We welcome you to join us this winter!

Personal retreats and online events are available.

Join us on The Mountain this winter for a personal retreat.

Take time to nourish yourself and create new beginnings. December hosts many spectacular astrological events to behold and align with.

Witness the Geminids Meteor Shower or The Great Conjunction from atop the world, here at The Mountain!

The stars are calling you in to witness this once in a life time convergence of Saturn and Jupiter, which only happens every 800 years,. The clear skies of the Nantahala forest and our watch tower overlooking four states sets the stage for this spectacular event. 

Lodge rooms are available with an attached library, complete with telescopes.

Personal retreats starting at $65 a night

Upcoming Virtual Programming

Intro to: “Living Your Life Purpose”

FREE sessions about Life Fulfillment

When: This FREE INTRO “taster” has 3 1-hour, virtual sessions set for February 22, 25, & 28 from 7-8 pm ET, with short lecture/PowerPoint® presentations, individual worksheet completion time, and small group breakout discussion. 

Audience: Anyone wanting to begin developing their Life Purpose, particularly if you are 

• Challenged by Life Passages,
• Planning retirement in 5 to 10 years,
• Current retirees, and 
• Family members of the above.

Course Purposes: 

• To introduce research of what contributes to fulfilling, healthy and high-quality experience of living.
• To identify typical psychological adjustments experienced as we mature and want to develop life-sustaining habits for ongoing happiness. 
• To heighten, beyond financial security, a grounded, authentic sense of quality of life security and thereby retirement readiness.
• To begin tapping into your Inner Purpose and discovering new ways of expressing it in daily service to beloved communities of your choice. 

Hopefully, this “taster” prompts you to enroll in “Living Your Life Purpose”, a 6-session program beginning March 11 through April 15 from 6 to 8 PM ET.

Overview of Modules: 

Module 1: Taking Stock: Another Look at Who You Are Today to Prepare for Tomorrow

Module 2: New Creative Perspectives: Envisioning What High Quality Living Means to You in Retirement

Module 3: Grounding in Your Strengths: With New Awareness and Clarified Vision, Shore Up the Foundation of Your Fulfillment

The $66 cost for the full program is dedicated to Staff Salaries at The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center (Highlands, NC). Session Presenters are acting pro bono to sustain The Mountain in these challenging times. 

Harnessing Happiness

In Turbulent Times 

- A Virtual Learning Series as a Mountain Program

Thursday Evenings,

Jan 21 through February 18, 7-8:30pm EST

Each session will be 1 hour with 1/2 hour Q&A

Bring a Friend and Join Us to Learn ... 

​

 Come with an open mind and heart to learn how to survive and thrive in turbulent times.

• How to maintain mental/emotional equilibrium in hard times

• How to apply the new neuroscience of happiness 

• What mindsets are necessary for learning, happiness and adaptability

• How individual styles impact well being especially in turbulent times

GSV 2021 Winter Meditation

Reflecting on Resilience

January 15 - 17, 2021

A virtual Zoom-based experience

$35 registration fee

Additional donations for the GSV Scholarship Fund and/or The Mountain can also be made in the

registration portal.

Sacred Brothers,

Plans are coming together for our January 2021 Winter Meditation, when we will explore how we access and sustain personal resilience.

Two meditation sessions will help us gain insight into how we have navigated adversity in 2020 and how we can use that to sustain us into 2021. We will contemplate how we come to a place of gratitude in the face of fear and sorrow and then glean what we have learned about ourselves and our relationships to the world around us during this momentous and fraught year. We will use other modes of meditation and contemplation in activities to ground us and expand our consciousness. A heart weaving on Friday evening will engender more intimate connection with some of our siblings before we move into our opening heart circle. Two scheduled sessions, on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, will randomly place us in small groups to share more about what we have experienced and what we are taking away. And the primary Zoom room will be open between all scheduled activities for drop-in visits, acting as our virtual rocking chair deck and dining hall.

Join us for this opportunity to contemplate the last year and move forward into 2021 sustained and nurtured for your continuing journey. The final detailed program will be shared as we get closer to the end of the year.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IN THE FORM OF SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE. THE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE APPLICATION SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS JANUARY 1ST, 2021.

Our hope is that anyone who resonates with our mission and community, and who has a 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 the Financial Assistance page on the Gay Spirit Visions website for more information about financial assistance (scholarships) and for a link to the GSV Financial Assistance Application form. Remember, the financial assistance application submission deadline is January 1st, 2021.

Your eager and excited Winter Meditation 2021 convener,

David Cable

convener@gayspiritvisions.org

Giving Like the Trees

Our Mountain community has been generous this year as we move forward together amid the COVID challenges.  Your generosity has come in many ways -- annual campaign contributions, Holiday Auction, Giving Tuesday, stock transfers, "42" giving for The Mountain's 42nd anniversary, and support of special projects.

As we approach the end of the year, there are more funds in the $42,000 matching campaign -- achieving this goal will be a great way to assure a good new year for The Mountain!!

During the winter, we are making progress on upgrading and providing tender loving care to our many buildings, as well as infrastructure.  Your generous contributions are making this work possible.  An upcoming newsletter issue will focus on some of these projects so you can learn about what is happening in these Mountain activities.  

We look forward to hosting you, family and friends for a retreat at The Mountain, as well as connecting with you in the online courses.

The Mountain Needs You!

Join Your Mountain's Nominating Committee

It is the responsibility of Members to ensure the ongoing welfare of The Mountain through the election of members of the Board of Trustees and The Mountain Nominating Committee.

We are seeking self-nominations for openings on the Board and the Nominating Committee. Please complete this self-nomination form below.

Deadline for this self nomination form is December 15th, 2020

Thank you for being a part of The Mountain

If The Mountain has enriched your life, please consider a financial contribution. 

Just over 25% of our budget comes from contributions. This enables us to continue programming and camps fulfilling the mission of The Mountain.

In addition to supporting the annual campaign through a direct donation you may also consider planned giving, stock transfers, or IRA contributions. 

Your support makes a difference. 

 Donate to The Mountain's Annual Fund

or become a Mountain Member.

We hope you had an opulent October.

We look forward to seeing you on The Mountain.