PassionAndSoul

Kink and Roleplaying Offerings

Lee Harrington has been active in the public kink and sex-positive communities since 1995, and  is the author of Sacred Kink: The Eightfold Paths of BDSM and Beyond, Shibari You Can Use: Japanese Rope Bondage and Erotic Macramé and The Toybag Guide to Age Play.  His writings on the subject have appeared in numerous anthologies, magazines and documentaries.

Role-based and Roleplaying Classes

Please also see the Power & Surrender offerings for all Dominance/submission and consensual Mastery/slavery based classes.

Authentically Kinky

Discussion Based Class

Let’s get this straight… you have twisted, perverted, alternative or kinky desires that set you apart from vanilla sexuality in some way. Have you joined a kink community through books, online or in person… and now you do stuff that the community tells you what kinky “should” look like? Have you started a relationship and you are having trouble with the reality of the relationship being nothing like the fantasy of it?  Be honest- flogging and rope bondage doesn’t do it for everyone, and most of us really can’t be labeled into simple categories like Top, Bottom, Dominant or Submissive. You are a complex being with personal desires, and so is that person next to you. Let’s look into what makes each of us authentic sexual explorers… finding our true sexual and sensual desires amidst the messages from our communities and beyond.

Be Yourself or Someone Else: Invocation, Evocation and Roleplaying Skills

Lecture with Hands On
So you’ve decided that it could be fun to do some role playing, but aren’t sure where to go with it? Let’s develop some skills together! Using classical evocation skills we will work to pull out our inner emotions and be able to pull upon our sensuality, anger, sadness, and other feelings on command. Evocation is also an amazing tool for pulling out our own inner Daddy, pony, goddess, or slave. We will then turn to the idea of invocation, to tap into personal, cultural and universal archetypes as well as other concepts that we are drawn to. Just because it’s not inside you, doesn’t mean you can’t learn through some simple exercises and brainstorming to learn how to “draw it down.” Bring your roleplaying fantasies or curiosity for this fun discussion and exercise driven workshop.

Beings of Faith and Desire: Embracing, Balancing and Maintaining Our Spirituality as Erotic Individuals

Discussion Based Class
Many of us are not just sexual explorers, kinksters, swingers, hedonists, power exchange practitioners, polyamorists or queer sex radicals.  We are people of faith, belief, and spirit.  We are Christian, Pagan, Jewish, Muslim, New Age, Hindu, Catholic, or follow many other spiritual systems and truths.  What struggles and unexpected joys have you found in finding the balance between your erotic identities and the truths of your connections to divinity?  Come discuss your hopes, fears, sorrows and joys amongst other individuals invested in or struggling with their respective beliefs as sexual beings.

Beyond Bowed Heads: Rituals for Dominance and submission

Participatory Lecture
Rituals are a key part of any D/s relationship, whether we acknowledge them or not. From casual kisses as the door to formal slave poses, ritual objects such as collars to slave contracts, the BDSM world is rife with concepts of ritual- but what is a ritual? What are the levels of ritualistic interaction we have between one another? Let’s look at rituals for day to day life (including how to get out of work or parent space), sacred time, intense connection, erotic play, solidifying relationships, changes within our relationships, and the taboo subject of the devastating loss of a relationship or its natural end. From terminology to developing your own code of ethical interaction, this class covers a bevy of styles and types of interpersonal reactions.

“Dark” Roleplaying

Participatory Lecture and Discussion,
sometimes co-taught with Aiden Fyre or Wintersong Tashlin
We have been “playing pretend” since we were young… but the realm of kinky sexuality opens up all new directions role playing can take.  Join us as we explore the shadowy realms of our fantasies and roles we can try on: abduction, abuse, torture, snuff, fantastical realms and anywhere else our twisted minds can dream up.  We will discuss the joys and challenges of playing in our closet, how to make it happen, why it turns us on, how to bring it up to our partners, negotiating our desires and troubleshooting the challenges this stuff can bring up.

