How it works
Sacred Sadism & Holy Sufferers | A Ritual BDSM & Sacred Pain Workshop
Friday, April 3, 7:00 PM
In person
Austin, TX, USA$55
https://events.humanitix.com/sacredsadism
About the event
Sacred Sadism & Holy Sufferers
A Ritual BDSM & Sacred Pain Workshop
Initiatory rites, sacred ritual, and holy worship involving punishment, pain, and lamentation can be found across the ancient world.
However, our modern amnesia has trained us to view these expressions of humanity and sexuality as bad, wrong, and immoral — leading to dire global consequences.
This workshop will illuminate the power and transformative nature of holy pain and sacred sadism as portals into self (and all of life). Through real examples and live demos, you'll learn practical information on ways to introduce pain into relational dynamics and keys on how to harvest the pearls of wisdom no matter how hard you play.
“The marks she will leave on your skin will fade but the marks she will leave on your soul will not.”
— JQL, Sacred Pain Initiate
Workshop Context
This is an educational workshop exploring pain, power, and meaning within consensual erotic and ritual contexts. This is not a play party, although there will be time for some guided practices.
Doors close promptly at 7:30 PM. To preserve the integrity of the space, late entry will not be permitted.
Workshop Flow
Teaching: Historical context of pain rituals found across the ancient world
Paradigm Shift: Psychological and Holy ways to re-sanctify your relationship to sadism and suffering.
Practicum: Basics of skillful physical and psychological pain play (communication best practices, physical implement considerations, psychological pain considerations, body safety, emotional safety, etc.)
Demos: With pre-determined demo-bottoms, Francesca will play out mini-scenes and provide real time context on physical and psychological considerations.
This workshop is for you if:
- Something in you has always known that kink, pain, or power exchange holds meaning — even if you've never had a container to explore it
- You are curious about pain as a conscious, meaning-making practice
- You can stay grounded during explicit discussion and live demonstrations and can self-manage your proximity to physical and psychological edges
- You understand consent, boundaries, and adult sexual autonomy
This workshop is not for you if:
- You are unwilling to witness or be in the presence of ritualized pain and suffering (psychological and physical), explicit content, and nudity
- You are seeking a play party or unstructured sexual space
- You are unwilling to take responsibility for your boundaries and choices
- You are new to consent-based erotic spaces and looking for an introduction
Temple Agreements
Nothing is required. Everything is welcome.
We start slow. Always.
Consent is dynamic.
Authentic experimentation is encouraged.
Move with care — for yourself, each other, and the space.
Disclaimer
Priestess Francesca’s live demonstrations go “beyond the buttocks”. This means, we’ll be exploring more than just light spankings in this workshop. Priestess Francesca is known as an intellectual sadist who relishes in the art of combining physical pain with psychological suffering.
About the Facilitator
Priestess Francesca is a pioneering initiator in sacred sexuality, somatic transformation, and erotic embodiment — and the host of Gutter Wisdom, the podcast that uses sexuality as a diagnostic lens for power, pressure, desire, and what actually holds when things get intense.
Rooted in her own journey from mechanical engineering into taboo-breaking work, she stands at the intersection of ritual, relational alchemy, and the real life structural integrity needed for embodied erotic healing. Her mission is to reclaim the sacredness of sexuality, relationships, and the human body as gateways into deeper life, connection, and self-authority.
She is an ordained priestess trained in multiple mystical traditions, a certified dominatrix, and a clinical sexologist with trauma-informed expertise. Francesca's formation includes training through HER Mystery School, Somatica® Institute, and The Evolutionary Dominatrix Academy®, reflecting a blend of ritual lineage, somatic practice, and consensual power dynamics.
Her insights have been featured in Cosmopolitan, Business Insider, Health Magazine, and the Gothamist, and she has been invited to speak at universities including Salve Regina and Sarah Lawrence, and at prominent festivals such as Envision, DomCon, and Toronto Tantra Festival.
Across workshops, ceremonies, and transformative experiences, she supports seekers in embracing their deepest desires, dissolving shame, and accessing erotic intelligence as a lifelong resource for growth. Francesca is known for creating spaces where taboo becomes a portal — where the complexities of desire, power, and vulnerability are engaged with reverence, depth, and integrity.
Learn more www.priestessfrancesca.com
About the Host
Mayra Leen is a High Priestess of embodied power. With a background in Fortune-100 strategy, hypnotherapy, and somatic practice, she bridges sharp intellect with deep intuitive and erotic intelligence. Her work guides people out of abstraction and into lived experience — where authenticity, desire, and sovereignty are embodied rather than conceptual. Through ritual, presence, and relational attunement, she creates transformational containers that invite truth, self-trust, and personal authority to emerge from within.
Mayra’s work reshapes how intimacy, power, and leadership are experienced — not as performance or ideology, but as something felt, practiced, and lived. Learn more at mayraleen.com
Questions
Contact the host, Mayra Leen
Location: Austin, TX, USA
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