Author Archives: shokti

Podcast Episode: History Of Anti-Queer Persecution

Two AI voices discuss my articles Laws that Punish Love: A History, 1600 Years of Christian Persecution of Queers and How Homophobia Infected the World Pip: Rainbow messenger, where the history is long, the laws are older, and the injustice has been hiding in plain sight for about sixteen centuries. Mara: Today we’re following shoktiContinue reading “Podcast Episode: History Of Anti-Queer Persecution”

The Queer Thing about Death

At the London Queer Spirit Samhain Full Moon Drum Circle (24 Oct 2026) we remembered friends, lovers, family and tribe in spirit. Around 70 Radical Faeries, Queer Spirits and Rainbow Souls gathered in our enchanted south London community hall, just down the road from the bars and clubs of Vauxhall, where, since Winter Solstice 2012Continue reading “The Queer Thing about Death”

How Homophobia Infected the World

The French and the British — especially the British — in the age of European imperial expansion imposed laws against homosexuality and transgender expression that are still causing injustice and suffering around the world today. These laws were attempts to impose European morality on the cultures the imperialists were subduing, as well as attempts toContinue reading “How Homophobia Infected the World”

Podcast Episode: The Call of Cosmic Consciousness

Two AI voices discuss my blog article The Call of Cosmic Consciousness Pip: Rainbow messenger is back, and this time the topic is nothing less than the nature of consciousness itself — no pressure. Mara: shokti has been digging into the long history of cosmic consciousness — what it means, who has mapped it, andContinue reading “Podcast Episode: The Call of Cosmic Consciousness”

Sex in the Temples

Excerpt from ‘The female experience and the nature of the divine’ by Judith Ochshorn, 1981 What seems to have been the case in the ancient Near East, then, for most of the period from the third to the first millennium, is that both women and men performed sacred sexual rites in the service of femaleContinue reading “Sex in the Temples”

Podcast Episode: The Queer Spiritual Calling

2 AI voices discuss my blog article The Queer Spiritual Calling. Pip: Rainbow messenger is back, and today we’re going somewhere older than organized religion — which, depending on your week, might be exactly where you need to go. Mara: shokti takes us deep into the history of queer sacred roles, from the temples ofContinue reading “Podcast Episode: The Queer Spiritual Calling”

Podcast Episode: The Queer Story in the Venus Retrograde

Two AI voices discuss my blog article The Queer Story in the Venus Retrograde . Pip: Rainbow Messenger, where the planets don’t just go retrograde — they go mythologically retrograde, with footnotes. Mara: shokti has been digging into some deep territory this episode — ancient myth, sacred queerness, and what a Mesopotamian goddess’s journey throughContinue reading “Podcast Episode: The Queer Story in the Venus Retrograde”

The Queer Story in the Venus Retrograde

For many centuries before the ‘morning/evening star’ became named after the Roman Goddess Venus, our closest planetary neighbour was called Inanna, the ancient Goddess of the lands of Mesopotamia. Known as the Queen of Heaven, Inanna’s priests were well known for their queerness and celebrated for rescuing the Goddess from her imprisonment in the Underworld.Continue reading “The Queer Story in the Venus Retrograde”

Pointing into Fairyland

What an enormous honour and thrill it is to see my hand, enlarged, protruding from a wall and pointing the way into Tim Walker’s Fairyland exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. This exquisite show features fantastic, inspired photos of 250 queer pioneers of the last 50 years – activists, artists, performers, characters who have influencedContinue reading “Pointing into Fairyland”

The Queer Spiritual Calling

IN THE ANCIENT TEMPLES OF ISHTAR, that stretched across the lands of Mesopotamia, which we nowadays call Iraq, Kuwait, Syria and the border lands of Turkey and Iran, from at least 10000 BC, the Goddess, often known as Ishtar, was served by gay and transgendered priest/priestesses. They were called ASSINNU, KURGARRU, KULU’U, legends told ofContinue reading “The Queer Spiritual Calling”

ANTI-LGBTQ+ CRACKDOWN IN TURKEY

Under the guise of ‘protecting the family’ the government of Turkey has initiated a nation-wide coordinated attack on the freedom of same sex attracted and gender-nonconforming people. Never mentioned is the fact that queer children are born in, raised in, and are part of family structure, and of course always have been. This kind ofContinue reading “ANTI-LGBTQ+ CRACKDOWN IN TURKEY”

Why do Benders love Divas?

