ABOUT US

About Us

LoveSpirit is a non profit making community initiative. Those involved in the project, from organisers to presenters, are not remunerated. We thank all those who have helped to make this happen with their time, efforts, loans and donations. Thank you to Gays The Word, Helios and Central Station for their generosity.

We put out a call to meet and our first meeting of the LoveSpirit Circle was on 12th October 2010, surrounded by the knowledge and history of London's oldest gay bookshop; we shared our visions for an event to bring together the different strands of spirituality alive in the LGBTI world.

There was much discussion at the meeting about the word "gay" and the phrase "lgbt" or even "lbgtiqqf" in relation to our event and whether this was even the right choice of labels for us to use at all? We visualised an inclusive loving community and eventually we decided to go beyond (and under) the labels and chose the name LoveSpirit celebrating spiritual and sexual diversity.

We are inclusive.

We are a not for profit registered organisation.

We created the Queer Steer group to manage our events.

Some words from members of the Queer Steer:

Andrew Woodgate

I am involved with LoveSpirit because I am excited about the rare possibility of bringing together people from different backgrounds, with different sexual identities, to learn from each other.

I work as a psychotherapeutic counsellor, coach and spiritual facilitator. In my counselling work, I specialise in clients. Together with Tim Pickles, I am a co-founder of Gay Spirit, an initiative supporting personal and spiritual development for gay / bi men. I love the fact that so much of my work is with men – and I’m thrilled at the chance to dialogue with a wider circle.

While I’ve flirted with Quakerism and Anglicanism, like many I find that organised religion no longer quite fits for me. That’s not to deny the wisdom and beauty which each faith tradition holds. Rather, it’s that I’m looking for fellow-seekers who are able to see beyond traditional barriers, taboos and fears to find an inclusive truth which better suits the present day. That’s why I’m excited about LoveSpirit: we have an opportunity to come together to craft an enquiry into a broader approach to spirituality, created by us and for us in the Now.

Jim Stanford

For me LoveSpirit is a wonderful opportunity for queers of all persuasions to learn from one another.

I’m a member of the Albion Faeries, a group which encompasses many people with varying beliefs, but which has a strong shamanic thread. For me, love, sexuality and spirituality are indivisible.

I’m convinced that LoveSpirit is both a journey and an event which can be a development in our spiritual awareness, understanding. It can help bring the various LGBT&Q tribes closer together.

Quentin Livingstone
I became involved because I think that it is very important that transgender/non-heterosexual people have access to something beyond the physical plane. I am as hedonistic/slutty as the next man. I have no quarrel with sex or drugs or rock & roll (techno/handbag house etc) but I think that being open to other possibilities is really important and historically there really hasn’t been anything that’s totally open for LGTB people to explore the realms of something spiritual. The Love Spirit gathering is a smorgasbord of things to try.

I’m very excited by the programme. But yes there’s lots missing and I hope that will just inspire you to offer up your knowledge, beliefs and energy to make the next Love Spirit Gathering more how you would like it!

Andy Saich
LoveSpirit celebrates our diverse sexuality and spirituality. When challenged a belief in faith and mystery can become a certainty where we resort to ‘I’m right, you’re wrong’. LoveSpirit is a call to share our stories in a loving space with others who do not hold the same beliefs and, through connecting, open to a deeper purpose and meaning to all our lives.

LGBTI people gain a valuable insight from being outside the assumptions and conventions of the cultural norm and bring us to question what many do not, however the questioning can be limited by shame: the fear of disconnection and exclusion.
To know this we just have to ask ourselves ‘Is there something about me, that if other people knew it or see it, that I won’t be worthy of connection?’

For connections to happen we have to allow ourselves to be seen, deeply seen, vulnerably seen. From this place transformation and healing happens and we understand that we do not have to strive for more than we who we are, that we are ‘enough’.

Leviathen Hendricks
I have always found the plethora of religious and spiritual paths that (wo)man has practiced to be astounding. The study of Our quest to understand ourselves, our world and our purpose shows incredible commonality exists in concert with all the diversity of approaches.

As a teenager my feelings of not being a full fledged member of the community and society in which I lived compelled me to search outside that circle for answers, inspiration and the Love of the Universe.

I have been especially inspired in my life by my United Methodist upbringing, years attending UNITY worth-ships at Lincoln Center in NYC, the writings of mythologist Joseph Campbell, Conversations with God, and the lessons from A Course in Miracles so brilliantly related to me by Marianne Williamson.

The journey continues. I have been the organiser of the quickly growing London Gay/Lesbian/Bi Spirituality Meetup group since 2009. I am honoured to be part of the LoveSpirit project and excited by the growth and learning potential it holds for us all!

Nick Fon
I think LoveSpirit is an amazing project and is way overdue within the community. The response and demand for this has been staggering and I am so proud to be able to assist this in any way I can. The gay community can be perceived to be superficial, however LoveSpirit offers a wonderful platform to be able to connect with other gay individuals on a whole new level.