It's funny, how much we live in little bubbles, without having any idea just how isolated we are from the world. There's been lots of writing and podcasting lately about that in relation to Donald Trump, and how their election came as a surprise. (I, for one, was so confident about Hillary Clinton's success I was already celebrating the diversity they might bring...). We do the 'bubble' thing around a lot - especially around politics and opinion.

I got whacked out of my bubble again recently, when I bumped into someone from outside my normal world. They wound up accusing me of all sorts of things, because I believe that HIV is a real thing. I'll tell you about it below, but first, some recent (real) news about HIV.
 
I'm old enough that I had two people within my network die from HIV, back in the early 90's. Then, another two friends became HIV-positive, which we all assumed was a death-sentence... But the drugs and treatments just got better, and better, and they went from sick, to surviving, to surprisingly well.  I've lost contact with one of those friends, but the other is alive and changing the world in the best of ways. They're a sex-positive pioneer.

And things have just gotten better and better; recent drugs are starting to get incredibly close to stopping transmissibility, and others are close to using the word 'cure' (at least, under certain lab circumstances). The World Health Organisation predicts that Australia will have achieved "effective eradication" by around 2030, with more challenging geo-political areas to follow five or ten years later. These numbers are based on the drugs currently completing their human-trials, and the likely time it will take for pricing to allow for a global trickle-down.

I am just amazed; these developments are going to have a profound impact on a significant portion of the human population.
 
And yet...
I bumped into someone around six years ago, at a festival. We got into a conversation, where they revealed they thought HIV was a hoax.

Sometimes the tantra community - especially the older guard - are accused of having poor ethics and practice around safer-sex; at its worst, young adherents are told not to use condoms and other strategies in sex, but rather, to "surround yourself with pure, clear energy, give yourself fully to the moment, and the strength of our combined spirit will keep us pure" or something like that. I knew that to be the case, but it was still fucking weird coming up against a real life representative of that perspective.

I was kind of gobsmacked for a little while, but eventually I stated that I thought this person's views were not just wrong, but deeply dangerous, and that I didn't want them to leave the conversation thinking that my silence could be assumed to be support.

What else can you do? I wandered back into the festival and my usual bubble.

Fast forward to the present tense, when someone made some inquiries about coming along to Curiosity (the rather progressive sex-positive play-party I run once a month). They had a slightly unusual name, and on a hunch, I remembered the HIV-hoax conversation and thought it couldn't hurt to ask if it was them...
 
Me (as part of a broader, polite conversation in response to their original question):
"Also, unless your views on HIV as a hoax have changed, if I’m being honest, I don’t think this is the right event for you."

Them:
"Gosh Roger,
I'd expect a more professional un-emotive attitude from someone who claims to be a sexuality teacher.
There is a huge amount of scientific evidence (just as there in the vaccine scam industry) that these supposed modern diseases and supposed cures are figments of imagination for corrupt and arrogant corporate and political gangsters, hell bent on inventing new diseases and supposed cures to keep us all as sick as possible.
If you don't do some research on these important subjects (checkout youtube for starters), I'd suggest you stop advertising yourself as a sexuality teacher since in my opinion, your just another stupid ignoramus following the party line.
God gave you a brain. Use it.
Yes, people get sick. Yes, people die of illnesses. People generally die because our immune system is incapable of overcoming the causes of our illness.
A lot of modern illnesses are cause by drugs. I hope you're not one those who take recreational drugs, because if you do, you are placing yourself in danger of compromising your immune system.
So called 'HIV/AIDS' arrived from the gay community in San Francisco in the 70's who were taking sexually enhancing drugs for sexual recreation.
Wake up and smell the roses buddy.
When I saw you [at a public daytime event] you looked pretty fucked up to me.
Take care."
 
At this point, the temptation is to scream.

In part, I want to scream at the personal attack, and how it seems to be such an apparently integral part of being a sexuality / gender / relationships / kink advocate. Fortunately, in this case, it's pretty hard to take it too seriously, because it's so crude.

In part, I want to scream on behalf of the attitude in the background of this person's thinking - that if you've got HIV, it's because you're bad and / or not looking after yourself. This line of thinking is disgusting to me.