Why do benders love divas?… was the question posed at a highly enjoyable Sunday afternoon Duckie event at London’s Royal Festival Hall (20/9/2026)… but unfortunately while the question was posed it was not really addressed and definitely not answered! The afternoon was good entertainment – a panel discussion about the adoration of powerful women (andContinue reading “Why do Benders love Divas?”

Pride Triumphs!

It seems there’s no more effective catalyst to get the LGBTQ+ community on the streets expressing our passion, our pride, our love than challenge. The AIDS crisis was a key factor in birthing the globally connected network we have now, in the UK Clause 28 mobilised us in the 1990s to form stronger community bondsContinue reading “Pride Triumphs!”

AIDS Survivors Syndrome

“…the most common features of ASS (AIDS Survivors Syndrome): extreme emotional pain, trauma, and depression; survivor’s guilt and low self-esteem; suicidal ideation; anger, over-guardedness, and chronic anxiety; social isolation; fear of aging; and difficulty envisioning a future.” The media love to focus on suffering: “An entire generation of AIDS survivors is now struggling with aContinue reading “AIDS Survivors Syndrome”

‘This House Believes modern LGBTQ+ activism fails its community’

I watched the Cambridge Union debate from May 14th, 2026 on the theme: ‘This House Believes modern LGBTQ+ activism fails its community’. An introduction to me: I read history at Churchill College, Cambridge from 1983-6, coming out of the closet half way through my final year – and still somehow managing to graduate despite spendingContinue reading “‘This House Believes modern LGBTQ+ activism fails its community’”

All Acts of Love and Pleasure are THEIR Rituals

I propose it’s time to update the Charge of the Goddess for in humanity there is a desperate need to reconnect to the immaculate Wholeness which exists beyond the gender binary and go beyond the historical definitions of male and female deities. When God was seen as Mother the people saw humanity as her childrenContinue reading “All Acts of Love and Pleasure are THEIR Rituals”

Beltane 2026

May 1st 2026 Solar Beltane coincides with the Full Moon on the same day, a rare and extremely magically powerful alignment! The moon’s movements follow a roughly 19 year pattern – but in 2007 full moon fell on May 2nd, so the last alignment of sun opposite moon on May 1st was back in 1988.Continue reading “Beltane 2026”

The Criminalisation of Cannabis

At 420 rallies across the world people come together in the name of peace and, as Bob Marley sang, One Love — and to stand against racist laws that keep one of nature’s most versatile plants illegal. But at London’s Hyde Park 420 Cannabis Rally 2026 the police were intrusive, provocative and certainly out toContinue reading “The Criminalisation of Cannabis”

Rainbow Consciousness

When conflicts that arise between the various identities in the LGBTIQ+ spectrum it suits the patriarchal control system well — divide and rule has long been its way. How about we blast away that old pattern, and seek for the deeper reason that we find ourselves walking with Pride under one rainbow. I have beenContinue reading “Rainbow Consciousness”

The Great Turning into the Aquarian Age

Since the 1960s a new consciousness has been emerging on planet Earth as we transition into the astrological age of Aquarius, a rapid spiritual awakening is occurring – a shift happening for many people which science, organized religions, media, governments, academia are not at all tuned into or aware of. I awoke to the consciousnessContinue reading “The Great Turning into the Aquarian Age”

Drumming Brings Wellbeing

I first held a drum in my hands while in a field in Dorset in 1999 at the second ever Queer Pagan Camp. I felt the power, magic and potential straight away. I am forever grateful to Lou Hart for introducing me to the djembe and teaching me technique and rhythms. Since 2005 I haveContinue reading “Drumming Brings Wellbeing”

Gayness as a Spirit Path

“The sense of gayness as a Spirit path is growing. As we break out of straight mind-bindings we naturally recoil from seeing ourselves and each as either mono-sided homo-sexualists or homo-oriented straights… for many of us come revelations of feminist thought/ practice: we discover women exposing, breaking free of sado-slavery into whirling fiery gyn-ecstacies ofContinue reading “Gayness as a Spirit Path”

