Authenticity, Animal Roleplay, Identity, and Connection

News & Appearances
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Hello beautiful beings,

Spring has fully sprung and Denver is alive with greens returning to the trees and the squirrels playing what I call "Squirrel TV." What is Squirrel TV you ask? It is when I can sit for hours at my front windows watching the squirrels live out their lives full of delight, drama, challenge, and stillness - because who needs TV when you can have squirrels. 

I just got back from Austin, Texas, where I had the honor of getting to teach and lead five classes or discussions at Leather Pride in Texas. I loved getting to co-lead a sexuality discussion with Eva Blake - we had planned on teaching on Sexy Safer Sex, but when you have only two folks in a room, I'm a big believer that you tailor the class to the needs of who was actually there. Thus, we ended up having a rich dialogue about hosting sexuality spaces, finding sexual authenticity, living into our bigness, and more. It was so nourishing! Add to it getting to attend an amazing class by Master Taino on Leather Families and Leather Households, and getting to have some deep and beautiful connections, I am so grateful I went.

One of the things at Leather events is the Pups. Pups are individuals who, beyond doing role play as animals, also have some degree of self-identity with dogs or puppies. The gay men's Leather community especially has a fair percentage of Pups (compared to puppy players), and as *this Sunday* I'm teaching a class on Animal Roleplaying, it brought me great delight to have them there. I also ran into an incredible Leather woman who was a Cat (gold ears in her hair piled high), and it was such a delight to see her grace in conversation too. 

Perhaps you have an inner animal? Here are some podcast episodes and an essay to enjoy, plus you can join us for the class. 

Resources:

Subscribers to the newsletter also received a 20% off code for Queer Magic - sign up for future newsletters and discount codes here.

Meanwhile...

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

For April and May, come join me LIVE at:

Innocence & Destruction: A Love Story

Online Worldwide - a film showing & community ritual with Z. Griss, hosted by Lee Harrington

April 24, 2022 (9:45a-12p Pacific, 10:45a-1p Mountain, 11:45a-2p Central, 12:45p-3p Eastern, 4:45p-7p GMT)

Purchase Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/innocence-destruction-a-love-story-tickets-166812583929

Innocence & Destruction is a love story between these two archetypes that live in each human. The intention is to make dance films that root our soul in our Earth body, arouse our imagination, and nourish the heart and eros of our human family. This film by Z. Griss premiered in 2021, one year after a traumatic brain injury that radically shifted Z's interaction with the world. One of the participants invited Z to share it at a special immersion in Australia for BDSM & healing trauma. Z is honored to share it again with you all, hosted by myself. May it continue to bring awareness, compassion, healing, and brave truth telling to kink communities.

Woof, Whinney, Meow: Introduction to Animal Roleplaying

Online Worldwide with Passional and Sexploratorium

April 24, 2022 (4-5:30p Pacific, 5-6:30p Mountain, 6-7:30p Central, 7-8:30p Eastern)

Purchase Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/online-class-human-pony-puppy-and-animal-play-with-lee-harrington-tickets-304476917657

Many of us have a conscious or unconscious desire to be a noble human equine, a happy puppy dog, an oily pig in a pen, a lazy cat that gets fed, petted and… but what about those of us who have to take care of these “creatures?” Let’s look at the fantasies, desires, and passions behind this richly varied form of identity exploration! Not everyone has the same take on this diverse category of interest: from firm training to shamanic interactions, passive pets to feral monsters, sadistic veterinarians to kids with their favorite pet, cuddly creatures to hard-working guard dogs… there is a little something for everyone. Whether you are a curious handler or an experienced beast of burden, join us as we examine the wide varieties of scenes, toys, lifestyles, and amusement; diving into these practicalities and passions with an open heart and open mind.

