Conversio Virium

CV Meeting: Hacking Consent

CV is joined by Rob, who will be presenting on consent as it functions in BDSM. How do you define and maintain consent in a context where pushing limits is often the goal? How can you maintain consent when the idea of a scene is to imitate non-consent? Join us as we address these and other questions.

CV Meeting: Using Hypnosis in BDSM Scenes

CV is joined by Lady Arielle, presenting on erotic hypnosis and its amazing potential to expand the mind and the world of kink play.
302 Hamilton on Columbia University’s main campus.

Dominants, do you want to exercise control over your submissives merely by using your words? Do you desire to see your subs experience the full measure of your power without lifting a finger? Then come to see this demo. Submissives, would you like to deepen your dedication to your masters and explore your fantasies in way that you never have before? Would you like to break down the barriers and inhibitions that are preventing you from experiencing the pure and deep submission that you so crave? Do you dare to turn yourself over to a mercilessly erotic and manipulative Domina? Then participate in my demonstration.

In this demo, I will show how hypnosis could be used in BDSM Scenes. I will also discuss subspace, rope-space and other subconscious phenomena. Participation will be rewarded… with the sensations of pain, extreme pleasure, tickles, taste and anything in between. Volunteer… if you dare.

“Lady Arielle is a Natural Born Dominatrix, originally from Moscow, Russia. She is both a Lifestyle Domme as well as an independent Pro Domme, currently practicing in Manhattan. Lady Arielle is a Glamour Domina with a Mensa IQ and a sense of strong Russian Discipline. She is a Queen of textures and uses many ‘pervertables’ in her BDSM art. Lady Arielle had presented BDSM demos at most of the Jeff Mach’s Wicked Faire Events, at Paddles (the only NYC S&M club), at club openings, and The Baroness’ parties. She was invited to teach 2 classes at the next DomConLA in Los Angeles in May 2009.”

CV Meeting: Religion, Spirituality, and Kink

We are joined this week by Dark Teddy Bear, who will be blaspheming (maybe) for our pleasure.

The connections between kink and spirituality are legion. The Christian monks of the middle ages, flagellating themselves in penitence; the woman in a latex nun’s outfit, threatening her naughty students; the kinkster marveling at how his first experience of subspace reminds him of his favorite moments from synagogue; the scene so powerful it opens spiritual doors, making the scene itself a chance for connection with the divine. Take part in a presentation and conversation on the ways in which kink and spirituality intersect.

Our presenter is an ordained minister with many years in the scene who has studied the interconnections of sexuality, religion and kink. Some of the topics to be covered include: intersections between religion and kink; religious play & religious fetish scenes; pro-kink viewpoints within different religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Paganism, historically and in modern practice; parallels in the nature and ethics of power between pastor and congregant and dominant and submissive.

The presentation will include time for questions and discussion.

CV Meeting: So You Want to be a Slut? Polyamory and You.

This week we’re joined by Mina Meow in learning about polyamory for fun and pleasure. As always, Monday night at 9 PM in room 302 Hamilton Hall.

Survival tips on how to do it safely, sanely, and just have more fun!

Interested in exploring more sexual partners or opening up a current relationship, but don’t know where to start? Curious about polyamory or swinging, but don’t know how to talk about it with your partner? Come to this presentation, explore alternative sexual relationships and avenues of loving and relating, and walk away with skills for venturing into the world of unlimited love and pleasure.

Handouts now available: Mina put together two fantastic handouts for her presentation, which she has been generous enough to share with us digitally. If you missed the presentation, and or if you didn’t but just want a reference, you can download her “So you want to be a slut” handout (PDF), as well as a supplemental “Safer Sex Info” handout (PDF) as well. Thanks, Mina!

CV Meeting: Humorous Roleplay in Serious D/s

Join CV and Jeff Mach this Monday in 302 Hamilton, 9 PM.

