Tag: 2018

Last Call to Have Fun

September 27 – 30, 2018

The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center ~ Highlands, NC

4 day / 3 night package (Thursday through Sunday)

Bunkhouse $324.18 | Cabin $380.22 | Lodge $418.65

5 day / 4 night package (Wednesday through Sunday)

Bunkhouse $398.90 | Cabin $473.63 | Lodge $524.87

Dear Men Who Love Men,

Many of us will soon gather at The Mountain for our annual fall conference. If you plan to attend but aren’t registered, please
click here to register now. We’ll send an email that explains how to prepare for and what to bring to the conference to all registrants around September 12th.

Our keynote speaker will be artist Patton White. Patton will present “Insatiable Curiosity/Radical Collaboration” as a two-part experience, asking deep questions and seeking answers. In the first session, we will get in touch with our bodies and creative energies by examining a dance/movement technique developed by Lawrence and Anna Halprin called RSVP Cycles. In a later session, we will work in small groups to create brief performances that embody the collaborative investigations that have happened during the weekend. These sessions will serve as bookends, of sorts, for the work that takes place throughout the weekend.

About Patton White

Patton has been working as a multidisciplinary artist for over 40 years. He has designed costumes, created installation sculpture, video art work, and photography, and has choreographed and danced since the late 1970’s. He has worked as an independent artist and has been a part of many performing ensembles, including Beacon Dance, Core Dance, Dance South, Ruth Mitchell Dance Theatre (now Georgia Metropolitan Dance Theatre), The Georgia Ballet, and many others. For the past decade he’s focused on improvisation as a performance technique and the intersection of social dance and dance for the stage. As a member of Alternate ROOTS since 1997, he believes passionately in the arts as a tool for social justice.

The fall conference workshops will address ideals set forth by one of history’s most insatiable curious gay artists: Leonardo da Vinci. These are some examples:

To test our questions and to demonstrate our thoughts we will create poetry and embrace our gender outsiderness.

To exalt in our sensuality and how we experience the world we will honor and adore our bodies and participate in sacred healing touch.

To celebrate ambiguity and paradox we will examine faith versus reason and question whether the beliefs we developed as children were based on faith or reason.

To cultivate grace, beauty, and spirit we will communicate answers to deep questions using motion storytelling and body language, practice yoga, and examine the male nude through drawing.

To learn how to embrace a balance of logic and imagination, and art and science, we will embrace the spirit of Peter Pan and Euclidian geometry, examine how things fly, and create flying objects.

To recognize and appreciate the connectedness of all things and phenomena we will explore the roots of our compassionate hearts and minds and examine our stories to go beyond the work of the ego.

To embody persistent empowerment we will acknowledge the cultural significance and importance of the role of the gay man as a leader, prophet, and healer for our tribe and community, and we will create personal symbols of empowerment to use in our daily lives.

Evenings at the conference will continue exploration of the theme of insatiable curiosity. On Friday evening we will have a contra dance (a communal-style folk dance that’s easy to learn and needs no experience) with live musicians. An expressive dance with recorded music will follow. There will also be opportunities to sing, perform, and find your drag persona with a cabaret sing-along, talent show, and the ever-popular Parade of Beauties.

The conference will be supported by:
• The opening and closing rituals that call upon the forces and ideals of hope to guide us in the work that we do.
• A community altar that represents the ambiguity and paradox that we find in the world.
• Heart circles that allow us to meet in sacred space, be fully present with one another, and share openly, honestly, and lovingly about our conference experiences.
• Small group meetings that allow each of us to feel acknowledged and supported while we share and discuss confidentially how our conference experience fits with (or challenges) our personal spiritual journeys.

Financial Assistance

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. Financial assistance applications must be submitted no later than September 16 th.

We’d like to thank everyone who’s given generously so that others may find sanctuary and space at our gatherings. Your tax-deductible donations are needed to sustain the financial assistance fund. Visit
GaySpiritVisions.org and complete the DONATE TODAY section on the right side of any web page.

