gretchen and I have never taught before, and we are thrilled to have 8 whole hours in which to pack tons of sex education and live demos! We’ll cover everything from communication and consent to hand skills, oral sex skills, and kink. We even have some very entertaining roleplaying scenarios ready for you. 

Friends & fans – use these money saving codes:
WELOVESHEBOP = 10% off the course
YOUVEGOTAFRIEND = 20% off when you sign up with a pal or partner!

I hope to see you there — please let your friends know, too! These will be some of my final workshops before I go on maternity leave. <3

Advice, feminist, Feminist Porn, Femmes, group play, group sex, Intern Courtney, Kink, Masturbation, orgasm, Play Party, Podcast, Porn, queer femmes, Queer Sex, queer sex, Relationships, Self-Care, self-love, Sex, Sex Education, Sex on the Brain, Sex Toys, Sex-Positive Entertainment, sexuality, Shame, squirting, vibrators, Vulnerability, vulnerability porn

Sex on the Brain Episode 15: The One Where Everyone Masturbates

Episode 15: The One Where Everyone Masturbates – The title of this one is a pretty good summary. Amory Jane, Intern Courtney, and nine other Portland babes get together to talk about masturbation, watch porn, and playfully touch themselves and each other. This episode is full of personal stories, vibrator sounds, moans, laughs, and multiple real orgasms. If you loved Episode 9: Live from the Femme Sex Party, you’ll definitely want to check out The One Where Everyone Masturbates.

Available below or on the go with iTunes and Stitcher!

Things mentioned in this episode:

30% off at goodcleanlove.com– Promo Code: AMORY (expires 7/31/17)

Ev’Yan Whitney’s blog post about this party: Part 1

Ev’Yan Whitney’s blog post about this party: Part 2

She Bop’s upcoming classes

Broad City: Ilana gets in the mood

The porn we watched: Daddy’s Little (Princess)

(Hitachi) Magic Wand

Magic Wand Rechargeable

Womanizer and Womanizer 2GO

 

Credits

Host – Amory Jane

Intern/Co-Host – Courtney Kist

Sound Engineering, Editing, and Theme Song – Mat Vuksinich

Guests – Epiphora, Valentine, Calico, Ev’Yan Whitney, Stella Harris, Jaz, CJ, Cee, and PJ

A huge thanks to our sponsors – Good Clean LoveShe Bop, and Uberlube!

Acting, Burlesque, Comedy, events, Giveaway, Kink, Music, Podcast, Queer Sex, Sex, Sex Education, Sex Educator, Sex on the Brain, Sex Positive Variety Show, Sex Toys, Sex-Positive Entertainment, sexuality, Storytelling, variety show, Whoopee, Whoopee!

Ticket Giveaway!

Just a quick post to let you know that you have two chances to win a pair of tickets to this Sunday’s Whoopee! A Sex-Positive Variety Show + Birthday Bash.

Enter here to win a pair of tickets from She Bop!

Enter here to win a pair of tickets from PDX Pipeline!

Winners will be selected on Friday, so be sure to visit those giveaway pages soon. Even if you don’t win, tickets are available in-person at both She Bop locations (and saves you $5 in online fees) or you may purchase tickets online here.

Hope to see you there!

P.S. I will making my stand-up comedy debut at Whoopee! on Sunday. If it starts going poorly, on plan on just showing my boobs and pretending it was all a performance art piece. 😛

 

Acting, BDSM, Burlesque, Comedy, Culture, events, Femmes, Intern Courtney, Kink, Music, Porn, Queer Sex, Sex, Sex Education, Sex on the Brain, Sex Positive Variety Show, Sex Toys, Sex-Positive Entertainment, sexuality, Storytelling, Uncategorized, variety show, Whoopee, Whoopee, Whoopee!

