April 18th & 19th

In a world filled with walls of separation, gay/queer men will explore this archetype as calling within the tribe.

Sappho to Whitman, Vergil to Audre Lorde, St Teresa of Avila to Rumi mystics can be found in every spiritual tradition and yet committed to an inclusive spirituality of Oneness beyond their tradition. Seeing the face of the Beloved in all beings and all of creation has been the signature of the mystic.

They were writers, poets, alchemical healers, change agents by their very hunger to connect to the sacred.

Considered "foolish", they were men, women and transgendered people who wouldnot and could not be contained in a box of dogma or tradition.

They too were gatekeepers between the worlds using their bodies to embody the “presence” of the divine. The image of the tree of life from one’s ass to crown of head (roots reaching deep into the wisdom of earth) and branches (drawing on the wisdom of heaven) together joined inside us. All chakras are one and sacred thus using energy to heal, connect to oneself the ancestors,the divine aspects and loving community.

This workshop for men who love men will involve guided intentional intimate exercises of ways of touching inside and out:

• Storytelling
• Pleasuring prayer ritual
• Numerous breath work processes opening to the sense of connection to upper and lower realms
• Toning
• Chant movement
• Awakening root chakra with some brief anal healing pleasure
  and
• Ecstatic massage opening root to crown
• Healing anal play exercises

Mystics have often understood the union with the Sacred, God/Goddess, Spirit, Life Force, the Divine, the Beloved and the nameless as the juice that connects us all. Our willingness to release our fear of appearing foolish and live our lives in both longing and passion for those sacred connections is the charge of the mystic.

In Flesh & Spirit Communities we speak of the ecstatic path demonstrated by the archetypes of Peaceful Warriors, Lovers, Sacred Prostitutes and Elders. Mystics embody the qualities of these archetypes in their ecstasy quest to experience the Divine and the Sacred through their bodies. They are people of all genders who listen with their bodies and their hearts. Mystics like these other four archetypes have "been their own authority". How they experienced the Divine was not defined by anyone or any institution. Thus they were described as "foolish", not seeking the approval of others for their experience to be validated. Queer people by their very nature are given this opportunity to live outside the box as the mystics, bridging the worlds of Heaven & Earth, Living & Dead, Groundedness & Ecstacy.

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		There are many paths to connect to the divine. Suggested events you might want to explore while in San Francisco prior to The Mystic Ecstatic Massage Training: Tuesday April 14th Yoga at the Labyrinth Grace Cathedral Wednesday April 15th The Vine Contemporary christian worship Grace Cathedral or Taize MCC/SF Thursday April 16th Massage Exchange Flesh & Spirit Friday April 17th A Conversation with the Trees Sat & Sunday 18th & 19th 2 day Ecstatic Massage focused on the Gay Mystic
Mystic T-Shirt included with workshop

References for some of the work we will be doing.

These books are direclty related to what we will be exploring:

Erotic Body Prayer  by Dr. Kirk Prine	Gay Mystics by Andrew Harvey	Anal Pleasure & Health by Jack Morin, Ph.D.