Category: Fall Conference

GSV 2018 Fall Conference: Insatiable Curiosity

Fall Conference

GSV 2018 Fall Conference

Call for Workshops

September 27 – 30, 2018

The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center ~ Highlands, NC

4 day / 3 night package (Thursday through Sunday)
Bunkhouse $324.18 | Cabin $380.22 | Lodge $418.65
5 day / 4 night package (Wednesday through Sunday)
Bunkhouse $398.90 | Cabin $473.63 | Lodge $524.87

Dear Brothers in Spirit,

The GSV 2018 Fall Conference overall goal is to investigate how the gift of gayness includes curiosity. When this curiosity becomes insatiable we can change the world (see the invitation to the conference for more detailed information).

If you will be attending and would like to present a workshop that fits the overall theme of the weekend, please do the following:

Make sure your idea matches one of the goals or the theme of the gathering.
Through this curiosity we will explore the following:
• Find ways to test or prove the answers to our questions.
• Exult in our sensuality and how we experience the world.
• Create ambiguity and paradox.
• Cultivate grace, beauty, and spirit.
• Balance logic and imagination, art and science.
• Recognize and appreciate the connectedness of things and phenomena.
• Embody persistent empowerment.
We will use Leonardo da Vinci as a model that embodies these ideals.

Please provide the following information:
• Your full name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Workshop title
• Area of the theme to which the workshop connects or explores
• Objective of the workshop
• Description (include the format for the workshop, e.g. hands-on, lecture/talk, discussion, etc.)
• Time needed for completion
• Specific requirements (meeting space, setup, audio/visual, etc.)
Send the information to [email protected].

Your proposal will be reviewed and considered for the Fall Conference based on the match to the conference goals. I want to confirm workshops by August 20, so please get them in by August 15. Thank you for your willingness to share your experiences and curiosities with your GSV brothers.

Randy Taylor
2018 Fall Conference Convener

Register for the 2018 Fall Conference

GSV 2018 Fall Conference: Insatiable Curiosity

Fall Conference

Fall Conference Tier Pricing

Sweet Siblings in Gay Spirit,

I hope summer is treating you well and that you’re looking forward to gathering with us again for the Fall Conference in September!

Many of you have noticed that you have more pricing options for this year’s Fall Conference than you’ve had before, with the cost being determined by your housing choice. This is something The Mountain does for other groups, and the GSV Council wanted to see if this would work for our community. We are mindful of the fact that our conferences — wonderful as they are — can be hard to fit into a budget. Our goal in moving to this tiered pricing structure is to make the Fall Conference more affordable for more people. This price structure could be the difference between a man being able to attend the Fall Conference or staying home. Or it could be the difference between a man being able to stay the extra night or not.

Last year the cost of the standard 4 day/3 night Fall Conference was $405.65, regardless of where you were housed. This year you get to choose from three price tiers, which are determined by your housing choice. Staying in a bunkhouse will cost $328.18, which is $77 LESS than last year’s Fall Conference. Staying in a cabin will run you $380.22, and if you opt to stay in the Lodge you’ll pay $418.65. Again, these prices are for the standard 4 day/3 night event; staying the extra day will, as it always has, cost a bit more.

We also think this system is fairer. In previous years, housing was randomly assigned, and you wouldn’t know until you got up to The Mountain whether you were staying in the Lodge, in a cabin, or in a bunkhouse. This way you’ll be able to choose the housing option that best suits your needs.

I hope this sheds some light on why we moved to the new pricing structure. Please bear in mind that this is an experiment. We will be asking for your feedback in the post-conference survey, and we look forward to hearing about how this pricing structure works (or doesn’t work) for you.

Here are a couple of points to keep in mind when registering:
• We recommend registering early if you know you want to stay in the Lodge; those rooms go quickly.
• If you want to have a particular roommate, be sure to coordinate with that individual to make sure you both have the same housing option in mind.
I hope to see you at the Fall Conference!

