OUR TEAM
FOUNDERS, ALUMNI, COUNCIL MEMBERS & FACULTY
Our Founders
The Holy Eros Institute was founded by two erotic explorers, Phoenix Amara and Sonja Semyonova.
Our work began with Worshipper, a live erotic theatre project that seeks to rewrite ancient myths in order to amplify the sacred nature of love and sensual expression. After a year of leading these events, we saw a deepening desire from our attendees to explore new ways to heal the wounds around intimacy and meet others committed to the same.
The Holy Eros Institute is our new home for Worshipper as well as many other offerings, including the Holy Eros Community, a place to gain skills for your heart (and other parts), and 1:1 coaching for those looking to go even deeper.
Meet the Founders
Phoenix Amara is an internationally recognized Prayerformance Ceremonialist, Writer, and Divine Feminine guide. Having mentored in esoteric studies and metaphysics since childhood, she pursued degrees in Visual Arts and Environmental Design, explored plant medicines, personal development modalities, and finally the erotic arts. For over a decade, she’s facilitated hundreds of ceremonies & journeys for clients, as well as mentoring thousands through her online and in-person trainings, retreats and events.
You can find her interviewing experts on the HOLY EROS PODCAST: exploring the intersection of Soul, Sex & Art. Her best-selling memoir, “Ascension of Gaia: The Resurrection of the Sacred Sexual Feminine”, documents her own healing path of connecting to her sexuality and earth-based wisdom. With training in somatic therapy, neo-tantra, sacred sexuality and performance art, you can discover the wild and wonderful experiences and coaching she offers through her website: www.phoenixamara.com
As the former founder of Awakened Woman Convergence (2016, 2017) she’s organized international retreats and conferences in destinations such as Bali & Arizona, performed and spoken on dozens on stages across North America such as DreamTalks, SoulPlay, Lucidity Festival, and Electric Love Festival and led retreats in sacred sites like the Pyramids in Egypt and Chichen Itza Pyramids. Additional qualifications include Somatic Embodiment Training Level 1, Authentic Relating Level 1, Non-Violent Communication Training, Personal Power with Lori-Ann Demers, Red Lotus Tantra Certification with Olivia Jade, Usui Reiki Levels 1, 2 & 3, Diploma of Visual Arts, Bachelors of Environmental Design, and feminine leaderships trainings with Nisha Moodley, Emily Utter, Love Leadership with Kamala Devi, Margie Pargie and others. Connect with her on IG.
Sonja Semyonova is a writer, healer, and erotic being whose life and work centers around honouring the body as the temple of the divine. With her diverse studies in intuitive healing, witchcraft, somatic sex education, yoga, and ancient mythology, she invites her readers and clients to befriend the raw parts of themselves as they turn the stories of their greatest pain into their personal legends. Her first book, Letters to My Lost Lovers, was released in 2024. This collection of personal love letters and relationship wisdom is a guide to creating real intimacy in an increasingly closed-off world.
Sonja has studied the healing arts for more than 25 years and supported hundreds of clients worldwide to find the wisdom within their bodies. Her most significant teachers include her teachers of intuitive development (Tamara Wells, Vessa Rhinehart, Bob Whilhite, Lee Gilbert), her teachers of yoga and Ayurveda (Myra Lewin, Kaya Midlin, Robert Moses, Robert Svoboda, Maya Tiwari, the doctors at the Vaidyagrama Healing Village), herbal medicine (Shelley Torgove, Donna Chesner, Daniel Pool Pech, Susun Weed), and her teachers of sexuality and eroticism (Regena Thomashauer, aka Mama Gena, Kasia Urbaniak, Mehdi Darvish Yahya, the incredible faculty of the Institute for the Study of Somatic Sex Education).
Her greatest gratitude goes to her spiritual teacher, Santi Devi, who has offered her nearly a decade of private mentoring and spiritual counseling to maintain her compass despite all of life’s upendings.
Find her writing on Substack and @bodystoryteller on Instagram and TikTok.
COUNCIL MEMBERS
The Holy Eros Institute is a community of learning, growth, and intimacy training. We believe that working as a community will get us where we want to go. We are pleased to partner with some of our favorite teachers in the realm of intimacy, relationships, and sexuality.
Current Teachers in our Holy Eros Community along with current & former Worshipper Cast + Contributors
DEVAIYA RA
Worshipper cast Member
AUBREY AURORA
Worshipper Cast Member, & Graduate of the 9-Month Love Priestess Mentorship
MISCHA
Former Worshipper Cast Member & Professional Performance Artist
LADY EVE
Worshipper Cast Member, & Professional Dominatrix
STEPHANIE JHALA
Worshipper Cast Member
GRADUATES & ALUMNI
Former Graduates of our Love Priestess Practitioner Training & Other Trainings
ALYSSA MILAN
Graduate of the 9-Month Love Priestess Mentorship
JESSICA CHARUK
Graduate of the 9-Month Love Priestess Mentorship
ZOEY MAYENBURG
Graduate of the 9-Month Love Priestess Mentorship
CARINA ALENCAR
Faculty Priestess Practitioner & Co-Focalizer of the 9-Month Love Priestess Mentorship
ACCOUNTABILITY & SUPPORT MENTORS
At the Holy Eros Institute, we take ethics + consent very seriously…which is why we’ve begun building out our external Ethics + Accountability Partners. Should you ever feel that one of our faculty Priestesses or Practitioners has acted out of integrity, you’d like to report a grievance, or you’ve experienced a breach of consent, please email our Accountability Partner Mischa Byruck @ mischa@evolve.men or find him via his website>>.
Want to partner with us?
Here are some ways to get started.
PODCAST GUEST
Join us as a Holy Eros podcast guest
We are always looking for interesting stories and insights around love, dating, and sexuality. Whether you are an educator or an explorer, reach out with a few reasons why you’d be great on our next episode.
TEACH FOR US
Teach for the Holy Eros Community
The Holy Eros Community is a membership platform for people seeking to deepen their ability to love and be loved. Each month, we invite coaches, therapists, and guides to guest teach workshops that will share tools and knowledge to build our community’s skills in intimacy and relating. If you have something to say about love, dating, sexuality, or relationships, we want to hear from you.
WORSHIPPER
Bring Worshipper to your community
Worshipper is our live erotic theatre project that seeks to rewrite ancient myths in order to amplify the sacred nature of love and sexuality. We are interested in bringing this offering to more audiences, both in Canada and abroad. If you want to host a Worshipper show, contact us here.