The Earth as Valentine

On Valentine’s Day, 2009, we led a group of artists, academics, ecologists, and activists on a special lover’s tour/walk in the Southern California desert. Absolutely everyone can have a beautiful Valentine and a delicious day of ecosexual lovemaking when the Earth is your lover.

The Love Art Lab participated in the Luminous Green Desert, a conference at a University of California desert research retreat facility near Palm Desert. About thirty-five people were in attendance, primarily artists involved in environmental art.

At 2:30 P.M., a dozen of us gathered and walked into the desert. First, we read our “25 Ways to Make Love to the Earth,” then had everyone introduce themselves and tell us anything that came to mind regarding Earth as a lover. We were delighted to hear some very erotic stories from our colleagues and to know that everyone has had at least one erotic experience with the Earth.

Artist couple Paula Poole and Brett Stalbaum collaborated on the tour with us. Paula invited us to each locate and share our V-spot, a view, or a plant, or a place that we found particularly erotic. One by one, we did, and Paula gifted us each a beautiful hand-beaded necklace that she made. Brett, her husband, photographed our spots, which Paula translated into beautiful pencil drawings later that night.

For some people, a cactus was their V-spot. For others, it was a particular view. It was a few grains of sand for Annie because she said, “In every grain of sand is an entire erotic universe waiting to be explored.” She then ate and swallowed the grains of sand with great pleasure. Beth was a total eco-slut, as she had no less than five V-spots. As tour guides, we pointed out other points of interest; a multitude of phallic and vulvar shapes, a gray granite rock with a white heart, sensual textures, eye-gasmic colorful delights, the scents of lavender, creosote, and more more more. Annie demonstrated the joys of licking and hugging rocks. Beth and artist Larry Bogad picked up a watermelon-sized rock and licked it simultaneously. It licked them back! Further down the path was a rock with a big wet spot.

We moseyed and meandered for a couple of miles. At the end of the trail, we stood in a circle for some ‘ecstasy breathing’ circulating energy with the north, south, east, and west, bringing us to an energetic climax with the Earth. Then we made our way back to base camp as the sun sank behind a breast-shaped mountain. We basked in the afterglow while sucking on the dried mangos and figs we had brought for everyone (healthier than bonbons). We talked about our various environmental art projects, pillow talk, as it were. The desert was a fine lover this fine day.

We hope you will join us on our next lover’s tour.