January 10 Newsletter – Beautiful and Challenging New Year (CW: Suicide)

Hello Beautiful Beings,

Happy New Year! I hope 2023 brings joy, rest, and play to your life. As I pursue rest, joy, and play in my own life, I continue to reflect on the ways I manage my time and energy. To save me some time, I’ve made the decision to move from selling books on my Mystic Productions website to selling my books through my book distributor. 

I’ve also made the difficult decision to cancel my Delving Into Power intensive that would have run January 13-15. Unfortunately, not enough attendees signed up to make teaching this intensive financially feasible for me at this moment. However, I am hoping to put out a number of resources this year related to D/s dynamics, such that I can offer more Delving Into Power educational opportunities moving forward.

My resolution to reflect on my time and energy management comes after a busy holiday season. I spent Christmas in Nebraska with my Boy’s family, and I spent 36 hours in Phoenix for New Year’s. While in Phoenix, I attended a play party I’ve been attending since 2009. However, this year’s play party was different. Someone dear to many of us had ended their life in 2022, and we spent the annual New Year’s play party commemorating their death. However, mixed in with sorrow was such profound joy talking about their authentic kink identity, the passion we had all shared, and the power of memory.

As someone who has struggled with suicidality throughout my life, these moments are heavy and painful. It can be difficult to manage suicidal thoughts when grieving the loss of friends, during the holidays, when mourning relationships, and in general. Even though I believe in each person’s autonomy to choose what to do with their life, including end it, that doesn’t make it any less difficult. Suicidal thoughts can be one of the toughest mental health experiences.

With that said, I wanted to share some resources for those who may be experiencing suicidality. Below you will find contact information for some suicide hotlines:

• Trans Lifeline
  • Website: https://translifeline.org/
  • U.S. Phone Number: 877-565-8860
  • Canadian Phone Number: 877-330-6366 
• The Trevor Project: for LGBTQIA+ youth
  • Website: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
  • Phone Number: 1-866-488-7386
  • Text: 678-678
• Talk Suicide Canada
  • Website: https://talksuicide.ca/
  • Phone Number: 1-833-456-4566
  • Text 45645 from 4 pm – Midnight ET
• Lifeline Australia
  • Website: https://www.lifeline.org.au/
  • Phone Number: 13 11 14
  • Text: 0477 13 11 14

There are also “Warm Lines,” a concept I just learned of recently. They are peer-run lines, run by people who are not mandated to get the police involved in mental health crisis. These are especially important for people whose interactions with police or the mental health system can be violent or even deadly, and are a powerful option to consider: https://warmline.org

Additionally, I recommend Kate Bornstein’s book, Hello Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks and Other Outlaws. The following free resources suggest additional methods for managing suicidality. I do want to offer the caveat that many resources recommend reaching out to community for support. However, as someone who has experienced suicidality, I understand that reaching out for support is not always an available or accessible option. I encourage you to use the tips that feel supportive and disregard any that do not feel available or accessible. 

• The American Medical Association’s webinar, “Practical strategies for managing suicidal ideation and reducing risk”
• PsychCentral’s article, “How to Cope with Suicidal Thoughts“

You can also look for a local or online Alternatives to Suicide support group. These support groups offer a space for people to talk openly about their suicidality, giving attendees the opportunity to manage suicidal thoughts in a supportive peer group. 

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, I encourage you to get the help you need and deserve. You’re not alone in experiencing these thoughts. I live with these thoughts too, and I want us all to receive support in managing this mental health experience.

***
In the past few weeks over on Patreon, I have had a chance to connect with my Patrons regularly through:

• “The Flavors of Love” essay
• Tarot spreads for interviewing a divination deck
• “Imperfections of Rope and Self” picture set and reflection
• Notes from my discussion, “Age Play: Why, How, and In Today’s Reality“

For January and February, come join me LIVE at: 

Conscious Inequality, Dominance, and Submission

Online Worldwide via Pragmatically Kinking

Wednesday, January 11th, 2023 | 6-8p PST; 7-9p MST; 9-11p EST 

More info: https://fetlife.com/events/1204962

Power permeates our every interpersonal interaction, from how we interact with the grocery clerk to our kink in the bedroom, and there is a difference between unconscious and conscious power use. However, in a variety of alternative sexuality and BDSM populations, these concepts are eroticized, often glossing over the context where these consensual erotic power plays come from. Let’s examine where power arises unconsciously or through oppression in culture, various types of power exchange dynamics, and why people would want to engage in them (for an evening, a long-term connection or between lifetimes). This will include conscious and unconscious roles, bonding within relationships, and even destructive behaviors. Power is power, but inequality is not inequity, so let us look at this together with eyes wide open.