And in part, I want to scream about people's inability to intelligently apply skepticism. There's actually some well-intentioned stuff in this person's response; the criticisms about big-pharma are not too far from the truth of some different situations - just not this one.

The thing with this, as a conspiracy theory, is that there must be tens of thousands of science-minded people actively engaged in HIV research or treatment, and to think that it's possible to get each and every one of them to act in collusion and rally behind a lie is beyond what humans are capable of. It's hard to get a small number of people on the same team to keep a secret, let alone tens of thousands of very different people.

This thinking (or lack thereof) is what makes me want to scream; it's in the way of our progress on so many fronts, and it keeps us from coming out of our insular little thought bubbles and exposing ourselves to new and different information.

Unfortunately, screaming doesn't help. Screaming at humans almost never helps anything. So instead...
 
Me:
"I’m so glad I asked; you would have very much not enjoyed the culture of Curiosity, and the way safer-sex protocols are described and handled. This outcome is better for us both.
Since your response [to me] is a rather personal attack, please don’t get back to me again. I’ll remove you from our mailing list so you’re not bothered by our spam.
Regards, Roger."

Them (this is just one line from an otherwise mostly polite response):
"Talking of personal attacks, for you to ban me from your meetings because of my personal very well researched and scientifically backed knowledge of HIV/AIDS is pure unprofessional ignorant cultish nonsense."
 
I've laughed and I've cried about this exchange, just in terms of what it says about the human condition (which is normally something I'm pretty positive about).

In the meanwhile, I hope my friend of 25 years - the one with HIV - doesn't have to read this, and instead continues doing what they do in the world unencumbered. I hope the *cliche warning, but it's true* kids in South Africa that get raped (because it's believed their virginity can cure HIV) get let off the hook as soon as possible, as this next wave of medicines trickle down.

I hope we all get out of our comfortable little bubbles, and I hope that Google comes up with a magic 'truth' algorithm (even though I know that's not possible). This might sound weird, but I think the old-guard tantra person I was chatting to has good intentions - I just really wish they would align with good science.

In the meanwhile, I will get back to sharing my take on sex-positivity, which for the moment will continue to be informed by the 'hellish cult of mainstream science'.
 
Go well, Rog.
 

Upcoming workshops
The September Curiosity play-space is going to be during the day (4-8pm), since the recent experiment was so successful. This is only for folks who have already done the full Curiosity workshop, the next one of which isn't until Sunday the 8th of October.

Also we've relaunched our Curiosity website and made it sparkly! It's now specially tailored to walking new folk through the Curiosity experience. Recommend it to your friends who are curious but unsure, and check it out yourself at http://curiosity.curiouscreatures.biz/.

Fun Little Sex Games (for all couples) is on September 23.

Kink 101 (for all couples, and male/female identified pairings singles) is on September 24.

Kink 102 (for all couples, and mixed gender pairings singles) is on October 7. It's preferred that you've done Kink 101 but if you have a good grounding in consent (which we'll review) and know you enjoy kink, come along!

Upcoming Sydney workshops - tell your friends!
We'll be in Sydney for the first time ever this September. Exciting stuff, please let your friends and contacts know. We're filling up fast, so encourage them to book in soon.

Fun Little Sex Games (for all couples) is on September 16.

The Forest Ritual (for male/female identified pairings) is on September 16.

Kink 101 (for all couples, and mixed gender pairings singles) is on September 17.

Podcast: Curious Conversations About Sex
In Ep 17: I notice my orgasm potential dropping off over time; what's sex like for aging people? Rog and Dr Linda Kirkman explores sexuality questions especially relevant to those of us who are aging (or planning to do so in the future).

In Ep 18: Is sex a slippery slope of addiction? Does the pursuit of sex inevitably lead to...? We've been taught sexuality is a wild beast waiting to consume us. Rog interviews two people: one interested in football, and the other interested in sex. Find out the amusing results ...

In Ep 19: I have Vaginismus - any advice welcome Anne Hunter, Niyati Evers, and Rog have a special conversation from the personal perspective of three people with direct experience of this condition.

In Ep 20: What do you wish you were told at the start of your sex journey? Dr Linda Kirkman and Rog have a frank discussion about what it was like growing up and navigating sex.