Alternatively titled: “Nobody Told Me My Dangerous And Taboo Life As A Slave Would Come With So Many Harry Potter References”, this presentation will be about how humor can work in scenes, deliberately or accidentally, and how it can be used to enhance the overall scene experience.

CV Meeting: Strategies for Upping Your Mean Factor – Working with Physical Limitations

CV cracks back into the semester with some deliciously vicious presentation goodness, courtesy Corey Alexander.

Despite the image of the all-powerful-never-tiring Top, most of us work with physical limitations: height, strength, size, disability, stamina. This interactive workshop will offer you concrete tools and strategies for upping the level of pain and psychological distress that you cause, within your own set of physical limitations. This workshop unabashedly celebrates sadism, and is for all who are interested in upping the mean factor in their play.

Location: 302 Hamilton on Columbia’s campus.

CV Meeting: Behavioral Status as a Scene Tool

Conversio Virium’s own Maja will be presenting this week about Behavioral Status as a Scene Tool. Using ideas yoinked from theater games, we’ll explore how to method-act your way into an empowered role.

CV Meeting: Play Piercing with Rob

This week, we will be talking about the joy of temporary play piercing!

Are you tired of your current topological configuration? Is being isomorphic to a genus four surface boring you to tears? Then join us Monday as Rob discusses the basics of temporary topological modification (play piercing).

For those of us who are less mathematically-inclined, Rob will be discussing the fine art of sticking needles in people safely and effectively! No experience necessary. Join us!

CV Meeting: The Physical Takedown in DS: A Lecture, Demonstration, and Optional Mini-Training

Conversio Virium is joined this week by TD, who will be teaching us how to very literally dominate a partner.

Some submissives want to be “forced” to the floor and physically dominated. This can be a challenge. The submissive may be physically sensitive so brute force may be unwise. On the other hand, the submissive may be relatively big and strong so technique is essential. We discuss the gentle art of physical domination culled from jujitsu, aikido, mixed martial arts, submission grappling and wrestling. A man or a women can learn approaches to safely control the body of their lover, take the partner from standing to helpless on the floor, ready for “use” by the dominant partner.

There will be a discussion of why and when to use these approaches followed by a demonstration and, for all who are interested, a short training in the basics of the art form. All are invited to participate or simply to watch.

CV Meeting: Furniture Bondage

Erin Houdini joins us again to present an enticing hands-on workshop on how to quickly and effectively use rope to tie up your bottom in the comfort of your own home, apartment, or dorm room! All skill levels welcome.

Tying up your partner is lots of fun. Tying your partner to things can be even more fun! Tie him to a chair! Tie her to that table! Don’t have any furniture? Be creative. Tie her to any fixture you can get your hands and rope on! Screw in some eyebolts and turn any vanilla piece of furniture into a bondage toy! The rope techniques we’ll learn are very quick and easy, and there’ll be plenty of rope to play with and plenty of chances to practice. No experience or knots required. See you there!

CV Meeting: Erotic Knife Play

Conversio Virium will be meeting this week to enjoy knives, points, and wonderfully sharp things. Come join us to listen to Nick as he discusses the finer points of knife play with his girl, Amy.

Learn how to bring sharpened blades into your play, from a wide range of sensations—pleasure, pain, and lots in between—to sheer, primal fear. We’ll be covering basic safety and hygiene, techniques, some of the psychology of knife play, mental bondage, and even a bit about insertions!

Nick has been playing with knives for more than six years, and they were his first and greatest love in BDSM. He will be joined by his girl Amy, who will be showing the proper way to bottom to a knife—by being as still as possible.

CV Meeting: Confronting Your Shadow – Top Drop, Self Care for Dominants and GUILT!

This week Conversio welcomes Angel and Sebastien in presenting on aftercare for doms. Even the tough, angry, sadistic bastards in our lives need a hug.

Aftercare and aftercare classes tend to be geared toward caring for the submissive’s needs. Intense scenes affect the dominant or top just as deeply. This class will discuss some of the emotions that can present for a dominant post-scene, how to take care of yourself while still taking care of your submissive and ideas for dealing with the guilt that many dominants confront as we come into our identity as sadists.