Whoopee! It’s My Birthday

The monthly show I work hard on and that lights up my life – Whoopee! A Sex-Positive Variety Show is moving to the beautiful spacious Bossanova Ballroom on June 25th! The only thing that makes me more excited than that is the fact that June’s show falls right between my birthday and the 30th birthday of my awesome stage manager, Lady Coquine.

This extra special Whoopee! Birthday Bash will be our biggest show yet – with over 10 sex-positive and body-positive acts, including burlesque, aerial, comedy, drag, fire dancing, sex-themed storytelling and more. It will also be followed by Kinky Karaoke (and probably even a karaoke dance party)!

There will be a giant raffle with free tickets for the whole audience, sex toys, free lube and prizes, plus even more perks (like $50 worth of sponsor goodies) with VIP seating.

If you’re in Portland, I hope to see you there! 

Performers include:
Baby Le’Strange
Johnny Nuriel
Lady Coquine
Amory Jane
Stella Nova
Isaiah Esquire
Ivana Mandalay
Adam Pasi
Brandon Harrison
Dr Tallulah
and more!

Go-Go Dancers/Tip Tarts:
Valentine
Jasmine Rain
Lacy Knickers

Kinky Karaoke with DJ MouthLove

Community tables:
SPEEC
Madhatter Glass
Portland Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

+ Tarot Readings, a photo booth, and dildo ringtoss!

TICKETS HERE

Sponsored by She Bop, Clone-A-Willy, Ironside Training, überlube, Gay Pigeon, and other wonderful queer-supporting + sex-positive businesses.

Please Note: Bossanova is ADA compliant but requires guests to contact the venue in advance of the show so they can set up for accessibility.

Advice, Anxiety, Consent Culture, Culture, Dating, events, feminist, Femmes, flirting, Intersectional Polyamory, Kink, Modern Dating, Non-Monogamy, Pick Up Artists, Podcast, Polyamory, pop culture, queer femmes, Queer Sex, queer sex, real life poly, Relationships, self-love, Sex, Sex Education, Sex Educator, Sex on the Brain, Sex Workshops, Sex-Positive Entertainment, sexuality, variety show, Whoopee!

Sex on the Brain Episode 14: Flirting

Episode 14: Flirting – Sex on the Brain brings back two former guests to talk about flirting and modern dating. Ev’Yan Whitney of the Sexually Liberated Woman podcast and Intimacy Educator and Sex Coach Stella Harris join Amory Jane in discussing different flirting styles, pick up lines and so-called “pick up artists,” and how flirting has changed with online dating. They also share their experiences with dating non-monogamously, and offer plenty of flirting advice to listeners and each other. 

Available below or on the go with iTunes and Stitcher!

Things mentioned in this episode:

Whoopee! A Sex-Positive Variety Show – Get tickets here! Promo code: BRAINS2

The show “First Dates

The song Treat me like Fire by Lion Babe

The show “The Pickup Artist

 

She Bop’s upcoming classes

Credits

Host – Amory Jane

Sound Engineering, Editing, and Theme Song – Mat Vuksinich

A huge thanks to our Season 2 sponsors – She Bop, Clone-A-Willy, and Uberlube!

anal sex, butts, Comedy, dildos, dildos, Fellatio, harnesses, Kink, Oral sex, Pegging, Podcast, Porn, Queer Sex, roleplaying, Sex, Sex Education, Sex Educator, Sex on the Brain, Sex Positive Variety Show, Sex Toys, Sex Workshops, Sex-Positive Entertainment, sexuality, Strap on Sex, Uncategorized, Whoopee, Whoopee!

Sex on the Brain Episode 13: Pegging

Episode 13: Pegging On the thirteenth episode of Sex on the Brain, Amory Jane talks to sex educators, Reid Mihalko and Allison Moon! They dive deep into #buttstuff with a special focus on pegging, and share a lot of funny and intimate stories about their own anal experiences. This episode is extra humorous and as educational as a full pegging workshop! Highly recommended for anyone who wants to learn more about ass play, dildos, harnesses, and why the hell both Allison Moon and Amory Jane are into roleplaying as frat boys.

