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Stop Press :
Renewal or recover Breakfast. East Point. 1 January 2005
See below
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I notice that it was September when I sent out QntEsence 2. I have not forgotten about QntEsence but have gone through a few cycles of thinking. Should I perservere with this project or should I give up? But I have recently had some positive feedback and so here is edition number three. I have developed a few specific ideas to follow through on and will tell you about them below. Maybe someone might be interested in helping out on one or more of these ideas. |
| Briefly I have called this project QntESence derived from Queer NT Electronic (sense and essence). My hope for the project is that it will become overtaken by a group of people interested in celebrating and supporting one another in their queer spirituality. |
As always, please pass this email on to anyone you think may be interested.
And please, if you feel at all moved to do so, email me back with your comments, thoughts or with an offer to help. Do it immediately so you don't forget. darrard@ozemail.com.au |
| Darryl |
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CONTENTS OF THIS EDITION
1.. The expansiveness, flexibility, malleability, inexhaustability and universality of love - a personal meditation
2.. Links to some other meditation sources
3.. Actions for QntEsence
a.. A celebration of gay spirituality at Darwin Pride 2005
b.. New Year Dawn Celebration Breakfast
c.. QntEscence on the Internet
d.. Body Electric Massage Workshops |
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THE EXPANSIVENESS, FLEXIBILITY, MALLEABILITY, INEXHAUSTIBILITY AND UNIVERSALITY OF LOVE:
A PERSONAL MEDITATION |
I'm not sure about that title. Maybe there should be some more adjectives in there? As the reader perhaps you can mix and match your own adjectives? |
| I suppose for a Christian the quintessential stories about the endlessness of love are the stories of Jesus feeding the multitude from what was originally a meagre supply of fish and bread. What are the similar stories from other religious traditions? Someone might let me know? |
In this time and age when a lot of noise is being made by ultra conservative religious zealots, we are apparently being told that there is a limit to the love of God. According to some such people there is only so much love to go around and what love there is, is reserved for those who believe or practice quite prescribed things. For those outside of this prescription, God's love is dangling like a carrot, just beyond reach, unless of course you chant the right mantra, get yourself born again or give up your gay lifestyle or . .whatever. Another variant of this story is that the majority of us are not going to experience God's love anyway, most of us will "burn in hell", while the "in-crowd" is raptured into God's presence. |
| The debate over gay marriage has recently drawn our attention to another notion that is very prevalent, even in gay and lesbian circles. This notion is that love is such a precious thing that it can be reserved, or perhaps should be reserved for just one individual. If you are straight of course there is special dispensation that allows you to love your offspring in a quite intimate way, as long as it is in a very different kind of intimacy and ultimately a relatively more distant way. For all of us we are also permitted to love our parents and if we must, our own brother and sisters and even particular members of our extended families. But woe betide us if we feel like loving more than one person intimately and sexually. |
To me, these and various other points of view on love both overestimate its importance whilst at the same time underestimating its power and its ability to be present in an infinite number of forms. Some of these points of view, perhaps by implication, also underestimate love's inexaustible and creative supply. I'm personally not too impressed by those philosophers and theologions who describe only a few types of love, as though it was a commodity that could be confined into categories. Relligious people like to define love in neat little ways of course because the descriptions can be used to divide the world and people into paddocks of different types, including the great big paddock of those who are falling short of God's love. |
On the contrary:
Every parent knows that when and if they have another child they will love the next no more or less than the first and if they have another child again, they will love that one just as much as the first two. But each will be loved in a way that is unique to that individual. |
Every person who has ever fallen romantically in love with more than one person knows that love can be equally strong but differerent for more than one person. |
People who have entered blended families know that they can grow to love a new step parent or a new step child. |
| Many who enter arranged marriages know that love can grow as strongly from obligation as it can from other things. |
| Many, who have loved and lost, know that they can love again without losing their love for the lost one. |
| Many know that love is not bounded by time. Many do love someone for a while and then move on. Perhaps they do this more than once. |
| Many who have a close circle of friends know that their love can be equally shared and be different for different people all at the same time. |
These are everyday, ordinary experiences that are ever repeatable. They are not doctrines or laws or dogmas of particular religious cultures that will certainly pass away. |
My own Christian tradition teaches that "God is love." I wonder: Is this just a metaphor or a spiritual reality? Or is it a sick joke on those who do not believe? For me there is much to think about because I believe that the "God is love" thing is a truly spiritual reality, not just a platitude to be mouthed with little thought. I also think that the flip side of the statement, "love is god" is an important pointer to an understanding of the spiritual reality which some of us call God. Think about all the examples of love you can and think about what they might tell you about the nature of people and of God. It also works if you don't need a concept of God. |
| This meditation perhaps also works for gay people, many of whom love greatly, many of whom love generously, many of whom love expansively, many of whom love indiscriminately. Indiscriminate love seems to me to be the nature of the God who emerged for me. This God emerged inspite of my Christian tradition which seems to say God is fickle and discriminating. I have found it helpful to put aside preconceived notions or definitions of what love is and simply meditate on what I experience and see as love. So what is love? I don't know, but if what I see or experience raises the question of love, then that is enough for me to meditate on it. |
