By Tom Kovach
Editor Andrew Willet

I recently participated in the intensive masterpiece, In the Garden of Life. I have always been intrigued by the concept of In the Garden of Life/Advanced Sacred Intimacy Training, a unique offering of the Body Electric School conceived by Collin Brown and Harry Faddis. It’s a double program, in which two intensives run parallel to each other but are intentionally separate. Participants at In the Garden are doing deep work in their workshop; the sacred intimates, meanwhile, are expanding their skills. The amazing part is that the participants of In the Garden have the opportunity to do some of their work with the sacred intimates. 

This was my first time working with a sacred intimate: I have not yet been trained myself, and the only one who lives near me is my husband. I have taken many of the school’s workshops and intensives, but I can honestly say the bond with my fellow travelers this time was unusually deep and lasting. Some of this was because the people who chose this deep dive were simply a wonderful bunch of folks. But we also shared vulnerability in looking into the mirror together, supported each other when we were down, celebrated together, and laughed harder than I have in years. What a catharsis it was to be able to look into the abyss together, each of us on our own journey and schedule. We became attuned to one another and comfortable saying, “I need space,” or “I need a hug. Are you available?”

With the support of that small community and of the sacred intimates who cared for us and held us as we did our work, I was able to connect some long-buried stories to their point of origin for the first time. I remember journaling in the morning, looking at what I’d written, and saying to myself, “Oh, that’s where that came from,” not just once but several times. Knowing where a tired old belief started was, for me, the beginning of being freed from something that no longer served me. There was a lot of healing that week — as we say at Body Electric, what we do is not therapy, but it is therapeutic. 

The conceptual power behind these twin workshops more than matched my curiosity. It has inspired me to recreate the experience for other offerings. I have asked John Ballew and JoJo Bear to create a version of this for a Mature Eros Master Class and Sacred Intimacy Training next year. I feel strongly that this will lead to some incredible outcomes for the participants of each intensive. 

Scholarship Fund Update

We announced the Dr. Steve Schwartzberg Scholarship Fund in May. It was started with a bequest from Steve; Craig Harwood and the Queer Consciousness Fund offered us support for its development through a $10,000 matching grant. We met that grant within a month, thanks to generous support from the Body Electric community, and we continue to work toward our $100,000 goal. 

We also launched a cooperative initiative with Easton Mountain to sponsor some younger participants for Creativity Ritual and the Erotic Impulse, a workshop designed by Steve and being produced at his request by Craig Cullinane, Lui Gervais, and Mountaine Jonas. We raised funds for half-scholarships for 4 people to attend. 

If you wish to contribute or if you would like to offer a matching grant, please contact me.

Our Annual Online Auction Returns

Registration for this year’s online auction will be held from August 17th through the 23rd. Bidding starts on the 24th and ends at 11:59 PM ET on the 30th. This is our biggest fundraiser for the year. On the auction table will be vacation stays, art, services like bodywork, coaching, and readings, and even Body Electric workshops. 

If you have goods or services you would like to offer for the auction, please go here to donate; the listings are now open.

The Body Electric School Archives Need You!

We are starting small, with plans to begin posting some archival materials online next fall. Our founder, Joseph Kramer, has volunteered to serve as our first lead archivist — but he will be completing his archival efforts at the end of this year. Because our window to work directly with him is rapidly closing, we urgently need your submissions now. If you have materials to share, please do not wait. He is also actively seeking others dedicated to preserving our legacy to join the archival team and take the reins before his departure. You can reach Joseph at. archives@bodyelectric.org

Take a deep dive into sacred sexuality

Considering Your Legacy

In 2025, I took Steve Schwartzberg’s final Unmasking Mortality class, which offered a yearlong look at death and dying in a way we in Western culture usually do not get. As the saying goes: No one gets out alive. But despite this basic fact, we often ignore death and act as if there will always be tomorrow. 

It was so helpful for me to shift my thinking around death and to embrace it as a part of life. Witnessing Steve’s process right up to the point of his own death was a powerful reminder not to put things off. For me, it was the crystallizing message that I needed to attend to things in my life, which is why I am retiring.

Living as if you are dying means letting people know how you feel about them today, not the next time you meet. It is forgiveness for yourself and others. It is enjoying this here now and not living for tomorrow, which may not come. 

One of the last exercises in the class was preparing for our death now, while being healthy and of sound mind. We were challenged to attend even to those details we wished to ignore, like end-of-life directives, medical power of attorney, specific instructions about care, and a will. If you haven’t considered these things yourself, I urge you to do so. It’s a vital opportunity to think about your last wishes and perhaps your legacy—designating how your estate will be distributed. Is there a cause or an organization you wish to support?

This, friends, is where I encourage you to consider the Body Electric School.

Why Include Body Electric in Your Estate Plan?

Making a gift through your will or estate plan allows you to leave a lasting mark on a mission that shaped your own journey. Your future support helps the Body Electric School maintain financial resilience and expand its reach in vital ways:

Increasing Accessibility: Removing financial barriers so that anyone, regardless of economic circumstance, can access life-changing workshops and scholarship funds (such as the Steve Schwartzberg Scholarship Fund).

Championing Diversity & Inclusion: Funding JEDI+ (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) programs, affinity spaces, and dedicated workshops for BIPOC, women, and gender-expansive participants.

Nurturing Future Facilitators: Training the next generation of faculty and leaders to steward the work with skill, ethics, and care.

Preserving Queer History: Supporting projects like the Body Electric Archives to honor and preserve the rich history of erotic liberation for researchers and community members alike.

Please contact me if you would like to discuss this.

Update on E.D. Search

Raine Brown
(they/them)
President
NBES Board of Directors

As we move through the search process for a new Executive Director, I wanted to share a brief update with you all.

The search committee has been actively reviewing applications as they are received and continues to be encouraged by the strong response. To date, we have received nine applications, with the posting remaining open through August 20.

Multiple candidates demonstrated the qualifications and alignment needed to advance to the screening interview stage, and several candidates have now been invited to participate in first-round interviews. We have been genuinely encouraged by the quality, experience, and thoughtfulness of the candidates we have met so far. While the process is still underway, the committee feels optimistic that we will identify a candidate who is well qualified and aligned with the Body Electric School’s mission, values, and future direction.

Interviews will continue through September, after which the search committee expects to forward its finalist recommendation(s) to the Board of Directors for consideration. 

Thank you for your continued trust, support, and patience as we move carefully through this important process. The search committee has approached this work with great care and thoughtful discernment, and we remain committed to conducting a process that reflects the values of fairness, integrity, confidentiality, and community that are central to Body Electric.

We will continue to keep the community informed as the search progresses.

In connection and care,
Raine Brown