Awakening Aphrodite + Adonis
celebrates information that explores
the art, science, and soul of love, sex, and relationships.
Being fully connected sexually,
allows all parts of one’s brain and body
to work together to navigate choices that
create a path towards health.
celebrates information that explores
the art, science, and soul of love, sex, and relationships.
Being fully connected sexually,
allows all parts of one’s brain and body
to work together to navigate choices that
create a path towards health.
GRETCHEN BLYCKER
Rock of Aphrodite, Paphos, Cyprus.
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This site is curated by Gretchen Blycker, LMHC, LMT, RYT. Gretchen is a board-certified sex therapist and draws from her experiences as a mindfulness-based mental health counselor, a licensed massage therapist, a registered yoga teacher, and a sexual wellness educator who for the last twelve years has been listening to, learning from and teaching college students in a Human Sexuality course at the University of Rhode Island.
As a resource for education and personal growth, we provide a toolkit for use in engaging in a mindful self-assessment to create a personalized plan for balancing health. One tool offered for consideration is the Mindful Model of Sexual Health (MMSH), a mandala shaped model that represents an individualized map for an inner journey for exploration, learning, and identifying all that contributes to the unique landscape of a person’s mind/body/spirit in the context of their personal life. The MMSH utilizes the chakra system, from Indian yoga, as a framework to identify and organize the intricacies of the many influencing factors that create a balance towards, or barriers to, sexual wellness. The MMSH is a tool that may be integrated into; developing a loving self-care plan, healing from sexual trauma, mindfully exploring sexual pleasures, identifying and managing healthy boundaries, creating healthy intimacy, practicing effective communication, increasing self-awareness and insight, and living in alignment and harmony with one’s values and beliefs. There are simple practices included that are used to access one’s inner guidance system in order to make informed decisions for more immediate course correction and direction that is advantageous for short and long-term contentment and well-being.
As a resource for education and personal growth, we provide a toolkit for use in engaging in a mindful self-assessment to create a personalized plan for balancing health. One tool offered for consideration is the Mindful Model of Sexual Health (MMSH), a mandala shaped model that represents an individualized map for an inner journey for exploration, learning, and identifying all that contributes to the unique landscape of a person’s mind/body/spirit in the context of their personal life. The MMSH utilizes the chakra system, from Indian yoga, as a framework to identify and organize the intricacies of the many influencing factors that create a balance towards, or barriers to, sexual wellness. The MMSH is a tool that may be integrated into; developing a loving self-care plan, healing from sexual trauma, mindfully exploring sexual pleasures, identifying and managing healthy boundaries, creating healthy intimacy, practicing effective communication, increasing self-awareness and insight, and living in alignment and harmony with one’s values and beliefs. There are simple practices included that are used to access one’s inner guidance system in order to make informed decisions for more immediate course correction and direction that is advantageous for short and long-term contentment and well-being.
We invite you to wonder how different things could be if each individual were supported in a personal exploration of one’s authentic sexual self? Free from outside influences of limiting gender expectations, rigid or inauthentic sexual scripts, and past negative experiences of boundary violations or sexual trauma? Identify your own criteria for navigating choices by inquiring within your enlightened mind and wise heart, "does this promote my sexual wellbeing?"
Our sexuality and sexual experiences have the potential power to be part of some of the most ecstatic, blissful, beautiful experiences in a human body as well as potentially the most terrifying or traumatic experiences in a human body - and of course the whole range in-between. Depending on our inner and interpersonal experiences, sexuality can be part of healing and depending on circumstances can be part of harming. It can be a celebration of life, love, and pleasure or it can be an assault at the deepest most personal core of who we are. There are many factors and forces that influence the positive or negative direct experiences. We access our own inner power when we cultivate practices that bring the light of clear awareness to seeing available possibilities and consider choices that are in alignment with our wellbeing.
Increase your sexual intelligence by exploring deepened investigations within yourself. Awakening Aphrodite + Adonis is an invitation to promote enlightened expressions of the feminine/yin + masculine/yang principles that exist on individual, interpersonal, and cultural levels.
This moment in time we are living is unique: our global world community is connected through information we share through technology, we have global organizations that promote and protect human rights, and we have been experiencing a crisis and a reckoning regarding sexual safety and in addressing systems that have perpetuated or enabled abuses of power.
Themes we explore are:
Increase your sexual intelligence by exploring deepened investigations within yourself. Awakening Aphrodite + Adonis is an invitation to promote enlightened expressions of the feminine/yin + masculine/yang principles that exist on individual, interpersonal, and cultural levels.