Desired Object, Forgotten Object: Erotic Objectification for Animists

Discussion Based Class
In the erotically adventurous world, a lot of conversation has been batted about concerning the idea of objectification and its supposed partner humiliation. However, for those of us who believe objects have souls, things have value, and the earth itself is not something to be thrown away when we are done with it, how does this dynamic between human and human-object shift? How does our interaction with a human table change for those of us who look at tables as more than wood? Can we apply our desire to create lasting relationships with our human-objects (through backing up their core value and identities, negotiation, and more) to creating lasting relationships with the non-human-objects in our world? In a world where everything has a soul, we will look at whether humiliation has a place in the language of objectification and dive into our own ethics while examining our objects of desire.

Kissing Cousins: Diverse Age Play and Familial Roles in Kink

Participatory Lecture
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 archtypes 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, schoolkid, teen, and a wide variety of adult roles that we can enjoy for role play 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 helping Kidz and Adultz who have been emotionally hurt by past kink relationships.

Sir! Yes Sir! : Exploring, Developing, Implementing and Enforcing Protocol

Participatory Lecture
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” and “etiquette” stop, and protocol begin? We will look at what Protocol is in a D/s 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? Once we have examined what protocol can be, we will look into how to further develop our chosen dynamics, implement them consistently, and then 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.

Spirit of Roleplay: Invocations and Evocations for Ritual Work and BDSM

Participatory Lecture
Role play is about simply putting on a mask and becoming something fun for a moment, right? Not for everyone- some of use need to go further. Whether calling upon a persona that is inherent in our very being, or calling down God-forms, animal roles, or our yet-unmet Daddy persona, invocation and evocation can be powerful tools for both BDSM exploration and intense ritual work. From wardrobe to rituals, dabbling in persona manifestation to evoking emotional responses, getting into *and* out of head space, we’ll discuss and delve into what these tools can mean for your life and desires. You do not have to be pagan or kinky to explore intense role play or connect with your personal, cultural and universal archetypes for hot scenes or spiritual identity.

Taking the Lead: Human Pony, Puppy and Animal Owning/Training

Participatory Lecture
The freedom of becoming something greater than human is a call for many- the 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”? How do we best see to their needs, help them truly live their fantasies out, create the perfect scenes and live for them- and still get what we want out of being human pet owners? We will discuss the psychology of human pets and pet owning, practicalities of dealing with bodily functions and the desire to fuck our “pets” without messing up their head space, shopping for our ponies and puppies, and then have some general play time to interact with the pets we may have brought with us today. This is a great class for folks who are just curious about being a human “creature” as well- get your whinnies heard by your owners!

The Call Beyond Equals: Dominance and Submission 101

Participatory Lecture
In our culture we are taught that the ideal relationship is one between equals- but some of us are drawn to power exchange, dominance, submission, service, surrender and control for a variety of reasons.  For some this is a fun role playing activity in the bedroom, and for others there is a calling from deep within to make this a reality in every day life.  We will discuss the variety of types of dominant/submissive relationship systems and structures out there, look at our own desires and fears with these sorts of play or relationships, and see how we can incorporate the parts that call to us into our sex lives or world at large.

Other Kink Offerings

Please visit Rope & Restraint for all bondage related classes.

Bondage and Breath

Lecture with Hands On
Rope bondage effects how we breathe- from the constriction of rope corsets and chest harnesses to positional asphyxia. But how we breathe also has the power to effect how we do bondage-chest breathing vs. belly breathing, intentional breathing for connection, and more. We will look into how breath moves through the body, how bondage positions effect how we breathe, then work to see how ties effect breath before diving into styles of breathing, breath training for bondage bottoms (and riggers too), and connecting through breath in our ties.