In Ep 21: How do you train a submissive? Aerie, Beejay and Rog discuss consent (for a change!), safety, techniques, and the psychology of the way different people learn.

In Ep 22: Polyamory: Do you believe in tight or loose agreements? ...Strict rules, or relationship anarchy? Dossie Easton, Anne Hunter and Rog get deep into the subtleties of polyamory (and open relationships and non-monogamy in general) and share their combined wisdom of 70+ years of personal experience.

In Ep 23: What's your number one sex move? Cath Carter, Maureen Matthews and Rog reveal their number one sex moves!

In Ep 24: How do I learn to be a dominant (BDSM/kink)? Aerie, Beejay and Rog talk honestly from their wealth of experience about what makes a good dominant, and what power-play is all about.

In Ep 25: Consent is not sexy Dossie Easton, Anne Hunter and Rog discuss consent as a human right. Saying it's sexy confuses the issue.

In Ep 26: The Consent Cards: A primer in great sex and consent! (Part 1 of 3) Aerie and Rog go through the juicy questions on the Curious Creatures consent card, in detail. And they share their personal stories on lessons learned the hard way.

Hi curious one,
 
My mind was blown this week - again! - by how extraordinarily amazing 'active receiving' can be. I'll describe it for you in full detail, below.

Active Receiving
As best as I recall, I learned this practice from the Sexological Bodywork crew (who I warmly recommend you check out, especially for a therapeutic and / or professional approach to sex).

You need a partner for this exercise. Set aside some quality time, and get a warm room - I like to use an electric blanket under the person that's receiving, also, because being cold doesn't support your enjoyment. Working off a massage table is perfect; a bed is okay, and being straight on the floor is good for people with high mobility. Perhaps put some ambient, spacious tunes on in the background, without too many vocals.

Have your discussions about hard limits and safer sex strategies, and perhaps line up some toys and sensation experiences. At a minimum, decant some coconut oil into a bowl.

Then, start a timer; 30 minutes is your minimum, 75 minutes is probably the upper range of what's good for most folks.

The person giving the touch waits nearby. In the absence of instructions, or if the receiver wants to self-pleasure, then the giver simply holds space (by staying near, and respectfully observing).

The receiver constantly scans their body for what they'd like to experience, and asks for it. In a more professional setting - the way this material is presented by SexBod - the giver only touches using their gloved hands. In a more personal, intimate environment, the two of you might agree that other forms of touch and experience are on the menu. However, crucially, the receiver needs to focus on themselves for the entire time, and resist the temptation to project their sexuality or arousal onto the giver. It's not meant to be a 'relationship' process, but rather, a 'self-development' one; the giver is essentially a very elaborate robot, listening carefully to instructions and acting on them (according to whatever boundaries were set initially).

The receiver is encouraged to stay with the experiences in their body, rather than disappear off into fantasy. While there's nothing wrong with that under different circumstances, part of the point of this activity is to learn more about one's own body and pleasure - and this is not possible if one is too far off in one's thoughts and fantasies.

At some stage, it can be great to have fifteen minutes of time principally for genital touch. This doesn't need to be sexual or to go in any particular direction, but it helps to reinforce your relationship with your genitals.  The specific touch you might ask for could be anything from "cup my genitals with your hands, in stillness", through to "fist me". Trust your body.

It's nice if the robot - I mean, the 'giver' - can let the receiver know when their time is nearly up, so as to allow for cooling down. Then, depending on the nature of the experience, a few minutes of lying still and integrating the experience is often welcome... So is a hug, sometimes.

As with everything, debrief; the simple questions of "What did you like?", "What would you do differently / more of / less of, next time?", and "What do you like about this play-partner?" are a great starting point.
And then, swap!

Enjoy this practice, friends. I am consistently surprised at just how much pleasure the above activity can bring, but perhaps more importantly... It feels like it's a very solid way to progress one's sexual development.  It feels like the lessons and experiences are really landing, rather than simply being fun and hedonistic one-off happenings. And anything that continues to develop the integration of your words with you pleasure is going to make for better sex and relationships.

Yay!