Available below or on the go with iTunes and Stitcher!

Things mentioned in this episode:

20% off at cloneawilly.com – Promo Code: SEXONTHEBRAIN (expires 5/22/17)

Whoopee! A Sex-Positive Variety Show – Get tickets here! Promo code: BRAINS

Vixen/VixSkin Dildos (dual density)

Vamp Talula Dildo (steep angle)

Fuze Velvet (AJ’s favorite pegging dildo)

The Sasha Harness (machine washable)

Reid’s Formula for Difficult Conversations

Allison Moon’s Girl Sex 101

Reid’s Sex Geek Summer Camp

She Bop’s upcoming classes

 

Credits

Host – Amory Jane

Sound Engineering, Editing, and Theme Song – Mat Vuksinich

A huge thanks to our sponsors – She Bop, Clone-A-Willy, and Uberlube!

Acting, BDSM, Burlesque, Comedy, events, Kink, Music, queer femmes, Queer Sex, Sex, Sex Education, Sex Educator, Sex Positive Variety Show, Sex-Positive Entertainment, sexuality, Storytelling, Uncategorized, variety show, Whoopee, Whoopee, Whoopee!

Wonderful News in the World of Whoopee!

She Bop did an interview with me about Whoopee! A Sex-Positive Variety Show for their blog. If you want to know more about the origins of the show, what audience members can expect, and why the community needs a show like this one, check it out here!

Our next show is this Friday, April 21st at The Secret Society Ballroom. I encourage people to RSVP on Facebook and purchase tickets online in advance since we’ve been selling out. Tickets can be found here, and we offer both a general admission option and reserved seating VIP tickets. We’ll have incredible dancers, hilarious storytellers, sexy singers, a demo on roleplaying and much much more! For the full list of performers for Friday’s show, visit the new website I created for Whoopee! at whoopee.live

There will also be a Kinky Karaoke Afterparty this Friday, hosted by KJ Luke and yours truly (Amory Jane). It’ll be one part karaoke, one part kink demo, and 100% entertaining. Tickets to Whoopee! get you free admission to the after party, but if you have to work late that night, you’re always welcome to just join us for karaoke around 11 p.m. (and it only costs $3).   

Can’t make it to April’s show? We’ll be having next month’s show at The Secret Society on May 21st. Tickets are already available and may be purchased here.

Finally, two more pieces of big news in the world of Whoopee!: 

  • I have a stage manager now and she is already kicking ass and helping me take Whoopee! to a whole new level. With a background in theater, connections to many Portland performers and “theater kids,” and a strong commitment to sex-positive entertainment, Lady Coquine was the perfect fit for this show. I am so excited to have her on my team as both a stage manager and performer, and am also excited that when I asked her to send me a photo for the website, this is what I got back. Yes, I think we’ll be a terrific team. 😉 

Read more about Lady Coquine and her greeting card company, GayPigeon, on the Whoopee! website.

  • While we adore The Secret Society and think it is a wonderful venue, we are bummed that we’ve been having to turn people away at the last few shows due to being sold out. So, we’ve been searching for a larger venue that would be perfect for Whoopee!…and we finally confirmed one today. Starting in June, Whoopee! A Sex-Positive Variety Show will be at Portland’s famous BOSSANOVA BALLROOM! Bossanova is a big gorgeous historic venue with plenty of room for us to grow. They are one of the few venues in town that allows fire, aerial, and rigging, so we are absolutely thrilled at what that means for adding even more variety to our performances. Our first show at Bossanova will be on Sunday, June 25th and will also be a double birthday bash for late June babies – Lady Coquine and Amory Jane! Stay tuned to this page and/or follow us on Facebook for updates and announcements.

Hope to see a bunch of you in the audience or on the stage soon!

Photo by Amanda Contois
beautifulaberration.com
Performers from left to right: Jen Tam, Sindel Asylum, Alice Ada, Eric Snyder. From Whoopee! on 3/25/17.

