Author: Don Wilson

GSV 2024 Winter Meditation Post 2

Winter Meditation

Winter Meditation 2024
GSV 2024 Winter Meditation: Celebrating the Journey
GSV 2024 Winter Meditation

Celebrating the Journey


January 12-14, 2024


The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, Highlands NC


3 Day/2 Night Package (Friday through Sunday)


Lodge or Duplex Cabin (double occupancy) $210.00


Single Occupancy (private room) $350.00


For All Rooms Add Required GSV Program Fee $35.00

Register Now!

Dear Fellow Travelers,

I hope that you are all doing well after the Thanksgiving Day festivities and are looking forward to the upcoming holidays. Each year we travel through this same journey. It can seem like a familiar thing year after year. However, if we look over the course of our lives, we realize that even these familiar yearly touchstones have meant different things to us at different times. That is what I am proposing we explore at our upcoming Winter Meditation gathering at The Mountain, January 12-14, 2024.

During our time together, we will celebrate the journey that is our life. We will look at the past, the present, and a proposed future. Participants will be guided through an examination of the good and the bad of their lives, the joyful and the sorrowful, the comic and the tragic. We do this as a journey of appreciation and acceptance of our individual journeys and that may help us see ourselves as unique and valuable beings in this world.

In addition to the workshop celebrating our journey, we will move toward integration through work on the mind, the body, and through action. You will have the opportunity to participate in meditation, touch, yoga, and craft-making. At the end of the journey, you are all invited to a Mocktail Party. We will be serving mocktails and socializing. I ask that you dress for the event. Whatever says “Mocktail Party Attire” to you will be appropriate, wonderful, and appreciated.

Financial assistance, in the form of scholarships, is available. The financial assistance application submission deadline is December 29. 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 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 December 29.

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.

Registration is now open via the GSV website, so please join us. Private rooms are available on a limited basis. Please note that the registration deadline for this gathering is January 6, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. ET.

I do hope that you will be coming to join us in exploring your journey, hearing about the journeys of others, and celebrating those journeys as a community.

I look forward to welcoming all who feel called to take the journey.

Love,
Rev. Dr. Pork Chop
Scott Dillard
GSV 2024 Winter Meditation Convener

Register Now!

GSV 2024 Winter Meditation Post 1

Winter Meditation

Winter Meditation 2024

Celebrating the Journey


January 12-14, 2024


The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, Highlands NC


3 Day/2 Night Package (Friday through Sunday)


Lodge or Duplex Cabin (double occupancy) $210.00


Single Occupancy (private room) $350.00


For All Rooms Add Required GSV Program Fee $35.00

Register Now!

Dear Siblings,

I am pleased to invite you to come to The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center for the Gay Spirit Visions 2024 Winter Meditation. I am looking forward to seeing those of you who are called to this gathering. The Mountain is a magical place, and each season holds its own charms. Winter at The Mountain for me is about cozying up in The Lodge or in a cabin with my tribe and contemplating the stillness of the season.  

This year the theme for the gathering is “Celebrating the Journey.” You will be asked to come ready to contemplate your life journey, the good, the bad, and the indifferent.

An added treat this year will be a Mocktail Party on Saturday evening. Participants will have their choice of several mocktails. There will be music, schmoozing, and sparkling conversation. I envision each of you showing up in your version of fashionable mocktail attire.

Financial assistance, in the form of scholarships, is available. The financial assistance application submission deadline is December 29. 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 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 December 29.

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.

Registration is now open via the GSV website, so please join us. Register early so that The Mountain will know how many cabins to heat up! Private rooms are available on a limited basis.

Scott Dillard
GSV 2024 Winter Meditation Convener

Register Now!

GSV 2023 Fall Conference Post 3

Fall Conference, Gay Spirit Visions

2023 Fall Conference Logo

Queer Bodies/Gay Spirit


September 28 – October 1, 2023


The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, Highlands NC


4 Day/3 Night Package (Thursday through Sunday)


Bunk House (shared room up to 4 people) $285.00


Lodge or Duplex Cabin (double occupancy) $330.00


For All Rooms, Add Mandatory GSV Program Fee $100.00

Check out the Registration System for Optional Extra Nights Before and After the Conference

Register Now!


Convener: Jonny “Mothra” Gray
Keynote Speaker: Tim Miller

Greetings, Siblings!

This is the “last call” for participation and registration for the Gay Spirit Visions 2023 Fall Conference! Tim Miller, our keynote speaker, is excited to work with us on community building through the stories in our bodies. And our GSV siblings have really stepped up to offer a great slate of workshops.

If you are curious about the kind of work Tim Miller has been doing for the queer community, the following URL includes the Canadian documentary, “Tim Miller: Loud & Queer.” The documentary chronicles Tim’s work with gay men’s groups in New York City in the early 1990s. https://vitheque.com/en/titles/tim-miller-loud-queer

Important Information


The conference begins on Thursday, September 28. Check-in at The Mountain begins at 3:00 p.m. EDT. There will be an informal reception at 5:00 p.m., new attendee orientation at 5:30 p.m., dinner at 6:00 p.m., and opening ceremonies will commence at about 7:30 p.m.

The conference ends with lunch on Sunday, October 1. We anticipate lunch will be served between 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. If you don’t have to hit the road right away, you are welcome to stay after lunch and assist the various working circles with clean up, but we understand many of you may have a long commute.

