Ommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Welcome and namaste! This week we are talking about the spiritual side of alternative relationships. Polyamory has long been associated with the free love movement, which in turn has long been associated with the New Age spirituality of hippies. Though modern-day religions tend to condemn polyamorous relationships, there are a number of people in the poly community who closely tie their relationship structure to their spiritual practice. Is it possible to find enlightenment through polyamory?

Sexual orientation and gender identity are currently hot-button topics. The non-monogamous community attracts many people who are exploring alternative identities, but many of the challenges in dating, acceptance, and personal discovery remain the same. How do you operate with grace and confidence in a culture that isn't necessarily fair to everyone?

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes! Change is an unavoidable part of life but that doesn't keep it from being scary sometimes. We have a lot of personal experience with big life changes like moving to new states or countries, deaths of family or friends, transitioning from monogamy to polyamory, and much more. In this episode we discuss some the things we've learned about dealing with change and how to make it as painless as possible. Often one of the most helpful things is knowing that you're not alone in struggling with change. Hopefully our stories and advice about finding community at the times when you need it most will help you with your current changes and also in preparation for the changes that will happen in the future. As the saying goes, "The only constant in life is change," so it's something that all of us can benefit from learning about.

It isn't easy or fun to talk about abuse. Abusive relationships come in many different iterations, and non-monogamous relationships are not exempt from these kinds of unhealthy dynamics. It's difficult for poly folk to speak publicly about abuse, as social stigma discourages many people from sharing any negative or darker aspects of poly relationships. In this episode, we explore how poly relationships in particular can fall victim to emotionally abusive behaviors, as well as how to recognize abusive patterns early on.

Whew, that's a lotta P's! After many discussions inspired by our solo polyamory episode a few weeks ago, we decided to revisit the topics of hierarchy and priority. Some people insist that a primary/secondary hierarchy is the only that works for long-term polyamory. After all, if you want a house, kids, and any other number of long-term relationship milestones, most people choose to do that with a single, primary partner. However, we argue that it is possible to enjoy these things either with one partner or multiple partners, but without resorting to establishing a rigid hierarchy. We explore the idea of organic priority within your relationships, rather than prescribing hierarchal roles.