The Autumnal Equinox and prep for the lunar eclipse

A total eclipse of the moon

The Photo: The 2010 total eclipse of the moon similar to that which will occur on September the 28^th in the UK and Europe.

The Autumnal Equinox: As expected there were showers before and after the celebration, but amazingly there was a brief interval of slightly less than an hour at sunrise where the sky was clear and we could actually see the sun. There was a 15 mph wind howling through the tone-holes in the standing stones surrounding the five altars and the temperature was in the low 40s or high 30s (F) but there was no ice. The crofters were lovely young men and since I was CD5 and still bleeding moderately I used a latex flat spring diaphragm as otherwise there was a very small chance that their sperm might live long enough to fertilize the egg when I next ovulate. The crofters were medicated with a performance enhancer so they had no difficulty getting and sustaining an erection due to the cold temperature under which they were penetrating me and my wards while we were on the altars. A few days ago when I took Alistair unprotected it was too soon for his sperm to live until I ovulate, but now I have my Crofter partner’s sperm draining out of me and as I said those partner’s sperm could do the job if they live long enough, which is what I needed to protect against.

Celestial celebrations and vaginal yeast: This was the Dryads (Bryony and Claire’s) first celestial celebration and involved multiple partners so it was important that they used an effective lubricant/biocide to keep their vaginal pH properly balanced with the new sets of bacteria their partners would leave inside them. They used the silicone base DiveGel+ which has kept my vaginal pH balanced even with all the men I am intimate with. DiveGel+ was formulated to allow its use with silicone cervical barriers which allows its use with Milex and FemCap as well as the latex flat spring diaphragms used by my wards and our Escorts. The only down side of  DiveGel+ is that it doesn’t work well for cunilingus as silicone lubes taste and feel terrible in the mouth.  

More about the total lunar eclipse on the 28^th: Moving to the UK was providential now I am a Priestess of Aphrodite. Given that, there may be returning readers who wonder why it took me so long to get here. The timing of course was my inheritance of the Barony of Blackthorn which became official at the end of 2014. As returning readers know I’m required to lead the celebration of four primary celestial events on behalf of the Goddess: The Vernal Equinox, the Summer Solstice, the Autumnal equinox and the Winter Solstice. As well as other celestial events such as the total eclipse of the Harvest moon which will occur on the 28^th of this month, so I and a favorite partner (in this instance Nikolai, the male ballet dancer I’m currently seeing) will be back at the mountain top holy site, which I call location Z, on the 28^th . The next total eclipse of a Harvest moon will not occur for another 33 years so it’s important that this one should be properly celebrated. 

Since it will be dark at 3:47 AM (the moment that the moon will be totally obscured) when according to tradition my partner must penetrate me we will have a shortwave radio to pick up the 60 kHz UK time signal (MSF) to make certain he plunges into me at that exact moment even if the moon is obscured by clouds. With that sort of precision needed I like to have a partner fully enter me with a single stroke and Nikolai is very skilled and well endowed so having him plunge into my anterior fornix with a single thrust is breathtaking as he stretches the dome of my latex FS diaphragm over both the tip of my cervix and his glans as he forces the springy latex membrane all the way to the bottom of my fornix putting upward pressure on my cervix and uterus and squeezing his glans simultaneously! Just writing about it makes me wet, but I intend to be very well lubricated with a silicone gel for that occasion.

My cycle and the total eclipse: On September 28^th I will be CD10 and fertile since I should ovulate on the CD14. The Goddess is very pleased that I will be fertile then since when fertile a woman is always more attractive to potential partners. However, she approves of my need for contraception as being pregnant is not a condition that enhances a woman’s ability to attract and enthrall male admirers. It is our pheromones that alert a potential partner to the possibility of getting her in that condition that attracts most swordsmen.  

Contraception for cheerleaders: Before I came to the Scottish Highlands for the Equinox this week and the lunar eclipse next week the trainer of a girls cheerleading team asked our clinic to fit her girls with flat spring latex diaphragms. I was surprised as most of the gymnastics, swimming and cheerleading teams have their girls on LARC hormonal birth control of one sort or another; usually an IUD or Depo-Provera to minimize the side effects of periods such as cramps and bleeding through costumes. That’s the case with this group as well; however several of the girls are on a med for a severe skin condition that can decrease the effectiveness of hormonal contraception and others are on weight loss supplements that speed up the metabolism which can also decrease the effectiveness of hormonal birth control so the trainer wanted those girls fitted with diaphragms since the girls are sexually active and there is a big cheerleading competition coming up is several months and they need to be in top condition.

