Gay Spirit Visions

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Gay Spirit Visions

Gay Spirit Visions is a diverse group of gay and bisexual men of all spiritual paths. We serve as a nurturing counterculture within the wider gay scene.

Gay Spirit Visions comprises a diverse group of gay & bisexual men following a wide array of spiritual paths. We pursue heart-centered connection, with an emphasis on healing and strengthening spiritual identity. We serve as a supportive, nurturing counterculture within the wider gay community. We seek to uncover or rediscover our unique gifts as gay and bisexual men, revealing our potential to on

e another and to the world. We attempt to connect or reconnect sexuality and spirituality in our lives. We encourage conversation about and exploration of alternative spiritual paths, but strive to be inclusive of mainstream beliefs and deities. Gay Spirit Vision adheres to a policy of radical inclusion. We welcome and respect the stranger. Our community welcomes all open-hearted men-who-love-men regardless of spiritual path, color, class, or other such factors. We are poets and warriors, firekeepers and shamans, faeries and philosophers, dancers and dreamers, tricksters and healers, explorers and mentors. We are sacred men who love men. Facebook Information:

Gay Spirit Visions maintains two Facebook groups. One is a public group (the page you are currently viewing), and the other is a nonpublic group that is private and hidden. To join the nonpublic group, you must have attended at least one GSV in-person or virtual Winter Meditation, Spring Retreat, or Fall Conference. After attending your first gathering, we will send you an invitation to join the nonpublic Facebook group. If you would like to join, follow the instructions in the invitation. Registration information for the gatherings mentioned above may be found by following the links at: http://gayspiritvisions.org/annual-gatherings/.

09/01/2024

LAST CALL!

GSV 2024 Fall Conference

Where Are Your Feet?

September 26 - 29, 2024

The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, Highlands, NC

Convener: ChaseR

4 Day/3 Night Package (Thursday through Sunday)
*Bunk House (shared room up to 4 people) $300.00 + 6.75% tax = $320.25
*Lodge or Duplex Cabin (double occupancy) $345.00 + 6.75% = $368.29
For All Rooms, Add Required GSV Program Fee $100.00

Check out the Registration System for Optional Extra Night Before (Wednesday Night) and/or After (Sunday Night) the Conference

Register Now!
https://gayspiritvisions.org/.../fall.../fall-register/

Work on the 35th annual Gay Spirit Visions Fall Conference is progressing at a rapid pace now!

I am happy to inform you that we have a special guest presenter: Summer Minerva. They will be with us during the conference and will be screening their film Summer Within.

Summer Minerva is an Italian-American author, performer, educator, and filmmaker. Their passion for immersion into diverse cultures started when they were just a New York City kid in a multilingual, multicultural neighborhood. Their ever-present curiosity led them to the University of Miami, where they received a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies and Journalism, after studying abroad in Brazil, and circumnavigating the world on a ship. They then pursued a Master of Science degree in Education and taught at the elementary school level in New York City public schools. They speak Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian fluently and have co-edited Italian Trans Geographies for State University Press of New York (SUNY Press), released in 2023. Their autobiographical feature documentary film Summer Within (2024) has won prestigious awards in the United States and in Italy, including the Laceno d’Oro International Film Festival’s Spazio Campania “Chiara Ragione” Best Movie award. Summer is currently touring with a one-person performance called Tombola Bingo which premiered at The Australian National University in the summer of 2024. They have presented their work at many prominent institutions including the New-York Historical Society, Harvard University, New York University, New School University, Southern Methodist University, Colby College, Gibney: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center, and many others. Summer currently works as an executive functioning coach for people with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and publishes regularly on Substack.

