Post Deepmind Darkwood

As I sit here knitting on my day off, I look back at this weekend with a huge smile on my face.

I'm never sure just how much I can talk about the events which I attend. So often the most meaningful parts of any event are also the most private. I simply don't know if I have permission to discuss details that were so meaningful to me; I very much want to respect others' privacy.

Yet there is so much I want to share about this weekend. I want to talk about the discussion after the Power Animal meditation. I want to give my thoughts on the not-quite-Samhain ritual out by the fire pit. I want to talk about the confidences shared afterwards when we came in from the brief rain shower. I want to talk about how comfortable I felt. I want to talk about the cheerful energy, about the way everyone seemed to just flow with each other. If I thought there was a way I could do so without breaking privacy I would.

Instead, those words above will simply have to do. They will have to be the taste I give the world of how wonderful it was. They will have to express the joy in the calm and the re-centering. And maybe that's good enough. Maybe that's all I need to do, right now, to honor the others there and the emotions I felt.

I will say, however, that the strength of this community is growing and building. More and more people are finding value in each other, in sharing expertise, in learning from others' mistakes and in drawing inspiration from their fabulous successes. I think that maybe the most important thing of all: the sure and certain knowledge that we are not alone. There are other people out there who "get it" and who are happy-no, joyous-to continue to form community, to learn and play and grow.

If-gods forbid-I was to get hit by a bus tomorrow, I would feel good about this community and my contribution to helping you grow. Things are so very different from 10 years ago, when the only gathering sites were IRC, the Yahoo! chat rooms, and the MC stories messageboard. 10 years ago, even picking up the phone to call someone else in the community was considered a brave and daring act. Now play happens on a frequent basis.

I honestly don't know what the next decade will bring. 10 years ago, Deepmind Darkwood would have been just a fantasy. NEEHU would have been beyond imagination. Yet these things did happen, are happening, and will go on. For that, I am deeply and profoundly grateful.

Deepmind Darkwood Was Awesome!

I'm sitting on the plane waiting for departure on the way back from Deepmind Darkwood, a small hypnosis weekend retreat in New England. I got to see friends I hadn't seen since Hypnoticon, meet some new people, present on Finding Your Power Animal, hold a sort of pre-Samhain ritual around a fire under the waning moon, and get an amazing massage to boot. In fewer than 18 hours, I had a whole weekend of awesome.

I wish I could have been there for longer (had to work Friday and Sunday nights), but the chance of it happening next year is incredibly high. I really hope it does!

Special thanks to:
LeeAllure and MrDream for making it happen, for getting me there and for friendship
Lee'sMandy for picking me up at the airport
Everyone who volunteered in the kitchen! We'd be lost without you!
My sleepykitten for tending to me
My Vassal for ongoing awesomeness
Everyone who participated in the ritual

Now I need sleep!

Seven Things That Cross My Mind A Lot

7. Sex. :)

6. My spirituality. I'm very pagan. Especially at this time of year, I feel a keen connection to the Earth and Nature. I tend to listen to music with a spiritual bent at work, f'rinstance.

5. Science. I also love science and get very annoyed when people get stupid about topics like evolution. It works, bitches!

4. My family. I don't talk about them on a kink blog for obvious reasons, of course!

3. Random bs. What would the spawn of Reid and Garcia on Criminal Minds be like? Why is the music for Bladerunner so loud... It makes people annoyed with Vangelis? What kind of bird is that? Did my cat mean to bark just then? (Jukebox and I abet each other in this.)

2. At the moment? Holiday gifts. :)

1. Love. For my Chosen, for my pets, for my friends.

Eight Ways To My Heart

8. Be geeky. I really can't emphasize that enough out of my last several partners, I met almost all of them online, and the one I didn't I met at DragonCon.
7. Back scratches. Back rubs. Foot rubs. Brush my hair. Touches that are sensual, but not necessarily sexual.
6. Be willing to put up with my cheesy fascinations for things like true crime, The Amazing Race, big weather and Earth science, and other completely random but fun to me things.If you those things as well it goes a long way.
5. Bring me wildflowers. I don't care much for roses. I am not a hothouse flower kind of woman. Unfortunately I am also really bad at keeping live plants alive.
4. Similarly, forget expensive jewelry or "standard" romantic gifts. I like the funny, the practical, and the thoughtful.
3. Show me you can have a good time without needing to drink. I am not a fan of alcohol. While it is okay if you personally enjoy the taste, don't expect me to join in, and be aware that drinking to excess is a sure way out of my heart.
2. Watch sports with me. I enjoy curling, American football, sumo, hockey, and (in small doses) what most of the world calls football. During the Olympics, I will watch just about anything if I'm bored. I don't play fantasy leagues and I don't gamble, but man, it's fun to watch!
1. Be willing to sleep with me. I'm not talking about sex. I'm talking about curling up for a nap together. It feels wonderful, it's cozy, and it builds trust for me.


This is the first blog post dictated on my voice dictation software. It didn't do too badly! I'm learning to use it so that I can do things with my hands while I'm also telling a story, working on trance scripts, or other fun things. If you see something that looks a little odd, and you don't think I noticed, please tell me.