The coach initially asked for only four of her girls to be fitted, but the others found out and wanted to be fitted too as they think diaphragms are very adult and very retro as well and right now retro is in with teens.  The team sponsor is willing to spring for all the girls to be fitted and the head coach says that none of the girls are allergic to latex so fitting them shouldn’t be a problem. So when I get back to London I will be fitting a teen cheerleading team of fifteen girls varying in age from 16 to 18 with latex flat spring diaphragms since that style is almost impossible for a mischievous partner to under-thrust.  

Ballet-sex training, Lesbians and diaphragms

Escort in Suffolk shoes during ballet-sex training

Solo ballet-sex training: As I mentioned in a comment on my post for March 31, 2012 [Ballet-sex exams, dome suction] in that post I didn’t go into all the hours of solo training each girl spends perfecting her compartmentalization skills to be able to control her legs and vaginal muscles while balancing en pointe during penile vaginal intercourse. In Solo training she works en pointe fully penetrated from behind, having backed on to a suction mounted dildo attached to the mirror in an encounter Sallé. That way she can perfect the angle and depth of penetration she needs to successfully reach orgasm, so that when she is with a man she can guide him to give her exactly what she needs before her tight spasming bands of vaginal muscles milk him of the last drop of the thick cream filled with his seed. Practicing alone a student can quickly determine the most comfortable and safest angle for being penetration. Being penetrated at an angle significantly off the long axis of the vagina can lead to having a diaphragm/gas-guard under-thrust or quickly developing painful vaginal tears.

The small encounter Sallé preferred for solo training has three mirrored walls one with a barre and a digital media player for music. Each escort/or student brings her own reproductive tract protection, diaphragms or cervical caps, penetrative devices, dildos or a Penetrator Plug (for cervical orgasms from rubbing her pelvis against a barre bracket) and lubricating gel (typically DiveGel+) as well as a good decongestant, a ball-gag and gasmask or respirator to compromise her ability to breathe worn to simulate the exertion experienced during extended encounter sessions. We also recommend that students who don’t have an IUD inserted/implanted also carry in their dance bag a few condoms and a tube of Semécide spermicide. The condoms are in case she calls for an instructor and he needs to demonstrate a particular thrusting technique and the Semécide is back-up in case the condom breaks or slips off. Use of stimulating gels (such as K-Y Intense) during training is forbidden as their use tends to make the woman less interested in learning how to get the most intense experience from her training equipment.

UNLV Lesbian Subs and diaphragms: At the clinic we are seeing more lesbian students coming in to be fitted for diaphragms. This seems to be happening because there are several lesbian Dommes who have begun trolling UNLV for partners and who enjoy giving their Submissives very rough sex with a strap-on. The Dommes, not wanting to permanently damage submissive partners, are sending them to us to be fitted with protection for the G-spot and cervix. We are fitting them with diaphragms to prevent epithelium tears during strap-on encounters. Since with lesbian strap-on vaginal sex there is usually no danger of pregnancy (unless the strap-on has a spring loaded syringe for ‘ejaculate’) no spermicide is necessary, but a good thick silicone gel (DiveGel+) is used. For vaginal strap-on sex the diaphragm I’m fitting the Subs with is a silicone Milex arcing spring. That’s because the Milex arcing spring rim is more difficult to under-thrust than an All-Flex or Omniflex. Also important is that the Milex dome is thicker than All-Flex, Reflexions and Semina so the friction of the strap-on tip against the dome won’t wear a thin spot in the dome too quickly. And, the thicker dome provides some measure of thrust buffering if the Domme wants to batter her Sub’s cervix.

Warming/stimulating gels and diaphragms: At the clinic we are finding that stimulating gels, like K-Y Intense, applied to the inner surface of diaphragm domes in place of spermicide are becoming a popular experience enhancer at vanilla sex parties. Vaginal use of Intense is not recommended by the maker and even when used on the clitoris as directed about 25% of the women who try it find it has no effect or they are allergic to the ingredients. However, that vaginal application is an off-label use hasn’t slowed its increasing popularity among twenty somethings to heighten the woman’s experience.

