The Queer Spirit Team are sending our SOLIDARITY AND LOVE to all Trans members of our Cosmic Community
"Queer is not just an identity - it is a practice of transformation, solidarity and critique." Judith Butler
New blog post: Time To Recognise the Third Gender
15 countries around the world legally recognise a third, non-binary gender. Unfortunately the UK did not become the 16th this week.
Source: Legal recognition of non-binary gender by country | Equaldex
'Trans Women are Not Women' scream the right wing press headlines, ignoring the fact that the UK Supreme Court did not rule on this question. The Court was clarifying whether references to sex in the Equality Act of 2010 referred to biological sex.
In fact paragraph 2 of the judgment clearly states: “It is not the role of the court to adjudicate on the arguments in the public domain on the meaning of gender or sex, nor is it to define the meaning of the word ‘woman’ other than when it is used in the provisions of the [Equality Act] 2010.” Yet the right wing press is having a field day, pictures of women celebrating outside court accompanying the headline. This is very revealing, and I hope it will strike home hard to the gay, lesbian, bi community how important it is we stand together with trans people against a tide of populist propaganda, fear-mongering and ignorance.
'By elevating “biological sex” as the singular legal definition of womanhood, the court sanctifies a worldview rejected by decades of medical, sociological, and psychological evidence. Gender is not chromosomes. It is not genitals. It is not a passport stamp from birth. But the ruling chooses dogma over data, ideology over science, regression over rights — and does so knowing whose lives will pay the cost.' UK Supreme Court Rules Against Trans Rights and Hands Fascism a Blueprint – Trans Army
Biology actually teaches us that everybody has both testosterone and oestrogen hormones in our bodies, physically and psychologically we are all a mix of 'masculine' and 'feminine' features. Chromosomes are more complex that simple X and Y, and - on that point - every foetus starts out with an X – everyone is female at the core. The long domination of men over women, and of masculine men over feminine men and trans people, has to come to an end. Surely this is what feminism has always sought? The feminine aspect of the life is surging forward – rising strongly in some men, and in my opinion in also in AFAB people who become trans men: I see the Goddess in us all as pushing us to manifest BALANCE, not to replace male dominance with her own.
Spirituality points us in the same direction – teachings from around the world point to the marriage of the inner genders, uniting and transcending them to unify the Self, as the way to reach spiritual consciousness. Jesus is quoted saying this in the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas, in Hindu culture Shiva Ardhanishvara depicts the divine as a balance of male and female. In Indian culture, alongside so many others around the world, people born with a gender-fluid nature, who embodied both male and female traits, have long been regarded as natural and been associated with spiritual roles....
Same sex love and gender-fluidity are natural human qualities that have been suppressed for centuries in white cultures due to Christian beliefs. The repeal of legal punishments and the gradual increase in social acceptance in recent decades in the western world has made possible the re-emergence of these traits, of these characteristics. The suppression has been so deep that the change is coming up in a rush and upsetting the binary model that is declared to be the bedrock of our 'culture'.
Let's take this opportunity to turn the spotlight on the presence of third-gender people in other cultures around the world and to discover the true history of our own.
And also to take this steps to explore and reclaim the spiritual inheritance that the tales of our ancestors are telling us about...
Read full article...
Queer Spirit retreats
Fancy a rural get-way in the woods with a group of magical queers in the comfort of the beautiful Asha retreat centre in the Forest of Dean?
Thanks to the superb input from Bo and Matt Triskelion we are now able to offer a taste of queer sanctuary life at the beautiful Asha Centre in the Forest of Dean. Matt is managing the calendar at the Asha and has been able to arrange things so that it is possible to attend GARDENING RETREATS at minimal cost - stay in comfort, do a bit of gardening and pay only for your food! Matt, Bo and I are hoping this will encourage more and more of you to come check out the space and see what's cooking! Which includes of course retreats and events for which there will be a charge, of course always open to negotiation. The Asha is a wonderful resource but we do have to pay the bills - so any help you can give to spread the word about what's going on, about how fantastic the venue is, to your friends and groups is appreciated!