| As a gay man I think of the multitude of ways that men love men and wonder what this teaches me about God or godliness or truth, or the all pervasive spirit or the nature of the universe. So far I have found it expands my appreciation of who I am and how I fit with others. |
| Darryl |
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SOME OTHER SOURCES OF MEDITATION |
| During recent searcing around the internet I have come across a number of articles which I have found interesting or helpful in meditating on being gay and being spiritual. Here are two. |
Tritiya-Prakriti: People of the Third Sex
This is a fascinating article written from the Hindu tradition. It encompasses the recognition and roles of people we would now call gay. Here is a quote from near the end of the article. |
| "It is important that we appreciate a world filled with variety. There will never be just one race, one gender, one color, one sound, or one anything. The Vedas describe this material world as a reflection of an infinitely beautiful, perfect, and eternal spiritual world that has even more variety than we can imagine. We are all a part of this variegatedness, and we all have our own unique role to play. It is therefore pointless to argue over who is higher, lower, more important, less important, etc. |
You may ask someone, "Why are you gay?" and that someone may reply, "Why are you a man or a woman?" In the material world, we are all trying to enjoy in so many ways, and that may be one answer. Spiritually, however, we all have our own individual, intrinsic nature, and part of that nature is that we all serve God (Krsna) in the mood of a particular gender. That loving mood is eternal and full of unlimited bliss." |
Gay Catholic and Confused" An article by Kevin Knaff, the Managing Editor of the Washington Blade
Even though I was never a Catholic, this article is a source of thought for me as it contains both a challenge for the church and by implication a challenge to those, like myself, who have put themselves outside of organised religion. Here are the final two paragraphs. |
Gay Catholic and Confused
An article by Kevin Knaff, the Managing Editor of the Washington Blade
Even though I was never a Catholic, this article is a source of thought for me as it contains both a challenge for the church and by implication a challenge to those, like myself, who have put themselves outside of organised religion. Here are the final two paragraphs. |
"The church has seen what happens when its leaders keep quiet and choose secrecy over honesty. If they have learned anything from the sex abuse scandal, it should be the need for more openness and honesty in church life.
It's time for all those pro-gay priests who whisper words of quiet support for their gay parishioners to stand up for the full, proper inclusion of gays in church life. As Christmas approaches, there could be no better gift for gay Catholics." |
SOME ACTIONS FOR QntEsence
A Celebration of Gay Spirituality for Darwin Pride in 2005
I have decided to organise some sort of event for the next Darwin Pride Festival which is to be held 11-25 June 2005. At the moment I have only a rudimentary idea of what it could be, but I think the ideas is worthwhile. Such an event would add to PRIDE by celebrating the spirituality of GLBT people. It could take the form of a forum, but whatever form it takes, I think it should try to be as inclusive of all religions and spriritualities as possible and make our spirituality visible to our GLBT Community. June next year might seem like a long way off but the event will need planning and lots of work if it is to be inclusive. I definitely need help and ideas. Please volunteer or let someone else know. |
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New Year Dawn Celebration Breakfast
My partner Graeme and I have decided to have a barbecue breakfast at dawn on 1 January 2005. We would like to celebrate newness by witnessing the new dawn and meditating on moving on to newness in our lives . . . . and perhaps recover from the partying of the previous evening. We would love to share this experience with whoever else is interested.
Where
BBQs at the northern end of Lake Alexander, East Point. We will have a rainbow flag flying.
When
From 5.30am, 1 January 2005
Catering Graeme and I will supply bacon, eggs and sausages, bread and juice. If you would like champagne or anything else to see in the New Year, you will need to bring that yourself.
Donations
In exchange for breakfast, we will be happy to accept $10 from you. This will help us supply the food but we guarantee that at least $5 of the $10 will go to the NT Aids and Hepatitis Council for use in their program to support people living with HIV-AIDS.
RSVP
For catering purposes we will need to know numbers. Email darrard@ozemail.com.au and let us know of your interest, leaving a return email address or phone number. We will confirm with you closer to the date by email or phone. Call Graeme or myself on 8941 2635 if you would like to know more.
Coffee and Recover
We will be making coffee at our place from 7.30am. You are welcome to join us, perhaps an opportunity to slide into the year and allow blood alcohol to dissipate before driving. Our address is Unit16/33 George Crescent Fannie Bay. We are not far to walk from the breakfast venue. |
QntEsence on the Internet
I am making plans to put QntESence on the internet as a weblog (Blog). This will be a page on the internet where articles and comments can be posted and read by anyone who is interested. My thought at this stage is to make this a members blog, which means that interested people can join and then be able to post their own articles or comments on other people's articles. Anyone who is not a member would be able to see the blog but not post things. My planning is at an early stage and I need ideas and would love help from someone with expertise. My main idea here is that it would be easy for other people to post simple and short comments or articles as well as longer articles so that it might not be just me doing the writing and putting out ideas. It can then become something other than Darryl's thing. Please email me if you would like to help me with this project. In the meantime you are welcome to visit my own weblog called Rainbow Pitta. Anyone can post comments on what I write on that the Rainbow Pitta. |
Body Electric Massage Workshops
I am very interested in trying to bring an erotic massage workshop for men to Darwin. The Body Electric School has a presence in Australia and currently runs workshops in NSW, Brisbane and New Zealand. You can vist their website here Body Electric. I have made some preliminary contact with them and now receive their newsletter. In order to come to Darwin they need someone who is willing to do all the organising, preferably someone who has done their workshops. I will find out more soon and keep QntEscence readers posted. But at the moment I am looking at doing one of their interstate workshops in the new year, for my own benefit but also to move toward trying to make this experience more readily available to men in the NT. |