Intense can be purchased on the internet in bulk to drop the cost of an application (about 10 vaginal applications to a container instead of the 20 recommended for application to the clitoris) to about $2.50 per application. That’s because you need about twice as much as is recommended for application to the clitoris to make sure the G-spot is stimulated. Solo sex using a G-spot vibrator or riding a Sybian machine is spectacularly enhanced because the user has control of the depth, direction and pressure of the vaginal probe, but using a diaphragm with a mechanically rotating plug (like a Sybian) inserted can shorten the life of even a Milex Arcing spring the most structurally robust diaphragm available.

The Real estate market and Porn Palaces: Taryn’s video company has leased several secluded estates in the Spring Mountains. They are lovely homes with large enclosed pools that had been foreclosed on and she has had them refurbished for use as sets for porn films. This arrangement is working a lot better than trying to sneak into a foreclosed property and possibly have the real estate agent appear during a shoot or worse the police. This way there are no bribes to pay, no possibility of arrest, access is 24/7 and there is plenty of room to stage camera and editing equipment. The cost of the lease and right of first refusal to purchase if the bank finds a buyer is about the same and there is far more stability on the set for the actors and crew and much less drama off-camera.

Depo-Provera and breast cancer: “There appears to be a link between an injectable form of progestin-only birth control, best known as Depo-Provera, and an increased risk of breast cancer in young women, new research suggests.” For the complete article click HERE

Personal comment: If it weren’t bad enough that using the injectable progestin Depo-medroxyprogesterone acetate causes weight gain in a significant percentage of users as well as loss of bone density now there seems to be a doubled risk of breast cancer with use of the injectable contraceptive for a year. There may be good reasons that some few women need to use Depo-medroxyprogesterone acetate, but it is a hormonal method to avoid if possible.

At St Lucy’s we forbid students to use Depo-Provera unless they must, because no other women controlled contraceptive method will work for them. Currently no St Lucy’s student is on Depo.

St Lucy’s Ballet intensive

Lybrel no-period pill pack showing click-case dispenser

Prep for Summer ballet intensive: We are doing things a bit differently this year for St Lucy’s Summer Ballet intensive. In the past we have had a 15% dropout rate for the course and we are trying to lower that this year by more selective screening and dietary changes or supplements begun well ahead of arrival. Even with tougher screening there are far more applicants that we can possibly take even running two classes of twelve students each. The limiting factor is finding male ballet partners who are experienced, considerate lovers and free of STIs. We use a lot of the younger male escorts with dance backgrounds who have gone through the course in the last year. The quarantine after STI screening limits their income but that isn’t as much disincentive as you might think because there is a lot of sex with 17 y/o hardbody ballet girls to be had for the five weeks of the course. Most of the guys love it because it’s a way to stay in shape while almost on vacation because the inexperienced girls are blown away by the guy’s stamina, the intensity of the orgasms they give and suck up the guys tales of life in Vegas. It borders on hero worship and is a huge boost to a male’s ego!

The Vegas Ballet Experience: There are a lot of summer ballet intensives being offered, many by far better known schools than St Lucy’s. However, we like to think St Lucy’s provides a unique opportunity for the adventuresome ballet student who wants to experience what dancing in Vegas can be like while protected from some of the rougher edges of the real world, such as hard drugs and STIs. Students are nominated by their teachers from ballet schools all over the US, Canada and Europe. They must be at least 17 y/o by the time they arrive in Vegas for class, must have been taking pointe at least three days a week for the last five years and have their parent’s permission to be sexually active. We assume if the student is seeing a medical practitioner for birth control the parents are aware and consent to sexual activity, but require the signature of the mother or guardian to make sure there are no misunderstandings since Vegas is not Disneyland and accidents can happen.

Screening: Once a student is nominated the screening process begins. One of the common problems we are trying to address by screening is annoying side effects from hormonal contraceptives. Decreased libido, difficulty becoming aroused, vaginal dryness, breast tenderness and irregular bleeding can all be caused by birth control hormones. We have found that hormonal birth control causes a deficiency in vitamin B and additionally many women on hormones are also deficient in vitamins C and D so we start a candidate for a place in our ballet intensive on a special multivitamin at least two months before she arrives for her prep week.

