Gay Spirit Visions, P. O. Box 339, Decatur, GA (2025)

Gay Spirit Visions comprises a diverse group of gay & bisexual men following a wide array of spiritual paths. We pursue heart-centered connection, with an emphasis on healing and strengthening spiritual identity. We serve as a supportive, nurturing counterculture within the wider gay community. We seek to uncover or rediscover our unique gifts as gay and bisexual men, revealing our potential to one another and to the world. We attempt to connect or reconnect sexuality and spirituality in our lives. We encourage conversation about and exploration of alternative spiritual paths, but strive to be inclusive of mainstream beliefs and deities. Gay Spirit Vision adheres to a policy of radical inclusion. We welcome and respect the stranger. Our community welcomes all open-hearted men-who-love-men regardless of spiritual path, color, class, or other such factors. We are poets and warriors, firekeepers and shamans, faeries and philosophers, dancers and dreamers, tricksters and healers, explorers and mentors. We are sacred men who love men. Facebook Information:

Gay Spirit Visions maintains two Facebook groups. One is a public group (the page you are currently viewing), and the other is a nonpublic group that is private and hidden. To join the nonpublic group, you must have attended at least one GSV in-person or virtual Winter Meditation, Spring Retreat, or Fall Conference. After attending your first gathering, we will send you an invitation to join the nonpublic Facebook group. If you would like to join, follow the instructions in the invitation. Registration information for the gatherings mentioned above may be found by following the links at: http://gayspiritvisions.org/annual-gatherings/.

11/14/2025

GSV 2026 Winter Meditation

January 16-18, 2026

The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, Highlands NC

Keeping Our Joy (While the Dumpster Burns)

Convener: Snowdancer (Jim Becker)
SEE BELOW FOR REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Dear Brothers and Siblings,

Please join me for Gay Spirit Visions’ Winter Meditation gathering January 16-18, 2026, at The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, Highlands, North Carolina. The Mountain is a magical place, and each season holds its own charms. For many, winter at The Mountain is about cozying up in The Lodge or in a cabin with our tribe and contemplating the stillness of the season.

For myself, since the 2024 election, I’ve been caught up in turmoil, confusion, anger, resentment, frustration, loathing, and any number of other emotions. There came a time when I had to change or I would go off the deep end.

For our 2026 Winter Meditation gathering, we will address the challenge of keeping our joy while all around us we find chaos or confusion. Thus, the title of our 2026 Winter Meditation gathering: Keeping Our Joy (While the Dumpster Burns)

There will be six sessions for the whole group interspersed with smaller breakout groups. The sessions will focus on:
Permission

Presence

Play

Pleasure

Power

Purpose

We will deepen into joy and pleasure for their own sake, but also because joy strengthens us for the generational work to liberate a society. And joy protects us from the slings and arrows of capitalism as it unleashes creative vision and problem-solving.

Won’t you join me and other seekers as we reconnect with our joy? I look forward to seeing you at The Mountain in January.

Warmly,
Snowdancer (Jim Becker)
GSV 2026 Winter Meditation Convener

3 Day/2 Night Package (Friday through Sunday)
All pricing is per person
Lodge or Duplex Cabin (double occupancy) $240 + tax
Single Occupancy (private room) $380 + tax
Bunkhouse $200 + tax
For All Rooms Add Required GSV Program Fee $35.00 per person

Scholarship Information and Application Deadline

Financial assistance in the form of scholarships is available. The financial assistance application submission deadline is Friday, January 2, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. ET. 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. https://gayspiritvisions.org/financial_assistance/ Remember, the financial assistance application submission deadline is Friday, January 2, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. ET.

Registration

Registration for the GSV 2026 Winter Meditation gathering is now open. Please begin the registration process here: https://gayspiritvisions.org/.../winter.../winter-register/ All questions about registration should be directed to The Mountain – gsoffice@themountainrlc.org – Phone: (828)-526-5838. Registration closes on Friday, January 2, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. ET.
Participants needing accessible accommodations are encouraged to register early.

Getting to The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center

The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center is located west of the town of Highlands, NC. For detailed driving information and transportation options, click here:
https://www.themountainrlc.org/directions/ Note: If your transportation plans include flying, the closest and easiest airport to fly in and out of is Asheville Regional Airport (AVL) located in Fletcher, NC, just south of Asheville, NC.

