Dec 2010
Bridge Of Light
Filed in: Bridge of Light
Celebrate a Gay New Year's Eve with the Worldwide LGBT Community
By Joe Perez / OpEdNews.com
December 30, 2009 at 18:34:10
A review of the major winter holidays celebrated in the United States reveals that only one is focused specifically on the growth and development of LGBT people. While Gay Pride celebrates the anniversary of Stonewall in June, the Bridge of Light on December 31 reveals the more reflective and spiritual side of the greater gay and lesbian community.
Many gay and queer people are noted for our love of merrymaking. We are celebrated entertainers, gracious party hosts, and unsurpassed in the art of throwing a fabulous splash with style. However, many of us are disconnected from the winter holiday season because of strained relationships with our families or a feeling of disconnection from the season's religious symbolism. Therefore the holidays can be a source of pain and loneliness.
Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga first celebrated Kwanzaa, the African-American cultural holiday, in 1966, and today it's celebrated by millions throughout the world African community. However, until Bridge of Light was founded in 2004, nobody ever celebrated a distinctively queer winter holiday. Bridge of Light is an interfaith and omni-denominational cultural and spiritual tradition originating in 2004 and connected in its inspiration and organization to the Gay Spirit Culture Summit held that year, a gathering of 100+ spiritual leaders and change agents in the gay community.
Since then, the annual winter ritual (now in its fifth year) has helped to draw attention to the positive contributions made by members of the LGBT community in the areas of spiritual growth, inner transformation, and religious leadership. The core of the tradition is a simple ritual of lighting six candles, one for each color of the rainbow flag, on New Year's Eve, plus a seventh candle on New Year's Day. Each color corresponds to a universal spiritual principle as well as the specific ways that this principle has found expression in the course of LGBT history and in our contemporary world.
On December 24, 2009, a major change in the descriptions of the principles underlying each of the colors of the rainbow was announced. Joe Perez, founder of the Bridge of Light tradition and author of the books "Soulfully Gay" and "Rising Up", credits meditations by Rev. Kittredge Cherry for more fully developing the insight that the colors of the rainbow flag are aligned to six of the seven colors of the chakras, the spiritual energy centers of the human body. Rev. Cherry is a lesbian Christian author, minister and art historian who offers gay-friendly spiritual resources at "JesusInLove.org".
According to Perez, the revised principles are intended to provide a starting point for individual and group meditations on the meaning of spirituality in the lives of members of the LGBT community. A red candle honors Community, an orange candle honors Eros, a yellow candle honors Self-Esteem, a green candle honors Self-Expression and Justice, a blue candle honors Wisdom, and a purple candle honors Spirit (Universal Consciousness).
These are the Seven Principles of the Bridge of Light, and complete instructions for celebrating the tradition:
Step 1. On New Year's Eve, light a red candle, the first of seven, and let it burn through New Year's Day. The candle honors the Root of Spirit, the first chakra. Celebrate the evolution of Spirit in love and eroticism defined as it first arose in ancient spiritualities, including Wicca, paganism, and Goddess/pre-patriarchal religions (approximately 10,000 BCE and continuing to the present day).
Step 2. On New Year's Eve, light an orange candle as the second of seven, and let it burn through New Year's Day. The candle honors the Fire of Spirit, the second chakra, the principle of Eros. Celebrate the evolution of Spirit in love and eroticism that first appeared in the era defined by the rise of the great divine and mortal heroes of the ancient world, celebrated in song and myths: Gilgamesh and Enkidu, Horus and Seth, Jonathan and David, Naomi and Ruth, and many more, beginning about 5,000 BCE.
Step 3. On New Year's Eve, light a yellow candle, the third of seven, and let it burn through New Year's Day. The candle honors the Core of Spirit, the third chakra. Celebrate the evolution of Spirit in love and eroticism that first appeared in the era defined by the rise of the major world religious traditions (Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Confucianism), beginning about 500 BCE and continuing to the present day.
Step 4. On New Year's Eve, light a green candle, the fourth of seven, and let it burn through New Year's Day. The candle honors the Heart of Spirit, the fourth chakra, and the principle of Love. The candle celebrates the evolution of Spirit in same-sex love, eroticism, and traditional gender role defiance in the era defined by the rise of the modernity in the industrial age and the beginning of modern democratic states (approximately 1,500 CE and continuing to the present day).