We also want a candidate to have been on her hormonal method for at least six months. That’s because it can take that long for a woman’s body to get used to the hormones in her pills, especially breast swelling and tenderness and irregular bleeding from extended cycle pills. Imagine trying to partner with a man when your boobs are so sore that you can’t stand to wear a bra much less have a man hold and lift you where your breasts get jostled around and mashed in his embrace. Or in rehearsal or in performance and you start to bleed not just spotting, but heavily enough to soak thorough your tights or tutu! Believe me when I say that’s embarrassing, horribly distracting and it gets the costumer very upset as well since it’s nearly impossible to get blood out of a tutu, though it is possible to dye it to mask the stain.

Additionally we try to select otherwise qualified candidates who seem to thrive on birth control hormones, that is they have increased libido no irregular bleeding and are aroused easily while taking their pills correctly. There are some of those just as there are some women who can’t tolerate hormonal contraceptives of any kind. During prep week we administer an entrance exam that tests a students strength and stamina en pointe not only as a minimum entrance requirement, but also as a baseline for comparison for students we accept into the course to be compared with a final exam at the end of her five weeks of Vegas ballet training.

Pregnancy testing: The first thing we have a candidate do when she arrives is to test for pregnancy. If she tests positive she needs to make a choice as to how she wants to proceed. We do not allow pregnant women in the intensive, however there is time to terminate by means of a menstrual extraction and still participate in the course. We have only had that happen once and the student elected to have the ME and stay for the course. She did exceptionally well. Testing for pregnancy is done daily for the student’s safety as extremely intense sexual intercourse can cause a miscarriage and nausea during dive-sex can be fatal and dive-sex is part of the course. When detected a pregnancy can be terminated by ME and the student can continue the course while wearing a gas guard and on an antibiotic and 600 mg of ibuprofen every eight hours for a few days while her uterus recovers. Then after the course of antibiotics she can rely on her Reflexions or FemCap and spermicide for contraception while her hormonal protection is being reestablished. With students on hormonal contraceptives we have had one or two pregnancies terminated every summer for the last several years and no students have dropped out due to pregnancy related issues.

Hormonal birth control: St Lucy’s girls participating in the summer intensive have GyneFix IUDs implanted. For other students we won’t accept girls using Depo-Provera injections (given every 12 weeks) because we have found that women on Depo do not do well in the course and have weight and stamina issues. Neither will we take women if the are using NuvaRing because there is too great a risk of the ring slipping out and the student losing her hormonal protection or the ring interfering with the seal of the students gas guard. We ask students to bring their birth control pills with them and bring at least one extra pack in case something happens and the open pack is lost or becomes contaminated - think dropping it in the toilet. Most of the students seem to be using extended cycle (greater that 28 days w/o a period) pills like Lybrel or Seasonique With Lybrel once adjusted to the hormones a woman can go for a year w/o a period and on Seasonique she can go 84 days before taking the placebos to get her pill period. This year we have two French girls enrolled who are on Qlaira (a 28 day cycle pill) and they are experiencing amenorrhea (not having periods) when they take the inactive pills. Some amenorrhea is experienced by at least 15% of Qlaira users so these girls are thinking themselves fortunate. Though, with all the sexual axtivity they will be experencing if it were me I’d feel more confident getting my period on a regular basis. Of course with testing daily they will know as soon as possible if there has been a pill failure.

Pointe shoes: All major makers’ stock shoes can be purchased locally at the St Lucy’s school discount. If the student wears special make up (SMU) pointes we ask her to bring along at least eighteen pairs of pointe shoes for pointe and technique classes and performances because students typically go through three pairs a week and if she needs more the lead time for SMU shoes is too long for them to be any use for the course. Once the candidate passes the stamina test we fit her with both a FemCap and Reflexions flat spring diaphragm as gas guards for protection during dive sex and with Gaynor Minden pointes for pointe sex classes as Gaynors are far more comfortable and provide more support for sex en pointe than traditionally made shoes.