Please note that there are no public transportation options from AVL that service The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center. You may wish to consider rental car services at AVL. The drive from AVL to The Mountain is approximately 2 hours, or longer if you are not accustomed to mountain driving conditions.

Register Now!
https://gayspiritvisions.org/.../winter.../winter-register/

09/07/2025

LAST CALL! LAST CALL! LAST CALL!

GSV 2025 Fall Conference

What Is Mine To Do?: Polyspiritual Portals Into The New Age
September 25–28, 2025
The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, Highlands NC

Convener: Gregory Joseph
Keynote Speaker: Anthony Dissen

Register Now!
https://gayspiritvisions.org/annual-gatherings/fall-conference/fall-register/

Dearest Gay Spirit Visions Siblings,

The clock is ticking! Is anyone else feeling like time is speeding up right now? You're not alone. Astrologically, we're in a time that's rapidly changing.

We've just moved into Virgo, the priest/ess/x archetype, which is about living in your integrity, knowing your values, and devoting yourself to a calling. My trusted app, The Pattern (I swear I don't work for them, and this is not a promo!), says that Virgo is “just being itself, and there's a refusal to compromise its truth” and asks us, “Do you have the courage to devote yourself to what you believe in, no matter what anyone else thinks?”

“Your internal voice, your internal compass, is the most valuable thing for you right now because you're going to need it as the noise of the outside world gets more and more chaotic. It's your inner truth that you'll be able to rely on.” We'll also be able to rely on each other.

In the mundane world, this is your last chance to register for the 2025 Fall Conference, happening a little less than one month from now, September 25-28. The registration deadline is fast approaching on September 11, 5:00 p.m. ET.

Join about 100 kindred spirits to explore our theme, "What Is Mine To Do?: Polyspiritual Portals Into The New Age." It's a transformative weekend designed to help you reconnect with your purpose, discover new gifts, and be part of a community ready to step into a new era of harmony and unity.

Together, we will ground ourselves in who we are, so we can more clearly see and be the magic that we are. We will gather around the sacred fire and co-create a space that illuminates our diverse spiritual and philosophical traditions. We'll share collective wisdom in answering our conference theme’s question.

Don't miss a chance to explore your gifts and purpose with a diverse range of sessions, including:

Mindfulness as a Tool for Liberation: Our keynote speaker, Anthony Dissen, will share how you can discover how intentional presence can dismantle shame and help you access your innate wisdom.

Hot Wax—Hot Love: Learn the tools, techniques, and safety of this form of play to bring new passion into your relationships

Political Action as a Spiritual Practice: Explore how political engagement can be a powerful part of your spiritual life and a sense of calling.

Self-Pleasuring and Multi-Orgasmic Practice: Learn simple Taoist techniques with breathing and movement to improve your health, increase your libido, and reach new levels of intimacy.

Whispers in the Bones: Learn the history and practice of bone throwing divination to invite your ancestors' voices into your journey.

Follow Your Rainbow: A guided meditation and writing exercise to help you find a spiritually purposeful life.

Check out the draft list of workshops HERE!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1P4yp5vCTRxoZft_A5z2CDVnuoYjnm-YAcpuZ0tUq1aE/edit?tab=t.0 =h.wk11keu8nqo7
And more will be revealed…

Come, rest your body, celebrate your spirit, and connect with a community that's here to create a more beautiful world. Come, gather with kindred GSV spirits around the council fire, join heart circles, workshops, shared meals, “Temple 13” (the play cabin), and countless other ways to connect.

Ready to step through the portal?

With love and blessings,💖
Gregory Joseph (they/he)
GSV 2025 Fall Conference Convener

P.S. Know someone who needs to be at this conference? Forward this email to them and invite them to join us!

P.P.S. You can find out more about me here: Gregory Joseph.
https://www.gregoryjoseph.love/
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IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT OUR 2025 FALL CONFERENCE