Creature on a Quest

Storytelling Performance
“For I stand before you, a creature on a quest… for within each question there it stands, this word, quest.” Thus begins Lee Harrington’s one man show, which begins as an academic lecturer, travels backwards and forwards through men’s leather culture, sex work, happy heterosexual marriage as a woman, to being a genderqueer teen and gender unsuspecting child, and ends with audiences pondering the nature of gender, happiness, and relationships. Quest with Lee as he opens up his soul, his heart, his body, and his tales, walking at your side into the center of love. This show contains non-explicit nudity and adult themes and is rated R.

Cutting and Kink: Transformations of Self-Mutilation into Erotic Play & Body Modification

Participatory Lecture
Individuals self-injure and cut for many reasons: abuse, depression, attention seeking, pain management, rage, anxiety, and more. For kink sexuality, BDSM and body modification community explorers, there are possible alternative outlets for these needs, or physically and energetically safer ways to engage in these behaviors. For these individuals, the same scars born of shame and disgust become marks of honor and survival, or take on other different meanings. In this class we will be presenting findings from interviews conducted within the BDSM and body modification communities among those who have previously been or continue to be cutters (or others using cutting or skin-breaking self-injury behavior as a tool not related to erotic or artistic partnered activities). We will examine those who have transformed their need for self-mutilation into other forms of expression, or have maintained both sets of behaviors, looking at whether healthy cutting can ever take place in individual’s lives.

Foot Fetishism, Worship and Torture

Participatory Lecture
The foot has been known throughout history to be an item of desire- whether fetishized in the form of high heels or foot binding, submissive individuals begging to give their mistress a pedicure, or an erotic masseuse reaching the genitals by way of the feet. But feet are not just for receptive partners to play with. Bastinado (foot beating) was a common practice in dungeons of old, and the gay leather icon of the strong Daddy adoring the boy who is licking his boot is still strong. Why do feet tantalize us? How can we worship them? How can we abuse them? Let’s look at heels, arches, toes (clad in hosiery, socks or bare), the gentle curve of the ankle… and see where this delicious fetish can take us as a Top, bottom, Dominant or submissive.

From TNG to KOBRAS: Examining Age-Based Groups within the Kink Communities

Participatory Lecture
Age-based peership within alternative sexual practices is not new, but its evolution in the past decade has led to a wide variety of groups now active, from TNG (The Next Generation) to Ohio SMART’s KOBRAS group (Kinky Old Bastards/Broads/Bitches Really Are Sexy) and beyond. This trend is about far more than age. We will look into the history of age-based kink organizations in North America, their original intents, and where they are now. How have these groups evolved, and are they serving or can they serve the needs of the communities they say they are there for? Do these groups have a future, and what does that future hold for both these groups and for the kink communities at large?

FTM CBT: Genital Torment for Queer Bodies

Lecture with Demo, usually co-taught with Wintersong Tashlin
Let’s admit it- doing genital torment on transguys is different than doing it on other bodies. In some ways we get the best of all worlds- so let’s talk about our desires to torment, tease, punish and pamper our amazing flesh. After discussing the varieties of genitals out there to play with (and what we call them) in this category and how our hormones and modifications (or having had neither) have affected our CBT and sex, we will demonstrate and discuss a wide variety of torment options. Abrasion, piercing, bondage, clamps, caning… plus more advanced concepts like playing with trans genital humiliation will all be up for grabs. Add some dirty talking and negotiation skills into the mix- and watch us squirm!

Getting to Hot: Safety, Communication and Negotiation

Participatory Lecture
Communication is all about safewords and health issues, right? Wrong! Let’s get back to what communication is really about- making your relationships in and out of rope hot by getting into each other’s heads and really learning to share our fantasies, fears, desires, and needs. Let’s talk about getting our desires met, exploring our passions, how to share the scary things, how to not make your bottom feel like shit when they can’t hold a bondage pose, sex, the mysterious creature known as aftercare (and whatabout precare?), intimacy, and so much more.

