GSV 2019 Winter Meditation: Last Call

GSV 2019 Winter Meditation

GSV 2019 Winter Meditation


Tranquil Reflection & Mindful Intention


January 18-20, 2019


The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center ~ Highlands, NC


GSV 2019 Winter Meditation
Dear Siblings,

Winter at The Mountain is a magical experience. Long dark hours in retreat from life’s commitments create space for tranquil reflection and mindful intention. The Mountain beckons you to come, let go, and be in the moment.

This year’s Winter Meditation will provide you the opportunity to experience activities with the purpose of creating space to be present and open to clarity. Silent, Guided, and Mindful meditation will be offered. Additionally, Sacred Sound Journey, Chakra Dhyana, and Sacred Healing Touch will be offered. Active methods of creating present awareness will include T‘ai Chi Ch‘üan, Iyengar Yoga, Theravada Walking Meditation, and Contemplative Drumming. Finally, intention setting activities will include Soulful Breathwork, Mindful Scripting, and Sacred Elder Bead stringing. The weekend will start with a pilgrimage of light and be complete with the calm of thoughtful intention.

Pack a “steamer trunk” if you wish and include warm comfortable clothing for times of stillness, loose attire for movement activities, ritual attire (robe, cape, cassock, etc.) for a pilgrimage, a mat, pillow and/or blanket for other activities, a drum, pen and paper, and flannel jammies!

I hope you will join your brothers at The Mountain and be in the midst of love, reflection, consciousness, stillness, presentness, and…. to just be!

We want anyone who resonates with our mission to be able to attend our gatherings. The Raven Wolfdancer Financial Assistance Fund was created to help offset the cost of a GSV gathering so that attending does not impose undue financial hardship. For more information and to apply for assistance,
click here.

I look forward to seeing you soon.

Bill Harris,
2019 Winter Meditation Convener

Register for the 2019 Winter Meditation

GSV 2019 Winter Meditation

GSV 2019 Winter Meditation

GSV 2019 Winter Meditation

Tranquil Reflection & Mindful Intention

January 18-20, 2019

The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center ~ Highlands, NC

GSV 2019 Winter Meditation

Dear Siblings, When there are no ripples on the water of a lake its surface becomes almost invisible as it reflects the beauty of the landscape around it; the trees and the sky. In the same way, the still mind reflects the beauty of creation and melts into a state of peaceful awareness. In this state of thoughtless awareness we think neither of the past nor of the future. We are entirely in the present moment as we start to enjoy our Self, our spirit, our own inner beauty and the beauty of creation. We simply embrace being and become less distracted by the simple joys of our existence. Meditation is a state of profound and deep peace that occurs when the mind is calm and silent, yet completely alert. This is just the beginning of an inner transformation that takes us to a higher level of awareness. Whatever method of meditation is used, the purpose is not to fight off the mind chatter of thoughts, but to stay focused on the present moment and use our breathing, a mantra, a repetitive activity or other technique to keep us grounded in the moment. When we have silenced the chatter and become focused on the present moment, we open ourselves to clarity, direction, and inspiration. This year’s Winter Meditation will provide you the opportunity to experience activities with the purpose of creating space to be present and open to clarity. Silent, Guided, and Mindful meditation will be offered. Additionally, Sacred Sound Journey, Chakra Dhyana, and Sacred Healing Touch will be offered. Active methods of creating present awareness will include T‘ai Chi Ch‘üan, Iyengar Yoga, Theravada Walking Meditation, and Contemplative Drumming. Finally, intention setting activities will include Soulful Breathwork, Mindful Scripting, and Sacred Elder Bead stringing. The weekend will start with a pilgrimage of light and be complete with the calm of thoughtful intention. Pack a “steamer trunk” if you wish and be sure to include warm comfortable clothing for times of stillness, loose attire for movement activities, ritual attire (robe, cape, cassock, etc.) for a pilgrimage, a mat, pillow and/or blanket for other activities, a drum, pen and paper, and flannel jammies! I hope you will join your brothers at The Mountain in January to be in the midst of love, reflection, consciousness, stillness, presentness, and…. to just be! I look forward to seeing you in January. Bill Harris 2019 Winter Meditation Convener Register for the 2019 Winter Meditation

GSV 2019 Winter Meditation

GSV 2019 Winter Meditation

GSV 2019 Winter Meditation


Tranquil Reflection & Mindful Intention


January 18-20, 2019


The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center ~ Highlands, NC


GSV 2019 Winter Meditation
Dear Siblings,

Winter at The Mountain is a magical experience. The air is crisp, the atmosphere is tranquil, and all of nature is in repose. Long dark hours in retreat from life’s commitments create space for passionate reflection and powerful intention. The Mountain beckons you to come, let go, and be in the moment.

This year’s Winter Meditation will be a time of “Tranquil Reflection & Mindful Intention.” We will be offering several forms of meditation from silent to sound, stillness to motion, and contemplation to mindfulness.

