MyOutSpirit.com Gay Spirituality Blog

Ride the Kosmic Wave to Colin's Blog...

By Joe Perez

One of my favorite new (to me) queer spiritual blogs is Spirit Under Transsexual Cover, a blog by a surfer of Kosmic waves. According to Colin's Zaadz profile, he's a 36 year-old Gemini who lives in Portland, Oregon. A Truth seeker, spiritual explorer, and radically full being. He considers himself a transman (genetically XX with a deeeper resonsnace with the male side of the gender spectrum). Here's more from his profile:

I am currently exploring Buddhism (mainly Soto Zen, but Theravada and Tibetan, too), Vedanta and Yoga, as well as developmental and integral psychology. I see my future including an offering of myself and my experience as a psychotherapist and writer; graduate school is on the horizon. My life has been profoundly influenced by many things: living as a queer person in America, the writings and talks by Ken Wilber and Ram Dass, kirtan with Krishna Das and fluffy kittens. My spirit is fed by spreading love. I see each person as a unique flower, whether that flower is in full bloom or is wilting from the illusion of separation and all the related suffering.

Recent posts by the transman include an embedded musical post (by the artist Creed), quotes from the Diamond Sutra, a Buddhist sacred text on "The Chief Purpose of Being Incarnate", a great image post called "The Mirror of 2", a take on musician Bjork, a post on his suspicion of plastics, and insights from a holotropic breathwork seminar.

The longest reflection is "Integral Living: A Practical Guide to Remembering Joy and Resting in Equanimity," a notable contribution on the integration of depth psychology with Buddhist spiritual practice. But it's really not as heavy as that description sounds. Check it out for the insights into community, practical tips on forging a life that makes sense, and just for fun.

It's hard enough to be real and bring your light shining out in the real world. In some respects, it's even harder in the virtual world, where there is a great possibility to recoil in fear, shyness, and concern for privacy. Because he shares his light with others so that others can enjoy his special gifts, come what may, in my book that makes Colin one of our bright shining lights.

Ubermensching Nietzsche: An Encounter with the Void

By Keith Adams

Perhaps the most dramatic moment in all classical music is the opening of Also Sprach Zarathustra, the half-hour tone poem by Richard Strauss, more familiarly known as the opening theme from "2001: A Space Odyssey." It also is a perfect piece of music to describe what I term my encounter with the Void, which happened the week after I came back one of the most stressful events of my life. I didn't know this at the time, but I was transitioning from an adulthood of chronic depression through to complete recovery. Lying along the way I would also find spirituality, but also, unfortunately, probably due to both the stress and the use of lexapro, getting jailed by the LAPD and spending three days in a psychiatric ward and getting a diagnosis of being bipolar (now under complete control through drug treatment).