In conclusion, please bring to the conference your affection for men who love men and your insights about how our being gay allows us to question society’s expectations and replace our subservience with insatiable curiosity.

With loving intentions,

Randy Taylor
GSV 2018 Fall Conference Convener

Register for the 2018 Fall Conference

Sweet Brothers in Spirit,

We have a special treat in store for you after this year’s Fall Conference! Many of you have recorded interviews for the GSV archives housed at Georgia State University, and some of you have donated programs, photos, and various assorted items to this collection. Now we’re going to gather while we’re still basking in Fall Conference afterglow to take a trip to the archives!

On Monday, October 1st (the Monday after the Fall Conference concludes) we will gather at the Chamblee Marta Station at 9:15 a.m. and board the 9:34 train for GSU. After spending a few delightful hours at the GSU Archives, wandering through the past, looking at our organization’s history, and, perhaps, identifying brothers in pictures we will share a late lunch together before returning to our default lives.
Brothers may leave at any time, and it’s an easy walk to the GSU MARTA station for those who need to get to the airport or other destinations.

If you would like to host an out-of-town GSV brother on Sunday night, or if you are an out-of-town GSV brother needing a place to stay Sunday after the conference, feel free to arrange that at the Fall Conference or send a note to [email protected] and we’ll see if we can help.

Call for Workshops

September 27 – 30, 2018

The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center ~ Highlands, NC

4 day / 3 night package (Thursday through Sunday)

Bunkhouse $324.18 | Cabin $380.22 | Lodge $418.65

5 day / 4 night package (Wednesday through Sunday)

Bunkhouse $398.90 | Cabin $473.63 | Lodge $524.87

Dear Brothers in Spirit,

The GSV 2018 Fall Conference overall goal is to investigate how the gift of gayness includes curiosity. When this curiosity becomes insatiable we can change the world (see the invitation to the conference for more detailed information).

If you will be attending and would like to present a workshop that fits the overall theme of the weekend, please do the following:

Make sure your idea matches one of the goals or the theme of the gathering.
Through this curiosity we will explore the following:
• Find ways to test or prove the answers to our questions.
• Exult in our sensuality and how we experience the world.
• Create ambiguity and paradox.
• Cultivate grace, beauty, and spirit.
• Balance logic and imagination, art and science.
• Recognize and appreciate the connectedness of things and phenomena.
• Embody persistent empowerment.
We will use Leonardo da Vinci as a model that embodies these ideals.

Please provide the following information:
• Your full name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Workshop title
• Area of the theme to which the workshop connects or explores
• Objective of the workshop
• Description (include the format for the workshop, e.g. hands-on, lecture/talk, discussion, etc.)
• Time needed for completion
• Specific requirements (meeting space, setup, audio/visual, etc.)
Send the information to [email protected].

Your proposal will be reviewed and considered for the Fall Conference based on the match to the conference goals. I want to confirm workshops by August 20, so please get them in by August 15. Thank you for your willingness to share your experiences and curiosities with your GSV brothers.

Randy Taylor
2018 Fall Conference Convener

Register for the 2018 Fall Conference

Fall Conference Tier Pricing

Sweet Siblings in Gay Spirit,

I hope summer is treating you well and that you’re looking forward to gathering with us again for the Fall Conference in September!

Many of you have noticed that you have more pricing options for this year’s Fall Conference than you’ve had before, with the cost being determined by your housing choice. This is something The Mountain does for other groups, and the GSV Council wanted to see if this would work for our community. We are mindful of the fact that our conferences — wonderful as they are — can be hard to fit into a budget. Our goal in moving to this tiered pricing structure is to make the Fall Conference more affordable for more people. This price structure could be the difference between a man being able to attend the Fall Conference or staying home. Or it could be the difference between a man being able to stay the extra night or not.

