Category: Newsletter

rise – emerge – appear – materialize

Post author By Zed Rook
Post date February 8, 2018
No Comments on rise – emerge – appear – materialize

To be honest, dear beloveds, time is moving too fast for me. I have more energy, but that means I make more plans and show up more places and meet with more people, and part of me wants to crawl back into the cave of winter where I can read all the books and curl up with Darby (my 12 year old cat).
The emergence is also calling me, so here I am, putting things on my calendar, writing words in linear sentences that sometimes make sense.
But I think I will sit and breathe and pause right now, instead of writing more of this.
<3 Zed PS: Sharon Salzberg has her Real Happiness Meditation Challenge going on right now, and I love getting 5-10 minute audio meditations in my inbox in the morning, and I haven’t done today’s yet. So here I go.

A little bit of Body Trust housekeeping:

Would you like to write a guest newsletter/blog post for us? We have certain themes every month, following the wheel of the year, and we would welcome your additional thoughts on them. March is sprouting and detoxing; April is emerging conscious contact. Send ideas to me (Zed) if you’ve got something to share.
Morning meditations on Mondays & Thursdays are still happening — 7am PT/10am ET. The Facebook event goes through February 22nd, but I plan to keep attending, as long as there are other beloveds to be there too. Come join.
Speaking of generously supporting us, we have a Patreon page! Please consider becoming a patreon at any amount — it helps us to “keep the lights on,” as they say. Though we don’t have any physical space, we do still have digital expenses, not to mention all of the time that we put into these newsletters, the meditations, the coloring book, the blog, and more. Our goal is for the majority of what we do to remain free as our gift to our beloveds, and we really appreciate anything you have to give. <3

Tags february, money is replaceable - time is not, morning meditations, newsletter, patreon, sharon salzberg

Newsletter

Are your nose hairs freezing?

Post author By Amy Butcher
Post date January 25, 2018
No Comments on Are your nose hairs freezing?

Now, I realize the irony of saying that from the warm, dry, safety of California. My nostalgia for all things snowy and icy may indeed be a romanticized version of the past. Have I forgotten the freezing of nose hairs? The scraping of windshields with a credit card? The disconcerting ways a car can pirouette when it finds itself on black ice?
But the truth is that every time I return to a winter climate I find myself relaxing in a way that a sunny beach never evokes.
The bundling of layers (long underwear, turtle neck, sweater, jacket, hat . . .) makes me feels like a warrior. The starkness of tree branches denuded of leaves, making their essential skeletal forms stand in stark relief, greet me like queer dance party of diversity (who knew there were so many different shapes, sizes, and branch configurations that could still describe “a tree”). Even the acoustics of sub-freezing temperatures brightens my ears, perking them to the crunch of frozen snow underfoot, the crack of ice stretching in it’s pond, the clear echo of chickadees flitting branch to branch. Winter is a synesthesist’s delight with sense stretched and altered and blended in surprising ways.
In winter’s barren landscape, I feel held and met.
Things are clean.
Essential.
Crystalline.
Which brings clarity . . . or atleast quiet . . . and hope to know what’s next.
How goes your wintertime? Anything crystalizing?
— Amy

Tags amy butcher, ice, snow, winter

Newsletter

Things that start with P

Post author By EroSomatic Arts Collective
Post date January 18, 2018
No Comments on Things that start with P

Please peruse the Patreon!
Plus, the Pleasure Lab Podcast

Announcing: Body Trust’s Patreon (P #1)!

We’ve finally done it — we launched a Patreon page! Patreon is a way for you to pledge a few (or many!) dollars every month to support our ongoing efforts, and you get to support and be part of an amazing spiritual community based on trust, consent, whole body aliveness, whimsy, and experimentation. We’ll make sure you get some fun perks from behind the scenes … a look into our processes, some individual conversations with all of us, and the first look at what we produce. But mostly, you get the pleasure of contributing (financial) energy to our offerings, and helping us make them even better than they already are.
While workshop tuition helps, it doesn’t cover all of Body Trust’s expenses. That’s where you can come in. Even just a few dollars a month helps support those not-so-sexy back-end costs (not that kind of back-end! You know, like web hosting and time to edit podcasts). It also helps us offer scholarships to some of our in-person events. We’ll continue doing what we love — following our paths and gifts, following what emerges during the rotation of the planet and in our own selves, and offering forms out to you to join us in the explorations. With your help, we can do even more.
We do understand that sometimes contributing financially just isn’t possible. We don’t ever want it to be a hardship for you, and we hope you’ll keep engaging with us in all the ways you’d like to. And, we know sometimes it’s possible for folks to give even more. So much thanks for all of you!