This moment in time we are living is unique: our global world community is connected through information we share through technology, we have global organizations that promote and protect human rights, and we have been experiencing a crisis and a reckoning regarding sexual safety and in addressing systems that have perpetuated or enabled abuses of power.
Themes we explore are:
- Building connections between body/mind/emotions/spirit and cultivating a felt sense of trust with oneself.
- Healing from past trauma and managing triggers when negative experiences from the past are interfering with love and pleasure in the present.
- Building trust and safety and healing from infidelity.
- Identifying personal and relational boundaries and updating them when/if they change.
- Evaluating choices and experiences in dating or in relationships.
- Skillful management of sexual energy and functioning that promotes sensual and sexual pleasure.
- Identifying and managing compulsive sexual behaviors with pornography or other sexual behaviors that are causing distress or harmful consequences.
- Communicating with a partner and promoting a fun, playful, “togetherness” approach to sexuality with a partner that grows emotional and sexual empathy and understanding.
Awakening Aphrodite + Adonis symbolizes the practice of bringing awareness and wisdom to our inner and interpersonal dramas. This is an integration of Eastern traditions of enlightenment with Western mythology and science of understanding our human nature, our basic drives and instincts. The poetry shared here, found under the Resources page, is a distillation from experiences in life, from a mindfulness-based sexual and relational heath psychotherapy practice working with individuals and couples over years, and from 12 years teaching a human sexuality class at the University of Rhode Island.
The poetry themes, that draw from the collective stories of nearly a thousand people, explore the sacred feminine and masculine, perspectives on sexual mores and sexual scripts, healing from sexual trauma, objectification culture, problematic pornography use, pornography induced erectile dysfunction, managing communication and connection in relationship, boundaries in relationship, mindful living, sacred sexuality, and awakening sexual empathy.
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An Awakened Aphrodite exemplifies an enlightened, confident, compassionate, bright, self-respecting expression of the feminine. She knows how to embody the sacred feminine. Since an Awakened Aphrodite respects her whole self, she respects her sexuality. She loves her authentic sexual self, and with that love and respect comes a reverence for the sensual experiences of erotic energy within.
She is wholeheartedly honest with herself and practices that truth-telling with others, too. She acknowledges that doing so is a practice of respect for herself and others. It’s also a way for her to thoroughly enjoy the pleasure of erotic energy within her because her integrity and honesty keeps her sexuality conscious and light-filled, and therefore shame-free. In light of her practice of connecting to her authentic sexual self and mindfully managing the dynamic flow of erotic energy within, she skillfully integrates this felt experience of energy throughout her whole being. She knows how to embody her desire and manage boundaries that assures respect and safety with her consciously directed sexual energy. For an Awakened Aphrodite, sexual expression feels best when filtered through her positive vibes. Truth and honesty feel best expressed in this way, too. |
An Awakened Adonis exemplifies an enlightened, mind/body integrated, powerful, trustworthy, honorable expression of the masculine. He knows how to embody the sacred masculine. He is deeply connected to himself and knows how to deeply connect with others. An Awakened Adonis is also not constrained by cultural dictations of appropriating gendered limitations of emotional expression or enjoying the flow or embodiment of energy polarities, that innately exist in everyone. His authentic self has been nurtured to know the freedom and full range of wisdom that is possible with the cultivation of emotional intelligence, articulation, and fluency.
An Awakened Adonis assures that there is a clear Karmic stamp of non-harm for every orgasm he enjoys because he is mindful of how and where he sources erotic energy and sexual stimulation. From his healthy, balanced, wholeness, he appreciates and basks in the glow of another. This way of relating creates a beautiful connection that amplifies an energetic frequency. Awe-inspiring and joy-filled experiences are created when whole and light-filled beings choose to turn their personal erotic and loving energy and attention towards each other. |
Mindful, connected, awakened sexuality requires safety, trust, courage,
and a strength of inner power that holds the space for deep and
profound experiences of letting go in the flow of ecstasy.
It is a mindful active journey.
Are you ready?
How do you shine your light
and embody and express your inner
Awakened Aphrodite + Adonis?
and a strength of inner power that holds the space for deep and
profound experiences of letting go in the flow of ecstasy.
It is a mindful active journey.
Are you ready?
How do you shine your light
and embody and express your inner
Awakened Aphrodite + Adonis?