Step 5. On New Year's Eve, light a blue candle, the fifth of seven, and let it burn through New Year's Day. The candle honors the Voice of Spirit, the fifth chakra, and the principles of Self-Expression and Justice. The candle celebrates the evolution of Spirit in same-sex love and gender role evolution in the era defined by the rise of Romanticism, Transcendentalism, late modernism, and early postmodern artists and pioneers (approximately 1,800 CE to the present day).
Step 6. On New Year's Eve, light a purple candle, the sixth of seven, and let it burn through New Year's Day. The candle honors the Eye of Spirit, the sixth chakra, and the principle of Wisdom. The candle honors the evolution of Spirit in pluralistic expressions of sexuality and gender in the era defined by the rise of the feminist, homophile movement, gay liberation movement, queer movement, and LGBTQ community in the past 50 to 100 years.
Step 7. On New Year's Day, light a white or pink candle, the seventh of seven. The candle honors the Crown of Spirit, the seventh chakra, and the principle of Spirit (Universal Consciousness). The candle honors the evolution of Spirit in the contemporary period and future generations to come, and the emerging integral connections between the struggle for gay liberation with the struggles for justice and dignity of all peoples throughout the world, the healing of the natural world, and the amelioration of suffering of all sentient beings.
The 2009/2010 Bridge of Light tradition is part of the 7th annual World Spirituality Day, an event sponsored by an unaffiliated group: Integrative Spirituality, a not-for-profit omni-denominational spiritual organization based in San Francisco, California. World Spirituality Day is regarded by some as "The Earth Day for the Spirit."
Joe Perez, founder of the Bridge of Light holiday, said: "Today, New Year's Eve is a mostly secular experience, yet for centuries the world's wisdom traditions have recognized this one day as a special gateway between the old and the new, the sacred and the profane. Bridge of Light honors the unique way that Homophiles throughout the centuries have lived with spiritual dignity and beauty."
Perez added, "The Bridge of Light is a symbol recognizing the hidden unity veiled by the many colors of the rainbow, the symbol most closely associated with the gay rights movement worldwide. As important as it is to appreciate the diversity of unique colors, it is also important to recognize our commonalities and dignity as human beings."
The first Bridge of Light events were celebrated by small clusters of people on at least two continents in 2004. Today, nobody knows how many people celebrate the tradition. A Facebook group "Bridge of Light" was launched in December 2009 that anyone can join and upload ideas for celebrating the tradition. The group is at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=188851789242.
Endorsers of the Bridge of Light include: Carolyn Baker, Ph.D., an adjunct professor of history and author of "Coming Out from Christian Fundamentalism"; Andrew Ramer, author of "Two Flutes Playing" and other books; Jim Marion, author of "Putting On the Mind of Christ"; Fenton Johnson, author of several books including the Lambda Literary Award-winning memoir "Keeping Faith"; Daniel Helminiak, author of "What the Bible Really Said About Homosexuality" and many other books; Kip Dollar, partner of Toby Johnson, and half of one of the couples featured in Merle Yost's "When Love Lasts Forever: Male Couples Celebrate Commitment"; Ko Imani, author of "Shirt of Flame: The Secret Gay Art of War", founder of MyOutSpirit.com and and editor of the "MyOutSpirit.com Gay Spirituality Blog. A complete list of endorsers is available online. See http://www.integrallygay.com for more details.
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By Joe Perez / OpEdNews.com
December 30, 2009 at 18:34:10
A review of the major winter holidays celebrated in the United States reveals that only one is focused specifically on the growth and development of LGBT people. While Gay Pride celebrates the anniversary of Stonewall in June, the Bridge of Light on December 31 reveals the more reflective and spiritual side of the greater gay and lesbian community.
Many gay and queer people are noted for our love of merrymaking. We are celebrated entertainers, gracious party hosts, and unsurpassed in the art of throwing a fabulous splash with style. However, many of us are disconnected from the winter holiday season because of strained relationships with our families or a feeling of disconnection from the season's religious symbolism. Therefore the holidays can be a source of pain and loneliness.
Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga first celebrated Kwanzaa, the African-American cultural holiday, in 1966, and today it's celebrated by millions throughout the world African community. However, until Bridge of Light was founded in 2004, nobody ever celebrated a distinctively queer winter holiday. Bridge of Light is an interfaith and omni-denominational cultural and spiritual tradition originating in 2004 and connected in its inspiration and organization to the Gay Spirit Culture Summit held that year, a gathering of 100+ spiritual leaders and change agents in the gay community.
Since then, the annual winter ritual (now in its fifth year) has helped to draw attention to the positive contributions made by members of the LGBT community in the areas of spiritual growth, inner transformation, and religious leadership. The core of the tradition is a simple ritual of lighting six candles, one for each color of the rainbow flag, on New Year's Eve, plus a seventh candle on New Year's Day. Each color corresponds to a universal spiritual principle as well as the specific ways that this principle has found expression in the course of LGBT history and in our contemporary world.
On December 24, 2009, a major change in the descriptions of the principles underlying each of the colors of the rainbow was announced. Joe Perez, founder of the Bridge of Light tradition and author of the books "Soulfully Gay" and "Rising Up", credits meditations by Rev. Kittredge Cherry for more fully developing the insight that the colors of the rainbow flag are aligned to six of the seven colors of the chakras, the spiritual energy centers of the human body. Rev. Cherry is a lesbian Christian author, minister and art historian who offers gay-friendly spiritual resources at "JesusInLove.org".
According to Perez, the revised principles are intended to provide a starting point for individual and group meditations on the meaning of spirituality in the lives of members of the LGBT community. A red candle honors Community, an orange candle honors Eros, a yellow candle honors Self-Esteem, a green candle honors Self-Expression and Justice, a blue candle honors Wisdom, and a purple candle honors Spirit (Universal Consciousness).
These are the Seven Principles of the Bridge of Light, and complete instructions for celebrating the tradition:
Step 1. On New Year's Eve, light a red candle, the first of seven, and let it burn through New Year's Day. The candle honors the Root of Spirit, the first chakra. Celebrate the evolution of Spirit in love and eroticism defined as it first arose in ancient spiritualities, including Wicca, paganism, and Goddess/pre-patriarchal religions (approximately 10,000 BCE and continuing to the present day).
Step 2. On New Year's Eve, light an orange candle as the second of seven, and let it burn through New Year's Day. The candle honors the Fire of Spirit, the second chakra, the principle of Eros. Celebrate the evolution of Spirit in love and eroticism that first appeared in the era defined by the rise of the great divine and mortal heroes of the ancient world, celebrated in song and myths: Gilgamesh and Enkidu, Horus and Seth, Jonathan and David, Naomi and Ruth, and many more, beginning about 5,000 BCE.
Step 3. On New Year's Eve, light a yellow candle, the third of seven, and let it burn through New Year's Day. The candle honors the Core of Spirit, the third chakra. Celebrate the evolution of Spirit in love and eroticism that first appeared in the era defined by the rise of the major world religious traditions (Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Confucianism), beginning about 500 BCE and continuing to the present day.
Step 4. On New Year's Eve, light a green candle, the fourth of seven, and let it burn through New Year's Day. The candle honors the Heart of Spirit, the fourth chakra, and the principle of Love. The candle celebrates the evolution of Spirit in same-sex love, eroticism, and traditional gender role defiance in the era defined by the rise of the modernity in the industrial age and the beginning of modern democratic states (approximately 1,500 CE and continuing to the present day).
Step 5. On New Year's Eve, light a blue candle, the fifth of seven, and let it burn through New Year's Day. The candle honors the Voice of Spirit, the fifth chakra, and the principles of Self-Expression and Justice. The candle celebrates the evolution of Spirit in same-sex love and gender role evolution in the era defined by the rise of Romanticism, Transcendentalism, late modernism, and early postmodern artists and pioneers (approximately 1,800 CE to the present day).
Step 6. On New Year's Eve, light a purple candle, the sixth of seven, and let it burn through New Year's Day. The candle honors the Eye of Spirit, the sixth chakra, and the principle of Wisdom. The candle honors the evolution of Spirit in pluralistic expressions of sexuality and gender in the era defined by the rise of the feminist, homophile movement, gay liberation movement, queer movement, and LGBTQ community in the past 50 to 100 years.