We have an incredible lineup of workshops and breakout sessions. Below is a working list of topics:

Naked Yoga

Presencing with the Enneagram

Sharing Me Now – A Guided Autobiography

Living Your Dying – End of Life Considerations for GBTQ Individuals

Diving Into Your Ecstatic Body and B**M Subspace

Sound: A Meditative Bridge to Insight and Healing

Super Sensual Sensation: Impact Play

Living Breath Practice

Self-Pleasuring and Multi-Orgasmic Practice

The Relational Bond – Intimate Connection Through Conversation and Presence

Embodied Spiritual Surrender

Great Sky Circles – Mystical Sufi Traditions

Breath Full Movement

A special hybrid event for online participation is being considered: Grounding In Our Sacred Chosen Bodies

Panel Discussions:

Being an Ally to Indigenous People

Keeping It Up All Year!
(Groups That Live GSV Year-Round and How They Do It)

I invite you to make origami cranes to bring to The Mountain and display. I am hoping for 1,000 paper cranes. Below is a link to the story The Story of Sadako Sasaki and the Thousand Paper Cranes. You will also find links to how to make a paper crane. So, now is the time to begin your journey to The Mountain. Write down your prayers, intentions, and hopes, and fold them into the paper cranes you make. Then bring them to The Mountain or send them by a friend. I have found that making origami cranes has been calming. It is part of my journey to The Mountain. I have made 12 cranes so far. Only 988 more to go!

The Story of Sadako Sasaki and the Thousand Paper Cranes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wRabZXQ-hQ

How to make a paper crane:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfnyopxdJXQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux1ECrNDZl4

Join us around our council fire, listening deeply in our heart circles, sharing meals, experiencing workshops, practicing gender freedom and expression, talent shows, dance, small groups, and a thousand other ways of being together.

I look forward to being with you in 25 days!

ChaseR
GSV 2024 Fall Conference Convener

Scholarship Information and Application Deadline
Financial assistance in the form of scholarships is available. The financial assistance application submission deadline is September 5, 2024. We hope that anyone who resonates with our mission and community, and who has the desire to attend, can join us at our gatherings. To that end we offer financial assistance through the Raven Wolfdancer Financial Assistance Fund. Please go to the Financial Assistance page https://gayspiritvisions.org/financial_assistance/... on the Gay Spirit Visions website for more information and for a link to the GSV financial assistance application form. Remember, the financial assistance application submission deadline is September 5, 2024.

Registration
Registration for the GSV 2024 Fall Conference is open now. The GSV Council has asked me to remind all who plan to register that there are a maximum of six single occupancy accommodations. If a positive GSV and Mountain experience is contingent upon single room accommodations, please email [email protected] for single room occupancy request consideration.

Registration closes Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. ET. We remind you that recent fall conferences have reached capacity long before registration closes, so you are encouraged to register as soon as possible. All questions about the conference should be directed to [email protected] rather than The Mountain.

Register Now!
https://gayspiritvisions.org/.../fall.../fall-register/

08/02/2024

GSV 2024 Fall Conference - CALL FOR WORKSHOPS

Where Are Your Feet?

September 26 - 29, 2024

The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, Highlands NC

Convener: ChaseR

4 Day/3 Night Package (Thursday through Sunday)
Bunk House (shared room up to 4 people) $300.00 + 6.75% tax = $320.25
Lodge or Duplex Cabin (double occupancy) $345.00 + 6.75% = $368.29
For All Rooms, Add Required GSV Program Fee $100.00

Check out the Registration System for Optional Extra Night Before (Wednesday Night) and/or After (Sunday Night) the Conference

Register Now!
https://gayspiritvisions.org/.../fall.../fall-register/

One of my mentors while I was on the GSV Council was Treewalker. The photo below, taken by Lem Arnold, has the qualities of an icon. The photo radiates Treewalker's energy, presence, joy of life, and also his feet! He would remind those serving on the Council that the GSV Fall Conference is like a spinning top toy. We all put energy, intention, prayers, and work into preparing for the Fall Conference. It is like winding up a spinning top toy. All of us are winding that spinning top right now — those of us that are planning to attend and those of us that are supporting from afar. In 56 days, on Thursday evening, September 26, 2024, we will let go of this spinning top and watch it spin across The Mountain and into our lives.

Join us around our council fire, listening deeply in our heart circles, sharing meals, experiencing workshops, practicing gender freedom and expression, talent shows, dance, small groups, and a thousand other ways of being together.

