Gathering: Community and Sexuality

Many small groups and communities today are much more open about sexuality than groups seemed to be in the past. Our community is very body friendly; hugs, cuddles, hot tubbing, and massage are common, and sexuality is an open subject.

There are many other groups and communities that may have some overlap, but which deal with sexuality in different ways - from simple body-friendly groups like CuddleBuddies, Cuddle Party, Esalen massage, nudist groups, to groups that deal with sexual energy and tantra, to alternative lifestyle groups such as polyamory, swingers, GLBT, BDSM, to groups that engage in sacred sexuality and ritual. Phenomena like "The Vagina Monologs", which one of our community members performs in, would have been unthinkable a generation ago. The list is very long.

What does this all mean? Freedom from the old morality? A slide into decadence? Honesty in facing our sexuality? Using sex as a distraction from deeper life issues? Integration of a part of us that is often treated with shame?

This Sunday, we will open up this "hot" topic for discussion. What part of the current trend bothers you? What has gotten you curious? What has enhanced your life in some way? We will talk about our own reactions and feelings to what we have seen and experienced in other groups, as well as in our own, in an atmosphere of honesty and non-judgmentalism.