Step 7. On New Year's Day, light a white or pink candle, the seventh of seven. The candle honors the Crown of Spirit, the seventh chakra, and the principle of Spirit (Universal Consciousness). The candle honors the evolution of Spirit in the contemporary period and future generations to come, and the emerging integral connections between the struggle for gay liberation with the struggles for justice and dignity of all peoples throughout the world, the healing of the natural world, and the amelioration of suffering of all sentient beings.
The 2009/2010 Bridge of Light tradition is part of the 7th annual World Spirituality Day, an event sponsored by an unaffiliated group: Integrative Spirituality, a not-for-profit omni-denominational spiritual organization based in San Francisco, California. World Spirituality Day is regarded by some as "The Earth Day for the Spirit."
Joe Perez, founder of the Bridge of Light holiday, said: "Today, New Year's Eve is a mostly secular experience, yet for centuries the world's wisdom traditions have recognized this one day as a special gateway between the old and the new, the sacred and the profane. Bridge of Light honors the unique way that Homophiles throughout the centuries have lived with spiritual dignity and beauty."
Perez added, "The Bridge of Light is a symbol recognizing the hidden unity veiled by the many colors of the rainbow, the symbol most closely associated with the gay rights movement worldwide. As important as it is to appreciate the diversity of unique colors, it is also important to recognize our commonalities and dignity as human beings."
The first Bridge of Light events were celebrated by small clusters of people on at least two continents in 2004. Today, nobody knows how many people celebrate the tradition. A Facebook group "Bridge of Light" was launched in December 2009 that anyone can join and upload ideas for celebrating the tradition. The group is at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=188851789242.
Endorsers of the Bridge of Light include: Carolyn Baker, Ph.D., an adjunct professor of history and author of "Coming Out from Christian Fundamentalism"; Andrew Ramer, author of "Two Flutes Playing" and other books; Jim Marion, author of "Putting On the Mind of Christ"; Fenton Johnson, author of several books including the Lambda Literary Award-winning memoir "Keeping Faith"; Daniel Helminiak, author of "What the Bible Really Said About Homosexuality" and many other books; Kip Dollar, partner of Toby Johnson, and half of one of the couples featured in Merle Yost's "When Love Lasts Forever: Male Couples Celebrate Commitment"; Ko Imani, author of "Shirt of Flame: The Secret Gay Art of War", founder of MyOutSpirit.com and and editor of the "MyOutSpirit.com Gay Spirituality Blog. A complete list of endorsers is available online. See http://www.integrallygay.com for more details.
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Seeing Red
Filed in: Seeing Red
The way to a man's heart is not through his stomach, suggestive undergarments or a hefty dowry. It's the color red.
By Jennifer Harper
Effect of red on men studied.
A pair of researchers say they have scientific proof that the color red - "female red" they call it - is the real key to the attraction between men and women, and could ultimately affect our standards of beauty. University of Rochester psychologists Andrew Elliot and Daniela Niesta conducted five controlled experiments to determine what Hallmark and Victoria's Secret already know, perhaps.
The ripe, warm hue of Valentine's Day and bad-girl lipstick attracts menfolk for reasons even the men can't fathom. "Red, relative to other achromatic and chromatic colors, leads men to view women as attractive and more sexually desirable. Men seem unaware of this red effect," said Mr. Elliot.
The shade also does not have much effect on whether a man thinks a woman is likable, kind or smart, he said. And there is no cross-gender red effect, either. "Red does not influence women's perceptions of the attractiveness of other women," he added. The research presents a singular cultural moment, and perhaps the demise of the proverbial little black dress. "The findings have clear practical implications for men and women in the mating game, and perhaps for fashion consultants, product designers and marketers," the study stated.
The power of "female red" hinges on societal conditioning and deeper biological roots - like blushing and ovulation - the authors said. Red could also shake up our perceptions of beauty. "Research on women's attractiveness tends to focus on physical characteristics such as facial symmetry or waist-to-hip ratio. But in our work we have shown that red can serve as a nonphysical factor influencing women's appeal to men," Mr. Elliot said. This is the first research to quantify such subtle reactions, he added. The studies of 149 men and 32 women presented test subjects with a simple series of photographs featuring women with red versus white backgrounds, or wearing white or red blouses. Across the board, the men ascribed attractive qualities to women showcased with some red element - and were even more willing to spend more money on a date with the "red" female.
