Where Are Your Feet?
September 26 – 29, 2024
The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, Highlands NC
Convener: ChaseR
4 Day/3 Night Package (Thursday through Sunday)
Bunk House (shared room up to 4 people) $300.00 + 6.75% tax = $320.25
Lodge or Duplex Cabin (double occupancy) $345.00 + 6.75% = $368.29
For All Rooms, Add Required GSV Program Fee $100.00
Check out the Registration System for Optional Extra Night Before (Wednesday Night) and/or After (Sunday Night) the Conference
Register Now!
Where Are Your Feet?
One of my mentors while I was on the GSV Council was Treewalker. This photo, taken by Lem Arnold, has the qualities of an icon. The photo radiates Treewalker’s energy, presence, joy of life, and also his feet! He would remind those serving on the Council that the GSV Fall Conference is like a spinning top toy. We all put energy, intention, prayers, and work into preparing for the Fall Conference. It is like winding up a spinning top toy. All of us are winding that spinning top right now — those of us that are planning to attend and those of us that are supporting from afar. In 56 days, on Thursday evening, September 26, 2024, we will let go of this spinning top and watch it spin across The Mountain and into our lives.
Join us around our council fire, listening deeply in our heart circles, sharing meals, experiencing workshops, practicing gender freedom and expression, talent shows, dance, small groups, and a thousand other ways of being together.
Together we will explore ideas and practices around the ideas of mindfulness, awareness, and presence. Experiences offered will include yoga, breath, sound meditation, storytelling, dance, body work, panel discussions, singing, and others. My intention, hope, and prayer is that there will be specific practices that you will want to take back with you when you leave The Mountain.
I invite you to make origami cranes to bring to The Mountain and display. I am hoping for 1000 paper cranes. Below is a link to the story The Story of Sadako Sasaki and the Thousand Paper Cranes. You will also find links on how to make a paper crane. So, now is the time to begin your journey to The Mountain. Write down your prayers, intentions, and hopes, and fold them into the paper cranes you make. Many of you have already begun your journey.
The Story of Sadako Sasaki and the Thousand Paper Cranes (YouTube Video)
How to make a paper crane – Origami Crane Step by Step (YouTube Video)
Origami: Crane [tutorial] (YouTube Video)
Call For Workshops
As usual, there are times in the schedule for breakout workshops and activities. If you have a breakout workshop or activity you would like to facilitate (and, well, you are planning to attend the conference), please send me the following information:
• Your name (as you would like it listed in the conference schedule)
• The title of the workshop/activity
• A brief description of the workshop/activity for the conference schedule, facility/set-up requirements, and an explanation to help me understand what you want to do
I can’t guarantee I can accept all submissions, but I’ll do my best to provide a variety of options. Remember: we like these breakout workshops and activities to be more interactive and participatory than presentational. Please email your breakout workshop/activity proposal to me at [email protected] by August 15th, 2024.
ChaseR
GSV 2024 Fall Conference Convener
Scholarship Information and Application Deadline
Financial assistance in the form of scholarships is available. The financial assistance application submission deadline is September 5, 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 and for a link to the GSV financial assistance application form. Remember, the financial assistance application submission deadline is September 5, 2024.
Registration
Registration for the GSV 2024 Fall Conference is open now. The GSV Council has asked me to remind all who plan to register that there are a maximum of six single occupancy accommodations. If a positive GSV and Mountain experience is contingent upon single room accommodations, please email [email protected] for single room occupancy request consideration.
Registration closes Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. ET. We remind you that recent fall conferences have reached capacity long before registration closes, so you are encouraged to register as soon as possible. All questions about the conference should be directed to [email protected] rather than The Mountain.