12/9 Newsletter - Gender Excellence During the Holidays
Hello Beautiful Beings,
I've had a very transformative and eye-opening last few weeks. I took a trip to Philadelphia with friends and had an experience that was incredibly mentally and emotionally challenging for me. In that moment, I was divinely asked to really look at my life, at the ways I was approaching and living my life, and consider how I was going to make changes in order to live my life in a more sustainable and fulfilling way.
I took a few lessons away from the experience:
If I am not available to help others, community can step in and help. Similarly, I'm working to remember that just because I can do a something, doesn't mean it is healthy or caring to myself for me to do that thing. In Denver, we are experiencing short, colder days, and I find it increasingly important to honor my boundaries as well as value community care. I am learning to say and find wholeness in "no." I am learning to lean on my community when I or someone else in community needs help that I can't offer. I am learning to see my edges as beautiful guidelines rather than as limitations.
I am also focusing on gratitude for that which we often take for granted. For me, I have so much gratitude to have access to clean water, housing, and warmth this season. Especially when things can feel hard and hopeless at times, holding onto moments of brightness can bring so much joy and peace.
As a trans person, I especially understand how challenging the holiday season can be. Some of us may not have safe and supportive families with whom we can spend the holidays. Even if you are going home for the holidays, you may face a holiday filled with misgendering, misnaming, or other microaggressions. It's important that all of us, and especially trans and gender-diverse folks, think through our self-care plan for this season. As Jade T. Perry discusses in her work on care planning, consider your emotional, physical, and spiritual needs. How can you meet those needs this season? How can you ask for and receive help in meeting those needs? What support do you need and deserve? This is true no matter your journey.
You might also consider checking out the varied resources offered by Dominee at Self-Love Rainbow or developing a supportive ritual and magic practice by attending Rawiyah Tariq's "The Nu Wheel: Crafting a Wheel of the Year that Moves with You" on December 18th. Both have excellent tools and visions that might help you thrive.
If you are interested in exploring more resources on managing the holidays as a two-spirit, trans or non-binary person or on supporting trans and gender diverse folks this holiday season, the following free articles are great starting points:
GLAAD's article, "5 things you can do to support your trans relatives this holiday season"
National Eating Disorders Association blog post, "Surviving the Holidays as a Transgender or Nonbinary Person"
Transcend the Binary's "Trans & Gender Non-Conforming Holiday Survival Guide"
urBasics' article, "How to support your trans loved ones during the holiday season"
I also invite folks of all gender journeys to join me on my Patreon *this Saturday,* December 10th, for "Gender Dysphoria to Gender Euphoria," a two-hour workshop (10a-12p PT, 11a-1p MT) that explores finding joy and pleasure in your gender experience. You can join my Patreon at any level to participate in this workshop.
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In the past few weeks over on Patreon, I have had a chance to connect with my Patrons regularly through:
Giving patreons access to Chapter 4 — "Understanding Your Audience" — from my never-published book "Presenting Your Passions: Teaching Skills for Educators Who Give From the Heart
Sharing some of my poetry on leather and sweat
Offering exclusive access to the complete Sacred Kink audiobook
Gifting some free handmade bathroom art
Sharing a handout for my class, "Determining your Risk Profile"
For December and January, come join me LIVE at:
Gender Dysphoria to Gender Euphoria
Online Worldwide via Patreon
Saturday, December 10th, 10a-12p PT; 1-3p ET; 6-8 GMT; 7-9p CET
Join my Patreon at any level to participate:
https://www.patreon.com/passionandsoul
When discussing transgender experience, there is often a focus on gender dysphoria, the distress someone experiences due to a mismatch between their gender identity and their sex assigned at birth. But what about gender euphoria and the powerful joys that can come during the varieties of transgender and gender expansive experiences? In this discussion/class we will look at the diverse types of dysphoria before diving into the power and beauty possible when we are seen in our gender or can find the power possible in the journeys we are on. Though this discussion will center the voices of transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary, and gender expansive individuals, people of all gender experiences are welcome, as well as partners and allies of those on diverse gender journeys.
Sir! Yes Sir!: Exploring Protocol in Power Exchange Dynamics
Online Worldwide via Wicked Grounds
Tuesday, December 27th, 6-8p PST; 7-9p MST; 9-11p EST
Buy tickets:
Everyone in the Dominant/Submissive and Master/Slave community seems to talk about protocol, but what is it exactly? Where does the line between “common sense” or “etiquette” stop, and protocol begin? We will look at what Protocol is in a power exchange context, delve into terminology, and then examine formats of commonly recognized protocol systems and how these things develop in individual relationships and group dynamics. How does protocol change from public interactions to existing 24/7 in private dynamics? Let’s look into how to further develop our chosen dynamics, implement them consistently, and discuss the difference between enforcing protocol and punishment techniques. These concepts do NOT just apply to M/s and D/s dynamics – from active listening to self-sabotage, this class will touch on communication and lifestyle skills for all types of relationships.
Choosing & Connecting with Divination Decks
Online Worldwide via Wicked Grounds
Thursday, December 29th, 6-8p PST; 7-9p MST; 9-11p EST
Buy tickets:
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? 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. In this workshop we will explore these questions together. Attendees 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!
Delving Into Power D/s Intensive
Online Worldwide
January 13th-15th, 2023
Buy tickets today:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/delving-into-power-ds-intensive-tickets-264625811927
This three day online intensive will journey through our personal experiences and desires for connected, intentional dominance and submission, authority transfer, and power exchange. Let us examine our own erotic adventurers and desires to be integrated individuals.
We will begin by looking at what the rituals can mean within dominance and submission, and setting the intentions for our weekend together. Come morning we will take personal inventory of where we are starting from, what we long for, and what our inner wisdom holds, before turning our eye to what we want our systems for connection and communication hold. After that, we will tap into the possibilities of making D/s an empowering, spiritual and connectivity tool, not just a way to have a good time (though we like a good time, too). Finally we will split into peer discussion groups to explore our personal challenges and desires in D/s, our experiences and hopes, before coming back together to look at our perfect pictures again and work towards making them manifest.
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
page to learn about the rest of my future offerings this summer and beyond.
January 9, 2023 – Teaching “Invocation and Evocation Skills for Rituals, Roleplay, and Beyond” –
Wicked Grounds – Online Worldwide
January 11, 2023 – Teaching “Conscious Dominance and Submission” – Pragmatically Kinking – Online Worldwide
January 17, 2022 – Teaching “Finding Your Unique Voice as an Educator” for Patreon members –Patreon-Only Series – Online Worldwide
January 26, 2023 – Teaching “Genderqueer Rope Bondage” – Wicked Grounds – Online Worldwide
January 27, 2023 – Teaching “Primal Play: Hunter, Hunted, Predator, and Prey” – Karada House – 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