Spiritually Sourced Activism
September 19 – 22, 2019
The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, Highlands, NC
Beloved Tribe:
This year we are celebrating Gay Spirit Visions’ 30th anniversary … time for a great celebration! Never before has the organization been as relevant as it is today.
We are living in unusually challenging times. Our society is experiencing an unprecedented spiritual malaise. It manifests in the outer crust of everyday political discourse but has its roots at a much deeper level. GSV’s 2019 Fall Conference will be a series of conversations on our society’s deeper spiritual misalignment and how we, as spiritually awakened gay men, can respond in a spiritually sourced way downloading guidance from higher realms.
For centuries humans have faced challenging social and political scenarios. Some of them chose to tune in to a higher frequency, a higher intelligence, and responded to those scenarios from a spiritual perspective. They have left us a rich legacy. Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, the Vietnamese monk Thích Nh?t H?nh, and our own Martin Luther King Jr. faced deplorable circumstances and had every reason to become hateful and vindictive. They didn’t. They opened up, tuned in, and downloaded inspiration for guidance as to how to move forward and respond to the darkness with light.
Our conference will NOT be a conversation on bipartisan politics. It will not be a conversation about individual politicians. Nor will it be a discussion of the outer crust and everyday discourse we read about in the media.
The conference will explore ways of invoking and tuning in to spiritual inspiration, guidance, and solutions that empower us to create a world that is fair, inclusive, caring, and respectful of the earth and all sentient beings. We will explore how present social and political conditions can be seen as a call, a very loud call, for deeper healing, personal healing, and collective healing. Call it inspired activism, sacred activism, or any other name, it is activism emanating from a spiritual source.
So let us have conversations on reaching out to spirit, opening to spirit, and receiving from spirit, so that we may move forward as empowered creators of a better world. Let’s share ideas, let’s cross-pollinate thought, and enrich each other’s understanding of the loving community we are.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Meade, American anthropologist.
RAYMOND L. RIGOGLIOSO – KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Raymond L. Rigoglioso is the founder and executive director of Gay Men of Wisdom. He is the author of the book Gay Men and The New Way Forward. In his book, Ray assists the reader in realizing how he serves and heals humanity and frees and enriches the human spirit. Former GSV keynote speakers Toby Johnson, Will Roscoe, Jon Stasio, and Mark Thompson have offered positive reviews of Gay Men and The New Way Forward.
Ray is a certified Life Coach through the International Coach Federation. His professional background includes more than two decades as a writer and editor for non-profit organizations in New York City and Boston. He co-founded the Danbury Area Gay and Lesbian Youth Group where he facilitated groups. After graduating from the New School in 1991, Ray went on to work at New York City’s Gay Men’s Health Crisis. Ray’s work and vision are more relevant and urgent now than ever before.
ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT INFORMATION
PRESENTATIONS
Please send proposals for workshops, panel discussions, or any other format to [email protected]. All presentations should support the conference theme.
SILENT AUCTION
As part of GSV’s ongoing effort to financially support brothers who would like to attend our gatherings, the Financial Assistance Committee organizes silent auctions to benefit GSV’s Raven Wolfdancer Financial Assistance Fund. More information concerning the silent auction will be included in future conference announcements.
FRIDAY EVENING DANCE EVENT
GSV brother Kevin “Baby Bull” Biacsi will be our Friday evening dance event DJ. Kevin requests that you send to him the titles of your top two favorite songs that you would like to be included in Friday evening’s dance event. Please e-mail your request directly to Kevin at [email protected].
THE PARADE OF BEAUTIES
Take it to the runway! Bring on your splashy and creative attire, dazzling costumes, high voltage drag, and anything else you’d like to wear (or not wear)! And bring on the make-up!
VARIETY SHOW
Be a star. There’s no business like show business and at GSV’s variety show you are guaranteed to glow. Have no fear about appearing onstage, this is the audience from heaven!
Cami Delgado
Convener – GSV 2019 Fall Conference
Watch for future e-mails and posts about the 2019 Fall Conference. In the meantime, register now!