 

Acting, BDSM, Burlesque, Comedy, Kink, Music, Podcast, Queer Sex, Sex, Sex Education, Sex Educator, Sex on the Brain, Sex Positive Variety Show, Sex Toys, Sex-Positive Entertainment, sexuality, Spanking, Storytelling, Whoopee

Whoopee! at Dante’s

Tickets are still available for tomorrow (Saturday) night’s Whoopee! A Sex-Positive Variety Show.

This show is produced and hosted by me, Amory Jane, and will feature a dozen different sex-positive acts (music, comedy, burlesque, storytelling, fire dancing, fetish performance, and more!) followed by Kinky Karaoke until 2AM. If you are in Portland, you do not want to miss this show! Unless you don’t like sex and body-positivity, then maybe it isn’t the show for you. 😉

Tickets are cheaper in advance and can be purchased HERE. You may also get tickets at Dante’s before the show for $15. Tickets include admission for the variety show, a raffle ticket for free sex toys, a small thank you gift, and admission to the Kinky Karaoke After Party with KJ Luke!

Getting off work late and can’t make the show? Join us for Kinky Karaoke after 11pm for just $3!

Get more info and show us some love by liking our new Facebook page HERE.

BDSM, Culture, feminist, Flogging, Kink, Podcast, pop culture, Sex, Sex ed videos, Sex Education, Sex Educator, Sex on the Brain, Sex Positive Variety Show, Sex Workshops, Sex-Positive Entertainment, sexuality, Spanking, Storytelling, Uncategorized, Whoopee

Sex on the Brain Episode 3: Spanksgiving!

It’s time for Sex on the Brain with Amory Jane’s Spanksgiving Special! This episode is about impact play and BDSM and features on air spankings for your educational benefit and auditory pleasure. Check it out here or listen to it on the go with iTunes and Stitcher!

Certified Intimacy Educator Stella Harris shows us what’s in her toy bag and demonstrates proper spanking and hitting techniques on everyone in the studio. We also have an up close and personal interview with an experienced spanking bottom – sex educator Gretchen Leigh.

Other things mentioned in this episode:

Donate to Black Lives Matter and/or these these organizations that need extra help right now

Behind the scenes Spanksgiving videos – COMING SOON! (Technical difficulties are causing a delay)

Whoopee! A Sex Positive Variety Show – Auditions! Email me to get involved: amoryjane.edu@gmail.com

Whoopee! A Sex Positive Variety Show – Get tickets here! – Promo Code: SEXBRAIN

Amory Jane’s upcoming classes

Credits

Host – Amory Jane

Sound Engineering, Editing, and Theme Song – Mat Vuksinich

Intern – Courtney Kist

Guests – Stella Harris and Gretchen Leigh

Additional music by Bensound (http://www.bensound.com)

As always, a big thank you to our sponsors – She Bop and Uberlube!

Adventure, BDSM, Boundless, Flogging, Kink, Kink Retreat, Personal Blog, Piercing, Relationships, self-discovery, Sex, Sex Education, Sex Educator, Sex Workshops, sexuality, Teaching Tour, Travel

My First Time at Kink Camp

Now that things are settling down after the end of my tour, moving into a new home, and my hit and run accident, I’m excited to share details about my time at kink camp!

667133-250Boundless is a four-day kink retreat located at a beautiful private resort about 2.5 hours north of San Francisco. Boundless 2016 took place September 30-October 3 and I was lucky enough to be awarded a scholarship to attend. My partner, Matias, also joined me there (and it was his first time going to a kink camp as well).

I first heard about Boundless when we received some of their promotional posters/fliers at She Bop. I had missed a few kinky camp out events earlier in the summer when I was traveling the country in my sex ed mobile, so I was glad to see something scheduled for early Fall when I was at the end of my tour. The Boundless website said that the cost was $335 for the full weekend and covered all meals and workshops, which didn’t seem like a bad price. Still, it was out of my budget, especially if my partner and I were both going to attend, so I almost just closed my laptop and moved on… until I noticed something in fine print about offering a scholarship for sex educators.