Together we will explore ideas and practices around the ideas of mindfulness, awareness, and presence. Experiences offered will include yoga, breath, sound meditation, storytelling, dance, body work, panel discussions, singing, and others. My intention, hope, and prayer is that there will be specific practices that you will want to take back with you when you leave The Mountain.

I invite you to make origami cranes to bring to The Mountain and display. I am hoping for 1,000 paper cranes. Below is a link to the story The Story of Sadako Sasaki and the Thousand Paper Cranes. You will also find links to how to make a paper crane. So, now is the time to begin your journey to The Mountain. Write down your prayers, intentions, and hopes, and fold them into the paper cranes you make. Then bring them to The Mountain or send them by a friend. I have found that making origami cranes has been calming. It is part of my journey to The Mountain. I have made 12 cranes so far. Only 988 more to go!

The Story of Sadako Sasaki and the Thousand Paper Cranes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wRabZXQ-hQ

How to make a paper crane:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfnyopxdJXQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux1ECrNDZl4

Call For Workshops
As usual, there are times in the schedule for breakout workshops and activities. If you have a breakout workshop or activity you would like to facilitate (and, well, you are planning to attend the conference), please send me the following information:

• Your name (as you would like it listed in the conference
schedule)
• The title of the workshop/activity
• A brief description of the workshop/activity for the conference
schedule, facility/set-up requirements, and an explanation to
help me understand what you want to do

I can't guarantee I can accept all submissions, but I'll do my best to provide a variety of options. Remember: we like these breakout workshops and activities to be more interactive and participatory than presentational. Please email your breakout workshop/activity proposal to me at [email protected] by August 15th, 2024.

ChaseR
GSV 2024 Fall Conference Convener

Scholarship Information and Application Deadline
Financial assistance in the form of scholarships is available. The financial assistance application submission deadline is September 5, 2024. We hope that anyone who resonates with our mission and community, and who has the desire to attend, can join us at our gatherings. To that end we offer financial assistance through the Raven Wolfdancer Financial Assistance Fund. Please go to the Financial Assistance page on the Gay Spirit Visions website
https://gayspiritvisions.org/financial_assistance/
for more information and for a link to the GSV financial assistance application form. Remember, the financial assistance application submission deadline is September 5, 2024.

Registration
Registration for the GSV 2024 Fall Conference is open now. The GSV Council has asked me to remind all who plan to register that there are a maximum of six single occupancy accommodations. If a positive GSV and Mountain experience is contingent upon single room accommodations, please email [email protected] for single room occupancy request consideration.

Registration closes Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. ET. We remind you that recent fall conferences have reached capacity long before registration closes, so you are encouraged to register as soon as possible. All questions about the conference should be directed to [email protected] rather than The Mountain.

Register Now!
https://gayspiritvisions.org/.../fall.../fall-register/

07/03/2024

GSV 2024 Fall Conference

Where Are Your Feet?

September 26 - 29, 2024

The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, Highlands NC

Convener: ChaseR

4 Day/3 Night Package (Thursday through Sunday)
Bunk House (shared room up to 4 people) $300.00 + 6.75% tax = $320.25
Lodge or Duplex Cabin (double occupancy) $345.00 + 6.75% = $368.29
For All Rooms, Add Required GSV Program Fee $100.00

Check out the Registration System for Optional Extra Night Before (Wednesday Night) and/or After (Sunday Night) the Conference

Register Now!
https://gayspiritvisions.org/annual-gatherings/fall-conference/fall-register/

Come, Come, Whoever You Are

Come, come, whoever you are!
Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving.
This is not a caravan of despair.
It does not matter that you have broken your vow a thousand times,
Still come,
And yet again,
Come.

Whatever your race, class, culture or color,
serostatus or sexual wounds.
Whatever you struggle with, heart, mind, body or soul ...
Still come.

Whether you're gay, bi, questioning, q***r, or transgender,
single or partnered, poly or simply perplexed;
religious or atheist, spiritual, awestruck,
addicted, recovering, or reaching for heaven on earth.
Whether outrageous or quiet, flamboyant or shy, prophetic or peaceful,
elder or newcomer or somewhere between ...
Still come.