(The above types of play feature in Fun Little Sex Games - as just a very gentle introduction in the beginner classes, then as described above in the intermediate / advanced classes).
 
'The Forest' continues to grow...
The Forest is such a lovely little workshop. It's built around a ritual where one half of the group stands still (as 'trees') with blindfolds on, and the other half of the group moves amongst them, giving experiences. The workshop includes some very fun extras and, naturally, lots of boundary-setting work.

It's surprisingly rich learning territory, as well as delightful fun, a lot of the time. So much so, that we now have versions for mixed-gender pairings, and male/female pairings. Perhaps even more exciting is the introduction of 'Deep Forest', only for people that have already done the standard workshop. In the Deep Forest, where all the trees have demonstrated their ability to set and respect boundaries, the experience is richer and longer...
 
Other workshops
The July Curiosity play-space is going to be during the day (4pm-8pm), as an experiment.  This is only for folks who have already done the full Curiosity workshop, the next one of which isn't until Sunday the 6th of August.
 
Podcast:  Curious Conversations About Sex.
In 'My partner and I used to have sex...?', Anne Hunter, Niyati Evers and Rog dive into the question that almost all long-term relationships will ask at some stage.

In 'BDSM: Isn't it just more sexualised violence against women?', Aerie, Beejay and Rog get into some really deeply juicy territory relating to consent (and non-consent), gender-play, communication skills, and slut-shaming.
 
Hope you're enjoying your journey of self-discovery, Rog.
 
P.S. I'd like to welcome Sair into the role of the Adminatrix, and also take this opportunity to thank Aerie for a stunning three years of domming the shit out of the CC task list, and generally steering a tight admin ship - your knowledge of the sector and the community, coupled with your admin skills, has been golden. Thank you!

Hi Curious ones,
 
Tantra is profound. But from the outside, it can be hard to know where and how to get started. That's where this exercise comes in; it teaches the skills of getting into your body, reading your partner's feedback, one-way touch (which is crucial to extending pleasure!), and the joy of playing in the subtleties of touch. (In fact, this exercise is a very powerful solution to what we might call the problem of 'over enthusiastic' touch).
It's called 'The Stills'. You'll need a partner of any gender, and it can be easily adapted for people with different levels of mobility.
Person One lies down on their back, with a pillow under their head, and is not allowed to move any body parts except their eyes (and any internal muscles, like breathing, but strictly no talking). Person Two plays with them, up until Person One flinches or moves - it's normally totally obvious to both parties when a flinch has occurred. When the receiver flinches (or moves in any other way), it's time to swap - the giver gets down on their back and is now the receiver. (Note that the person receiving touch can control the play by ‘accidentally’ flinching, thereby prompting a swap; consent is built into the structure).
It's not a hard one to get the hang of. As the giver, you can attempt to make the other person move by using erotic touch, and perhaps see just how far you can push that edge. Or you can see how long they can hold out on being tickled. Or if you're playing with someone that likes pain...  Well, I'll just leave that to your imagination.
When I came up with this game, I mostly had hedonistic fun intentions in mind. But I soon realised how much training value there is in it, as well as being a way to bring some humour and lightness into play (which is such a turn-on!). So, enjoy being still.
It's one of about a dozen games in Fun Little Sex Games.
 
In last week’s podcast Curious Conversations About Sex, I tackled the question of “Why are men such dicks?” with Lorraine Pentelow and Charlotte Sway. The topic the week before was “What’s it Like Being a Public Figure in the World of Sexuality?”, with Cyndi Darnell and Barbara Carrellas.
They’re damn juicy conversations. You can listen online, but it’s oh so much better to work out how to subscribe (via Apple or other devices).
 
Fun Little Sex Games (couples) is on April 22, and Kink 101 (couples and mixed gender singles) on April 23.
Playing With Your Power is on April 29th, and The Forest on April 30th.
 
Warmly, Rog.

​

Friends:  The podcast has arrived! I am so excited to be broadcasting the sex-positive message out a little wider, and just delighted to be able to chat to such talented people about important topics.
'Curious Conversations About Sex' debuts today, available wherever you get your podcasts from, or from the Curious Creatures website.
​
There are three episodes ready for you:

• Barbara Carrellas and Cyndi Darnell respond to "How can I introduce more interesting sex into my relationship?"
• Lorraine Pentelow and Charlotte Sway discuss "What can I do about my protruding inner labia?"
• Cath Carter and Maureen Matthews answer "What's your number one sex move?"