Inner Monsters (Bottoms): Delving Into the Darkness of Our Desires

Discussion Based Class, No Late Entry
In a world where dark fantasy has been sanitized into “Safe, Sane and Consensual,” how do we address the truths of some of our more terrifying and terrible erotic desires? How do we look at ourselves in the mirror after we have been ripped apart emotionally and physically, and how can we still look at our partners who did this to us the loved ones we knew before the scene? What do we do when our Tops comes to us with their own demons to be exorcised in the bedroom or dungeon, and those things scare us or turn us on and we are unsure if that makes us bad people. In this closed-group, no late entry discussion for Bottoms only (Switches may attend but only speak from their experience as Bottoms) we will examine our own inner monsters, discuss our fears and desires, and look honestly into the mirror and wonder- if we feed the monster, will it consume those we love… or if we starve it, will it eat us whole?

Inner Monsters (Tops): Delving Into the Darkness of Our Desires

Discussion Based Class, No Late Entry
In a world where dark fantasy has been sanitized into “Safe, Sane and Consensual,” how do we address the truths of some of our more terrifying and terrible erotic desires? How do we look at ourselves in the mirror after we have taken our partner apart in the bedroom and left them broken and battered? What do we do when our partners comes to us with their own demons to be exorcised in the bedroom or dungeon, and those things scare us or turn us on and we are unsure if that makes us bad people. In this closed-group, no late entry discussion for Tops only (Switches may attend but only speak from their experience as Tops) we will examine our own inner monsters, discuss our fears and desires, and look honestly into the mirror and wonder- if we feed the monster, will it consume those we love… or if we starve it, will it eat us whole?

Kink 101: An Introduction to Creative Sexual Exploration and Play

Participatory Lecture
Bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism and masochism. These words elicit for many people a sense of titillation, or of dread. In this humorous and accessible approach to learning about alternative and sometimes edgy sexual practices, we will be looking at what draws people to this wide array of kinky sex interests, as well as other similar topics such as fetishism, voyeurism, exhibitionism, varies relationship structures, swinging and more. After looking at what kinky sex is and why people get into it, we will have an opportunity to look at the laws around these activities, the variety of types of things people enjoy in spicy bedroom (and out of the bedroom) games, the tools used, and how these things can be and are safe to explore. Bring your sense of humor, your curiosity, and your questions to this opportunity to learn about the wide variety of sexual expression found in BDSM and Kinky Sex.

Making an Impact: Spanking, Paddles and Canes Oh My!

Demo with Hands On
So you just hit someone with this thing, right?  Far more goes into the erotic art of creating sensations through impact than meets the eye.  Why do you want to be spanked? Why is caning someone sexy to you? Where can I hit them, and how hard can I hit?  Learn to choose tools, how to use them safely in a variety of ways, and create hot sexual connections using impact play.  Individuals who already have such toys are encouraged to bring a few to class to discuss the best practices for using what we already own.

On Their Knees: Tools for Professional Erotic Dominance

Participatory Lecture
So you’ve decided that you want to be a dominant or dominatrix, what now? We will discuss the role of persona development, what to offer, and how to decide upon issues like tribute and limits before meeting up with clients. Then we will turn to the issue of negotiation, reading body language, setting the stage, making things memorable, and the types of sessions out there that people enjoy and how the each tend to go… or how to make them your own. We will also take a serious look at issues of getting your name out there, how to decide upon personal ethics in professional domination, keeping yourself sane in this line of work, and the issue of sticking to our guns while retaining the interest of our adoring fans.

Pain is Inevitable, Suffering is Optional: Techniques for Erotic Pain Processing

Participatory Lecture
Each of us processes pain and intense sensation in different ways. Some of us scream, some go silent, and some laugh with glee. Some focus on the connection we have with our partners and go stoic, while others dance, write and squirm to let the pain come out through movement. From distracting ourselves with other thoughts or body inputs, to breathing techniques we will discuss how different individuals process pain and how to increase your own effectiveness in transmuting pain into pleasure, suffering, or erotic connection.

