Category: Spring Retreat

Hello Siblings!

We are just a few weeks away from being together for our Gay Spirit Visions 2024 Spring Retreat. I cannot wait to see everyone back “home” at The Mountain! If you have not already registered, please do so very soon. The registration cut-off date for our Spring Retreat is Sunday, May 5, 2024, at 5:00 p.m.

Our GSV 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.

My hope is that during our time together you will experience enlightenment, peace, love, and maybe some new ways of processing your own precipices. Allow me to gently remind you that it’s okay to get a little uncomfortable while exploring your precipices with new thoughts and ideas. It is also okay to have a little fun and find humor in those challenges. Both help us move to new levels of awareness and growth. Who better to do that with than your tribe?

We will have workshops that will be exciting and challenging. We will have workshops that will be fun and playful, and we will have workshops that will guide some introspective moments. There will be opportunities to share your story of your own precipices if you choose.

Workshops will be led by some amazing GSV participants!

Mahan-Kalpa Khalsa – “Sacred Touch Massage” and “Sexual Kung Fu”
Roger Custin – “Finding the Light in Grief”
John Marotta – “Game of Self Discovery”
Kyle Keane and Bill Harris – “The Joy of Aging”
Additionally, we will have:

Popup Workshops
Our GSV Sacred Fire in the Fire Ring
Morning Meditation
Labyrinth Walk
Cuddle Time
After Hours Cookie and Tea
I am very excited about what has come together and am putting some finishing touches on the schedule for the weekend. As always, you can connect and participate as much as you want and need. And if you need some alone time, know that we understand and will honor this form of self-care.

Financial assistance, in the form of scholarships, is available. The financial assistance application submission deadline is April 26, 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 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, 2024.

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.

In conclusion, please know that you are not alone, for we have each other and there is great strength in our GSV tribe. I cannot wait to see you in a few weeks.

Sending love and peace to you all,
Darin Topham
GSV 2024 Spring Retreat Convener

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. 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

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 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

On the threshold, the entire past and the endless future rush to meet one another.
—Gunilla Norris

Dear Siblings,

The time of our Spring Retreat gathering is getting closer and the anticipation of being with you all is growing stronger. I am eager and excited to share mutual experiences of intimate and vulnerable conversations during our time together. I hope you are eagerly anticipating this as well.

As a reminder, our opening time together on Friday evening will honor our GSV traditions, followed by simple, meaningful conversations, and gentle touch; tea and biscuits may even be involved!

On Saturday you will be invited into experiences that will allow you to explore the thresholds we cross as we journey from vulnerability to intimacy. These will include clothed sacred touch, an exploration of sacred wisdom, and a discussion of how our identity is itself a threshold into deeper intimacy. Finally, there will be an invitation to have a socially nude experience through boundary setting and ritual. On Saturday evening we will share in drumming and camaraderie around our sacred fire.

Throughout the weekend there will be plenty of unstructured downtime to allow you an opportunity to encounter The Mountain and our siblings in whatever way you desire.

I know many of you may be expecting organized higher levels of sacred and erotic touch during our time at The Mountain. To be clear, the Spring Retreat will not have an organized massage event, puppy pile, dedicated intimacy space, or other types of higher-level touch opportunity. What you will have, if you wish, is an opportunity to seek and create higher levels of touch on your own—good practice for being vulnerable, intimate, and asking for what you need from your siblings. It is, perhaps, a different way of encountering the presence of your fellow siblings and the energy of The Mountain.

Financial assistance, in the form of scholarships, is available. The financial assistance application submission deadline is April 30. 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. Remember, the financial assistance application submission deadline is April 30.

Registration is now open via the GSV website, so please join us. To inquire about the availability of private rooms, which are available on a limited basis, please call The Mountain office at (828) 526-5838.

So, come—enter into your vulnerability and discover intimacy. Come—stand on your thresholds and listen to how they are calling you deeper into new manifestations of yourself. Come—your siblings and The Mountain await you.

Douglas Argue
GSV 2023 Spring Retreat Convener