These people, and their perspectives, are gold!
And perhaps you're tempted to submit a question of your own...?

There are still a few spots left for this Saturday's rather delicious'The Forest' ritual.  Then Fun Little Sex Games comes around on the 21st, Kink 101 on the 25th, and the next Curiosity workshop(for new folks) is on the 26th - on a random Sunday (not associated with a play-party) especially for those of you that can't do the usual Saturday afternoon thing.

I hope you're well, and also hope to have the pleasure of your company as some friends and I meander through Curious Conversations About Sex!
Warmly, Rog.

By Roger Butler from Curious Creatures.
 
Most relationships begin with relatively high quantities and quality of sexual activity.  For a while – the ‘limerance’ phase – it’s so exciting to be in relationship with this new special person that sex tends to unfold pretty enthusiastically all by itself.  But for almost all relationships, this phase passes as the relative mundanity of life kicks back in; somehow it gets harder to make high quality time for each other, the initial sense of never-ending attraction is replaced by the usual interpersonal frustrations, or life just gets busy. And all of those problems get exaggerated if you happen to have kids.
If this is you, don’t worry: You’re behaving perfectly normally, and the challenges you’re experiencing can be solved.  What follows is a few general strategies you can employ, and one specific intervention that’s easy to implement and works for most people, most of the time:  The Two-Minute Game.
The structure of this game is really simple: You take it in turns asking for what you want, and the other person gives that activity for two minutes.  Then you swap (and repeat, for as few or as many rounds as you want). The simplicity of the structure wildly undersells just how far-reaching it can be.
When it’s your turn to ask for something, I recommend simply shutting your eyes, and trusting your intuition.  What you come up with will often be very surprising and unusual.  But that’s what intimacy is like; sex is often portrayed as only being about kissing, manual stimulation, oral, and penetration – and while these things can be loads of fun – our bodies and minds are often way more creative than that.  Free yourself from expectations around things like orgasms, arousal, or anything that looks like sex is portrayed on television, and instead just see where your curiosities take you.  Here are some of the favourite things I’ve asked for in over a decade of playing this game:

• Cradle my head in your lap and tell my why you love me / why I’m a good person.
• Tickle my back with a feather.
• Lie still on top of me.  I want to feel the weight of your body against mine.
• Pull my hair.
• Give my a piggy-back ride.
• Give me a foot massage.
• Make me a cup of tea.
• Let me watch you undress / stretch / dance / self-pleasure / etc.
• …And of course many much more graphic and sexual things that can’t be written here.  Suffice to say, you can let the game get very sexy if that’s where the mood takes you.

One of the most delicious things about this exercise is that if the two of you are wanting a sexual experience but can’t imagine how to get started, the structure will give you an opportunity to let your foreplay unfold at the perfect pace.  What seems at first like a clunky and overly structured approach to intimacy can quickly become your reliable go-to strategy.

One of the things that busy people tend to be able to do without herculean effort is find a certain time of the week for each other, like Thursday nights, or Sunday mornings during the baby’s nap-time, or whatever works for you.  It’s almost impossible to guarantee you’re going to be energised or aroused when ‘date day’ comes around, but you can commit to simply being there – which is all the Two-Minute Game asks of you.  It will come to be a little moment of sanctuary in a schedule that is otherwise dedicated to things other than the relationship.

You will learn new things about yourself, and each other.  Even after decades of being together, the simple act of being able to check in with your body and see what kind of attention it would like will reveal many delicious new things.

