Thank you to everyone for creating a wonderful space for all!

I had an amazing time at queer spirit. Would definitely return!

There is not a moment I would not relive..it was such a wonderful time... thank you all

News from Queer Spirit

HOT NEWS!

We are thrilled to let you know that the Queer Spirit Blog has been selected by Feedspot as one of the Top 25 Queer Blogs on the web: 25 Best Queer Blogs in 2025. Currently listed at number 14!

Have you checked out the recent blog posts?

Magic and Community by Qweaver: "It’s a joy to me to be part of Queer Spirit community, because I can be out as a magical being. Out and fully present as a magical being - helping envision and create the festivals, connecting with so many wonderful people, holding ritual space, honouring our stories, our struggles, our power, giving reverence to the land and all the weird wild web."

What the F*ck Just Happened? Trump’s Gender Policy Is an Attack on Our Sacred Humanity by Joseph Garrity: "For those of us who walk a spiritual path - especially queer people who understand the divine balance of masculine and feminine energies - this is more than an attack on identity. It’s an attack on the very essence of what it means to be human. To reduce gender to a binary definition is to deny the sacred duality within all of us: the left and right hand, the yin and yang, the sun and moon. It’s to deny that we are all born with both energies, even if one becomes dominant over time. And for some of us - for two-spirit people, for trans folks, for those who live in the in-between - that balance is something to be honored, not erased."

Or how about some of our classic pieces:

Being Earth, by Al Head: "I believe that the concept of binary gender has been imposed upon humans (and upon our perception of other animals) in order to continue the patriarchal systems of 'power-over' and of hierarchy. Reducing a complexity of choices to only two, and making one of those dominate the other, has been one of the most powerful tools of subjugation."

The Quest for Queer Spirituality by Shokti: "A primary challenge to reclaiming/re-earthing our queer spirituality, however defined, is the systematic way the major faiths, chiefly the monotheistic faiths, have made spirituality a property of their god; a god viewed as outside and separate from the created universe, necessitating prelates to mediate, instantly politicising these institutions. The plain fact is living and loving by our spirituality is not easy given this long shadow but is the vision and essence of contemporary queer community-makers such as the Radical Faeries of Albion. This is why Queer Spirit seeks to be more than a festival, wonderful though that is: seeks to be a movement of living, loving transformation."

MayDay by Sameesi: "Sit with a tree, smile with a flower, talk with a non-human animal, share your heart with a friend, smell the blossom on the breeze, feel the grass beneath your feet. You’re maybe more connected than you were allowing yourself to realise... You are not alone, the universe wants to know you, you just have to let them in. The cold and dark of the winter months can close us up, but this is life itself flirting coquettishly with you asking you to dance. This is the time to get your groove on with the world."

Upcoming events

See below for details of London Drum Circles, the next Queer Spirit Gardening Retreat this April and the QUEER SPIRIT WARRIORS retreat (May 30-June 2 at the ASHA Centre) at which Shokti, Triskelion and Bo invite you to a weekend of fire ritual and nature magic that affirms the spiritual nature and healing gifts of LGBTQ+ people.

Plus we are pleased to let you know about QUEER NATURE retreats held near Hay-on-Wye by a crew that includes QS Facilitator Heather Murray and remind you about the upcoming Goddess Retreats at the Asha Centre.

Queer Spirit retreats

Gardening retreat, 13-18 April, Asha centre

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?

BOOKING FORM HERE: Queer Spirit Gardening Retreat April 13-18 more info: Queer Spirit Retreats Website

Rainbow Bridge Retreat, 30 May - 2 June, Asha centre

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 CLICK HERE MORE INFO: Queer Spirit Retreats Website

Next Full Moon Drum Circle in London

Wheatsheaf Hall, Wheatsheaf Lane off South Lambeth Road, London SW8 2UP

Saturday 12th April, 5.30 - 7pm DRUMMING WORKSHOP with ANDY FOWLER

Come learn or polish techniques and rhythms prior to the Full Moon Drum Circle

Suggested donation £10 on the door, or to https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/shokti

Andy says: "I’m looking forward to seeing you all again! I’ll check in with you when we begin so I can make sure I cover content that is useful to you **All abilities are welcome** At a minimum, everyone will leave the session with refined technique, new polyrhythmic magic in their pockets, and a sprinkling of life affirming positivity! Please let me know if you have any questions - and remember that you’re very welcome, whatever your ability!"