Silent Auction Announcement! GSV provides financial assistance to those in our community who might otherwise not be able to join us at The Mountain. Our primary means of replenishing our financial assistance fund is through the Silent Auction held at the Fall Conference. The success of our Silent Auction depends on your donations of quality and meaningful items for others to bid on. Be creative! Whether that’s art, kink gear, a gift certificate for a massage, restaurant, online or in-person tarot reading, an all-expense paid vacation…All attendees are invited to bring items. This year, we are inviting ALL GSV community members to submit items for the auction even if you’re not attending Fall Conference. If that is YOU, it would be your responsibility to get your item(s) to someone who is attending. If you are donating a large ticket item, we might live auction it during the Variety Show. Please note: We encourage everyone to use cash, a personal check, or PayPal when paying for items you’ve placed the highest bid on. We are not able to process credit/debit card transactions for payment.
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The infamous Variety Show on Saturday night will be re-branded for this gathering as “COSMIC SOUP”—a name that is affectionately borrowed with permission from the Chicago Radical Faeries (chiradfae.com) variety shows, which I am a part of in Chicago. Pull out your tutus, dust off your tap shoes, pull out that old saxophone and get that voice warmed up for our traditional Saturday evening talent extravaganza with a new name. This is your chance to shine your fabulous self AND entertain your siblings and The Mountain staff! Bring sheet music or a thumb drive with any needed accompaniment. Time limit 5 minutes. Questions? Contact David Berger 614.264.1574.
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COSMIC SOUP on Saturday evening is preceded by the annual PARADE OF BEAUTIES. Wanna push the gender bender envelope? Remember the words of RuPaul: “We're all born naked; anything else is drag!” Bring it or borrow from a bountiful collection of clothes and accessories in the Shauna Pleas Boutique, which will be in the Rec Hall and open all weekend, downstairs in the Tree House. Participants are welcome and encouraged to play with gender throughout the conference.
_______________________________________________________________________

Scholarship Information and Application Deadline

Financial assistance in the form of scholarships is available. The financial assistance application submission deadline is September 11 at 5:00 p.m. ET. 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. https://gayspiritvisions.org/financial_assistance/
Remember, the financial assistance application submission deadline is September 11 at 5:00 p.m. ET.
_______________________________________________________________________

Registration

Registration for the GSV 2025 Fall Conference is now open! Please begin the registration process by clicking the button below. All questions about registration should be directed to The Mountain – gsoffice@themountainrlc.org – Phone: (828)-526-5838.

4 Day/3 Night Package (Thursday through Sunday)
Bunk House (shared room up to 4 people) $315.00 + tax
Lodge or Duplex Cabin (double occupancy) $375.00 + tax
Single Occupancy (private room)—See new information below.

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.

We remind you that recent fall conferences have reached capacity long before registration closes, so you are encouraged to register as soon as possible. Registration closes on Thursday, September 11 at 5:00 p.m. ET.

Participants needing accessible accommodations are encouraged to register early. All Single Occupancy (private rooms) for the 2025 GSV Fall Conference are for people with medical needs. These rooms are extremely limited in number and will be assigned based on need and availability. For Single Occupancy (private room) consideration, email James Williamson, Booking Coordinator/Guest Services. Email: james.williamson@themountainrlc.org

Register Now!
https://gayspiritvisions.org/annual-gatherings/fall-conference/fall-register/

07/17/2025

GSV 2025 Fall Conference

What Is Mine To Do?: Polyspiritual Portals Into The New Age

September 25–28, 2025

The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, Highlands NC

Convener: Gregory Joseph
Keynote Speaker: Anthony Dissen

Register Now! https://gayspiritvisions.org/.../fall.../fall-register/

Hello Beloveds!

Get ready for an inspiring Fall Conference! The workshop proposals are coming in—finding agency, divination with bones, kinky power, meditation & visualization—who’s next? You won't want to miss this conference, a transformative time dedicated to exploring our essence, our gifts, and our purpose.

Throughout time, cultures, and space, we've inhabited sacred roles in societies—though somewhere along the way, that got a bit perverted (and not in the fun sense!)🥴. We will gather as the sacred beings we are, to create a collective space that illuminates our diverse spiritual traditions and the wisdom they hold. One of these roles is the Aquarian archetype.

What is the Age of Aquarius? https://www.almanac.com/what-age-aquarius

“The Age of Aquarius is not something leftover from the ‘hippie’ movement of the 1960s. Astrologically, this Great Age will accompany a couple of thousand years of harmony, egalitarianism, and understanding.” There is no agreement on when it begins (anywhere from 1447 CE to 3597 CE), but many say it’s already here. I feel it’s here. What do you think?

Want the q***r Aquarian story? Check out Shokti’s version.
https://rainbowmessenger.blog/the-q***r-age-of-aquarius/

I've been following an app called The Pattern, which gives real time insights into the collective and individual astrology, and here's what it said this week: “The convergence of major planetary shifts in 2025 marks one of the most significant astrological periods in modern history. A time when our collective choices about how to use our expanding capabilities could set the course for generations to come…. 2025 is asking you, if not forcing you, to become a conscious participant in your own growth, in your own evolution, and to step up in a new way as a human being.” How are you preparing?

