GSV 2021 Spring Retreat

Spring Retreat

Growing the Seeds of Hope and Reconnecting with


Self, Sangha, & Sacred Cosmos

May 7-9, 2021


A virtual Zoom-based experience

$35 registration fee


Additional donations for the GSV Scholarship Fund and/or The Mountain can also be made in the registration portal.

Register now!

Dear Siblings,

Instead of sending out a “last call for the conference,” I wanted to write you a personal note. I have a question for you.

Why come to one more Zoom conference, when everything in you wants to rush out into the world and be together with people you love?

Thirty years of experience as a breathworker, trauma therapist, and spiritual healer have taught me:

integration is everything —

And integration absolutely requires a few moments of catching our breaths together, harvesting our learning, healing our wounds, and setting a new course together.

And this is a chance to do exactly that.

It’s like the time at the end of a breath session, when the music quiets and you rest from the hard work of catharsis, journeying, and visioning … and let everything you’ve experienced soak into your bones and crystalize into a few clear insights to guide your life as you rise.

We’ve created the GSV Virtual Spring Retreat to do just this. I’ve asked some of the most seasoned teachers, facilitators, and mischief-makers in our community to come together, to share their own stories of hope and reconnection, and support you in reflecting on your own. People who’ve done the hard work of integrating their own journeys and the even harder work of helping others, do the same.

We’ve all been through it this year. Many of us ache to “get back to normal.” The funny thing is, though, we don’t “get back to normal” after traumatic experiences — we either heal and grow, harvesting our own discoveries and changing the course of our lives — or we stay braced against the powerful changes inside ourselves and around us.

There is extraordinary power in our community. I hope you’ll join us in harnessing and celebrating it.

And I think it’s gonna be a helluva lot of fun.

Come, come, whoever you are! Wanderer, worshiper, lover of men,
Whatever your race, class, culture or color,
serostatus or sexual wounds,
whatever you struggle with, heart, mind, body or soul …

whether you’re gay, bi, questioning, queer, or transgender,
single or partnered, poly or simply perplexed;
religious or atheist, spiritual, awestruck,
addicted, recovering, or reaching for heaven on earth,
outrageous or quiet, flamboyant or shy, prophetic or peaceful,
elder or newbie or somewhere between …

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

Registration closes on Wednesday, May 5

Register now!

See you in Zoomland! Oh, and bring a rock.

Hunter Flournoy
GSV Spring Convener

PS: The opinions expressed above are solely the conclusions of the convener, arising from his own rather unusual if somewhat extensive experience, and should not be taken to represent the opinions of the larger community of GSV, the GSV Council, its membership, humanity, or the galactic federation of planets … 😂

GSV 2021 Spring Retreat

Spring Retreat

Growing the Seeds of Hope and Reconnecting with


Self, Sangha, & Sacred Cosmos

May 7-9, 2021


A virtual Zoom-based experience

$35 registration fee


Additional donations for the GSV Scholarship Fund and/or The Mountain can also be made in the registration portal.

Register now!

“For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land …” —from The Song of Songs

My Beautiful Far-Flung Family,

Are you ready to cultivate the seeds of hope?

Are you ready to reconnect with the parts of yourself that have gone into hibernation?

Are you ready to reconnect with the sacred community that yearns to feel your presence, and the sacred cosmos that yearns for your creativity, passion, and activism?

How can we live into our yearning patiently, even when we want to leap into each others’ arms?

Spring has come, and after a year of cultivating resilience in the face of deep division, isolation, and deprivation for so many of us, the time for hope and patient reconnection has come.

I invite you to join me for our Spring Retreat—yes, still virtual—but a crucial time for coming together to envision our next steps for creating a new world together. We will draw hope from deep within, from each other, and from the sacred cosmos in which we live and move and have our being—and walk forward with one heart!

“Then it was spring; and in spring anything may happen. Absolutely anything.” —e.e. cummings

Our time together will be devoted to asking the important questions of our time, celebrating the rich web of connections that sustain and encourage us, reawakening our hearts, bodies, minds, and spirits, and cultivating hope.

We will begin our time together with laughter, heart-sharing, embodied breathwork, and ceremony on Friday Evening, followed by an open time of sharing the poetry, songs, and stories that have given us hope in the last year.

One feature of this year’s virtual spring retreat will be the opportunity to deepen our experience of sharing and reconnection by participating in stable breakout groups. As well, a virtual “rocking-chair porch” will be provided so that we can visit with friends old and new.

Saturday and Sunday Mornings will begin with a beautiful breathwork and movement meditation and Tai Chi with Paul Plate.

Saturday Morning and Saturday Afternoon, Mahan-Kalpa Khalsa, Andrew Elias Ramer, and I will share the stories of our own journeys of hope and reconnection, drawing from our rich histories of deep spiritual exploration and sacred erotic activism, including over twenty years of combined experience shepherding GSV’s Sacred Touch Working Circle. These stories will be interspersed with Qs & As as well as opportunities to reflect in breakout groups on your own journey of hope and reconnection. We will complete the afternoon with opportunities for gentle breathwork, restorative yoga and harp music with David Jones and Teddy Jones, and an opportunity for deeper reflection with TS Pennington and Allen Lomax.