Playing Between The Ears: Introduction to Erotic Hypnosis, Trance and Dirty Talk

Participatory Lecture
Close your eyes and relax, or get yourself all wound up, it´s time to delve into the most powerful sex organ we have to play with- the brain! From formal induction hypnosis concepts to how to just use the perfect words to spice up your sex life, we will be discussing and exploring some practical skills on creating guided visualizations, intensifying role play, building command words, self-hypnosis, and much more. As well as the fun and flirty stuff, we will also look at the legal and ethical ramifications of these sorts of play, horror stories, myths about trance states… and see what mysteries we can uncover between our ears.

Punching, Kicking and Deep Bruising

Lecture with Hands On
Hands. Fists. Feet. Paddles. Saps. Foam Bats. Rubber Hoses… and more… Delve into ways to really leave a mark, dig into the meat of the matter, feet muscle under your fingertips or how to land blows in a safer manner. From basic anatomy lessons to blow-by-blow ideas of how to use this sort of play in your own scenes- let’s see if we can leave an impression.

Sacred Kink: The Eightfold Paths of BDSM and Beyond

Participatory Lecture
Using BDSM and Fetishism, you may already be doing sacred kink for your own magical, emotional, spiritual and energetic work without being aware of it! Exploring the Eightfold Paths to altered states of consciousness (not to be confused with the Eightfold Path in Buddhism) we will examine how we use the Path of Ritual for earning our leathers, Path of Rhythm for cathartic flogging, Path of Flesh for sensual bondage scenes and so much more. Come learn how to be conscious of your own sacred kink workings, how these tools have been used for thousands of years, and how to incorporate new approaches to deepen your energetic connections in the future.

Switching Strategies: Fulfilling your Needs and more

Participatory Lecture
The term “switch” has a lot of baggage attached in a polar 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 both 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 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. When desires are left unfulfilled, it can lead to resentment, break downs in communication, and anger- but how do we find ways to fill our needs when we are ashamed of them, our partners are turned off by them, or we’re just to shy to ask?

What’s Leather Got to Do With It? Leather Fetish, Sex and Soul

Spoken Word Participatory Lecture
The world of BDSM often speaks of Leather as an identity, or as shorthand for our passions, but what about leather itself? The hides of animals, our second skins, this material that once lived and breathed has inspired erotic explorers for generations… why? From tools of pain and pleasure to the wide varieties of clothing that wrap around our form and conform to our shape with time- we will examine our tough exteriors to find how leather fetish has inspired leather sex, and in turn, leather soul, identity and spirit… and the term “Leather Community” itself. Bring at least one piece of leather with you- be it a piece of your earned leathers if you come from that tradition, your favorite flogger, a tight pair of gloves, your favorite boots, your old friend of a belt, or something else to inspire yourself or others as part of this conversation towards understanding leather as more than a raw material.

Classes for Kink Educators

Lee is a strong believer in raising the level of excellence in education within sexuality communities. Thus, he is now available for hire for teaching pedagogical skills, either by himself or in conjunction with the other educators of ALPSEC (Alternative Lifestyles Presenter Skills Education Conference).

Effective Speaking and Presentation Skills

Participatory Lecture
Have you always wanted to speak in front of a crowd but are too jittery? Perhaps you are an experienced speaker or educator who wants their lectures and presentations to stand out and be remembered? Come learn how to effectively use your voice and body language to communicate your message in a wide variety of teaching and speaking environments. From claiming of space to audience empathy, use of vocal range to hiding your nervousness, we will plunge in together and come out more certain of our ability to deliver our message.

Though the skills we will be using and developing are good for all individuals, examples and stories will be from within a BDSM, Kink, Leather, LGBT, Queer, Poly, Swinger and beyond context.  Bring tools for taking notes, wear comfortable clothing, and have an open mind for exploring the joy in passing on our passions.  Students will receive a digital take-home packet, beyond in-class resources, for further developing their unique voice and skills.

Finding Your Unique Voice as an Educator

Participatory Lecture
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, the psychology of what it is that we do, 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* want to teach on? 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 you might not of thought of that may be your calling waiting for you.