By Mystic Life The reason most traditional relationships end is due to one (or more) of what I’ll refer to as “The Three D’s”: Drifting, Dysfunction and Desire. Drifting occurs when two people evolve in different directions, and no longer feel a common bond that they once shared. Of course, a certain degree of variation […]

The meaning of the word “polyamory” has been debated since the moment of–or perhaps before!–its entry into the standard English-speaking lexicon in the early 1990’s: Polyamory vs. Swinging; Polyamory vs. Cheating; is Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell Polyamory or not? All of these have been discussed nearly innumerable times on lists across the US and in some […]

Annual testing for STIs (sexually transmitted infection) is something I believe every sexually active person should do for their health, not just for people who are in some form of open relationship but anyone sexually active. It is part of being safe and sane with our own health. Unfortunately testing can often be source of […]

By Mystic Life I was recently asked, via my blog, to respond to the question I’ve listed below from a woman who was (like most of us) raised to be monogamous. Upon reflection, I felt that my response may be helpful to readers who are still in the process of defining their values, or who […]

Interest in poly and people exploring or choosing polyamory is exploding, not just in the US but around the world. With this growth and the influx of more mainstream people both old and young, the opposition is beginning to notice and it may get ugly. Several things have spurred this growth; Organizations like Loving More, […]

By Mystic Life Most polyamorous people are drawn to this lovestyle because of their distaste for cheating. But what about if you’re dating someone who is cheating on their partner? Perhaps you don’t even know their partner and are therefore not required to lie to (or withhold from) your lover’s lover. You might then be […]

By Robyn Trask Reprinted from Loving More Magazine issue 35, Copyright 2005 One of the questions asked most frequently by polyamorous couples is “how do we make polyamory work for us while maintaining our relationship as a couple?”  The question is easy; the answer is at once both simple and complex:  You don’t! Many people […]

By Mystic Life I have learned that polyamory can be used to dissolve the ego, or enhance it.  Similar to how nuclear technology can be used to either power a city or destroy it, the poly path can be utilized to bring us closer to peace, or create endless suffering through multiple attachments.  In other […]

The concept of polyamory is often misunderstood by the general public and the media. Tell someone you are polyamorous and it conjures images for the average person of swing parties and clubs with people getting it on in dark corners or polygamous families with men controlling unhappy sister wives and lots of children. These images […]

Back in college I went to a party with some friends who were visiting from out of town, and apparently one of the women at the party had noticed me. She called and asked if I’d like to go to a movie with her. I honestly had no recollection of who she was until we […]

In his groundbreaking book, “The Soul’s Code,” Jungian psychologist James Hillman claims that we are all born with a blueprint of who we are here to be. He likens this phenomenon to the tiny acorn that holds within it all of the information of the oak tree it will eventually become. There are forces in […]

Marriage is a hot topic these days, from gay activists fighting for equality to the conservative right insisting marriage is the very foundation of civilization and allowing gay marriage is a sign of the destruction of society. Then there is the slippery slope argument that if we allow same sex marriage it will lead to […]

by Mystic Life I’ve been wondering if the best way to offend members of both the monogamous and polyamorous communities is to form (or be interested in forming) a MFF triad. Several years ago, my girlfriend at the time and I were looking to meet someone who we both could love.  I’m straight, and my […]

by Dawn Davidson I could imagine tonight as one of those movies (you’ve probably seen more than one of them) where the action follows several different intertwined story lines, showing a bit here, and a bit there, till somewhere close to the end, they all merge together in one grand, sweeping finish filled with fortuitous […]

by Mystic Life, Author of Spiritual Polyamory I used to believe that the world would be a better place if everyone was polyamorous.  Perhaps in a utopian world in which there was no ego, no fear, and no childhood wounds, that would be true.  However, I’ve come to learn that people need to be where […]

I saw a cartoon on a poly website, where a woman gets up from her sickbed after a day of not checking her email, to find hundreds of messages waiting. She turns to a partner accusingly. “You posted about poly and swinging on the list again, didn’t you!” Well, whether or not swinging is a […]

It is not surprising there is so much confusion when the question “What is polyamory?” comes up. Words have both definitions and connotations that build over time heavily influenced by the culture around them. Polyamory was only recently added to the dictionary; first Webster’s and then the Oxford English Dictionary. Webster’s is “the state or […]

Relationship advice is everywhere and you often hear in the poly community that the mantra is communicate – communicate – communicate… You will hear mention of making agreements, boundaries and of course the importance of love. Respect however is often mentioned in passing and yet respect is paramount in successful happy relationships, romantic or otherwise. […]

Reprinted from Loving More Magazine Winter Issue #37 It has never been obvious to me that there is anything intrinsically harmful to children in their parents living polyamorously. I myself was raised by a mother who, though she never heard the word “polyamory”, believed that loving more than one person at a time was both […]

Reprinted from Loving More Magazine Winter Issue #37 By Robyn Trask When I’m asked about polyamory, oftentimes the questions are “What about the kids?” or “Isn’t this confusing to children?” or “Isn’t polyamory harmful to children?” The last one, of course, is more of an accusation than a question. I am a parent, I love […]