Click here + support us on Patreon

The Pleasure Lab Podcast (P #2)

Season two of the Pleasure Lab — interviews with embodiment pioneers — is going so well! Jen Cross, Betty Martin, Jay Craver, Mark Fleming — we have interviewed some amazing people, and there are even more to come.
This month’s is with Roz Dischiavo who runs the Institute for Sexuality Education and Enlightenment. Check it out here — & don’t forget to subscribe and rate us in iTunes! It really helps people find us.
What’s going on for you? Do you have any special projects you’re working on?
— Zed

Tags patreon, peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, pleasure lab, podcast

Newsletter

“Put your arms around me now.”

Post author By Zed Rook
Post date January 11, 2018
No Comments on “Put your arms around me now.”

Winter is upon us now
No turning back this time
The great north star has made her vow
No matter what occurs on this earth
She will shine
Put your arms around me now
For this is the darkest time
Put your arms around me now
And in the morning, I will shine
— Libby Roderick, Winter
When I think of winter, I often get this song stuck in my head. You’re probably asking yourself, “Wait a minute Zed, doesn’t Tori Amos also have a song called Winter? You don’t get THAT one in your head?” But no, in fact, this is the one that comes to me. Even though they were published at almost the same time (Tori’s in 1992 and Libby’s in 1993), somehow the guitar and sweetness of Libby’s version is what comes into my ears.
Growing up in Alaska, it felt like winter began in October. We’d almost always have snow on the ground by then (and it would stay until my birthday in April). Trick-or-treating was done in the dark, with glowsticks, and with snowpants or big boots to go with my halloween costume. So I don’t think of winter solstice as being the beginning of winter — but officially, it is.
Since we are past the solstice now, and the days are growing longer in the northern hemisphere, I also think about the passing of the dark and how valuable those long winter nights are for reflection, pause, cozy blankets, good books, mugs of hot drinks, outside snowy adventures, layers of soft and scratchy and other multiple other sensate fabrics. There is great value and insight in there, not just in the bright of the summer. It behooves us to remember and celebrate all the pieces, not just the sunshine.
Spoken like a northerner, perhaps. 🙂 Well, hopefully you’ll enjoy this throwback to early-90s feminist-folk anyway.
— Zed

Tags if the world were my lover, libby roderick, music, winter

Newsletter

Pause.

Alex, Amy, Lizz, and I were retreating this past weekend, reflecting on 2017 and planning 2018, and also looking at our larger strategy and trajectory of where we’re going. (That last part is mostly guided by Amy.)
Here’s some of what’s coming up:

Portals of Pleasure

You’ve already heard that Portals of Pleasure will happen July 18-22 at the Bodhi in Albuquerque — it’s our TENTH YEAR of meeting together (including the Pulse history). Who knows what we’ll do in celebration! Registration will open in early 2018 — meanwhile, save the date.

Meditations in January

We are starting up morning meditations in January — twice a week, Monday and Thursday, at 7am PT / 10am ET on Zoom. Here’s the Facebook event with more information — come join the Facebook group to keep track of it.

Call for Collaborators

In 2018, we will be producing Portals of Pleasure, but we don’t have any other workshops on the books yet … But not because we don’t want to! We just need some folks who will help us with finding a space and gathering attendants and being in juicy conversations with us about how to gather the circle. Is this you? Let us know if you’re interested and we’ll talk more about the details.

Bye! We’re taking a December break

It’s been a pleasure to work and play with you all, and to circle up so many of you beloveds in many different ways this past year. We’re officially taking a break from all Body Trusting in December. The winter solstice is time to pause, time to take stock, time to bring it all into our beings and let it settle before the emergence begins again in the new year.
Talk to you in January!
Love,
Zed, Lizz, Alex, and Amy

Tags meditation, solstice

A little bit of Body Trust housekeeping:

Please peruse the Patreon! Plus, the Pleasure Lab Podcast

Announcing: Body Trust’s Patreon (P #1)!

The Pleasure Lab Podcast (P #2)

Portals of Pleasure

Meditations in January

Call for Collaborators

Bye! We’re taking a December break

Please peruse the Patreon!
Plus, the Pleasure Lab Podcast