Gay Spirit Visions – Page 11 – Gay Spirit Visions

Gay Spirit Visions is committed to creating safe, sacred space that is open to all spiritual paths, wherein men who love men may explore and strengthen spiritual identity.

From the Visionary – Feeling Close to Spirit

October 18, 2015 Don Wilson Visionary Journal

This is the fourth in a series of articles about altars republished from the Visionary archives. It was originally published in the Summer 2001 issue of GSV’s Visionary journal.

Feeling Close to Spirit

by Jennings Fort

I want to be a spiritual person. So it makes sense to me that I should have a daily spiritual practice. I’ve pondered this often, thinking other GSV people must have satisfying daily rituals that make them feel one with Spirit.

I have an altar on our bedroom dresser. There are framed photos of my mother, sister, and late father. My partner, John, and I are in a photo taken on top of the fire tower at a GSV Fall Conference. I have photos of my dear friends Mark Clinard and Doug Parrot, three of my grandparents, and my uncle Jennings who died in World War II. I have a lapel pin of the One Voice Chorus in Charlotte, NC, where I sang for nine years. This gay chorus was a gift from Spirit that has helped me along my spiritual path. In the middle is a candle. I have it in a small clay cauldron my friend, Larry Jackson, gave me. Underneath, there’s a tile that says “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine” John gave me when I first moved in with him. Sometimes I burn incense there, but not often. Between work, the gym, errands and just vegging out, I feel guilty that I neglect my altar. Sometimes, I’ll add a card from a loved one or something just to change it a little. [pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]I meditate nearly every morning. It’s transcendental meditation that I learned 25 years ago. You’d think by now I would have reached some kind of cosmic consciousness, but I really haven’t. [/pullquote]

I meditate nearly every morning. It’s transcendental meditation that I learned 25 years ago. You’d think by now I would have reached some kind of cosmic consciousness, but I really haven’t. I’ve meditated off and on for years. It’s a way of easing into the day. After 20 minutes of reciting my mantra, I pray, thanking Spirit for my life, for John, asking that I don’t expect too much or too little from him, for my mother and her health and the well-being of Mark and Doug. Then I ask for help to let go of anger that I have about my father, who drank himself to death eight years ago. Even if my meditation isn’t the best, I still offer my prayers to Spirit and I think Spirit listens.

I meditate nearly every morning. It’s transcendental meditation that I learned 25 years ago. You’d think by now I would have reached some kind of cosmic consciousness, but I really haven’t.

One of the most spiritual things for me right now is making compost. I love gardening. It’s a passion handed down by my mother. I collect all the coffee grounds, banana peelings, eggshells and rotten things from the refrigerator in a brass bowl on our kitchen countertop. When it’s full, I take it to the dogwood tree in the the back of the yard. In this shady and green place, I pour the food scraps, rousing the flies and gnats. I stir the pile and take in the sweet rotting smell. Sometimes I’ll grab a handful of compost and feel it between my fingers, thinking about how this will nourish the flowers we plant. I’ll linger a moment, watching the insects and the worms, and just enjoy the quiet. It makes me feel good to think I’m helping the earth, even in this small way. But the best part is the quiet. Maybe between my altar, meditation and composting, these few quiet moments are enough. Then, at least, I feel the warmth of Spirit beside me.

This article was originally published in the Summer 2001 issue of GSV’s Visionary journal. Read the original article in the Visionary.

From the Visionary – Altar Building Rediscovered

October 8, 2015 Don Wilson Visionary Journal

This is the third in a series of articles about altars republished from the Visionary archives. It was originally published in the Summer 2001 issue of GSV’s Visionary journal.

Altar Building Rediscovered

By Cami Delgado

The ancient art of altar building has made a comeback and it’s no wonder. Altars nurture and uplift our souls, support prayer and meditation and remind us of an invisible world we can’t see.