Good thing I got my eyes lasered to perfection in 2009 and can read the tiny font at the bottom of a website.

I sent an email to the organizer, James, asking him about the scholarship application, and he sent back a friendly response encouraging me to apply. I answered a few questions in essay format (I always nailed the essay portion of my tests in school) and was feeling pretty good about my chances of being accepted. Sure enough, James got back to me a few days later offering me the scholarship, which covered all costs of the retreat, including a camping spot! He even said I was the exact candidate they were hoping would apply. Sweet!

When the time came to head to camp, I made sure to pack everything I thought I would need: a tent and lots of blankets, condoms, lube, edibles, a couple of my favorite sex toys, and lingerie. I also overpacked cute summer camp clothes and underpacked clothes that would keep me warm, which means I ended up spending the majority of the time in one pair of fleece-lined leggings and an extremely unsexy sweater. Next time I will remember that California + “summer camp” does not equal warm and dry. I mean, it was October and we were north of San Francisco, (and I’m always cold), so I should really have known I couldn’t survive only wearing a corset and my Sasha harness. Plenty of other people there managed to be comfortable in their kinkiest costumes, sexiest lingerie, and completely nude though. Maybe handling cold temperatures with a smile is a special skill reserved for masochists, which I very much confirmed I wasn’t over the course of that weekend.

More on that later.

Matias and I spent a good portion of our drive to the retreat discussing our boundaries, desires, and concerns. We both wanted to primarily play with each other but were open to making connections, we wanted to learn/practice new skills, and we wanted to sample kinky things we hadn’t yet had a chance to try. We had been to plenty of play parties, BDSM events, kink nights, munches, and sex workshops during our 2+ years together, but never an overnight camp or a multi-day event that wasn’t a conference. I had also attended sex clubs and swingers parties while in a previous relationship and am part of a femme coven, so I love kinky spaces and feel comfortable with consensual sex happening all around me. Still, a kink retreat would be a new experience and neither of us really knew what to expect.

After a long (but beautiful) Autumn drive through Southern Oregon and Northern California, we found ourselves driving alongside a large freshwater lake called Clear Lake. We knew we were close and speculated what kind of welcoming committee would be at the camp. Would people already be walking around naked or clad in latex and leather? Would we show up presenting as the most vanilla people there? Turns out, we were fairly accurate with our hypotheses. As we pulled in, there were some people hanging out wearing little to no clothing, some people in Boundless crop tops, and one gentleman wearing stilettos that were chained together and a very frilly tutu. We were in hoodies and jeans with beanies on our heads. We looked very much like we were from Oregon. Still, we were greeted with a wave and a smile and the volunteers helped us figure out where to park our car and set up camp.

After putting up our tent, we went into the main lodge for dinner. There were at least 50 other people there, from all walks of life, and most of them were already sitting down to eat. Meatloaf and veggies were on the main menu, along with vegan options and gluten free pasta. The food all weekend was really good, and they always had snacks available. As a person who needs to eat every few hours, it was a relief, and it helped me stay fueled for all of the workshops and sex adventures. While we mostly took in everything around us and kept to ourselves during dinner, we got out of our shells more during the opening address and formal mocktail party. Matias and I volunteered to walk around with drink trays and offer tasty beverages to attendees, which took me back to my days as a cocktail server, except for that instead of serving hipsters at a karaoke dive bar, this time I was serving kinksters in their finest fetish gear. I also helped get a sexy lady into her corset, which I had never done before, and it turns out it is only sort of like lacing up a pair of boots. Definitely more tugging and gasping and overflowing cleavage. It wasn’t an easy task for a first timer, but I have zero complaints.