Finding Your Unique Voice as an Educator

Online Worldwide via Patreon

Tuesday, January 17th, 2023 | 6-8p PST; 7-9p MST; 9-11p EST 

Join my Patreon to participate: https://www.patreon.com/passionandsoul

What sort of presenting really calls to you, and why? Do you want to lead group discussions, lecture in front of an auditorium, provide one-on-one mentorship, or give skill demonstrations? What sorts of topics are you called to present on? Physical skills, emotional experiences, psychology of interpersonal interaction, history, and academics, or perhaps something totally different? Many of us start out presenting because we are well known for something we do and others want to learn or because no one else would step up on a topic. But what do *you* actually want to teach? What styles will best carry your message and your specific voice? Let’s look at what styles and content truly call to you, and also examine options for both. This is your chance to authentically shine!

GenderQueer Bondage: Rope for People “Between” and “Beyond”

Online Worldwide via Wicked Grounds

Thursday, January 26th, 2023 | 6-8p PST; 7-9p MST; 9-11p EST 

Buy tickets today: https://forbiddentickets.com/events/wicked-grounds/2023-01-26-online-genderqueer-bondage-rope-for-people-between-and-beyond

Ever had to struggle with how to put a crotch rope on a woman who has a little something extra? Wanted to tie up a transman who wanted chest bondage that didn’t make him look like a girl? Perhaps you just want to explore some hot ways to tie up your lovers to make them feel androgynous and exposed? Then this class is for you. We’ll be playing with crotch ropes and strap-on harnesses, alternative forms of chest and torso bondage (to emphasize and de-emphasize curves), and exploring a few other ties that can help us or our partner(s) feel seen as whatever gender or otherness as we experience ourselves to be. Bring two or more pieces of rope, 25-30 foot in length, for hands-on fun and exploration in this class for “the rest of us.”

Primal Play: Hunter, Hunted, Predator, and Prey

Online Worldwide via Karada House

Thursday, January 27th, 2023 | 12-2p MST (8-10p CET, 11-1p PST, 2-4p EST)

Buy tickets today: https://karada-house.de/events/primal/

Each of us holds an animal inside us, and that creature is primal, wild, and tapped into the ancient power that says hunt, or be hunted, run, or be captured. What kind of creature are you, and how can you tap into that energy? In this class, we will explore diverse forms of primal play, from growling and throating your lover in the bedroom to constructed experiences stalking someone through woods and dark alleyways… and more. What kind of feral beast are you, and why? Whether you are partnered with someone primal, are primal yourself as an identity, enjoy the play, or are simply curious, we will work on skills for negotiation, “reading” our partners when verbal tools are off the table, and communication skills in general. Consent can be complex, so let’s build our knowledge and safety skills together.

Choosing & Connecting with Divination Decks

LIVE IN-PERSON in Aurora, CO (Near Denver, CO)

Friday, February 3rd, 2023 | 7-9p MST

Buy tickets today: https://forbiddentickets.com/events/passionandsoul-presents/2023-02-03-choosing-and-connecting-with-divination-decks

We have entered into a renaissance in the world of divination decks. Whether home-made or high-production, classical or reinterpreted, tarot decks and oracle decks have come to be lifted up as powerful tools for divination and inspiration alike. How do you choose which deck is right for you? To explore this question, join me in person just outside of Denver for “Choosing and Connecting to Divination Decks.” From symbolism and art style to card size and quality, you not only get to choose a deck but also connect with the deck emotionally and energetically. Attendees to this workshop will leave with inspirations and specific techniques to try with their first, current, potential, or future decks. Bring a deck or two of your own if you want to play along!

I also have other classes and events coming in the next few months! I will be teaching about dominance and submission, rope bondage, and more. You can see a few of my upcoming offerings below, and you can visit my Upcoming Appearances page to learn about the rest of my future offerings this summer and beyond. 

• February 4-5, 2023 – Teaching “Kink & Spirituality (for Helping Professionals)” as part of a 2-day intensive (including CEUs for therapists) – Sexual Health Alliance – Online Worldwide
• February 9, 2023 – Teaching “Diverse Desires: Sexuality Beyond Assumptions” – Karada House – Online Worldwide
• February 15, 2023 – Teaching “Age Play” – Wicked Grounds – Online Worldwide
• February 18, 2023 – Teaching “Dark Roleplaying” –  Black Thorn – Online Worldwide

To check out all my further scheduled classes and intensives throughout the year (and more being added regularly), visit my Upcoming Appearances page to learn more. To enjoy further free material from me, consider joining me on Patreon where I share weekly resources, monthly classes, and more 🙂
 
Much love to you all and see you soon!
 
Yours in Passion and Soul,
Lee Harrington
http://www.PassionAndSoul.com