Building an altar can be a creative, energizing, and affirming experience that celebrates you and everyone who has enriched your journey. In your living room, it creates an atmosphere for soulful sharing. In your bedroom, it accentuates the sacredness of lovemaking.

Be bold and juxtapose contrasting power objects. On my altar, Quan Yin, shamanic rattles, Merlin the magician, an Om symbol, ceremonial feathers, sacred bells, a Celtic urn, and Jesus, all live harmoniously and celebrate the diversity of my spiritual sources.

Bring nature into your altar by including stones, minerals, sea shells, and live plants. Call forth the cleansing power of water by having water from a very special ocean, lake, river or spring, in a sacred vessel and let this natural element speak to your soul. Elicit Earth energy by collecting sand or earth from a favorite sacred site and keep it in a sacred container. Personalize your altar by honoring special beings who have inspired you, walked the journey with you or enriched your inner life. Images or quotes from your favorite spiritual mentors, elders, and teachers add inspiration. Particularly honor special gay men whose presence or written word have inspired you along your path.

An altar that celebrates all that you are would include a celebration of your gayness and sexuality. My altar includes rainbow flags and pink triangles. I’m still searching for a self-standing phallus. [pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Others honor a loved one by placing his pubic hair in a sacred pouch. [/pullquote]

Images of the naked male body placed amidst sacred objects speak to the harmonious integration of spirit and body. Others honor a loved one by placing his pubic hair in a sacred pouch.

Enhance the self-expressive character of your altar by creating special objects you have made. Hand painting spiritual symbols onto rock, fabric, candles or wood is a way of creating your own personalized and unique sacred objects.

My altar also includes the goddess Psyche (I’m a psychotherapist), Chinese Foo Dogs, Native American medicine beads, Greek Orthodox icons, Buddhas, yin yang symbols, a spiritual colonial Mexican painting,Tibetan and Hindu mala beads, sacred stones, I Ching coins, two plants, a rain stick, a Kabbala tree of life, an African goddess, a Lalique angel, 14 candles, my country’s coat of arms, and other personally meaningful items. It mirrors, expresses and supports essential aspects of my inner world.

These ideas awaken your intuition and inspiration. Let your altar be a genuine expression and celebration of your soul’s richness. Use the gift of your imagination to create a visual reminder of the potential that lies within you and of the sacredness of being gay!

Do it joyously!

This article was originally published in the Summer 2001 issue of GSV’s Visionary journal. Read the original article in that issue of Visionary.

From the Visionary—Home Altars: A Daily Practice

August 30, 2015 GSV Administration Visionary Journal

This is the second in a series of articles about altars republished from the Visionary archives. It was originally published in the Summer 2001 issue of GSV’s Visionary journal.

Home Altars and a Daily Practice

by King Thackston

Ever since I saw Rebecca Wells’ Ebook, Little Altars, Everywhere, that’s how I tend to think of my home. There are literally little altars, everywhere!

I assembled the main altar in my bedroom a decade ago after my first GSV Conference. But I had been a “closet-altar- kind-of-guy” for years. For a long time the centerpiece was a bronze statue of Kwan Yin, the goddess of mercy but she has moved to the mantle above my bed. Now the center is an oriental wooden temple with a small statue of a wise man on the porch. There is an ever-changing array of candles, blessed water and oils, stones and talismans. The constants are a drawing of the word “love” as if it were written in water and a picture of “The Green Man.”

Above my drawing board is a photograph of a formal Japanese Garden, some hand-made brushes and pencils, a bas- relief of the Egyptian owl, Horus, and a print of the first Zen patriarch/follower of Buddha, Bodhidharma Daruma. He had his eyelids removed when he was caught sleeping during meditation!

