Convergence: The Journey of Love, Sex, and Intimacy
May 9 – 11, 2025
The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, Highlands, NC
3 Day/2 Night Package (Friday through Sunday)
Bunk House (shared room up to 4 people): $210 + 6.75% tax
Lodge or Duplex Cabin (double occupancy): $250 + 6.75% tax
Single Occupancy (private room): $390 + 6.75% tax
For All Rooms Add Required GSV Program Fee: $35.00
For optional extra night before (Thursday) and/or after (Sunday) see “Add On” options when registering. No meals are provided.
Register Now!
Dear Siblings,
Please join me for Gay Spirit Visions’ Spring Retreat gathering, Convergence: The Journey of Love, Sex, and Intimacy, on May 9-11, 2025, at The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center.
As we gather this spring, we invite you to reflect on how love, sex, and intimacy have shaped your journey. How do we show up authentically, ready to reveal our full selves and embrace new perspectives? Though our paths are unique, we are bound by shared experiences of heartbreak, desire, and connection.
Through guided discussions, personal reflection, and shared experiences, we will create a space to honor every part of ourselves—our vulnerability, our strength, and our longing for deep, meaningful connection. This retreat is an invitation to listen, to reach out, and to embrace the beauty of every stage of life.
Join us as we step into the mystery of these intersections, where we may find what we need most: a love that honors the fullness of who we are, in all our depth, tenderness, and resilience.
Opening the Journey
Saturday opens with Hunter Flournoy’s workshop entitled Rough Trade in the School of Love. Love teaches through both light and shadow, drawing us toward partners who challenge and transform us. This workshop explores the psychology, polyvagal theory, and spiritual traditions that help us alchemize heartache into healing. Smaller breakout groups will allow for deeper discussion and personal reflection.
Workshops to Nurture Body, Mind, and Spirit
• Exploring Hypnosis for Self-Love with Paul Austin—Unlock your subconscious to deepen self-love.
• Generou$ of Spirit, Sex, and Support with Shane Lukas—A discussion on intimacy work, best practices, and lived experiences.
• Walking the Path of Grief with Roger Custin—Reflect on loss and how it shapes your identity.
• Nontraditional Relationships: How Gay Marriage Didn’t Solve It All with Pat Boyle—A conversation on evolving relationship dynamics among gay, bisexual, and trans men.
• Restorative Flow (Yoga) & Meditation with David Jones—A gentle, clothing-optional practice accompanied by Teddy Jones on harp.
• Breathwork in Synchrony with Karma—Experience deepened intimacy through synchronized breathing and gentle physical connection.
• Evolution of Love with Darin Toppin—Share your love story with humor, heart, and a touch of sass!
• Wholeness, Authenticity, Intimacy, and Surrender: Insights from the Gospel of Mary Magdalene with Hunter Flournoy—Two thousand years ago, Mary Magdalene (yes, that Mary) offered a radical vision of what it means to be a true human being. In this playful experiential workshop, we will explore her key insights, ground them in our own queer experience.
Weekend Highlights
• Heart Weaving & Massage Circle with Mahan-Kalpa Khalsa—Join a guided, deeply connective experience at 8 p.m. on Saturday.
• Chocolate DecaDANCE Party—A celebration of all things chocolate, exclusively at the Mountain Café and Bait Shop (Dining Hall).
• Embracing Faerie Magic & Ritual
While we explore profound topics, the weekend will also be filled with play, transformation, and faerie magic. We’ll honor traditions like the Fire Ritual while welcoming new ceremonies that bring light and laughter.
Bring your heart, mind, and soul—but most of all, bring an open heart and a willingness to step fully into the experience. We can’t wait to share this journey with you.
I am looking forward to seeing you at The Mountain for our Spring Retreat.
Wade Lee Jones
GSV 2025 Spring Retreat Convener
Financial Assistance
Financial assistance, in the form of scholarships, is available. The financial assistance application submission deadline is April 30, 2025, 5 p.m. ET. 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 30, 2025, 5 p.m. ET.
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.