The study was published Tuesday in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Other researchers are also pro-red. An analysis released in August by German psychologists at the University of Munster, for example, found that referees were more inclined to favor teams clad in crimson. Not everyone thinks that red is the new black, however. The 2009 Pantone Fashion Color Report for home and closet released in mid-September lists fuchsia, rose, soft turquoise, lemon yellow, citron, slate gray, vibrant green, sea green and lavender among the must-have colors du jour.
Red is not the best choice in troubled times, apparently. "Encourage hopeful attitudes with lively colors. Sophisticated, grounded hues address the need for stability in times of economic uncertainty," said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.
© The Washington Times. Displayed by permission. All rights reserved. Published 10/29/08 The Washington Times, LLC and The Washington Times logos are registered trademarks of The Washington Times, LLC .
The iCopyright logo is a registered trademark of iCopyright, Inc.
By Jennifer Harper
Effect of red on men studied.
A pair of researchers say they have scientific proof that the color red - "female red" they call it - is the real key to the attraction between men and women, and could ultimately affect our standards of beauty. University of Rochester psychologists Andrew Elliot and Daniela Niesta conducted five controlled experiments to determine what Hallmark and Victoria's Secret already know, perhaps.
The shade also does not have much effect on whether a man thinks a woman is likable, kind or smart, he said. And there is no cross-gender red effect, either. "Red does not influence women's perceptions of the attractiveness of other women," he added. The research presents a singular cultural moment, and perhaps the demise of the proverbial little black dress. "The findings have clear practical implications for men and women in the mating game, and perhaps for fashion consultants, product designers and marketers," the study stated.
The power of "female red" hinges on societal conditioning and deeper biological roots - like blushing and ovulation - the authors said. Red could also shake up our perceptions of beauty. "Research on women's attractiveness tends to focus on physical characteristics such as facial symmetry or waist-to-hip ratio. But in our work we have shown that red can serve as a nonphysical factor influencing women's appeal to men," Mr. Elliot said. This is the first research to quantify such subtle reactions, he added. The studies of 149 men and 32 women presented test subjects with a simple series of photographs featuring women with red versus white backgrounds, or wearing white or red blouses. Across the board, the men ascribed attractive qualities to women showcased with some red element - and were even more willing to spend more money on a date with the "red" female.
The study was published Tuesday in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Other researchers are also pro-red. An analysis released in August by German psychologists at the University of Munster, for example, found that referees were more inclined to favor teams clad in crimson. Not everyone thinks that red is the new black, however. The 2009 Pantone Fashion Color Report for home and closet released in mid-September lists fuchsia, rose, soft turquoise, lemon yellow, citron, slate gray, vibrant green, sea green and lavender among the must-have colors du jour.
Red is not the best choice in troubled times, apparently. "Encourage hopeful attitudes with lively colors. Sophisticated, grounded hues address the need for stability in times of economic uncertainty," said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.
© The Washington Times. Displayed by permission. All rights reserved. Published 10/29/08 The Washington Times, LLC and The Washington Times logos are registered trademarks of The Washington Times, LLC .
The iCopyright logo is a registered trademark of iCopyright, Inc.
Most U.S. Female Teens Sexually Harassed
Filed in: Most U.S. Female Teens Sexually Harassed
Study of 600 U.S. teenage girls ages 12 - 18 found
90% reported sexual harassment at least once.
Christia Brown of the University of Kentucky and Campbell Leaper of the University of California Santa Cruz found
- 67% of the teens reported receiving unwanted romantic attention
- 62% were exposed to demeaning gender-related comments
- 58% were teased because of their appearance
- 52% received unwanted physical contact
- 25% were bullied or threatened with harm by a male
The study subjects were identified as 49 percent Latina, 23 percent white, 9 percent African-American, 7.5 Asian-American and 7.5 percent multiethnic or other.
Frequent sexual harassment may lead girls to expect and accept demeaning behaviors in heterosexual romantic relationships, and sexist remarks, the researchers said.
May 16, 2008
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