On my living room mantle is a candle I light each morning and extinguish each evening before bed. The flame is a remembrance of the spirits of friends who are no longer with me on this plane and a reminder of the gift of life. It reminds me how precious each second is. There is also a small chime that I ring when I light and put out the candle. I also ring it when I leave the house to remind myself to have a safe journey, to accomplish the task successfully and with ease and to have a safe return home. I began this ritual after seeing the Dalai Lama do this before a journey in the movie, “Kundun.” I also think it alerts my guides and angels that I am leaving and reminds them to protect my home and cat, Oskar. A have a toy dome of the ocean with animated dolphins that swim serenely through the sea when you push a plunger. It reminds me to “swim” through the currents of the world and not fight them. Silly, perhaps, but it really puts me in a better frame of mind when I leave my “world” and face the other one outside. This simple act lets me swim/dance with the world instead of pushing against it.

Home Altars and a Daily Practice My daily practice is Yoga, breathing, Chi Gung, meditation and Planetary Acupuncture. Decades ago I studied Yoga with the Pierce Program in Atlanta with Martin Pierce’s first Men’s Class. Then for several years I attended a “Wellness Workout” taught by Jean Dunham that combined breathing, stretching, Skinner Releasing and dancing. Here I was also introduced to the Tao Animal Exercises in which you “become” different animals to energize different body systems.

Around is time at an early GSV Fall Conference, George Miller taught me Chi Gong wake- up exercises. Rocco Patt taught Planetary Acupuncture at another GSV Conference. This is a series of breathing exercises involving breathing the universe down though the top of your head and wrapping it around your heart. You breathe it out, down into the center of the Earth. Then, repeat in reverse, breathing the Earth up into your heart and then out the top of your head into the universe. Finally, you pull the third breath into your heart from both directions, wrapping it around your heart and then breathing it out in all directions. Now I do my own routine, mostly- based on all these sources.

It doesn’t take long for a daily practice to become a habit, especially when the benefits begin to appear and it feels integrated into my life.

During the last year, I have learned and benefitted from the regular GSV Yoga classes taught by Rocky Beeland and Sterling McVay.

This article was originally published in the Summer 2001 issue of GSV’s Visionary journal.
Read the original article in the Visionary >>

From the Visionary—Altars: A Place to Worship

August 16, 2015 GSV Administration Visionary Journal

GSV Altar at the 2014 Spring Retreat

The creation of altars in public spaces, as places to connect with Spirit in the now and reconnect with Spirits past, is a practice common to many belief systems as far back as the Greek and Norse traditions. The tradition of having public altars at all Gay Spirit Visions gatherings came directly from The Radical Faerie and Native American traditions from which GSV emerged.

Individuals who identify with any of these traditions frequently have personal altars in their homes as a way to be with Spirit regularly. The items on these altars, and their meaning to those who placed them there, can be very personal and intimate.

We are blessed that the five men who wrote about their personal altars in Visionaries past were willing to share their stories then. And, again now in the present.

— Gary Kaupman, Visionary Cooordinator

This is the first in a series of articles about altars republished from the Visionary archives. It was originally published in the December 1995 issue of GSV’s Visionary journal.

Altars: A Place to Worship

by Dandelion

The first step in spiritual practice is choosing a path, or tradition, to follow. Next one must make a place to worship. For most of us an altar is an appropriate focus for our spiritual rituals. Altars may be temporary or may have a permanent place in your home. They need not be large or elaborate but I think it is important, if possible, to make room for a permanent ritual space. As the saying goes: Out of sight, out of mind; having a permanent altar makes regular spiritual practice easier and more convenient and just the existence and sight of an altar can bring more spiritual mindfulness into your life.

An altar could be as small as part of a shelf in a book case or as large as a small cabinet. Generally a small end table or bedside table is a nice size, especially if it has drawers or a cabinet underneath to hold supplies and ritual tools that are not going to remain on display. My own altar is a small occasional table, I keep a rosewood chest underneath it for storage. This is also convenient for transporting my altar to other places. The size of your altar may be partially dependent on the implements required for your chosen form of worship.

The type of objects on your altar will largely be determined by your spiritual path while their form and design should be determined by your own taste and aesthetic sensibility.