The short and simple structure of the game addresses something that stops many of us from asking for what we want:  Fear of being perceived as selfish lovers.  If we’re only going to be in receiving-mode for two minutes (and anyway then swap over and give back), you’re not leaving much scope for your internal critics to make a mess.  Also, the game solves another problem:  What do you do when you’ve asked your partner for something, and they give it to you, but then you tire of the activity or change your mind?  How do you politely say “thank you, but no thank you” without appearing demanding or ungrateful?  The answer is embedded in the structure:  The buzzer goes off, and the activity ends.  More often than not, you’ll be left with a sense of longing for more, which is absolutely perfect!  It’s better to end an activity before it reaches its use-by date, and leave yourself hungry.
Pro-tip:  You can simply give an activity for a period without a timer and then call ‘time’, but very few people are good at this.  It’s much better if you just use a timer on your phone; no-one needs to be responsible for keeping track of time, or for interrupting a fun activity.  Your phone does the hard work!

Another pro-tip:  Sex is often portrayed in a way where your partner just somehow magically knows how to touch you, without you asking.  That’s true for a very small percentage of the population; the rest of us benefit a lot from using our language skills and asking for what we want – the person that’s using communication in their sex-life is guaranteed to be having better sex than the person that isn’t.  Once you’ve asked for something, your partner can respectfully negotiate anything that isn’t right for them – that’s part of the communication process.  This game will help you to get much better at asking for what you want, and therefore it’s much more likely that you’ll get what you want.
​
There are other strategies you might want to put in place, depending on your circumstances.  Some of them are quick and easy, some of them require some self-development and relationship work along the way – however, sex and intimacy is like anything else, in that it takes time and practice to get good at it.  For some reason, we often think we should just be good at sex without putting any effort in, which is weird, because that’s true for no other skill.  Some specific things you might want to consider:

• As mentioned above, make special, quality time for each other.  A regular time each week – even just a half an hour, if that’s all you’ve got – puts you well ahead.  For bonus points, make a commitment to be well-slept and not hungover for it.
• Read books, sign up for webinars, go to workshops, listen to podcasts, read articles, and generally raise your education about your sexuality.  We live in liberated times, and there is a stunning amount of quality information out there.
• Become each other’s allies around your sexual challenges.  Work together on things like loss of libido, the limitations of your bodies, and whatever shame or emotional dents you bring from your respective histories – well all have them.  It feels amazing when you’re in partnership with your lover in tackling the inevitable sexual bumps in the road.
• If you have mismatched libidos, talk about it.  See if you can find different ways of doing intimacy that meet both of your needs – between mismatched libidos often lies new forms of play waiting to be discovered.  Be respectfully inquisitive about what’s blocking the lesser-libido person (but don’t assume they need to change).  If things are really entrenched, perhaps more focus could be put on self-pleasuring.  And while it can be very challenging territory to negotiate, a surprising number of couples solve the problem of mismatched libidos by introducing another partner - ‘open relationships’, or ‘polyamory’ - or a sex-worker, within certain boundaries.  Either way, be creative; don’t limit yourself to standard ideas of what’s meant to work, because there is no such thing as a standard relationship.
• Work on other relationship issues. Sometimes tricky sex-lives are reflective of broader issues, and a challenge in one area will present as a sexuality problem. It’s hard to be attracted to someone with whom you feel a lot of frustration, or hurt, or invisibility (etc.).
• Attend to your general health. Arousal (and performance) is affected by your fitness, sleep, immune system, etc.
• Make sure you treat each other’s sexual advances like gold.  Don’t dismiss them out of hand, even if you’re not interested in the activity being offered at that time – otherwise you will one day lament that there are no more offers forthcoming.  “Thank you for that offer.  It’s interesting, but not quite right for me. Would you consider doing this, instead?”.

Most of all, assume that you’re perfect as you are. Be compassionate on yourself for all the experiences that have led you to this point, and also your partner. Be curious about your thoughts, concerns, and quirks in relation to sex, and see if you can find ways to bring them in rather than hope they go away.
Somewhere out there is a model of sex that is right for all of us; the best we can do is simply run a series of experiments and try and notice the results. Your unique expression exists, waiting for you to find it.
 
Roger Butler is the principal facilitator behind Curious Creatures, and runs a variety of workshops on sexuality and self-development. He doesn’t claim to be the first to have discovered the Two-Minute Game; it’s been around in various versions for a while.

If you like what’s being discussed above, you will probably like the workshop ‘Tantra for the rest of us:  Fun Little Sex Games’.  Versions are fun for couples, hetero singles, and gender-blender singles.