Here's one way: a message from the stars to connect with your innate power amidst the rapid shifting all around us. Try this meditation for Divine Courage & Strength. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPhKazWogxA

Keynote Speaker
Anthony Dissen https://www.dranthonydissen.com/will be sharing the following magic with us with some powerful keynote presentations and a special workshop. For a sneak peek into his offerings, check this out! https://docs.google.com/.../1CsJxfZRTJB0DInZHrbLu.../edit...

Call for Workshops, Playshops, and Creative Sessions! Due July 20!
The deadline is fast approaching! Please complete the Google Form below to submit an interactive and experiential workshop/playshop proposal. We are looking for the following topics aligned with the conference theme: divination practices, self-inquiry activities, healing practices, relationship and sexual healing, activism/community organizing, diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and anti-racism work, ecojustice, sexual identity and gender justice, interfaith lessons and practices, new age consciousness, indigenous wisdom, and more!

If you have an idea but are unsure of how to form it into a workshop, reach out! Workshop ideas are welcome from everybody! Newcomers welcome, no need to be a professional presenter or ‘expert.’ I can't guarantee we will accept all submissions, but we'll do our best to provide a variety of options that align with the conference theme and the time and space available in the program. We have space for approximately 15–18 offerings. Thank you for your service!

Please complete and submit your proposal submission by July 25. Note: This is earlier than usual so that we have more time to prepare the program. If you need more time, please reach out to me.

Session Application (Google Form)
https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSfaMNf5HhHyjT.../viewform

Read on for more details and get ready to connect with a community that's ready to step through the portals into the New Age, where our gifts are part of building the beautiful world to come.

Hang in there,💖

Gregory Joseph (they/he)
GSV 2025 Fall Conference Convener
P.S. You can find out more about me here: Gregory Joseph. https://www.gregoryjoseph.love/

Scholarship Information and Application Deadline

Financial assistance in the form of scholarships is available. The financial assistance application submission deadline is September 11 at 5:00 p.m. ET. 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 https://gayspiritvisions.org/financial_assistance/ 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 11 at 5:00 p.m. ET.

Registration

Registration for the GSV 2025 Fall Conference is now open! Please begin the registration process by clicking the button below. All questions about registration should be directed to The Mountain – gsoffice@themountainrlc.org – Phone: (828)-526-5838.

4 Day/3 Night Package (Thursday through Sunday)
Bunk House (shared room up to 4 people) $315.00 + tax
Lodge or Duplex Cabin (double occupancy) $375.00 + tax
Single Occupancy (private room)—See new information below.

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.

Registration closes on Thursday, September 11 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.

Accessibility Needs

Participants needing accessible accommodations are encouraged to register early.

All Single Occupancy (private rooms) for the 2025 GSV Fall Conference are for people with medical needs. These rooms are very limited in number and will be assigned based on need and availability. For Single Occupancy (private room) consideration, email James Williamson, Booking Coordinator/Guest Services. Email: james.williamson@themountainrlc.org

Register Now! https://gayspiritvisions.org/.../fall.../fall-register/

06/21/2025

GSV 2025 Fall Conference

What Is Mine To Do?: Polyspiritual Portals Into The New Age

September 25–28, 2025

The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, Highlands NC

Convener: Gregory Joseph
Keynote Speaker: Anthony Dissen

4 Day/3 Night Package (Thursday through Sunday)
Bunk House (shared room up to 4 people) $315.00 + tax
Lodge or Duplex Cabin (double occupancy) $375.00 + tax
Single Occupancy (private room)—See information below under "Registration"

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! https://gayspiritvisions.org/.../fall.../fall-register/

Dearest Siblings,

In a little more than 3 months, we will gather with around 90 other kindred souls for the 36th annual Gay Spirit Visions Fall Conference. Our souls have chosen to be here during these tumultuous and transformative times for a reason. Do you feel the shifting? Do you know why you're here, now?✨

I do. For one thing, I heard the call to convene this conference from the depths of a darkness retreat this spring… but that’s another story! For those who don’t know me, I am an interspiritual counselor, dream guide, creative writer, sacred spaceholder, shamanic practitioner, sacred kink coach, community builder, and organizational development consultant. I have been coming to The Mountain for GSV on and off since 2021 and was involved in the Chicago GSV community from 2010–2015.

