Queering Our Connection To Spirit - A Salon Queering Chaos Conversation

Queering Our Connection To Spirit - An Intimate Salon Queering Chaos Conversation

Date: Dec 4th

Location: 709 W 47th St

In times of chaos, when nothing feels stable and change is the only constant, people tend to turn to a faith practice. But, many practices are not fully welcoming of people showing up as their full selves. So, in times of uncertainty who/what do you believe in and why? What does it mean to work WITH Spirit through a Queer lens outside a patriarchal heteronormative understanding of the sacred? Let's discuss! In October Dr. Nicole Rawls hosted the first of five Queering Chaos Conversations hosted at Dorothy Downstairs, with 4 Black and Brown Queer Spiritualists. From that conversation these intimate salon conversations are born. In this first salon Dr. Rawls will facilitate a group conversation around what spirit and spirituality are through a Black Queer lens and how we bring our full selves into a spiritual practice as Queer folks.

Conversations are limited to ~15-20 participants. Light snacks and beverages are provided. While open to all Queer folks this is a Queer Black, Indigenous, and Folks of Color focused space.

Salon Queering Chaos Conversations are a series of intimate (15ish people) gathererings for Queer folks who want to dive further into topics impacting our communities and come away with new connections and seeds they can plant in other locations. This series is part of the Queering Chaos Project led by Dr. Nicole Rawls, that is about Queers who dare to Queer with the Chaos Man at the steering wheel of the American Empire. We have to meet this chaos with our own, and what better way than with other Queer folks where we can play, dream, learn, and conjure together as a way to create the communities we want to live in! The intention of these salon conversations is to help plant the seeds of these Queer dreams, for participants to connect with others, and take these seeds and grow them in different spaces. Come dream with us and be part of the project!

Dr. Nicole Rawls is a Black Queer cultural strategist, anthropologist, and spiritual practitioner who guides individuals and organizations toward liberated futures by reconnecting them to the wisdom of their bodies, stories, and ancestral knowledge. The founder of two entities—Embodied Futures Lab, her consulting and learning studio, and Dream Praxis Studio, her creative and storytelling space—Dr. Rawls has developed a signature methodology called Embodied Strategic Dreaming. This praxis-based framework blends critical analysis, somatic inquiry, spiritual insight, and liberatory strategy to help people and institutions reclaim their agency and craft bold, human-centered futures. Her current project is examining the ways Queer communities are navigating the current socio-political and economic moment, and what it means to lead with one's queerness in a time of chaos.