Temple in the Trees

10/14/2026

Friends and loves,

Many have asked individually and so we are announcing this to the community collectively: We will not be at Interfusion Festival this year.

For a decade, thousands of people have come through our home and our Temple, and one of the greatest gifts of our lives is in knowing that the work is still rippling out into the world through them.

Our lives have turned toward home. We're rooting in New Orleans now. Opening our doors to the people we love. Pouring ourselves into the music, the art, the aliveness of this city. That's where our devotion lives right now, and we want to follow it fully.

In Way of the Peaceful Warrior, the old mentor Socrates says, "The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new."

That's where we are. Putting our whole hearts into what we're creating now, and letting that be the transformation.

Thank you for being part of how we got here.

With so much love,
Lara Blackin & Michael Blackin

10/01/2026

Wild, weird times call for bold actions. What might become possible if you gave yourself five days to get out of your own way, follow your pleasure, and let your creativity run wild?

We have TWO SPOTS LEFT for Seducing the Muse in New Orleans, October 14-18. Are you ready to be spontaneous and take a leap toward the thing you've been longing to create?

This version of Seducing the Muse is about the courage to be seen and the art of getting out of your own way so you can channel what most wants to come through you.

In addition to myself and Joanna Garner as facilitators, participants will get to soak in inspiration from mural artist Brandan Bmike Odums during a studio visit,Bella Blue burlesque entertainer, st****er, and pleasure provider for a performance and workshop, and Steve Gilliland for a live music creative visualization/journey.

Five days of ta***ic creativity, art, pleasure, and a lot of New Orleans magic.

If you're feeling a YES, send me a DM and let's talk about how to make it happen. Or visit Seducing the Muse New Orleans | a ta***ic artists retreat to claim your spot.

We live and love this stuff !!!

06/17/2026

Temple in the Trees is now Temple by the Water.

Rooted in New Orleans' magical Bywater neighborhood, Ta***ic Educators Lara & Michael Blackin have created an artist's sanctuary where the sacred & sensual flow as one.

The river knows.

TempleBytheWater.com

06/15/2026

We closed the Temple yesterday.

And oh, what a new beginning it is.

Women gathered. Wild, wondrous, wise women who blessed this space and one another with so much care and respect.

A day spent learning from an exceptional teacher, Jess Floyd, PhD — we journeyed to new territory in our individual and collective becoming. Such a scholar, with so much depth and care, she held the space with grace, wisdom, and playfulness, and I was transported time and time again into new edges of learning.

What a gift to be in relationship with someone I so desire to learn from, as she learns from me too. And then to bring it all to a group of women — this is the power of sisterhood. And it is launching in an incredible way. Watch her soar. Her name will become a household one very soon. Books on your shelves, dates on your calendars, and transformation in your life with Dr. Floyd!

Honored to have been mentoring Jess in Ta***ic Arts and Embodied Eros since the start of winter, she has entered the season of her full fire and wisdom as an Intimacy, SxX & Relationship Coach. This gathering was her graduation gift — to us! And what a gift she is. A published author and professor in Gender, Women’s + SxXuality Studies, you can learn more about her at lilithshearth.com.

My love for women — women who show up at the door of a new threshold in their lives, ready to embrace the unknown — is the most precious and meaningful work I’ve ever done. To see this ripple out into the world through such a powerful, kind, and generous soul as Jess brings such a level of completion to me, in the work and life lived here in the DMV.

One door closes. Another opens.

I so invite you to walk through hers.

05/28/2026

If you find yourself being drawn to the wonder, the magic and the celebration that is New Orleans, come celebrate our one year anniversary with us.

Intimate private outdoor house concert with the one and only Maggie Koerner 6.6 at 6pm.

Donations & details here:
https://facebook.com/events/s/huzzah-house-concert-featuring/742306985606580/

05/18/2026

The Wild Woman Within

a day long retreat
with Jess Floyd, PhD.
at Temple in the Trees

Exclusively for Women.
Especially for Women
who are committed to
hearing and following their power.

limited tickets available:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1490305879412776

A one-day workshop focused on sharing stories in a community of women healing together through shared narratives led by Jess Floyd, PhD

05/12/2026

Yes! Our incredible home is for sale.
It’s actually not just a home.. it’s a sanctuary. A place like none other in this area. Smack dab in the middle of Leesburg, VA and all the vitality our town has to offer while being surrounded by woods and nature in protected public lands that flourish with wildlife.
Multiple outdoors rooms for meditation and movement for individuals or large groups, it boasts 3 levels of outdoor deck and patios, multiple water features, abundant and fragrant gardens galore that are nearly 100% native and maintenance free and the best part… complete privacy.

And that’s only the outside!

Open House Saturday 5/16 12-4.

Come sneak a peak and see why we have loved living here for over a decade raising 6 children and creating a community that flourishes far beyond these walls.

Listed for sale at $1440000. Nestled in the forests of Leesburg, along the gentle bend of a scenic river, this extraordinary home is ready for its ne...

05/01/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1EVKnhfjiy/?mibextid=wwXIf

04/24/2026

♥️UPDATE ♥️
5/5 ONLY ONE space available.

•••••••••••••••

Only two more spaces remain
Ignite retreat May 22-25


Come Connect • Restore the sacred in your relationship • Rekindle the intimacy • Now more than ever, return to what matters most ~ how we continue to learn to love one another in new ways .

“At the heart of NeoTantra there is a promise as old as the Vedas and as new as the latest neuroscience — our bodies are designed to be vessels of the sacred. Reachable through breath, touch, and the living warmth of genuine human contact.”

We live & love this stuff!
xoxo ~ Lara and Michael

05/22/26 - 05/25/26 @ 6:00 pm - 3:00 pm - Four day ta***ic workshop focused on creating deep intimacy based on presence, intention, communication, and TOUCH.Welcome to our 6th annual ta***ic retreat at Temple in the Trees!In the course of our ta***ic coaching, we get a lot of curiosity about touch,....

04/24/2026

For the love of trees.
Happy Arbor Day.