CV Meeting: Butt Sex, Ass Play, and Other Good Things

Join Conversio Virium as we ring in the new semester with a presentation by Wendy Blackheart on all things rear.

The presentation will cover basic safety and anatomy, necessary preparation, toys, the use of penises and dildos in butt sex, and a short overview on other practices (fisting, enemas, etc), as well as a Q and A session.

The meeting will be in 303 Hamilton on Columbia’s main campus.

CV Meeting: Bondage for bottoms that really like being tied up

Join us for the last meeting of the Fall semester! Erin Houdini will show us how to get the most out of your rope ties in this informal hands-on workshop. Free rope will be provided!

Tired of having to choose whether your bondage gets to secure, comfortable, or pretty? Learn to do it all in an environment where showing how is more important than showing off. We’ll teach you how to “build” a tie for the entire body, step-by-step, using only a few simple techniques and concepts. Bring your rope or play with ours. No experience or knots required!

CV Meeting: Uniform Play: A way to enhance your roleplay

Join us this week for a riveting presentation on uniform play by Sir Guy! If you have any interest in uniforms, costumes, or roleplay at all, be sure not to miss this fascinating talk!

The sexy yet innocent parochial school girl look; the highly polished boots, gun belt and mirrored shades of the highway patrolman; the starched white uniform of the registered nurse; the dress blues of the marine. These images have long been the staple of many erotic fantasies, vanilla and otherwise. Sir Guy will discuss uniform play and why it makes us so hot. He will also discuss the history of the uniform in the Leather community, the psychological aspects of uniform play, including pitfalls and benefits, uniform resources and the law. In addition, uniform scenes will be demonstrated and excerpts from his soon-to-be-released book read.

About Sir Guy:

Sir Guy lives a Dominant lifestyle, publicly active in the BDSM scene for over five years. He is on the Board of Directors of The Eulenspiegel Society (TES), and formerly a Director of East Coast Leather Town Hall and New York Leather Weekend. He is a member of MAsT Metro New York, Black BEAT, Long Island Leather and Roses, The Society and Dom Sub Friends.

He has presented at TES, Black Rose, Conversio Virium (Columbia University’s BDSM group), Dom Sub Friends, GMSMA, Long Island Leather and Roses, Knot for Everyone, The Society and The Floating World I and 2. He is the winner of the TES 2005 Dominant Men/submissive women’s Literary Contest.

In addition to being a uniform enthusiast, he is a former New York City police officer and is a New York State certified Emergency Medical Technician, who has participated in rescue efforts at Ground Zero and at Hurricane Katrina.

CV Meeting: Heart of Darkness: The Art of Sensory Deprivation

Join Goddess Roze this week as she talks about Sensory Deprivation. Full of erotic potential, Sensory Deprivation can be an intense experience, and is a personal favorite of mine. Don’t miss this presentation, which is sure to be engaging and informative!

Silent, restrained and suspended in time. Head swathed in black leather, ears deaf to all but their heartbeat—throbbing with anticipation! What’s next? I can’t hear it! The lash lands. I can’t see it! The prick of a needle. Where did that come from? Flames lick the flesh. Oh my God! Sensory deprivation is the limiting or completely depriving a subject of the use of one or more of their senses. By doing so, you can increase sensitivity to physical stimulation. Goddess Roze will delve into this delectable topic showing and demonstrating a variety of devices and methods to create intense play and tap into the heart of darkness.

About Goddess Roze:

Goddess Roze is a founding Mother and current President of ONYX-Pearls Northeast, a BDSM organization for Women of Color (African, Aboriginal, Asian, Hispanic heritages) of all orientations both leather and sexual.

She is also an officer of MAsT Metro New York and past Board Member of New York Leather Weekend and East Coast Leather Town Hall. Member of The Eulenspiegel Society, Black BEAT and Le Cercle des Dommes.