Hormonal contraceptives and ballet

A dial pack of Estrostep birth control pills

Ballet and the Pill: The St Lucy’s summer ballet intensive is well underway and several of the students who had started on birth control pills shortly before coming to Vegas have had such annoying problems, things like tender swollen breasts, weight gain and irregular bleeding that can quickly erode a students confidence they decided to switch to a cervical barrier for protection at least for the summer. Painful breasts and bleeding are both fairly common during the first few cycles on the pill so the girls should have started their pills several months ago to allow time for their bodies to adjust to the hormones. It’s a real downer being away from home and not feeling well and having body changes (weight gain, and swollen breasts) affect performance in something as competitive as a summer intensive. Weight gain, a pound every two weeks for these girls, was of great concern and major a blow to their self esteem. Swollen breasts can throw a girl off her center for pointework and make jumps unbearably painful and not knowing when you are gong to bleed makes it hard to successfully wear a tampon in anticipation because a dry tampon is very painful to remove. Diva cups work well during menstrual periods but you can’t be prepared to have sex with a Diva inserted so the obvious answer is an Ortho All-Flex or a Cooper Surgical (Milex) silicone diaphragm that will collect flow from irregular bleeding while permitting penetrative sex.

GyneFix vs. Cervical barriers: If the girls had been full time students at St Lucy’s I would have recommended they have GyneFix IUDs implanted but for a summer student who isn’t covered by the schools health insurance the up-front cost of a GyneFix even with the clinic discount is $600 which is more than their parents can afford so a properly fitted diaphragm to wear while bleeding and a strapless FemCap to wear for contraception and thrust buffering is an excellent low cost alternative. A properly fitted and correctly used cervical barrier can be almost as good as a GyneFix but a CB does take discipline to use correctly and misuse can easily lead to pregnancy. However, the ballet dancers selected for the intensive have been carefully chosen and are very disciplined so barring accidents I don’t anticipate any unplanned pregnancies. Once a girl stops her pills the bleeding and swollen breasts begin to go away immediately and are gone within a week. Weight loss takes a bit longer but decreasing appetite and not suppressing the metabolism should make it much easier to effectively control a dancer’s weight while eating a healthy diet. The girls are so pleased to be off the Pill and free of side effects. Using an expertly fitted cervical barrier they are sure of effective contraceptive protection with no annoying side effects which has given them their confidence back and lets them focus on their art and perfecting their technique.

Other hormonal methods: In addition to the pill there is the contraceptive injection, Depo-Provera, which is good for three months; a single rod implant, Implanon, good for three years; ‘the patch’, Ortho Evra, which is a series of three transdermal patches one of which is applied to the skin each week for three weeks and then there is a patch free week for your period; ‘the ring’, NuvaRing, which is a disposable soft polymer ring that slowly releases a combination of estrogen and progestin. NuvaRing is worn in the vagina for three or up to four weeks and then removed for a week for your period.

The Depo-Provera injection, a large dose of a harsh progestin, has been proven to cause weight gain in a large percentage of users and leeches calcium from the bones so the FDA warns against prolonged use. It’s not something a dancer would want to use unless it is a last resort. Ortho Evra delivers a very high amount of estrogen into the bloodstream (about 60% more than a 30mcg pill) which has been shown to cause more serious side effects (blood clots) than a comparable pill plus the patch can be seen through small or tight costumes and advertising ones method of birth control is considered gross. NuvaRing is tolerated well but depending on the woman’s pelvic anatomy the ring can slip out or be hooked and pulled out by a thrusting penis. Women using NuvaRing are advised to check before and after each act of intercourse to make sure the ring is still where it should be. Implanon is a progestin-only device and uses the same progestin that is used in NuvaRing. The main complaint about Implanon is that there can be a lot of irregular bleeding since there is no hormone free interval for a period and it can dry out a woman’s vaginal tissues.

Progestin and vaginal atrophy: More serious side effects can occur for some women with some progestins. The progestin and formulation (the estrogen/progestin mix) will vary from woman to woman but for one who is sensitive the effect, over time it can not only increase her hunger and decrease her natural testosterone (which causes her libido to disappear) but for some unlucky few will dry out the delicate vaginal tissues to the extent that sex becomes unbelievably painful even when using a good intimate lube like Astroglide, Replens or Dive-Gel. If those women are not seen by a Gyn expert in hormonal contraceptives their condition can be easily misdiagnosed as Vulvodynia and no effective relief can be managed because they continue on the pill that is causing their genital tissues to atrophy.