Gourmet hugs,

Nightshade
Presiding Elder, Gay Spirit Visions
On behalf of the GSV Council: Wendell, Tony, Doug, Randall, Bill, Mahan-Kalpa, Jason, and Dandy
[email protected]

Register for the 2018 Fall Conference

GSV 2018 Fall Conference

Fall Conference

GSV 2018 Fall Conference

Insatiable Curiosity

September 27 – 30, 2018

The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, Highlands, NC

4 day / 3 night package (Thursday through Sunday)
Bunkhouse $324.18 | Cabin $380.22 | Lodge $418.65
5 day / 4 night package (Wednesday through Sunday)
Bunkhouse $398.90 | Cabin $473.63 | Lodge $524.87

Dear Brothers,

By recognizing ourselves as evolving gay spirits we are forced to question the norm. This questioning opens the world and allows our curiosity to expand and be a force that can guide us throughout our life. We begin to become curious about phenomena beyond our love for men. We question what we have been told about sensuality, beauty, ambiguity, science, compassion, and the world of the spirit. By being this ‘outsider’ we have a unique perspective on the world and can share that perspective with others. Some cultures value this perspective, and others do not.

With this curious perspective also comes a responsibility to go beyond being curious. It is one thing to ask the question and another to seek an answer. The process of seeking is the process of revelation and empowerment.

When one considers who we have become, one often looks to those who have come before and have inspired us. We have individuals from our past, and we have those who are larger than us who came down through history. We can choose to select the role models to further our individual growth and inspire us toward the realization of our potential. In “Bazar’s Book of Genius – And How to Unleash Your Own,” the person who rated highest in “Originality,” “Versatility,” “Dominance of Field,” “Universality-of-Vision,” and “Strength and Energy” is a gay man — Leonardo da Vinci.

Through our insatiable curiosity we find ways to test our questions and demonstrate our thoughts. We exalt in our sensuality and how we experience the world. We celebrate ambiguity and paradox. We cultivate grace, beauty, and spirit. We balance logic and imagination, art and science. We grow to recognize and appreciate the connectedness of all things and phenomena. We embody persistent empowerment. These are the ideals that encompassed the life of Leonardo, and these are the ideals that will be the driving force for our time together at the Fall Conference.

We will gather at The Mountain to ask questions, celebrate, and enliven our insatiable curiosity.

Be prepared for Pageantry and Artistic and Scientific Expression. Bring material for artistic expression — poetry, musical instruments, art supplies.

Bring fashion, garb, costumes, and makeup for the talent show, dancing, music making, and daily promenades.

Bring your love for men who love men.

“Heaven sometimes sends us a being who represents not humanity alone but divinity itself.” — Giorgio Vasari, speaking on da Vinci in “The Lives of the Artists (1550).”

Randy Taylor
2018 Fall Conference Convener

Register for the 2018 Fall Conference

Pariah Magic: Gifts of the Outsider

Conferences, Fall Conference, Gay Spirit Visions

GSV 2017 Fall Conference

Pariah Magic: Gifts of the Outsider

September 21 – 24, 2017

The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, Highlands, NC

4 Days / 3 Nights: $405.65 (conference only, all inclusive)
5 Days / 4 Nights: $496.39 (arrive a day early + conference)

* Prices include taxes and program fee. *
The Conference begins at 5:00pm on Thursday and ends at 2:30pm on Sunday.
Registration starts at 3:00pm on Wednesday and Thursday.

Part III
Pariah Magic: Gifts of the Outsider

(This is Part III of a series, for Parts I and II click here)

 

Sweet Men of the Tribe,

This year’s Fall Conference, Pariah Magic: Gifts of the Outsider, is shaping up to be truly memorable on many levels!  We are premeditating joy and building delight! Sacred mischief is being planned and magic is afoot! The outsiders are coming together to create a spectacular, magical space beyond default reality, and we would love for you to join us!

As you have likely noticed by now, our keynote speaker is the brilliant Hindu drag nun (and YouTube sensation!) Sister Unity. In addition to our usual dance and “Talent” Show, we will be having a drum circle, a musical revue led by David Berger, a gorgeous Mabon ritual by Peregrine (Michael Chavez), and no fewer than three Sacred Touch events led by Mahan-Kalpa. We have an embarrassing wealth of workshops for the mind, the body, and the spirit led by Bob Strain, Nightshade, Tim Flood, Todd Humphrey, Bumblebee, and several others. Pariah status has never been so enviable!