We are, as a community, “polyspiritual”—finding meaning, inspiration, and grounding in the rainbow of spiritual traditions, paths, and even secular philosophies. And we all have something unique to offer the world—both individually and collectively. Even if we know what that is, these times are asking us to revisit our purpose.

There is a growing global movement that believes these rapidly shifting times are in fact the dawning of the New Age, the Age of Aquarius (do I hear an act for the Variety Show brewing??!).🤩 This is not just some “hippie” thing. It’s been prophesized since ancient times as an era that will include a few thousand years of harmony, equality, and unity.

Wanna find out more? We'll explore questions like:

How can I show up authentically for myself and the world?

What resources and support will help me share my gifts?

How can we q***rfolk be part of creating the future world of love and unity?

How do various spiritual and/or secular practices and traditions help us answer the question, ‘What is mine to do?'

Together, we can heal the world by being and healing ourselves. It's time to restore the sovereignty of our true natures and place in this world, like Leo the Lion, with his bright, shining heart.

Keynote Speaker
We will welcome Anthony Dissen https://www.dranthonydissen.com/about-me to The Mountain! Anthony is a q***r educator, public health researcher, professor, and shamanic practitioner. A student of spirituality for over 25 years, his mission is to bring Spirit back to the LGBTQIA2S+ community through devotional chanting, singing, meditation, and a heart-based approach to healing and connection. They’ll be sharing the following magic with us:

Keynote Presentation 1: Mindfulness As a Tool for Liberation and Self-Discovery

Keynote Presentation 2: Living the Path of Loving-Kindness: The Life-Changing Practice of Metta

Bonus Workshop! Chanting and Singing Our Way to Freedom

Call For Workshops, Playshops, and Creative Sessions! Due July 20! If you would like to offer a session, please complete the Google Form below. We like these to be more interactive and experiential, and less like a presentation/talk to a group. We are particularly looking for the following topics, aligned with the conference theme: divination practices, self-inquiry activities, healing practices, relationship and sexual healing, activism/community organizing, diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and anti-racism work, ecojustice, sexual identity and gender justice, interfaith lessons and practices, new age consciousness, indigenous wisdom, and more!

If you have an idea but are unsure of how to form it into a session, reach out! Session ideas are welcome from everybody! Newcomers welcome, no need to be a professional presenter or ‘expert.’ I can't guarantee we will accept all submissions, but we'll do our best to provide a variety of options that align with the conference theme and the time and space available in the program. We have space for approximately 15–18 offerings. Thank you for your service!

Please complete and submit your proposal submission by July 20. Note: this is earlier than usual so that we have more time to prepare the program.

Session Application (Google Form) https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfaMNf5HhHyjTNkqtua60cJ-Yv_3rRC0X4xGpz2pOeoE7xdtQ/viewform

In Closing
Come, rest your body, celebrate your spirit, sing your heart out, dance like nobody’s watching, love ‘til it hurts, and even flog a friend.😈 Like the glowing heart above, it’s time for the world to see the light and love you can shine. It's time (again) to show the world what we're made of!

Blessings,💖
Gregory Joseph (they/he)
GSV 2025 Fall Conference Convener
P.S. You can find out more about me here: Gregory Joseph https://www.gregoryjoseph.love/

Scholarship Information and Application Deadline
Financial assistance in the form of scholarships is available. The financial assistance application submission deadline is September 11 at 5:00 p.m. ET. 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 https://gayspiritvisions.org/financial_assistance/ 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 11 at 5:00 p.m. ET.

Registration
Registration for the GSV 2025 Fall Conference is now open. Please begin the registration process here:

https://gayspiritvisions.org/.../fall.../fall-register/.

All questions about registration should be directed to The Mountain – gsoffice@themountainrlc.org – Phone: (828)-526-5838.

Registration closes on Thursday, September 11, 2025, 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.

Participants needing accessible accommodations are encouraged to register early.

All Single Occupancy (private rooms) for the 2025 GSV Fall Conference are for people with medical needs. These rooms are very limited in number and will be assigned based on need and availability. For Single Occupancy (private room) consideration, email James Williamson, Booking Coordinator/Guest Services.
Email: james.williamson@themountainrlc.org

Register Now!
https://gayspiritvisions.org/annual-gatherings/fall-conference/fall-register/

Address

P. O. Box 339
Decatur, GA
30031

Website

http://gayspiritvisions.org/

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