Saturday Evening will offer an opportunity for a playful and inspiring workshop, Authentic Relationship, with Sequoia, a dear friend of James Broughton, a transformational life coach, and a long-time teacher of sacred touch and authentic relationship.

Sunday Morning, we will close with conversations about hope, our individual and collective vision for the next year, a final breathwork experience, and our closing circle.

I hope you will join me for a playful, joyful, and profound weekend together of growing the seeds of hope!

All my love,
Hunter Flournoy
GSV 2021 Spring Convener and Mischief-Maker

Register now!


Spring Retreat

GSV 2021 Spring Retreat

Spring Retreat

Growing the Seeds of Hope and Reconnecting with


Self, Sangha, & Sacred Cosmos

May 7-9, 2021


A virtual Zoom-based experience

$35 registration fee


Additional donations for the GSV Scholarship Fund and/or The Mountain can also be made in the registration portal.

Register now!

“For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land …” —from The Song of Songs

My Beautiful Far-Flung Family,

Are you ready to cultivate the seeds of hope?

Are you ready to reconnect with the parts of yourself that have gone into hibernation?

Are you ready to reconnect with the sacred community that yearns to feel your presence, and the sacred cosmos that yearns for your creativity, passion, and activism?

How can we live into our yearning patiently, even when we want to leap into each others’ arms?

Spring has come, and after a year of cultivating resilience in the face of deep division, isolation, and deprivation for so many of us, the time for hope and patient reconnection has come.

I invite you to join me for our Spring Retreat—yes, still virtual—but a crucial time for coming together to envision our next steps for creating a new world together. We will draw hope from deep within, from each other, and from the sacred cosmos in which we live and move and have our being—and walk forward with one heart!

“Then it was spring; and in spring anything may happen. Absolutely anything.” —e.e. cummings

Our time together will be devoted to asking the important questions of our time, celebrating the rich web of connections that sustain and encourage us, reawakening our hearts, bodies, minds, and spirits, and cultivating hope.

We will begin our time together with laughter, heart-sharing, embodied breathwork, and ceremony on Friday Evening, followed by an open time of sharing the poetry, songs, and stories that have given us hope in the last year.

Saturday and Sunday Mornings will begin with a beautiful breathwork and movement meditation, and Tai Chi with Paul Plate. Saturday Morning and Saturday Afternoon, Mahan-Kalpa Khalsa and I will share the stories of our own journeys of hope and reconnection, drawing from our rich histories of deep spiritual exploration and sacred erotic activism, including over twenty years of combined experience shepherding GSV’s Sacred Touch committee. These stories will be interspersed with Q&A and opportunities to reflect in breakout groups on your own journey of hope and reconnection. We will complete the afternoon with opportunities for gentle breathwork and restorative yoga and harp music with David Jones and Teddy Jones, and an opportunity for deeper reflection with TS Pennington and Allen Lomax. Saturday Evening will offer an opportunity for a playful and inspiring workshop, Nourish Your Heart, with John Sorozcak, a long-time facilitator in California Men’s Gatherings. Sunday Morning we will close with conversations on our individual and collective vision for the next year, a final breathwork experience, and our closing circle.

One feature of this year’s virtual spring retreat will be the opportunity to deepen our experience of sharing and reconnection by participating in stable breakout groups. As well, a virtual “rocking-chair porch” will be provided so that we can visit with friends old and new.

Financial assistance, in the form of scholarships, is available. The financial assistance application submission deadline is April 22, 2021. Our hope is that anyone who resonates with our mission and community, and who has a 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 22, 2021.

I hope you will join me for a playful, joyful, and profound weekend together of growing the seeds of hope!

All my love,
Hunter Flournoy, GSV 2021 Spring Convener and Mischief-Maker

Register now!


Spring Retreat

GSV Virtual Spring Retreat:  In the Wellspring of Queer Resilience: Listening to the Wisdom of Our Ancestors

2020 Spring Retreat
Dear Gentle Ones,

Our Spring GSV Virtual Gathering begins this coming weekend on Friday evening, May 15th, at 7:00 p.m. EDT.

I am pleased to share with you that we have an outstanding series of workshops planned for you on Saturday, May 16th, with Hunter Flournoy, Andrew Ramer, and David and Teddy Jones.

Across space and time, we will have the opportunity to create the gentle, warm, and playful community just like we have so enjoyed all these years previously on our beloved mountaintop. This year we open arms and hearts to each other wherever we are and welcome each other as we hold sacred presence with ourselves and with our community. Our capacity is 50 people. There are about 12 spaces still available. Please register today!
https://www.themountainrlc.org/gsv-spring-online

Once you have registered, you will receive an email from me later this week with Zoom links for each session. We recommend you familiarize yourself with Zoom before participating.

