Portfolio

Kiva Goldstein,  an Aspen Colorado native, took her first Morehouse course in the early 90′s and has been living at Lafayette Morehouse since  2005.  At Lafayette Morehouse,  she met and married her husband, Michael. After graduating from high school in Carbondale, Kiva travelled and ended up in San Francisco where she became a staff member of The World  School of Massage, where she certified as a Holistic Health Educator.   She moved to Boulder with her first husband,  studied at Naropa University,   and had  a successful healing practice there.   In 2000, she moved back to the Bay Area and became a private chef. Kiva is currently training to teach Morehouse courses which includes participating in ongoing research in sensuality and pleasurable living.   In June, 2011,  an article written by Kiva was published in  Communities magazine in their Intimacy issue. Kiva  leads Mark groups regularly and enjoys throwing parties, doing yoga, being a foodie, and going to concerts.

Michael Goldstein was born in Boston, grew up in New Jersey, and  imigrated to Atlanta, Georgia in 1991.   After earning a Communication/Theater degree from Rutger’s University, Michael toured the country with a children’s theater and performed in the streets of Europe.Michael has been a self taught, professional children’s entertainer since he was 16 years old and continues performing as The Sheriff of  Fun to children’s  groups, corporate picnics and family events.  For  the last 15 years, Michael focused on performing for children with cancer and other special needs. Michael discovered the Atlanta More Community in 1996.  He moved  into that community in 1998 and  to Lafayette Morehouse in 2004.From there, Michael soon began dating his future wife.  In September of 2008, Kiva and Michael were married. Michael is a Mark Group leader and a member of the Speaker’s Bureau.

Lafayette Morehouse

Inspired by its founder, Dr. Victor Baranco, and now by his widow, Dr. Cynthia Baranco, Morehouse has been a successful group living experiment for over 40 years. The cornerstone of our philosophy and life-style is the concept of perfection. Our working premise is that people and situations are right the way they are and include the potential for change.

Our research, started by Vic Baranco and his first wife, Suzie Baranco, has explored how people can live together pleasurably, with the group providing support for the individual’s goals. We have found that people with increased knowledge and awareness enjoy fun relationships which endure and deepen in intimacy and, moreover, that gratified people tend to treat others with more compassion and love.

Our philosophy is based on the belief that you are perfect, that the world is perfect, and that you are totally responsible for your life. We believe that perfection includes the potential for change.

Vic recognized that it was imperative to handle communication, sensuality and decision making to sustain a cohesive group of two or more people. The resulting body of Lafayette Morehouse courses report and demonstrate our continued findings in the areas of communication, sensuality, man/woman relationships, jealousy, money, possessions and other issues of group living. Our courses are descriptive rather than prescriptive. It is not our goal to have others live as we do, but rather to offer our findings so that our students can use whatever elements they find beneficial. Those situations that all people encounter and must resolve in order to have happy, fulfilling lives are addressed in these courses. To attain the broadest applicability of our findings, we have sought to include people from all walks of life within our community.

Communication, essential to group living, is the basis of all human relationship and erases loneliness. Through observation and experimentation, we have identified the elements of successful and unsuccessful communication.

In the early 1960′s, Vic and Suzie began researching how to improve their sex life. Their approach was unique in that they found it perfect, rather than viewing it as dysfunctional. From that perspective, they discovered how to have a life of sensual pleasure that was ever expanding. They designed a methodology for training others that has been used and further developed by Lafayette Morehouse ever since.

In 1976, Lafayette Morehouse presented the first known public demonstration of a woman in a state of orgasm. The first demonstrations were three hours long, although it soon became apparent that one hour of witnessing a woman in orgasm was more than enough to show that the duration and intensity of orgasm is potentially limitless.

In addition to communication and sensuality, another critical element of successful grouping is the fair distribution of power. The decision-making system Vic designed that has been used throughout the history of Morehouse is the one no-vote, which is a way to bring about equality in a world of diversity.

In our society, living as an independent family unit is becoming increasingly difficult for social and economic reasons. Isolation and loneliness are also growing problems. We believe that group living is a potential solution to these issues. And besides, it’s fun!

Workshop Title: Having Pleasurable Relationships – Fun is the Goal, Love is the Way

Workshop Description: Based on the research in pleasurable group living conducted at Lafayette Morehouse for more than 40 years, the presenters will describe attitudes and viewpoints that tend to effectively enhance the quality of relationships and those that don’t.  They will share their collective experiences of pleasurably relating with one or more partners, handling conflict, and creating  relationships that endure because they are ever more fun.