Goddess Roze has presented at The Eulenspiegel Society and Floating World 2. Never too shy to share her opinion, she has also participated on more than a few moderated panels–such as People of Color Forum and the BDSM Community Forum.

Goddess Roze has been involved in the public BDSM scene on the East Cost for 15 years. This afro-wearin’ tattooed Goddess is a lover of opulence, pleasure and artistic expression, with a voracious appetite for learning, great conversation and imaginative tortures.

CV Meeting: Intro to Sex Blogging

Join CV as we enjoy a lecture about the hows and whys of sex blogging with Viviane.

What is a blog? Should I have one? How do I set it up? How do readers find me? Should I write as myself, or under a pseudonym? This introductory workshop will provide tips and tools for setting up a blog, finding inspiration and writing well and building readership in this highly interactive medium.

Viviane is a NYC-based research librarian. In 2005, she founded Viviane’s Sex Carnival, a group blog about sex and sex culture. Since 2006, she has been organizing informal gatherings of NYC-based bloggers. She has presented at Dark Odyssey and Sex 2.0 about blog setup and promotion. She has also contributed to TGP.com (now defunct) and Fleshbot’s Sex Blog roundup.

Update: For those who couldn’t make it or for those who want a refresher, we’ve now got Viviane’s presentation slides as a downloadable PDF. Thanks to Viviane once again for leading a great discussion on sex blogging, privacy, and personal security online.

CV Meeting: Foiling the Escape Artist: Working with Body Mechanics to Remove Advantages with Dov

Do you like rope, but are unsure of how to use it effectively? Do you have a bottom who always loves trying to escape? Tired of spending so much time making intricate knots only to have your bottom unravel your ropes with relative ease? Join Dov in this fun and interactive class, as he teaches how to make your ties unescapeable! Bring your favorite rope, or just bring your sexy selves!

From Dov’s website:

Preventing or delaying escape from rope bondage: This is a hands-on workshop exploring various aspects of dealing with escape artist rope, and why just because you can tie a rope harness doesn’t mean no one can escape it. We will be examining and working with various ties and strategies to understand how and why they are or aren’t effective and how to make your work more escape-proof.

CV Meeting: Erotic Literature!

For those of you who know the perfect turn of phrase to express the look on your partner’s face after flogging their ass, who can put an image of your fantasy dungeon into someone else’s head using words, or if you’ve finally discovered the one word for vagina that can be repeated ad nauseum while still sounding hot, Conversio Virium invites you to attend Erotic Literature night.

Members will be reading their erotic lit to the group, enjoying snacks, and relaxing after a brutal session of midterms. Join us and bring your own writings!

Room 303 Hamilton on Columbia’s main campus.

CV Meeting: The Art of Florentine Flogging

Join us this week as Richard Cordage presents on the Art of Florentine Flogging. Bring a flogger if you have one (preferably two), or just bring your sexy selves!

It is at every store and in almost every toy bag. The flogger is a versatile tool in almost anyone’s hand, but when a flagellator wants to kick it up a notch, two is better than one. What has come to be known as Florentine — taking a flogger in each hand — not only doubles the sadistic effect, but also provides the possibility for more sensual contact. Richard Cordage will, through discussion of his approach on the subject, show the techniques he has picked up and hopefully show volunteers how to throw.

About Richard Cordage:

Richard Cordage is a writer and photographer in addition to being somewhat of an accomplished rope and flagellation fetishist. He has been mentored in several sadistic delights and been called evil on many occasions. Having been an owner, a master, and even a guru, he does not subscribe to any one style or school of thought alone. More so, he believes that anything you walk into prepared and with a healthy dose of lust will end up being memorable.

Update: Meeting handout now available! Our sincerest thanks go to Richard not only for a wonderfully informative presentation, but also a wonderfully informative handout that we are thrilled to share with you. If you missed the meeting, didn’t get a copy, or just want to save some trees, then you can download the Art of Florentine Flogging presentation handout here (PDF). This document briefly describes his views of how to play with the versatile flogger.