Crossroads: Stories of Queer Spirit

Welcome! Before joining the call, please read the full event description below—

CROSSROADS is a meeting place for all those who worship, pray, and make magic in the margins. It is a gathering of witches and heretics, hermits and revolutionaries, shadow-dwellers and truth-tellers. We are survivors, edge-walkers, and freaks claiming our connections with the Divine. Through storytelling we are offered a mirror in which to see our selves more clearly, to understand our place in the world, and to expand our perception of what is possible.

This is an event intended to share, honor, and receive stories of queer spiritualities. Stories can range from individual experiences in time to overarching themes in one’s life, or anything in between. Topics may include ways that people engage in ritual; how LGBTQIA+ identities intersect with religion/spirituality (or not); times of questioning and struggle; ecstatic moments; solo or group religious experiences; healing and recovery journeys of all kinds; the spiritual dimensions of gender and sexuality; relationships with deity, ancestors, and/or plant/animal/spirit allies; the role of spirituality in political work; and anything else that feels like it belongs here. Participants are asked to give content notes when relevant and take care of themselves as needed.

PROGRAM for our virtual gathering:
– arrivals
– opening
– reading by Zoe Tuck
– reading by Audra Puchalski
– intermission (stretch, hydrate, etc)
– reading by April Gray Robin
– performance by Jax Padilla de la Rosa, Zulay Holland, and Joelle Bueno of DREAM CLUB
– space for reflections &/or spontaneous offerings
– weaving the web (making connections)
– closing
– depart

The original plan for this gathering was to take place in the flesh at The Majestic Saloon, a queer bar in so-called Northampton, Massachusetts. As before, at the first gathering (https://www.facebook.com/events/606478350123542/) and still now in the virtual realm, Crossroads is a space that centers LGBTQIA+ community. The offerings made are by and for LGBTQIA+ people, with love and solidarity. I am excited to widen the circle here, on the internet!

YOU (yes, you!) ARE INVITED TO BRING SOME WORDS OR A PIECE OF ARTWORK OR MOVEMENT OR ANY OTHER SHARE-ABLE EXPRESSION YOU FEEL INSPIRED TO OFFER IN THIS SPACE. This event will include curated storytelling, as well as an open time for anyone to share in the spirit of the intentions outlined here. You can plan ahead, or respond in the moment, if you wish. You can share something you made/authored, or something made/authored by someone else, as long as you name that.

My vision for this night is to normalize talking about spirituality in queer spaces, to stoke the fire in our hearts, to support us in feeling less alone, and to tend the need for soul-full community. In no way do I imagine or want for us to have the same spiritualities. Rather I imagine that what brings us here is a pull toward mystery, a deep curiosity about the fabric of the universe, and a reverence for the unknowable.

Each one of us offers something beautifully unique to this conversation. Our experiences and practices of spirituality are as different as we are, and simultaneously I believe we may find a sense of unity in our convictions as queer people desiring liberation…

We are not trying to fit in; we are trying to burn down that which seeks to confine us. We are not out to redeem the faith of our (grand)parents. We do not want mainstream religion to “accept” us into the fold of lukewarm neo-liberalism. We are critical of the ways state religion, particularly Christianity, has been taken up as an ideological and material tool of colonization, genocide, imperialism, and capitalism. So, too, are we critical of the appropriation and commodification of spiritual practices for the purpose of wealth and fame.

We are anti-fascist, anti-zionist, and pro-abolition. We seek the downfall of all that exploits life for profit and endangers our communities, and our spiritualities are an expression of that seeking. We are full of rage and grief and terror. We reject platitudes of hope and comfort in the face of very real systemic violence.

We connect with the Divine in meaningful ways that align with our values and embolden us to be our bravest, kindest selves. We are outcasts and prophets, here to consecrate our words, to create sacred space, to bear witness to and learn from each other, to weave a web among us, to make the Mighty Dead proud.

Link to join the Zoom call (up to 100 people with video and 10k without) is here: https://zoom.us/j/554306591
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