The Age of The Proud Bottom

Erotic pleasure between males – a totally natural, instinctive, magical thing (that has been going on since humanity’s beginning) – became a taboo in the Greco-Roman warrior age and under Father religions it became a sin. . For centuries the Church said sodomy was one of the worst sins, and associated it with sorcery andContinue reading “The Age of The Proud Bottom”

Consciousness is Coming

Accepting, recognising that all beings are part of one infinite, blissful consciousness is the first key step on the cosmic journey. Once we’ve accepted god/goddess/heaven is found within no more need for arguments over customs and beliefs gnosis is the blessed release from other people’s projections of sin and judgemental deities up in the sky,Continue reading “Consciousness is Coming”

Christianity is a Death Cult

“Roughly speaking we may say that the worship of Sex and Life characterised the Pagan races of Europe and Asia Minor anterior to Christianity, while the worship of Death and the Unseen has characterised Christianity.” Edward Carpenter. The Gods were always present in the pagan past, not hidden away in an invisible heaven in theContinue reading “Christianity is a Death Cult”

The Call of Cosmic Consciousness

“Just as a river has a source, so the river of consciousness has a source. It descends from Cosmic Consciousness, the consciousness of God that is beyond all creation.” Yogananda “Abandoning the quest and the glorification of the separate isolated self we have to return to the cosmic universal life. It is the blossoming indeedContinue reading “The Call of Cosmic Consciousness”

300th anniversary of police raids on London’s Molly Houses

February 2026 is an important anniversary in Britain’s gay history – 300 years since the raid of Mother Clap’s Molly House in Holborn, which brought molly culture into public view. This anniversary reveals that a gay subculture existed in London 300 years ago, which drives home how long it took to finally gain acceptance andContinue reading “300th anniversary of police raids on London’s Molly Houses”

Here! Queer! Cosmic!

[this blog is also available as a podcast – https://queerspirit.net/blog/podcasts%5D August 2026 brings the tenth anniversary of Queer Spirit Festival, of which I am one of the founders: 10 years of LGBTQ+ people collectively connecting through the heart to community, nature and spirit; breaking the chains of religious bigotry and reclaiming queer nature as partContinue reading “Here! Queer! Cosmic!”

World AIDS Day: Chatting with the Spirits

I am a Long Term AIDS Survivor and these are my thoughts at World AIDS Day 2025, 30 years after my Accelerated Individual Discovery of Self: Sooner or later the people of the world will wake up to the fact that spirit is what we are, not matter. We are blind to this because inContinue reading “World AIDS Day: Chatting with the Spirits”

Nature Connection: Remembering Wholeness

I attended the book launch of Adrian Harris’s Nature Connection: Remembering Wholeness. It was inspirational, I was truly buzzing on the energy, even through an online event. I loved the combination of down to earth practical language along with an intense light of excitement in Adrian’s eyes. I thrilled at how we started from talkingContinue reading “Nature Connection: Remembering Wholeness”

The Three Sons of Aphrodite

Aphrodite, Greek Goddess of Love – Venus to the Romans – is one of the most ancient manifestations of the divine feminine. She was associated with the much older Mesopotamian Goddess Ishtar, Inanna to the Sumerians, and like her considered to appear in the sky as the planet Venus, and the Phoenician Goddess Astarte. SheContinue reading “The Three Sons of Aphrodite”

The Spiritual Story of Feminism

“The history of feminism tends to be written as a secular movement, one indifferent at best to the spiritual side of life, if not actively hostile. And while that might be true of some individual figures, most of feminist history has emerged from—and alongside—esoteric developments like Spiritualism, Theosophy, and Paganism.” Jessa Crispin, author of TheContinue reading “The Spiritual Story of Feminism”

be part of the dance

When I had full blown aids The veils became so thin, I could see the interconnectedness of all things. The mind, the body, the emotions, the spirit: The universe engaged an eternal, infinite dance: At that point I understood, We have to learn to dance with it. We are part of that dance reflected inContinue reading “be part of the dance”