Finally, you may be following the summer uptick in COVID-19 cases in some parts of the U.S.; so are the GSV Council and the Fall Conference Convener. GSV and The Mountain are currently following CDC guidelines for dealing with large group gatherings, which emphasize personal responsibility. Those guidelines and our plans can change; we will keep you notified if they do. As with other elements of GSV, we encourage you to attend the conference at your own comfort level. You are strongly encouraged to be up to date on your vaccines and boosters, mask if you need to, notify close contacts, and isolate if you have been exposed and/or test positive for COVID-19. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html

Scholarship Information and Application Deadline


Financial assistance in the form of scholarships is available. The financial assistance application submission deadline is September 16. 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 and for a link to the GSV financial assistance application form. Remember, the financial assistance application submission deadline is September 16.

Registration


While the Fall Conference is currently full, we anticipate that some slots will be opening up. You are encouraged to join the waitlist by following the prompts on The Mountain’s registration system or call the registrar at (828) 526-5838 x218. No payment is required to join the waitlist.

The GSV Council has asked me to remind all who plan to register that single occupancy requests must be cleared with the Council and require a medical excuse. For private room consideration please email [email protected].

Registration closes Saturday, September 23 at 5:00 p.m. All questions about the conference should be directed to the Council ([email protected]) rather than The Mountain.

The GSV 2023 Fall Conference schedule is coming together, and our time together will be heartwarming, thought-provoking, and fun. I am so looking forward to seeing you all there!
Warmest regards,
Jonny “Mothra” Gray
2023 GSV Fall Conference Convener

Register Now!

GSV 2023 Fall Conference Post 3

Fall Conference

2023 Fall Conference Logo

Queer Bodies/Gay Spirit


September 28 – October 1, 2023


The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, Highlands NC


4 Day/3 Night Package (Thursday through Sunday)


Bunk House (shared room up to 4 people) $285.00


Lodge or Duplex Cabin (double occupancy) $330.00


For All Rooms, Add Mandatory GSV Program Fee $100.00

Check out the Registration System for Optional Extra Nights Before and After the Conference

Register Now!


Convener: Jonny “Mothra” Gray
Keynote Speaker: Tim Miller

Dear Friends,

This may be the last official communication before the attendee letter drops next month.

As you consider attending and making travel plans, I wanted to offer some information that might be useful and offer some gratitude to those who have requested this information. First, the conference begins on Thursday, September 28. Check-in at The Mountain begins at 3:00 p.m. EDT. There will be an informal reception at 5:00 p.m., new attendee orientation at 5:30 p.m., dinner at 6:00 p.m., and opening ceremonies will commence at about 7:30 p.m.

Second, the conference ends with lunch on Sunday, October 1. We anticipate lunch will be served between 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. If you don’t have to hit the road right away, you are welcome to stay after lunch and assist the various working circles with clean-up, but we understand many of you may have a long commute.

Third, you may be following the summer uptick in COVID-19 cases in some parts of the U.S.; so are the GSV Council and the Fall Conference convener. GSV and The Mountain are currently following CDC guidelines for dealing with large group gatherings, which emphasize personal responsibility. Those guidelines and our plans can change; we will keep you notified if they do. As with other elements of GSV, we encourage you to attend the conference at your own comfort level. You are strongly encouraged to be up to date on your vaccines and boosters, mask if you need to, notify close contacts, and isolate if you have been exposed and/or test positive for COVID-19.
(CDC Guidelines: COVID-19 Prevention Actions)

Scholarship Information and Application Deadline


Financial assistance in the form of scholarships is available. The financial assistance application submission deadline is September 16. 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 and for a link to the GSV financial assistance application form. Remember, the financial assistance application submission deadline is September 16.

Registration


Registration for the GSV 2023 Fall Conference is open now. The GSV Council has asked me to remind all who plan to register that single occupancy requests must be cleared with the Council and require a medical excuse. For private room consideration please email [email protected].

Registration closes Saturday, September 23 at 5:00 PM. 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 the Council ([email protected]) rather than The Mountain.

The 2023 Fall Conference schedule is coming together, and our time together will be heartwarming, thought-provoking, and fun. I am so looking forward to seeing you all there!

Warmest regards,
Jonny “Mothra” Gray
2023 GSV Fall Conference Convener

Register Now!

GSV 2023 Fall Conference Post 2

Fall Conference, Gay Spirit Visions

2023 Fall Conference Logo

Queer Bodies/Gay Spirit


September 28 – October 1, 2023


The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, Highlands NC


4 Day/3 Night Package (Thursday through Sunday)


Bunk House (shared room up to 4 people) $285.00


Lodge or Duplex Cabin (double occupancy) $330.00


For All Rooms, Add Mandatory GSV Program Fee $100.00

Check out the Registration System for Optional Extra Nights Before and After the Conference

Register Now!


Convener: Jonny “Mothra” Gray
Keynote Speaker: Tim Miller

Hello Friends!

You’ve seen the email about the GSV 2023 Fall Conference. We’ve got some good things planned already, and I am getting excited about the conference.

Call For Workshops


As usual, there are times on the schedule for break-out workshops and activities. If you have a break-out 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 for the conference program, 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 break-out workshops and activities to be more interactive and participatory than presentational.

Please email your proposal to me at [email protected] by August 15th. Ideas half-baked and in-process are also welcome.

Let’s see what we can cook up together.

Scholarship Information and Application Deadline


Financial assistance in the form of scholarships is available. The financial assistance application submission deadline is September 16. 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 and for a link to the GSV financial assistance application form. Remember, the financial assistance application submission deadline is September 16.

Registration


Registration for the GSV 2023 Fall Conference is open now. The GSV Council has asked me to remind all who plan to register that single occupancy requests must be cleared with the Council and require a medical excuse. For private room consideration please email [email protected].

Registration closes Saturday, September 23 at 5:00 PM. 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 the Council ([email protected]) rather than The Mountain.

Jonny “Mothra” Gray
GSV 2023 Fall Conference Convener

Register Now!