TRANS-NONBINARY ROOT AND RISE RETREAT 26-29 May, 2025: this new event is offered for ONLY £40 TO COVER FOOD! (donations beyond that welcome to help cover other costs).
NEWS FROM MATT TRISKELION at this week's gardening retreat...
We’re sat in the gardens of the Asha Centre and the gardens are in bloom. The elements are at play, we can hear the gentle hum of the stream, the wind caressing the branches and leaves of the trees, the earth singing with growth, the sacredness of the land. We have been blessed during the last weeks as Queer Spirit Gardening retreat has been here. The Radical Faeries that have heard the call brought their magic to the land. We’ve given back to the land, to support its growth and at the same time it has given us its produce to nourish our table.
The chefs Bacchus and Manj joyfully offered gorgeous food prepared with love, song and creativity. Now, in this moment of so much unrest and fear for the future, we sit, we breathe and vision a new, no not new, an existing vision for the future. We’re pleased to be able to offer a safe haven for queer folk. That is what we do with the gardening retreat. We open our hearts, our home and say come and feel the earth on our feet and ground.
In this groundedness of hope - because we have witnessed and experienced this political oppression before. And yes we are still here. Still queer. This is why we co-create, this is why we sit in community and reach out to each other to offer a safer space.
Our call is going out, to offer two retreats. One was visioned many months ago, it was to invite you to join Queer Spirit Warrior and the Rainbow Bridge Retreat. A space to be in community, to take heart, courage and hear the stories and songs of our queer ancestors, to vision around the fire, drum, and hold each other.
Now, in this moment we hear the call for another retreat that supports our TNB siblings in this moment of need. So we invite our TNB siblings to come home to Asha for three days, to be nourished and held. We’ll sit around the fire pit, share our ancestral stories that tell us we will not only survive but thrive. Yes, it feels hard and we hear this, so we are here in community, in relation to each other, in solidarity. We find wellbeing in sharing and connecting with each other and the land of Asha, we’ll collectively breathe and rest, nourish our souls in a space held by and for our TNB siblings.
If you hear this call then come join the TNB Root and Rise Retreat which will flow into the Rainbow Bridge Retreat.
We’re here, we’re queer , we’re cosmic!
Booking form here...
Queer Spirit - Warriors rainbow bridge retreat - 30 May - 2 June, 2025
Matt, Bo and Shokti invite you to join us for a weekend exploring the magic and power of being a Queer Spirit Warrior...
We meet under a Leo Moon to affirm our queer roles in the world as healers, ritual gatekeepers and walkers between the worlds. We will look at the global history, and honour the memory, of queer shamans and priests in service to spirit and explore what this inheritance means for us in the world today, hear myths that teach us about the spiritual powers of queer nature, plus share our own stories of growth and revelation as we attune to the rainbow bridge between matter and spirit.
We intend to make the fire circle at the Asha the focus of evening ritual activities, and we will also walk the labyrinth, dip in sacred spring water, and have plenty of time to relax in the beautiful atmosphere of the Asha Centre in the Forest of Dean.
The global teachings we will be looking at include this from Sobonfu Some of the Dagara people of West Africa, published in her book The Spirit of Intimacy:
“The life of gay people in the West is in many ways a reaction to pressure from a society that rejects them. This is partly because a culture that has forgotten so much about itself will displace certain groups of people, such as the gay community, from their true roles... Gays and lesbians in the West are often very spiritual, but they have been taken away from their connection with spirit... The words gay and lesbian do not exist in the village, but there is the word gatekeeper. Gatekeepers are people who live a life at the edge between the worlds – the world of the village and the world of spirit.”
Calling Queer Spirit Warriors! Come play and speak and dance with Spirit! Come build a Rainbow Bridge between the material and the spirit realms!
Time to explore our spiritual inheritance as Queer Spirit Warriors of the 21st century!
Book your place here... (More information: Queer Spirit Retreats Website)
Save the Date! The Bonobo Experience: UK Retreat
Have fun exploring the sex-positive culture of our primate cousins; increase your understanding of sex and sexuality and the many ways it can enrich and nourish your life.
We invite you to this year’s Bonobo Experience at the wonderful Asha Centre in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.