We welcome your sorrows, we welcome your joys.
We welcome your hunger, we welcome your gifts.
We welcome your stories, questions, and yearnings.
We welcome you home!

~ChasR after Hunter Flournoy after Rumi~

The call has gone forth! In 86 days, we intend to gather together with 90 other kindred souls for the 35th annual Gay Spirit Visions Fall Conference. We will spend about 69 hours together around our council fire, listening deeply in our heart circles, sharing meals, experiencing workshops, practicing gender freedom and expression, talent shows, dance, small groups, and a thousand other ways of being together.

Together we will explore ideas and practices around the ideas of mindfulness, awareness, and presence. Experiences offered will include yoga, breath, sound meditation, storytelling, dance, body work, panel discussions, singing, and others. My intention, hope, and prayer is that there will be specific practices that you will want to take back with you when we leave The Mountain.

I invite you to make origami cranes to bring to The Mountain and display. I am hoping for 1000 paper cranes. Below is a link to the story The Story of Sadako Sasaki and the Thousand Paper Cranes. You will also find links on how to make a paper crane. So, now is the time to begin your journey to The Mountain. Write down your prayers, intentions, and hopes, and fold them into the paper cranes you make. Many of you have already begun your journey.

The Story of Sadako Sasaki and the Thousand Paper Cranes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wRabZXQ-hQ

How to make a paper crane:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfnyopxdJXQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux1ECrNDZl4

ChaseR
GSV 2024 Fall Conference Convener

Scholarship Information and Application Deadline

Financial assistance in the form of scholarships is available. The financial assistance application submission deadline is September 5, 2024. We hope that anyone who resonates with our mission and community, and who has the desire to attend, can join us at our gatherings. To that end we offer financial assistance through the Raven Wolfdancer Financial Assistance Fund. Please go to the Financial Assistance page https://gayspiritvisions.org/financial_assistance/
on the Gay Spirit Visions website for more information and for a link to the GSV financial assistance application form. Remember, the financial assistance application submission deadline is September 5, 2024.

Registration

Registration for the GSV 2024 Fall Conference is open now. The GSV Council has asked me to remind all who plan to register that there are a maximum of six single occupancy accommodations. If a positive GSV and Mountain experience is contingent upon single room accommodations, please email [email protected] for single room occupancy request consideration.

Registration closes Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. ET. We remind you that recent fall conferences have reached capacity long before registration closes, so you are encouraged to register as soon as possible. All questions about the conference should be directed to [email protected] rather than The Mountain.

ChaseR
GSV 2024 Fall Conference Convener

Register Now!
https://gayspiritvisions.org/annual-gatherings/fall-conference/fall-register/

06/19/2024

gayspiritvisions.org

03/18/2024

GSV 2024 Spring Retreat

On The Precipice

May 10-12, 2024

The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, Highlands, NC

3 Day/2 Night Package (Friday through Sunday)
Bunk House (shared room up to 4 people): $200.00
Lodge or Duplex Cabin (double occupancy): $230.00
Single Occupancy (private room): $370.00
For All Rooms add Mandatory GSV program fee: $35.00

Register Now!
https://gayspiritvisions.org/annual-gatherings/spring-retreat/spring-register/

Hello Siblings,

I am getting very excited about the 2024 Gay Spirit Visions Spring Retreat. I am looking forward to seeing you back home at The Mountain. My hope is we will experience a collective connection and become energized and empowered.

The questions we often ask when finding ourselves on a precipice are often:

• I feel like I am only reaching half of my potential. What am I missing?
• Why does it seem to be so difficult for me to understand this challenge?
• Am I afraid that I may fail and/or get hurt again?
• Does my fear of the unknown keep me from taking the leap?

I want us to talk about these questions, and other questions that you may have, so we can face some of our fears and learn from one another.

What you can expect during our time together:

• Workshops that include ways to manage precipice moments and challenges
• Full group and small group discussions
• Pop-up theme groups, workshops, and activities
• Unstructured “free” time for yourself. Self-care is key!
• And more!

