Gay Spirituality

I recently read a post on a blog about the difference between goal setting and manifesting .  In the post, the author talks about how goal setting involves making a list of the things we’d like, and then creating action steps over a period of time to accomplish them.  While goal setting will get you where you want to be, it takes time.  It creates energy and purpose but not on the same level as manifesting.  Manifesting on the other hand, has to do with using your thoughts and your words to create a new reality.  In many ways, manifesting is what we in the neo-pagan community refer to as “magick”.

The reason I bring this up is that in terms of gaining our civil rights, the GLBT community seems to be focused too strongly on goal setting.  This might explain some of the setbacks we’ve had recently such as California’s adoption of proposition 8.   We seem to be taking the tactic of making a list of goals such as the right to marry and then working in baby steps toward it, suing in court, waiting on appeals and supreme court decisions, etc.  While that will eventually get us where we want to be, I think as activists for gay rights we need to focus more on manifesting.

This, to me, is really where gay spirituality and activism meet.  There are a number of stories about British witches working magick against Hitler during WWII.  Perhaps this is what the gay spiritual community should be doing to gain our gay rights.  We should be manifesting them, not waiting for the establishment to deem us worthy of having them.

So how would this work?  If you work with a gay spiritual group, spend several minutes each time your group meets visualizing gay rights.  Visualize having the ability to marry.  Visualize having the ability to serve in the military as openly gay people.  A key part of manifesting is to visualize it as if it were already so.  Claim it!  Then use positive speech and words to help make it a reality.  Go ahead and call your “partner” your “husband” or “wife”.  Hold a marriage ceremony.   There’s a saying in magick, “As above, so below”.   Celebrate your spiritual marriage and the physical, legal aspect will follow.

But don’t stop there.  While I believe that manifesting and magick will do a lot, I also believe that the gods help those that help themselves.  March in protests, write your elected officials and refuse to be silent.  We can manifest our equal rights.

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