Last year the cost of the standard 4 day/3 night Fall Conference was $405.65, regardless of where you were housed. This year you get to choose from three price tiers, which are determined by your housing choice. Staying in a bunkhouse will cost $328.18, which is $77 LESS than last year’s Fall Conference. Staying in a cabin will run you $380.22, and if you opt to stay in the Lodge you’ll pay $418.65. Again, these prices are for the standard 4 day/3 night event; staying the extra day will, as it always has, cost a bit more.

We also think this system is fairer. In previous years, housing was randomly assigned, and you wouldn’t know until you got up to The Mountain whether you were staying in the Lodge, in a cabin, or in a bunkhouse. This way you’ll be able to choose the housing option that best suits your needs.

I hope this sheds some light on why we moved to the new pricing structure. Please bear in mind that this is an experiment. We will be asking for your feedback in the post-conference survey, and we look forward to hearing about how this pricing structure works (or doesn’t work) for you.

Here are a couple of points to keep in mind when registering:
• We recommend registering early if you know you want to stay in the Lodge; those rooms go quickly.
• If you want to have a particular roommate, be sure to coordinate with that individual to make sure you both have the same housing option in mind.
I hope to see you at the Fall Conference!

Gourmet hugs,

Nightshade
Presiding Elder, Gay Spirit Visions
On behalf of the GSV Council: Wendell, Tony, Doug, Randall, Bill, Mahan-Kalpa, Jason, and Dandy
[email protected]

Register for the 2018 Fall Conference

Insatiable Curiosity

September 27 – 30, 2018

The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, Highlands, NC

4 day / 3 night package (Thursday through Sunday)

Bunkhouse $324.18 | Cabin $380.22 | Lodge $418.65

5 day / 4 night package (Wednesday through Sunday)

Bunkhouse $398.90 | Cabin $473.63 | Lodge $524.87

Dear Brothers,

By recognizing ourselves as evolving gay spirits we are forced to question the norm. This questioning opens the world and allows our curiosity to expand and be a force that can guide us throughout our life. We begin to become curious about phenomena beyond our love for men. We question what we have been told about sensuality, beauty, ambiguity, science, compassion, and the world of the spirit. By being this ‘outsider’ we have a unique perspective on the world and can share that perspective with others. Some cultures value this perspective, and others do not.

With this curious perspective also comes a responsibility to go beyond being curious. It is one thing to ask the question and another to seek an answer. The process of seeking is the process of revelation and empowerment.

When one considers who we have become, one often looks to those who have come before and have inspired us. We have individuals from our past, and we have those who are larger than us who came down through history. We can choose to select the role models to further our individual growth and inspire us toward the realization of our potential. In “Bazar’s Book of Genius – And How to Unleash Your Own,” the person who rated highest in “Originality,” “Versatility,” “Dominance of Field,” “Universality-of-Vision,” and “Strength and Energy” is a gay man — Leonardo da Vinci.

Through our insatiable curiosity we find ways to test our questions and demonstrate our thoughts. We exalt in our sensuality and how we experience the world. We celebrate ambiguity and paradox. We cultivate grace, beauty, and spirit. We balance logic and imagination, art and science. We grow to recognize and appreciate the connectedness of all things and phenomena. We embody persistent empowerment. These are the ideals that encompassed the life of Leonardo, and these are the ideals that will be the driving force for our time together at the Fall Conference.

We will gather at The Mountain to ask questions, celebrate, and enliven our insatiable curiosity.

Be prepared for Pageantry and Artistic and Scientific Expression. Bring material for artistic expression — poetry, musical instruments, art supplies.

Bring fashion, garb, costumes, and makeup for the talent show, dancing, music making, and daily promenades.

Bring your love for men who love men.

“Heaven sometimes sends us a being who represents not humanity alone but divinity itself.” — Giorgio Vasari, speaking on da Vinci in “The Lives of the Artists (1550).”

Randy Taylor
2018 Fall Conference Convener

Register for the 2018 Fall Conference