If you are interested in leading a workshop, discussion group, or activity that is connected with the Spring Retreat theme, please reach out to me via email, and let's talk about what you would like to offer. My email address is [email protected].

Financial assistance, in the form of scholarships, is available. The financial assistance application submission deadline is April 26. We hope that anyone who resonates with our mission and community, and who has the desire to attend, can join us at our gatherings. To that end, we offer financial assistance through the Raven Wolfdancer Financial Assistance Fund. Please go to the Financial Assistance page on the Gay Spirit Visions website for more information about financial assistance (scholarships) and for a link to the GSV financial assistance application form.
https://gayspiritvisions.org/financial_assistance/
Remember, the financial assistance application submission deadline is April 26.

Please note that GSV currently plans to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 guidelines in effect at the time of the gathering.

Let’s gather together and listen to one another, share ideas and experiences, and support each other. I hope to see you at The Mountain.

Sending love and light,
Darin Topham
GSV 2024 Spring Retreat Convener

Register Now!
https://gayspiritvisions.org/annual-gatherings/spring-retreat/spring-register/

02/20/2024

GSV 2024 Spring Retreat

On The Precipice

MAY 10-12, 2024

THE MOUNTAIN RETREAT AND LEARNING CENTER, HIGHLANDS, NC

3 Day/2 Night Package (Friday through Sunday)
Bunk House (shared room up to 4 people): $200.00
Lodge or Duplex Cabin (double occupancy): $230.00
Single Occupancy (private room): $370.00
For All Rooms add Mandatory GSV program fee: $35.00

Register Now!
https://gayspiritvisions.org/annual-gatherings/spring-retreat/spring-register/

Dear Siblings,

This spring we look at that pivotal point where we could be facing great change. What are the possibilities? Do I have to do this alone? What is my potential? What do I deserve? You deserve it all …

Our Winter Meditation gathering reminded us that our life journey has taken us on many paths. Sometimes those paths have been amazing and other times those paths may have taken us to challenging situations. Often those times may find us on a precipice. This can be very scary and feel very lonely. We may not know what to do or how to move forward.

You may have recently faced your own precipice, or maybe you are on a precipice right now. It is indeed a time of tremendous growth and definite change. One reason it may feel so difficult is because we feel we are facing this alone. However, remember this - you are not alone! You have found your tribe, and we can negotiate the precipice together.

This spring let's discover together how we can find strength, love, and support. These precipice moments are critical and set us up for positive growth. We will talk about what we see as we stand on our precipice, how we can stand together, and what we have learned from those experiences. All of this can be so much easier when we realize we are not alone. WE can do this. If you are interested in providing a workshop that is connected with this theme, please reach out to me via email and let's talk about what you would like to offer. My email address is [email protected].

Financial assistance, in the form of scholarships, is available. The financial assistance application submission deadline is April 26. Our hope is that anyone who resonates with our mission and community, and who has the desire to attend, can join us at our gatherings. To that end, we offer financial assistance through the Raven Wolfdancer Financial Assistance Fund. Please go to the Financial Assistance page
https://gayspiritvisions.org/financial_assistance/
on the Gay Spirit Visions website for more information about financial assistance (scholarships) and for a link to the GSV financial assistance application form. Remember, the financial assistance application submission deadline is April 26.

Please note that GSV currently plans to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 guidelines in effect at the time of the gathering.

I am so looking forward to seeing you at The Mountain for our Spring Retreat.

Sincerely,
Darin Topham
GSV 2024 Spring Retreat Convener

Register Now!
https://gayspiritvisions.org/annual-gatherings/spring-retreat/spring-register/

01/29/2024

UPCOMING GATHERINGS

FALL CONFERENCE DATES:
September 25-28, 2025
September 24-27, 2026

WINTER MEDITATION DATES:
January 17-19, 2025
January 16-18, 2026

SPRING RETREAT DATES:
May 9-11, 2025
May 15-17, 2026

Address

P. O. Box 339
Decatur, GA
30031

Website

http://gayspiritvisions.org/

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