Hello again,
I’m on the train back to Berlin, from a weekend full of love in my hometown. Ironically, a place with the most venusian weapon (read til end to see).
I guess inspiration creeps in unintentionally, silently until it spills out into reality, like your carbonated water bottle after keeping it in your luggage, twenty-something years later.
I meant to write this piece on my way there already a few days ago. but you know how it goes, uninspired and annoyed by an overcrowded train, that urged me to switch places a couple of times until I, Sheldon-Cooper-like, found the perfect seat. One that doesn’t smell like opened beer cans, one that doesn’t sound like a call center on “bring-your-kids-to-work”-day in the silent area of the train. Only to find out that the train switches directions midway. Anyways, i hope my little self-ironic rant made you smirk in relatability. Experiences like this always teach me to let go of planning and controlling and lean back into what’s actually happening, so let’s do that together: Let’s lean back, dive in, and bathe in the energy I carry from spending a few days in the comfort of my hometown, with friends I’ve known forever, sharing plates, memories, ideas and dreams, some of which have recently been fulfilled, others that are still being made manifest. Speaking of the latter, I’m beyond excited to introduce you to my new crush and latest project: venusianpleasures_
venusianpleasures_ is an immersive community experience, it’s your mental holiday and your all-inclusive ticket to pleasure. It’s an invitation to carve out space for yourself to rest in being. In a world that is focused on always going, doing, striving forward, this is the antidote, within that world. uniting opposites. It’s a 6 week immersion, that includes a bundle of 2 Dinners, 4 Zooms, 1 Book and endless replays of The Guided Nap. Neatly tied together by The Thread, which is not only the physical object tying together your book delivery (by me), it is also a collection of reflective questions as well as your guide throughout volume 1.
On the venusianpleasures_ account, I go into all the details bit by bit, post by post, yet today I want to give you a glimpse of the concept that is the grounding soil of venusianpleasures_:
The principle of receiving.
where are you right now? sitting or standing? can you feel the ground beneath your feet, the rest behind your back? I invite you to sink a little deeper. Feel how you’re held. how there’s nothing you actively have to do to sit up right, or stand tall. Your feet are carrying you and your body effortlessly remains in this posture of presence. And what about your mind? Are you contemplating what you’ll have for dinner, where you’re going on holiday, how you’ll solve that work issue on thursday? Or are you wondering about the shoulda-coulda-wouldas of last month, last year? The ones that make us learn and those we tend to roll around yet another time just to be sure we looked at it from all angles? both ways, we end up at the only place that makes it possible for us to move on from the past and to take action for the future: the present moment. (is this why they say all roads lead to Rome? all roads sure lead to roam.)
the presence: a place of receptivity.
what does that mean to you?
for me it means self trust. room for wonder. space for surprise. knowing that I’ve done all I needed, and was ready to do and give, and that I will be met with the same intent on the other side of things. that I am receiving. it means to me, that I have the space and time to take a breath, deep enough to maintain a steady pace, rather than the shallow rhythm of urgency. for me it means to feed the body and the mind. the grounding earths of a wholesome meal, the refreshing winds of a stimulating read. *edit: to me, it also means to be willing and open to receive, accept the invitation of a friend, allow others’ offers to get the bill, knowing that it’s nothing you depend on but that it’s the grail of generosity, the pinnacle of prosperity being passed to you, welcome it with open hands, meet it with equal gratitude & appreciation, then pass it on*
a virtual and physical realm of cultivating to carve out this presence for yourself.
you know what, ever, hinders me to calm down and read? a state of overstimulation. venusianpleasures_ is offering you to commit to 6 weeks of immersing in prioritizing yourself and have fun with it.
The intention of venusianpleasures_ is to meet those places, where the shore hits the sand, where the tranquility of a good read meets the contentment after a fulfilling meal. a place that brings a glow of wit into your face, that blows life into the sails of your heart, that warms you from the inside out and from head to toe. like a sunbath next to glistening waves rolling in and out of the seaside. a space to bring you into a resourceful state of creativity and vitality. a space best received through rest, presence, physical nourishment, mental stimulation: pleasure.
while the principle of receiving is connotated and defined as feminine, we are open to alll genders and we know that no matter how you identify, we all carry the shades and colors of feminine and masculine principles within us.
We are building a community of those, with a hungry heart and mind, looking for a capsule of comfort within their worlds of fullish calendars, an international community of those, carrying curiosity about the enjoyment of a good book, the soft lean-back into your own breath & the art of coming together (with yourself) over amazing food. for those excited to be with themselves while being with another. a place of honesty, realness, authenticity, integrity, exploration and excitement.
each volume will be roofed by a specific topic, so you can hop on Zoom to explore the topics with the help of a book that can be read alongside, but doesn’t have to be read to a certain page in order to take part. Within our Zoom room we will explore each subtopic in conversation and creativity, making space to receive and be received.
With two ticket options to choose from, I encourage you to take part from anywhere in the world. You might not make it to the in-person dinner, yet you can take yourself out on a date on the night of the opening dinner and share your experience, that will be guided by The Thread, when we meet on the Zoom realm a week later. Knowing that you and all other Traveling Flings are united in the mutual experience of having a dinner date with yourself.
Itinerary *something like this"*:
Opening Dinner *TBA*: Welcome to your mental holiday. 3 courses at a selected dinner-location in Berlin, meet Ray & all other Local Lovers.
Zoom 1: In Convo: Community Exchange
Zoom 2: Journey to Belonging: Guided Meditation & Journaling Practice
Zoom 3: Exploring the space in between (self / others): Creative Writing
Zoom 4: Giving is Receiving: Exchange & Invitations
Closing Dinner *TBA*: Brink of Pleasure. A wrap up.
+++ The Guided Nap: your 30 minute yin yoga / restorative practice, to take a breath and stretch the nerves, available for 8 full weeks, to be replayed whenever you need.
The vision for venusianpleasures_ is to integrate pop ups outside of the 6 week volumes, and to grow into retreats and other events.
venusianpleasures_ tackles the inevitable opposition of being (with) yourself while being in community and unites the polarity of aloneness and togetherness by making space to explore it all in a room of pleasure, curiosity and receptivity. wet sand to dry land.
As I too, slowly hit the harbor of my selected home, Berlin, I’m wrapping up this letter to you, sent with a full heart and filled to the brim with excitement on what’s to come.
stay tuned in, leaned back, and ready to receive,
warmly,
Ray - your OG Venus.