7 - 11pm LIBRA FULL MOON DRUM CIRCLE

Radical Faeries and Queer Spirits gather in south London at Full Moon to attune to the first full moon of the Spring and take another step deeper into the frequencies of the Age of Aquarius. 2025 is a year of major energetic shifts - Saturn and Neptune moving into Aries, Uranus (our queer planet) into liberating air of Gemini, plus Pluto's recent arrival in Aquarius are all leading us into a time of rapid personal and collective evolution. At the Queer Spirit Circle we have been preparing for the shift of the ages since 2005, meeting at full moons to release, express and expand our emotional and spiritual energies through drumming and dancing, and to attune ourselves to the natural rhythms of the cosmos. Now in our 13th year at Wheatsheaf Hall usually 50+ people come along for a mix of magic, mirth, social and spiritual fun.

We gather from 7 to set up the space and mingle, please try to arrive in time for circle casting around 8pm. Donation to cover hall hire costs requested £5/£10. Cash on the door or via paypal to https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/shokti NOTAFLOF - No One Turned Away For Lack Of Funds.

There are plenty of drums and percussion to share, you can also bring your own instruments. You might like to bring snacks to share, and you are welcome to bring your own liquid refreshments.

Read the story of the Queer Spirit circle on the QS blog page

FUTURE DRUM CIRCLE DATES AT THE WHEATSHEAF HALL:

Saturday May 10th BELTANE FULL MOON with BREATHWORK CEREMONY led by Lisa Li from 5.15-7.15pm. FB event page: https://fb.me/e/2Lsz00Zbd Book here: Queer Spirit Full Moon Breath Ceremony
LISA LI returns to the Wheatsheaf Hall with another incredible BREATHWORK CEREMONY before the Beltane Full Moon Drum Circle.

£35 pp standard - concessions are available, contact Lisa via her website https://www.breathceremony.com/

Lisa 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 yu 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 !!!
Saturday June 7th SAGITTARIUS FULL MOON. Last circle at the Wheatsheaf until the Autumn season!

Queer Nature Retreat – A Nourishing Weekend in the Wild

Come join Gray, Heather (Queer Spirit Festival facilitator) and Matthew – the team behind Hay Pride, Taiko for Pride and Chapel on the Green for a joyful and restorative weekend in the Black Mountains, created especially for LGBTQIA+ folks seeking connection—with nature, community, and themselves.

Hosted at Chapel on the Green, a creative and unapologetically queer retreat space near Hay-on-Wye (home of Gay on Wye, the town’s first queer bookshop), this weekend brings together wild swimming, yoga, mindful walking meditations, and nourishing food—with plenty of time to rest, reflect and simply be.

These retreats are gentle, playful, and open to all identities and experience levels. Whether you’re new to yoga or wild swimming, or just craving a space where you can be fully yourself in nature, you’re warmly welcome.

Upcoming Dates:
• April 26–28, 2025
• September 26–28, 2025

Mid Wales | Near Hay-on-Wye
riverflowyoga.co.uk/queernatureretreat

Special Offer for Queer Spirit Festival Members: Get 20% off our April retreat with the discount code QUEERSPIRIT at checkout.

Goddess retreats at the Asha Centre

Call of the wild forest Goddess

Priestesses of Avalon Anna Saqqara and Michelle, who hosted the Goddess Temple at Queer Spirit Festival last summer, are delighted to offer a series of 'Wild Forest Goddess Retreats' this year

Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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 here...

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 haven't received anything please get in touch.

QUEER SPIRIT SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

QS Online community: queerspirit.net/community