Strategies for Switching: Fulfilling Your Diverse Desires

Online Worldwide with Wicked Grounds

April 28, 2022 (6-8p Pacific, 7-9p Mountain, 8-10p Central, 9-11p Eastern)

Purchase Tickets: https://forbiddentickets.com/events/wicked-grounds/2022-04-28-online-strategies-for-switching

Share on FetLife: https://fetlife.com/events/1104629

The term “switch” has a lot of baggage attached to it in a polarized BDSM community, where you are expected to be a Top or a Bottom, a Master or a Slave – but there are a thousand reasons why many of us feel a calling to cross over from time to time – while others are born to ride a wide variety of sides of their souls. We will be addressing why people switch (Tops who want to know what it feels like, Slaves who want to serve masochistic Masters, greedy versatile pigs who want it all), strategies to finding play partners or relationship structures (one partner many roles, play partners outside of monogamous relationships, polyamory, swinging, open relationships, self-play), and create ways to check in with ourselves about what our own needs are. Let’s look at switching, and see what notions we are ready to embrace, and which need to be switched around.

Sacred Beyond and Between Ritual

Patreon-Only Beltane Ritual

May 1, 2022 (11a-1p Pacific, 12-2p Mountain, 1-3p Central, 2-4p Eastern, ) | Online Worldwide

Join Patreon to attend: http://www.Patreon.com/PassionAndSoul

So many are drawn to the sacred feminine or sacred masculine, but what of those of us who hold the energy of both in our body, neither, or something else entirely? Let us turn to the sacred two-spirit, intersex, transgender, bigender, pangender, agender, androgynous, and internally complex experiences around energy, gender, and sex alike. After all, if divinities worldwide have danced beyond the binary, so can we. Attendees are invited to don the garb that best expresses their connection to these energies or manifests their authentic experience for this shared online ritual experience. Bring your delight, your curiosity, your passion, and perhaps some of your discomfort as well – after all, sacredness is a complex thing, especially for those of us beyond and between.

Kissing Cousins: Age Based Roleplaying and Desires

Colorado Leather Fest (also teaching, "Taking the Lead: Human Puppy, Pony, and Animal Handling")
May 6-8 | Colorado Springs, Colorado
Purchase Tickets: https://coloradoleatherfest.regfox.com/colorado-leatherfest-2022

When most people outside of the BDSM community talk about Age Play, images like adults in diapers tend to turn a lot of folks off (even if that can be fun). But Age Play for consenting adults can be SO much more! We will explore personal, cultural, and universal archetypes of parenthood, childhood, and all kinds of kidhood and adultdom to find a voice for our own diverse desires… from naughty teenage girlz (who says kidz are bottoms?) to packs of boy scoutz. Let’s look at pre-verbal, toddler, school kid, teen, and a wide variety of adult roles that we can enjoy for roleplaying or lifestyle identities. Daddies, Mommies, other familial roles will be explored, as well as how to incorporate age play into your other kinks, while we also touch on the land mines of our pasts and help kidz and adultz who have been emotionally hurt by past kink relationships.

I also have other classes and events coming in the next few months! I will be teaching about power exchange, leather, 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 in the spring and beyond. 

  • May 13-15, 2022 – Learning With Passion weekend featuring “Our Intimate Selves: Examining Sex, Gender, Orientation, Intimacy, Relationships Styles and Sexual Behavior,” “Leather Fetish, Sex, and Soul,” “Dark Roleplaying,” “Erotic Pain Processing,” “Sacred Kink: The Eightfold Paths of BDSM,” “Simplest Toy bag: Creative Uses for Rope,” and a Play Party – The Academy – Cleveland, Ohio
  • May 17, 2022 – Teaching “Service that Actually Serves US” – SADE (School of Advanced Dynamic Education) – Online Worldwide
  • May 18, 2022 – Teaching “Erotic Pain Processing” – Karada House – Online Worldwide
  • May 18, 2022 – Teaching “Rope for Me: Self Bondage Skills” – Wicked Grounds – Online Worldwide
  • May 24, 2022 – Teaching “Getting Spicy and Freaky” – Wicked Grounds – Online Worldwide
  • May 27-June 5, 2022 – Teaching “Self Bondage,” “Getting Your Authentic Pony Play On,” “You’re Hot When You’re You,” and “Clothing Bondage,” plus being part of rituals and the hook suspension team. – Camp Crucible – N. Maryland

To check out all my further scheduled classes and intensives, 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

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