Your Embers Are Ready: Embrace Desire with Ease
I’ve been writing this blog in my head since we started planning Power of Pleasure—and after a night spent in the mountains with a wood-burning stove.
Historically, I’ve approached life much like I’ve approached tending to a stove: as a task that requires effort. Blowing on the embers, stirring them, adding kindling to coax the flames into a roaring fire. Pushing until the fire blazes bright, but then quickly burning out, leaving me exhausted and the fire spent. I’d plug in the electric heater, wishing I could just relax.
That all changed this past weekend when I found myself before a wood stove once again. Six of us were gathered around, and I took my usual approach—tending to the fire with my usual fervor, determined to keep everyone warm.
But then, an experienced stove tender looked at me and said, "You can just put the log in. The embers will take care of the rest."
No blowing. No stirring. Just ease. Release. Trust.
I did it. And a few minutes later, she rested her hand on mine and said, "Look at your fire now."
It was blazing, steady, and beautiful—without all the effort and pushing.
This moment stuck with me because it mirrored how we relate to our own desires.
Desire, like the embers in the stove, is always there, quietly burning beneath the surface, waiting for us to notice. It doesn’t need us to force or push to make it burn brightly. It’s steady. It’s strong. It responds to our invitation with ease.
Tending to desire in community can feel intimidating. Vulnerable. Full of "shoulds" and "coulds." But when we’re in community, something magical happens:
Someone else sees your fire before you do. Someone offers a small tip that changes everything. And suddenly, your desire—your inner fire—blazes in ways you didn’t expect.
Power of Pleasure: The Source is here to remind you of this: You are the source of your own pleasure. There’s no need to force it, no external spark required—just curiosity, connection, and the steady warmth of community to help you see and feel what’s already burning inside of you.
Your embers are ready. Are you?