If attending the Fall Conference would cause you undue financial hardship, the Raven Wolfdancer Financial Assistance Fund is available to help. To apply for financial assistance, click here.

Registration has been brisk, and we are rapidly pushing up against our attendance cap, so registering now will be doing yourself a kindness.

I hope to see you up amidst the magic of The Mountain!

Sincerely (and with epic levels of enthusiasm),

Your humble Convener,
Nightshade

Register for the Fall Conference>>

 

GSV 2017 Fall Conference

Fall Conference, Gay Spirit Visions

GSV 2017 Fall Conference

Pariah Magic: Gifts of the Outsider

September 21 – 24, 2017

The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, Highlands, NC

4 Days / 3 Nights: $405.65 (conference only, all inclusive)

5 Days / 4 Nights: $496.39 (arrive a day early + conference)

* Prices include taxes and program fee. *

Part II

Pariah Magic: Gifts of the Outsider

(This is Part II of a series, for Part I click here)

 

Dear Brothers,

Pariah Magic: Gifts of the Outsider will celebrate the blessings we receive from being outsiders to the mainstream culture. We will consider the gifts we gain personally, those we share with our fellow exiles, and those we are able to share with our communities thanks to our outsider perspective. We will also contemplate forms of activism that improve the lives of other outsiders.

It is easy enough to dwell on the challenges and pain of not fitting in. Early on, especially, we may long to be “normal.” We may overlook the blessings we receive that the “normal” folks never experience. As wise, witchy Aunt Frances asks in the movie Practical Magic, “When are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage!”

To some, outsider status — life in the brambles — becomes a spiritual calling. With time and experience, we may come to find that it is our unique blessings and perspectives that provide us with our reason for existing; we realize that those same qualities that make us outsiders also give our lives meaning. We are necessary in that way that shamans have always been necessary; we are the conduits of grace from the Outside. As Frank Zappa said, “Without deviation, progress is not possible.” We are that necessary deviation, and if, in the name of normality, conformity, or comfort, we abandon our strange angels, our mischievous devils, and our inner weirdos, then we have silenced precisely the portions of ourselves that we are here to express, share, and live most fully.

On the yonder side of normal, we have woven a community amidst the brambles’ thorny canes and built a culture. We have grown resilient through challenge. We have grown wise in banishment. We have learned, through necessity, a queer form of alchemy that transforms exile into artistry, isolation into solitude, and pain into wisdom. Upon receiving these insights, we transmit them to others in our tribe and bestow them, eventually, to the world at large. By so doing, our small tribe’s visionaries have contributed to culture in ways that far exceed our numbers.

Please come join us for this discovery and celebration of our hard-won gifts! We will be waiting for you amidst the trees of that magical place, The Mountain, where hugs are abundant, where compassion flows like an ocean, and where all of you is welcome.

Bring garb for the “Talent” Show.

Bring garb (and drums) for the Drum Circle.

Bring garb to dazzle and seduce!
Register for the 2017 Fall Conference

 

 

 

 

 

Nightshade (Kraig Blackwelder)
2017 Fall Conference Convener

Raven Wolfdancer Financial Assistance Fund

The Raven Wolfdancer Financial Assistance Fund is available to help facilitate the presence of those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to join us due to lack of funds. If you require financial assistance to attend the conference, click here.

If you previously applied for assistance (or thought you did) and haven’t received a response, please complete the application again. We apologize for any inconvenience. Applications must be submitted by Sunday, September 10th. 

As you prepare to come to The Mountain, keep in mind that a Silent Auction Fundraiser will be held during the conference to benefit the Raven Wolfdancer Financial Assistance Fund. To participate simply select items of value that you no longer need, register them here by Wednesday, September 20th, bring them with you, and come prepared to bid on the treasures brought by others.

To make a tax-deductible gift by credit or debit card, visit gayspiritvisions.org and follow the DONATE TODAY instructions on the right side of the page.

On behalf of the GSV Council and the men who benefit from your donations, thank you!

Register for the Fall Conference>>