A good place to begin is with a cloth. An altar cloth can be made of any material you choose, though most traditions prefer natural fibers. You might want to have a number of different cloths, in a variety of colors or designs, each appropriate to certain seasons or ritual uses. The main cloth on my altar is a square of Point de Files lace. The hundreds of tiny hand-tied knots remind me of the many interwoven experiences that make up my life; we are each an individual tapestry of experience and, at the same time, threads in a larger tapestry of community.[pullquote align=”left” cite=”Dandelion” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The hundreds of tiny hand-tied knots remind me of the many interwoven experiences that make up my life; we are each an individual tapestry of experience and, at the same time, threads in a larger tapestry of community.[/pullquote]

A pair of candle sticks is also appropriate to most traditions and if you pursue ritual candle magic you will need about half a dozen smaller candle holders in addition to the larger main pair for the altar. A container for burning incense is also good. This may range from a simple joss stick holder to an abalone shell with a turkey feather fan for burning sage in a Native American ritual, or a brass filigree holder for the charcoal briquettes used to burn traditional powdered incense, perhaps with chains attached so that it can be lifted up and swung to disperse the smoke as in Catholic or Anglican worship. You might also include such things a chalice for ritual offerings of wine or water, crystals and stones with personal or ritual significance, a brazier or cauldron for burning, icons or votive figures, a vase for flowers, or a plate for offerings of food, among other things.

As mentioned before, the design of ritual objects and tools should be carefully considered for any symbolic significance they might have and for their ability to aide you in finding a spiritual frame of mind. One person’s altar might be a simple stone slab with plain glass candle holders, an abalone shell and few crystals, while another might be a baroque collection of painted figurines and elaborate metal work. Being an eclectic Faerie spirit my altar varies from an ornate cloisonné enamel brazier from India, to a Zuni fox fetish, to a small well worn plastic toy dog whose personal significance could be the subject of a whole column.

Reserve your ritual objects exclusive for ritual use, and treat them reverently. However, don’t forget that they are only symbolic. Whatever power exists in your spiritual practice comes from your own heart and the Mind of the Divine. The ritual objects you use are merely physical manifestations of your spiritual intent, but carefully chosen and properly used they can be a great help in focusing your mind and inspiring your worship.

This article was originally published in the December 1995 issue of GSV’s Visionary journal.
Read the original article in the Visionary >>

Visionary: A Horizon

August 14, 2015 Don Wilson Visionary Journal

OldVisionaryLogo
Between 1995 and 2012, Gay Spirit Visions published Visionary, a reader-written journal that contained announcements about events, reports from the Council and hundreds of short articles on dozens of topics, serious, sublime and silly.

Prior to 2003, Visionary was printed and mailed to men who had attended GSV gatherings at The Mountain. After that time it was published as a PDF that was available to everyone on the Gay Spirit Visions website. The Spring 2012 issue was the last published in that format.

In 2014, the 25th anniversary of GSV’s founding, we saw a Visionary that included the most detailed history of our gatherings ever published, reviewed the 2014 gatherings and looked into the future with words from both community and Council Members. Altar at GSV Fall 2014 Gathering

We’ve heard so many compelling GSV community voices over these 20 years that we decided to bring some of them to the fore by using the GSV website to republish a series of articles on different themes on the next few months. The first theme, Altars, starts with an article by Dandelion and continues with thoughts from King Thackston, Cami Delgado, Jennings Fort and Andrew Ramer.

As Visionary continues online, we hope to explore topics that call to us now and in the future with content from a variety of diverse voices.

This is an experiment. We don’t know what Visionary will look like—digital, print, implanted chips—and we’re open to whatever direction it takes in reflecting and enriching our community.

If you’d like to browse past issues of Visionary, they’re all available here.

You are invited to email your ideas, encouragement, and suggestions for growth to [email protected].

— Gary Kaupman, Visionary Coordinator