Discover new perspectives of belonging and joy, while being rooted in your non-verbal, playful and primal self. Foster inner growth as you make new connections with your tribe through supportive, bonding touch and compassion.
“Go! Do it – when you’re there push through some of your conditioning or worries and you’ll get the most from it.” – A Spring 2023 Retreat participant
When: 5th –7th Sept 2025
Cost: £400 (incl. all food. Accommodation and activities)
For more info and to book tickets:
Website: thebonoboexperience.com
If you have enjoyed taking part in any of our Bonobo Experience workshops before you’ll know this is a shared group experience using bonobo culture as a guide. It’s not exclusively about sexual connection (though it’s welcome here!), but more about tapping into the essence of pure PLAY within a tribe which creatively tackles disharmony through PLEASURE!
… and if it will be your first time, then welcome!
We hope to see you there in September! Love from the Bonobo Experience Team.
Upcoming events
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Saturday May 10th
Beltane full Moon drum circle, preceded by Breathwork ceremony, led by Lisa Li from 5.15-7.15pm. -
LISA LI returns to the Wheatsheaf Hall with another incredible BREATHWORK CEREMONY. £35 pp standard - concessions are available, contact Lisa via her website https://www.breathceremony.comLisa says: "My work is all about getting you to be unashamedly you... When the world is trying its damned hardest to put you in a box, or give you a label... somatic work takes away all the armouring and the false personas that we have created to survive and to fit in... It allows you to let go of negative beliefs, and fears and blockages that blocks you from being your unique and most masterful self. Beyond gender, beyond the rigidity of conforming to society. It allows you to come back to meet yourself on the most pure and humble level, to give you the strength and confidence to figure out who the hell you are AND JUST BE IT !"The world needs us to be our unique selves.That frequency is POWER !!!
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Concessions available, please email Lisa via this booking link: Queer Spirit Full Moon Breath Ceremony
Beltane full Moon drum circle
Spring at its peak! Time to unite the worlds through the power of the Taurus Sun and Scorpio Moon.
Radical Faeries and Queer Spirits gather in south London in the rising energy of the Beltane Full Moon to drum, dance and play in sacred revelry. As Spring reaches its peak so can we! Setting intentions for the summer season we will take another step deeper into the frequencies of the Age of Aquarius.
You are invited to DRESS TO EXPRESS YOUR FAERIE SPIRIT!
7.15-11PM Wheatsheaf Hall, Wheatsheaf Lane, off South Lambeth Road, London SW8 2UP
NOTAFLOF - No One Turned Away For Lack Of Funds.
Goddesses of Earth and Water with Brooke Medicine Eagle
Brooke Medicine Eagle is not just a teacher; she has become a beacon of wisdom with years of experience in guiding individuals toward a deeper appreciation of their connection with the Earth.
Emphasizing respect for natural elements, Brooke blends indigenous spirituality with contemporary practices. She teaches us the necessity of healing both ourselves and the planet.
Mon 25 Aug 2025 6:00 PM - Thu 28 Aug 2025 3:30 PM
Find out more...
Queer Spirit update: The next Queer Spirit Festival will be in August 2026.
This year, as you can see above, we continue to offer retreat spaces, drum circles and also are happy to spread word of other events that may interest all Queer Spirits out there.
As we build a strong network in preparation for future festivals we are thrilled to announce the first Queer Spirit Community Camp...
This summer there will be a QUEER SPIRIT COMMUNITY CAMP, at Bridwell Park (August 15-18th 2025), a space for celebrating our collective journey, for deepening connections and shaping the future of Queer Spirit.
Invitations have gone out to our crew - all our wonderful volunteers, performers and facilitators, who will have until the end of May to register for the camp. At that point we will offer any remaining spaces to the wider network.
There is a limited capacity of 200 people for this event, which will be run as a private camp not a public festival. For those not on the crew but keen to be involved, feel free to reach out - we very much hope to be able to invite along any who wish to be part of building the community ethos and root culture of Queer Spirit.
If you are one of our volunteers/performers/facilitators and you don't receive anything later this week please get in touch.