After the opening address, which included info about the weekend and a talk about consent and dungeon rules, Sinclair Sexsmith presented a fun and interactive icebreaking workshop called Flirting Dirty. We got to practice being turned down and saying no, negotiating boundaries, and asking folks if they wanted to play. I was paired up with the stranger sitting in front of me, who had a completely opposite flirting style, and that was sort of eye opening. He was telling me about how he’ll just say hello and start a nice mild conversation that is not at all sexually charged, and I appreciated his low pressure approach. However, it was in stark contrast to my approach, which is usually more like, “We seem to be checking each other out, which is cool. I really like your nose and I would be down to ride your face if you’re interested.”

That was only the beginning of eye opening things I discovered and/or reaffirmed about myself that weekend.

After the flirting event, Matias and I stayed in the Heart Lodge as they transformed it into the dungeon/play space. Multiple spanking benches, sex swings, St Andrew’s Crosses, rope suspension areas, massage tables, and mattresses for the floor were set out. There were also towels, wet wipes, condoms, gloves, and extra sheets. Hooray for a well-equipped dungeon!

We spent most of that first night hanging back and observing. We snuggled and made out on a floor mat while watching people get whipped, tied up, and fucked. We talked about what turned us on, what didn’t seem like our cup of tea, and what we were curious about trying. We listened to the sounds of a woman riding a Sybian while giving her partner a blowjob, watched some artful Florentine flogging, and took in all of the hedonism that filled the room. Eventually we realized that we were exhausted from the long drive, and went back to our tent to have a quickie and pass out for the night.

I slept on an under-inflated air mattress and woke up in the middle of the night to baby deer prancing around on the tarp right outside of our tent (which was adorable, but kind of scary to hear at first, since we were in the woods also surrounded by bears). Still, even with a bad night of sleep, I woke up on time for breakfast and attended a workshop called “How to Be a Successful Male Submissive.” I found myself nodding my head on most things, disagreeing on a few points here and there, and generally daydreaming of a harem situation where an assortment of submissive men serve me and worship my body whenever I snap my fingers.

That first workshop put enough ideas in my head that I decided to skip the second one to go back to the tent with my boyfriend. After a few orgasms, we fell asleep and accidentally napped through lunch. Fortunately, we woke up with enough time to find leftovers before the next session. That session was the Heart Centered Needle Pull and it seemed to be getting a lot of attention around camp from nervous but curious attendees who wanted to know what it was like to be pierced in the chest and connected to a pulling cord while ecstatic frenzy was being whipped up all around us. The Boundless website describes the Heart Centered Needle Pull like this:

Fakir’s Spirit+Flesh group energy pull and ritual from Fakir’s website (linked)

Join a community ritual to open our heart centers and bring us closer together as mindful individuals. Facilitated by Fakir Musafar and Cleo Dubois, variations of this ritual have been used for centuries by Native Americans (the Sun Dance) and other cultures as a way to develop mind/body awareness and connection with others.

The ritual consists of an invocation and invitation for traditional sources of spirit and our own higher selves to join us in creating an ecstatic state. Each participant will be safely pierced in their heart Chakra with two small needles by Fakir or Cleo and attached by a sterilized cord to a common point. Music, chanting and drumming will then propels us to ecstasy. Sound interesting?

If you join this ritual you will be guided every step of the way by experts who have facilitated this ritual for over 30 years in the USA, Canada, England, Portugal, and Italy.

We were “cleansed” with sage as we walked through the doorway into the dungeon, which had been converted again into a new type of space. This time there was a horizontal pole in the center of the room with many cords hanging from it, a very large suspended gong, and tables filled with unopened boxes of sterile gloves and needles. We took off our shoes and found a seat, facing a person who appeared to be in his late sixties (it was Fakir Musafar and it turns out he is 87). Then, after everyone else finished walking through the door, Cleo joined Fakir at the front and they proceeded to tell us about the history of the ritual and what to expect.