With grateful anticipation of our meeting,

Mark Medlin, Convener
Virtual Spring GSV Gathering 2020
________________________________________

In the Wellspring of Queer Resilience: Listening to the Wisdom of Our Ancestors


Virtual Spring GSV Gathering — May 15-17, 2020

Friday Evening
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. EDT
Welcome and In-Gathering
Welcome — Mark Medlin
Fire Bridging — Scotty Simons
Calling in the Directions — Selected Siblings
Heart Weaving — Mark Medlin
Musical Reflection — Bob Strain
Heart Circle — Paul Plate

Saturday
Opportunities for Connection and Celebration
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. EDT
GSV Council Town Hall Meeting

Join your presiding elder, Jason Buchanan, and members of the GSV Council as they talk about our organization and community. You will also hear from a representative from The Mountain and have an opportunity to ask questions.

10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. EDT
Rooting and Rising: Discovering our Deepest Resiliency and Truest Visions
with Hunter Flournoy

In this turning of the worlds, each of us must root deep in the tremendous strength of the Great Mystery, the Sacred Earth, the community of those we love, the healing power of our own body and breath, and the truest visions of our hearts. In this 90-minute workshop, we will explore each of these through stories, sharing, and practical exercises. Come ready to move, to breathe, to share and bear witness to the incredible strength we can create together.
Hunter
Hunter Flournoy is a two-spirited healer, life-coach, breathworker, writer, and master facilitator with a passionate commitment to building community for soulful GBTQ men and helping them change their lives. He is the vision-keeper for Spirit Journeys and a devoted member of our Gay Spirit Visions community.

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. EDT
Optional Virtual Saturday Lunch
Click on the lunchtime Zoom link and be randomly grouped with four other siblings for an hour’s informal conversation as you dine together in front of your computer.

2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. EDT
In the Temple of Father Earth: Embodying the Wisdom of our Gay Ancestors
with Andrew Ramer

We are living in a time of unprecedented challenges, caught between the global threats of climate change and the microscopic threats of a new virus. This time invites us to deepen into ourselves, whoever we are, and invites us as men who love men to tap into our own deep archetypal wisdom.

This workshop emerges from the teachings found in Andrew Ramer’s book Two Flutes Playing. After an introduction to the session, we will go on a guided journey of connection with our ancient gay ancestors, designed to support our own embodied elderhood. We will end with an open conversation about our work of global healing and the ways that we can support each other.
Andrew
Andrew Ramer spoke at the first GSV gathering with Harry Hay and Franklin Abbott. In addition to Two Flutes Playing he is the author of Queering the Text and Fragments of the Brooklyn Talmud, a comic kweerish dystopian exploration of texts and stories. andrewramer.com

4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. EDT
Yoga with Affirmations for Challenging Times | Men’s Yoga and Harp Meditation
with David and Teddy Jones

Your session is a mixture of gentle active yoga as well as restorative yoga. Please have a blanket or big towel, a yoga mat and a strap or belt. Here is your opportunity to stretch and unwind after a full day of reflection and connection. Yoga and meditation will enable you to integrate all your awareness and learning in embodiment.
David & Teddy
David Jones has been teaching in the greater Nashville area for eleven years. During much of this time he also taught at The Recovery Ranch, a drug and alcohol treatment center. In the recent year he began working at Milestones at Onsite with a focus in trauma recovery. He offers a basic hatha class, a light vinyasa flow accessible to all levels. His focus has become restorative yoga. He teaches spiritual and restorative workshops regularly.

Teddy Jones is an acoustic harpist who specializes in original music created for special events and ceremonies. His recordings are improvisations that can be used for meditation, stress release, massage, yoga, and healing.

Sunday
Celebration for Preparing Ourselves for Action in the World

10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. EDT
Releasing the Directions – Mark Medlin and Selected Siblings
Musical Reflection – Bob Strain
Heart Circle – Paul Plate
Closing Song: Dear Friends, Queer Friends – Wendall Johnson

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. EDT
Optional Virtual Sunday Lunch
Click on the lunchtime Zoom link and be randomly grouped with four other siblings for an hour’s informal conversation as you dine together in front of your computer.

GSV Virtual Spring Retreat: Announcement Concerning Registration

Greetings Siblings,

We have been made aware that the registration process has a few unexpected issues concerning payment for this Spring Conference. We are currently working with The Mountain to clear up the confusion in the registration process. It has always been our intention to offer this conference *free of charge* and that any donation, including the suggested donation, to the mountain is totally optional, though appreciated. Your registration is sufficient for attendance.

We are all learning from this new experience and working out the kinks, so if more concerns arise, please reach out so that we are able to address them as best we can and make things right.

With love and appreciation for all of you in this community,
Your Trusted Council of Elders