Brief history of me: Part 1 of my amazing life

A lot of people who are just getting to know me will make a comment like: "Wow, you have an exciting life", or " I'll bet you're never bored". I think they are right. I am often deeply moved by the realization of how unique, dynamic and pleasure focused my life is. I frequently say " I love my amazing life!". In fact, I put that phrase on my cell phone so that it shows on the screen whenever I turn my phone on. I make an effort to stay in a place of gratitude and wonder about my life. I make an effort to give the loving friends and partners I have appreciations regularly.

What you may ask, is so special about my life?
Well, let's start with my work. I am an international sex educator and counselor who specializing in creating sex positive adult education. What does that mean and why do I do it?

Let's start with Why I created the TerraFire Academy of Aphrodisiacal Living.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF ME (ages 26-Now 44)
Once upon a time I was a confused young woman who had a lot of sex in a very compulsive and sometimes self-demeaning way. In untangling the web of this behavior I discovered ( as so many many people do), a history of traumatic childhood, teenage and young adult sexual experiences.
In the process of healing these wounds, I realized that sexual healing was a key component of being a healthy functional adult. A key component of my healing was meeting and eventually marrying an enlightened man dedicated to critically analyzing gender roles. Larry Scott Williams was also a peace studies major and sociologist. Through his loving behavior I came to see myself as love-able and was able to separate sexual desirability and love.

I pursued a higher education hoping to help others.
I received a Master's degree in Social Work (MSW) from the University of Missouri in Columbia Missouri at the age of 26 ( 1988). I worked with "chronically mentally ill" adults ( whatever mental illness is. I mean what is ill and where is your "mental" we are so ignorant of brain chemistry and how moods function!). In any case, I learned a lot about psychology for several years.
I started an intentional community in 1990 with 8 others. We called it DUMA and I lived there for 2 years. While I had been a witch since my first exposure to that spirituality in 1981,I met an amazing Wiccan elder and teacher named Pat Ray/Redwing in 1991.
I stopped doing social work in summer 1992 and started working on a a woman-centered coffeehouse in 1993 with my then business partner Dawn Lamp. We called it Baba Yaga's Dream and sold magazines, rubber stamps, local art, sex toys and gifts. We had a lot of folk musicians at the beginnings of their careers perform there, like Dar Williams and Jewel. I learned a lot about running a small business, budgeting, taxes etc...I learned a lot about social behavior in the environmental, neo-hippy, gay, lesbian and queer subcultures of Eugene, Oregon. After leaving DUMA and having Baba Yaga's fail financially, I got pretty discouraged about building community.

How I came upon the idea of Aphrodisiacal contexts and learned to develop it.
While still running Baba's I started a series of salon discussion evenings.
Pat Ray gave me the book "Pagan Meditations" which introduced me to the concept of Aphrodisiacal and I decided to hold an entire series of salons just on the concept of women and sexuality. At the first salon I held a woman named Caledonia came and explained that she was a devotee of the goddess Aphrodite and she had been for years. She explained that this meant she would be of sexual service to anyone who presented themselves as in need. I found this fascinating. At first I thought she was possibly hurting herself. She basically explained the concept of what I now call Transpersonal sex ( more about this term in future entries).
I also began attending The Aquarian Tabernacle Church Spring Mysteries Festival. At this festival, Sylvan Grove Coven created an Aphrodite Temple and held Aphrodite Rituals, (I will also go into detail about these in the future, I promise). These events were sex magick rituals.
Before these experiences I had seen Aphrodite as an unachievable icon of femininity. I resented her archetype and belittled it by putting her in the dumb blonde catagory. After this education I came to see that one of her magickal powers is to give humans the ability to see and experience the Divine through sex with others. When I am having Aphrodisiacal sex it is an ego less merging with other divine beings that expands me and sends ecstasy in all directions.

Back in Mundane land:I started making ceramics and really focusing on my path as a Wiccan Priestess in 1995.
I started a public Wiccan Tradition with my friends Cathy Chandler and Caledonia Crossman: we called it Cauldron of Changes. I learned a lot about Wicca, paganism, incense making, magickal tools, energy work and sex magick. Spent some time in the O.T.O. with ceremonial magicians.

In 1995 I also started TerraFire Arts, mainly selling at the Eugene Saturday Market. I sold ceramic jewelry and idols focusing on Images of the Goddess. I learned a lot about ceramics, art marketing and the Circle of hands collective art gallery. At this time I also started taking classes and eventually training to teach Holistic Peer Counseling. Wahaba Heartsun was my teacher and mentor. I started teaching this system of peer counseling based on re-evaluation counseling beliefs in 1997. My marriage started to unravel due to a series of polyamorous relationships and the changes in my beliefs. I started teaching and counseling as my main form of income in 1999. I attended the WTO in November 1999. I made the long awaited move to Seattle in March 2000.

I've written a lot here and I will continue with what is an international sex positive adult educator and counselor.