Matias was definitely nervous, but I was feeling incredibly calm about the whole thing. Piercing has never bothered nor scared me and I had read enough to know about the possible risks and about the incredible strength of human skin. I was ready.
screen-shot-2016-10-03-at-11-31-54-pm

We stood in line and waited our turn to get pierced. Fakir was using hooks on the more advanced campers and Cleo was piercing those of us who were new to the ritual with 22 gauge needles. With each new participant, she had an assistant help her put on a fresh pair of gloves and she would pinch the skin (above the breasts, below the collarbone) and slide the needles through. On my turn I took a deep breath and looked at Cleo’s face as she pierced me. The first needle went through perfectly but the second one went through a little too easily and poked her finger as it came out of the other side. She immediately started gushing blood, even through the gloves, and I could tell this was something that didn’t usually happen. I felt bad that she was hurt, but I wasn’t freaked out, and it didn’t have any sort of negative impact on my piercing experience. After getting cleaned up and bandaged, she put a small carabiner at the end of my string loop and I felt the weight of it gently pull at my skin. Matias was pierced next (he did really well), and then we walked together to the room’s center point to connect our carabiners to the hanging cords that we would use to pull ourselves.

Music swelled around me, the smell of incense was strong in the air, there were people (who weren’t pierced) drumming and dancing, and the rest of us (who were pierced) were leaning back with the skin on our chests stretched out. It was like a mini suspension, but both feet were on the ground, and as the music grew faster and louder, many of my fellow campers started having stronger responses. Some had their eyes rolling back in ecstasy, some were swaying to the music or testing their bodies. A couple of people were crying in a way that you could tell they were releasing something more than just tears. I pulled harder and focused on the feeling, hoping to also feel something powerful or release grief, but I couldn’t feel any adrenaline running through me. All I felt was a tugging, a very literal tugging. It wasn’t a bad feeling by any means, but no matter what I did, my body just stayed very neutral and I didn’t feel anything strong or spiritual. I even unhooked from the main point after a while and hooked my carabiner to Matias’ carabiner and had us both pull back and stare into each other’s eyes. Matias kept breaking eye contact when his eyes would roll back into head, but it still felt very bonding, very novel and was a unique experience to share. However, I admit I was slightly disappointed that my body just wouldn’t get into the intense energy around me. Empath-types are supposed to feel all of the energies, right? – that’s what normally happens to me in crowds – but this time I just felt the most basic sensations in my body without any sort of energy rush. It was curious, and not the only time something like that happened to me that weekend.

My favorite part of the ritual was when a percussionist was dominating the room with the sounds of the hammered gong and Cleo was going around and whacking our tautly pulled strings with a cane so that the vibrations were sent into our chests. She also used a vibrating sex toy against the strings for the same purposes, and I enjoyed the rumbling and shaking sensation. Of course I did. Because I love vibration in pretty much all of the ways it comes to me.

I also enjoyed coming down after the ritual, watching people sort of float back into their bodies and then have their needles removed. Matias and I were some of the last to have our needles taken out, and the twenty minutes or so that we sat quietly waiting for that to happen were some of the best moments of the afternoon for me. Hearing about what the experience was like for him and watching his eyes light up as he talked about it made me feel very happy that I was attending Boundless with a partner. Even if my body has a hard time with adrenaline production or I am sometimes too much of a control freak to stop my observation mode and fully let myself go, at least I was experiencing new things, learning a lot, and feeling closer to someone I loved.

flogThat night in the dungeon, Matias and I were both flogged (at separate times) on a St. Andrew’s cross by a trained professional with a very extensive set of hitting implements. There were leather floggers made from different animal hides (deer, elk, rabbit, buffalo, etc.), skinny whips, rubber toys, and a few items I had never seen in person. It was an impressive collection…but you’ll have to wait to hear about our flogging adventures in a future post.

My First Time at Kink Camp: Part 2 will be all about our second and third nights in the dungeon, what it’s like to be on edibles at a kink retreat, what I learned about mental health at the workshops I took on day 3, and my newfound love for sex swings. Stay tuned!