The Friday evening ceremony will include a pilgrimage of light to the Sacred Space to call in the directions, a release of the weights of your journey, and a sowing of seeds of intention. Prepare now for the pilgrimage by gathering your cassock, cheongsam, chasuble, cape, monks robe, or similar ritual attire. Saturday will provide numerous opportunities to reflect and go within through ancient and modern forms of meditation. Plan to bring warm comfortable garments for the times of stillness and loose attire for activities with movement. Also consider mats, pillows, and blankets for function and enhanced comfort during some activities. Saturday will also allow freedom to escape into unstructured activities designed for calm intent. Sunday will be the culmination of the weekend’s reflective activity into the calm of thoughtful intention.

I hope you will join your brothers at The Mountain in January to be in the midst of love, to be reflective, be conscious, be still, be present, and…. just be!

I look forward to seeing you in January.

Bill Harris
2019 Winter Meditation Convener

Register for the 2019 Winter Meditation

2018 GSV Winter Meditation

Picture of total solar eclipse

Bringing Darkness to the Light

January 12 – 14, 2018

at The Mountain, Highlands, NC

Cost: $235.02 – Double Occupancy | $309.74 – Single Occupancy

Life’s waters flows from darkness.
Search the darkness, don’t run from it.
-Rumi

Dear Siblings,

Come gather during the darkest time of the year with a loving community of men who love men for a weekend of supportive exploration of the dark corners of our collective consciousness. Surrounded by loving siblings, we will create a safe vessel to share, listen, and celebrate the delicious darkness that both terrifies and inspires us.

We will explore mystical texts, such as Dark Night of the Soul by Juan de la Cruz, tales from world mythologies, and contemporary personal stories to enrich our understanding of the wisdom that is found in darkness.

We will experience different styles of meditation, including silent and guided meditation, walking meditation, and lectio divina, or divine reading. There will be plenty of time for reflection, writing, healing arts, and labyrinth walks, weather permitting.

You are invited to share your gifts during this retreat by proposing a workshop, offering massage, playing music, or whatever you feel called to bring! Contact the Winter Convener with your ideas, dreams, and questions. More information will be available in the coming weeks.

In gratitude,

Andy Foskey, Convener

Register for the 2018 Winter Meditation

2017 GSV Winter Meditation: Cocooning & Transformation

GSV 2017 Winter Meditation

GSV 2017 Winter Meditation

Cocooning and Transformation

January 13 – 15, 2017
at The Mountain, Highlands NC

Cost is $ 226.47 – Double Occupancy
$301.20 Single Occupancy

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Dear Brothers,

Come join with a loving community of your GSV brothers for a time of mindful
presence and gentle celebration. The long nights of January will offer us space
for quiet and inspiration–think of ancient farmers who honored the dark and
silence of a season long past harvest. We seek the wisdom of all creatures who
wrap themselves in a mantle of repose, awaiting a transformation into new life.
We’ll bundle our individual memories together and lay them on the altar. Guided
meditations will help us take stock of our present lives, and especially of patterns
that no longer serve us well. We’ll envision new directions for the coming year:
our intentions and our hopes, both as individuals and in community.
Come create strings of meditation flags to surround us in our gathering. Help
decorate a communal shawl to wrap ourselves in our visions for the days and
months ahead. In the season of cold and darkness, we’ll honor fire, warmth, and
light. Share in creating an evening of poems, songs, performance, costume, and
dance.

Registration for the GSV 2017 Winter Meditation is now open to all men who love men. Early registration will assure your place. Programming for the Winter Meditation will conclude on Sunday afternoon, but some of us will stay on to savor the winter beauty and spend more time with our brothers. For an additional charge, you can register to stay on at The Mountain until Monday afternoon.

As a spiritual director, Kurt Schreiber helps others heal discordant conditions, clarify goals, and respond to (or initiate) change. He approaches this and the rest of his life on a basis of fundamental spiritual principles and a related practice that draws mainly on Christian and Buddhist traditions. Often, he works with individuals, groups, and organizations on problems resulting from what he sees as broadly held misconceptions of cultural, religious, gender, or sexual identity. For about thirty years, Kurt worked more than full-time in the corporate world, where he was a senior officer and general counsel of large companies. While he no longer practices law or works in companies, his business background is sometimes useful, especially when he is asked to help inter-religious, charitable, and business organizations. Kurt’s home is in Nashville, where he’s now lived longer than anywhere else. There are many there whom he holds dear, including his two grown children.

David Townsend first made friends with the GSV community at the Fall Conference in 2004. He’s spent over thirty years as a teacher. Now he’s making more space for his calling as a spiritual companion, ritualist, and sacred intimate. Last August, he co-led a retreat in Maryland, under the auspices of the DC-based group Jonathan’s Circle. The program helped nineteen men create personal and shared-ritual to support the integration of their spiritual and erotic lives. David believes we’re all happiest when we live our lives with gratitude, and with a desire to give back. A slut who will pray with anybody, he’s fascinated by how ritual works across cultures and religious traditions. He keeps his blog on queer men’s spirituality at www.anchorholder.blogspot.com. David lives in Toronto and on the East End of Long Island with his partner Jonathan and their cat Bracket.

Kurt Schreiber, Co-Convener
David Townsend, Co-Convener

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