Sexuality – Embracing our Wholeness
For many, sexuality has been a place of taboo and restriction — what we avoid, rather than what we embrace.
Many of us come from religious backgrounds that neglect bodies, vilify desire, and shun sexual and relational orientations outside of the cis-hetero nuclear family, depositing shame on everyone who doesn’t fit within very specific sexual norms. We’re told these norms are a part of both sacred scripture and common decency, all the while abusive sexual coercions are often happening behind the scenes.
Too often, the result is shame, shut-down, trauma, and confusion – in short, purity culture. Many justifiably turn away from this in our spiritual and embodied journeys.
But still we’re left asking: So we’re deconstructing purity culture…now what?
If we’re honest, many of us haven’t found our sexual ethics, insight and direction we seek from the culture at-large, either. The polish, performance, and profit motive of marketplace $exuality is hardly an improvement over purity culture.
Real role models are hard to find. Wise voices seem scarce. And we’re not sure how to develop a more trusting relationship with ourselves!
Whether queer or straight, kinky or vanilla, trans or cis or nonbinary, asexual or hypersexual, monogamous or polyamorous or still questioning, how can we discover, deepen, and celebrate who we are, in ways that are resonant with our deepest spiritual values, including Jesus’ call to love, justice, and abundant living?
The Wild Goose Festival is a space where people of diverse backgrounds bravely ask many of life’s most pressing questions, playing and listening to a symphony of responses. Wisdom Camp: Sexuality offers a facilitated container inviting curiosity, courage, and collaboration into specific questions with a cohort of fellow learners.
Wisdom Camp: Sexuality invites us to reflect on and activate our own sacred sexuality, moving out of the shadows and into joyful play.
Michael Morrell
Michael Morrell is the collaborating author, with Fr. Richard Rohr, on ‘The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation,’ founder of Wisdom Camp, and a founding organizer of the justice, arts, and spirituality Wild Goose Festival. Michael curates contemplative and community experiences, taking joy in holding space for the extraordinary transformation that can take place at the intersection of anticipation, imagination, and radical acceptance. Click here for more.
Reverend Sex (Alba Onofrio)
Rev. Alba Onofrio (aka Reverend Sex) is a Southern Appalachian First-Gen Latinx Queer Evangelical Femme Resister who lives and loves in la Lucha with QTPOC folks as a Spiritual Healer and Bruja Troublemaker to subvert systems of domination, combat spiritual terrorism, reclaim Guad, and eradicate shame and fear wherever they are found. They hold a Masters of Divinity degree from Vanderbilt Divinity School, where their studies focused on the theologies of sex, embodiment of the Divine in the Queer Colonized body, and sexual ethics based in Queer desire. As the Spiritual Strategist for Soulforce and a co-founder of the Sexual Liberation Collective, Reverend Sex continues to work for Queer Liberation all over the place, but most fondly in the US South and in solidarity with the Global South. Click here for more.
Aline Defiglia
Aline Defiglia LCSW, MPH is a licensed psychotherapist and coach adventuring at the intersection of integrated health, healing, and the restoration of connection with self, community, and the sacred. Her practice specializes in mind and body healing modalities, life coaching, consulting, hypnotherapy, and all-around skill building for crafting the life you want. Aline has been a long-time attendee and co-creator at the Goose, as well as Wisdom Camp, a pre-festival event. Click here for more.
Jon Carl Lewis
Jon Carl Lewis is the host of But What About Sex? a sex positive community dedicated to helping progressive Christian communities make sexual decisions & guide their members in constructing a personal sexual ethic in line with their values as part of the Body of Christ. A trained and certified spiritual director, Jon Carl seeks to help Queer Christians and their allies come to peace with their sexual and relational decisions while being a blessing and a witness to the world of Christ’s radically promiscuous love. Click here for more.
Jennifer C Martin
Jennifer C. Martin is a writer, editor, and speaker living in Richmond, VA with two of her three partners and her two children. She writes, reads, and speaks about religion, politics, polyamory, sexuality, culture, entertainment, and more. When she’s not trolling on Twitter or updating her blog, Dirtbag Christian, she’s in the kitchen making baked goods, doing yoga, editing and writing for Olney Magazine, gaming, or going to therapy. Click here for more.
Ishka Shir
Ishka lives in Asheville NC and has been offering healing touch professionally for over fifteen years. She has training, certifications and continuing education in massage therapy, therapeutic touch, the ethics of touch, listening, psychology, anthropology, death and dying, facilitation, conflict resolution, authentic relating, and co-counseling. Compassionate and empathetic, Ishka is a firm believer that touch is a vital part of the human experience — one that can catalyze growth, healing, and transformation. She is passionate about creating a safe space for happiness, connection, and genuine acceptance. Click here for more.
Mike Clawson
Mike Clawson is the Administrator for Illuman, a non-profit founded by Richard Rohr to promote healthy masculinity through contemplative spirituality and deep inner work. He also co-founded the New Story Festival together with Gareth Higgins, producing transformational events for creativity, community, and the common good. He has a Ph.D. in Religion from Baylor University, has been an adjunct seminary instructor in Central Texas, and was an Emerging Church pastor in the Chicago suburbs. Click here for more.
Check In for pre-festival events will be available on Wednesday from 1 pm to 5 pm, and Thursday from 7am to 9 am.
If you’re tent camping, there’s no additional campsite charge for Wednesday night.
Some campsite locations are restricted due to large venue tent construction in several areas.
RV campers will need to purchase an additional night.