WHAT? OR: Shavuot, have you met Her? Really MET Her? You may already know that...Shavuot, classically known as the festival of revelation, is an all-night study/ prayer fest commemorating the initial transmission of Torah (to Moses/ the People on Mount Sinai). Traditional Shavuot celebrations involve staying up all night studying, eating lots of dairy & engaging in song, dance & prayer in order to activate fresh transmissions of Cosmic Teachings, designed to meet us in the challenges of our time.
But have you heard....
Shavuot's origins pre-date Judaism & are rooted in a Mesopotamian/Babylonian sacred marriage rites!!! During these rituals Whore Priestexxxes invited the spirit of the Goddess known as Innana/ Ishtar into their bodies & then received the seed of johns and/ or priests to ensure the fertility of the land for the growing season ahead. This ritual occurred in the spring after a 7 week barley counting festival (Counting the Omer, anyone?)
The cosmic movement said to occur on Shavuot is illustrated in the Zohar in great detail - the Divine Phallus AKA Cosmic Bridegroom circles the universe gathering Seeds of Creation from each of the portals on the Eitz Chayiim (Kabbalist Tree of Life) & then thrusts into the chamber of the Bride of All Brides (Shechinah, THE Divine Femme AKA Innana, in her Judaic form). It is written that those who stay up all night studying will be invited to enter into the bridal chamber to witness the consummation of their marriage.
Just as Innana (through the bodies of the Whore Priestexxxes) received the seed of the priests/ johns in order to fertilize the land, Shechinah, Whose Body IS the Body of the Earth, receives the seed delivered by the Divine Phallus, ensuring both the physical & spiritual fertility of the Earth.
Do you believe in all this?
Yes, actually, we do! We believe that our spiritual lineage is rooted in earth-based practices designed to align our breath with the breathing of the Earth so that we can attune to the power of life itself & work with life (expressed as the erotic force) itself to bring liberation in our time. We believe in the power of whores to bring healing through sex magic. We believe in the potency of ritual theater to influence cosmic drama & help us to increasingly embody our true, emboldened, wild, witchy, powerful, revolutionary selves. We believe that Shavuot is imbued with teachings & technologies which can assist us in exorcizing demons of domination from the body of the Earth & midwifing in Olam ha Ba (the World that is Coming, Constantly Coming, Through US). We believe that revelation is a reciprocal event (in which the Cosmic Divine reveals Herself to us when/if we show up prepared to reveal ourselves right back to Her, thus transforming ALL involved). We believe in Innana. We believe in Shechinah. We believe these stories are HOT and we yearn to draw close to the flame.
Don't YOU?
If this highly cosmic, highly horny talk gets you wet - come join us! Together, we will witness and take turns performing a piece of scripted ritual theater which reflects the activity of BOTH of these sacred marriage rituals (both the one illustrated in the Zohar & the one performed in Innana's ancient temples). We will eat (copious amounts of dairy). We will imbibe. We will study. We will pray. And we will PLAY.
Wait, like, a Play Party? Do you mean SEX MAGIC?
Yes, glad you asked. The intention is to open a space for erotic contact with the cosmic transmission that occurs on Shavuot with the explicit goal to CATCH THE COSMIC SEED and DIRECT IT TOWARDS COLLECTIVE LIBERATION. Participants will be welcomed to engage in sex/ kink play at their own discretion and as works for their own bodies/ spirits/ hearts/ minds. We will begin the evening getting grounded in consent practices based on the The Wheel of Consent before opening the space up for group play. Celibate & shy community members are just as welcome to join as those who are versed in/ available for horny group play.
Who is invited to this ceremony?
While this gathering is centered around & devoted to queer/ trans Jews who are on an anti-Zionist path, anyone who wishes to practice with us is welcome. We are especially excited to welcome swers & whores of any/ all lineages to join us in weaving this potent, liberatory spell.
OK, OK, my interest is peeked. Tell me the details?
Location/ Lodging/ Meals
- Hosted @ Ten of Cups in Randle, WA (approx 2 hours from Portland, Seattle & Olympia)
- Guests will be invited to camp. Camping gear may be available for loan if needed.
- There is no public transit to Ten of Cups, though ride-sharing will be set-up & encouraged.
- All meals will be provided & collectively prepared.
Access Info
- Much of Ten of Cups is wheel-chair accessible. If you are a wheel chair user or have other access questions, please reach out to elana.june.margolis@gmail.com
- ASL will not be provided.
- We ask that all participants limit exposure to COVID-19 in the week leading up to the gathering by wearing a mask in public & avoiding crowded spaces whenever possible.
- If possible, please use Xlear Nasal Spray with Xylitol (or comparable alternative) & antimicrobial mouthwash daily in the week leading up to the retreat, as well as for the duration of the retreat. Both significantly reduce the risk of contracting (and thus spreading) COVID-19, as well as other viruses.
- All participants are required to take a molecular test (such as the ones provided by PlusLife/ Altruran) on the day the retreat begins BEFORE arrival. If you are unable to access a test & reader, please take a rapid test on the day of the retreat BEFORE arriving - we'll test you again as soon as you arrive.
- Masking will be optional.
- This will not be a sober space, though sober folks are very welcome!
Registration Info
Registration is on a sliding scale of $180 - $540, recommended $360
18% of the accumulated registration fees will be redirected to local mutual aid efforts.
Partial scholarships are available - indicate if you need one below!
A deposit of $90 is expected within 3 days of filling out this form & full registration is due by May 26th.
About the Facilitators:
Elana-June Margolis (she/they/we) AKA
Kohenet Chalav u Dvash ba Tehomo (Priestexxx of Milk & Honey in the Gay Void) is a white, queer, femme, Ashkenazi, anti-Zionist Jewish mystic, teacher, artist & community organizer. Her life’s work is dedicated to liberating ancestral texts, technologies & tales in service of personal healing towards collective liberation. Elana June's teachings are rooted in abolitionism, whore-forward feminism, anti-racism, queer/ trans theory & praxis, Zoharic Kabbalah, de-colonized Anthroposophy & earth-based Judaism. Elana-June currently makes home on Northern Pomo land at
the Mariposa Institute
Evie Vigil is a queer & trans nb facilitator and multimedia artist living on Tewa land in Albuquerque NM where they were born and raised. They are merging their practices as a somatic sex educator, eco-ritualist, poet, ceramicist and scholar. As an underground sex worker of 13 years, they have co-created sex worker support groups, skill-share retreats, communal erotic practice spaces, and currently organize within Scarlet Prairie Collective in New Mexico. Their work is spiritually informed by crypto-jewish survival strategies, marian devotion, pilgrimage, deep listening & ecological courtship.
More questions? Feel free to email elana.june.margolis@gmail.com
Ready to register! Wonderful! We are SO excited to get into this Deep & Wild Magic with YOU! Please fill out the form below & be sure to press submit at the end!
With love,
Elana-June in cahoots with Evie Vigil & our hosts @ Ten of Cups
