I am the Lord of the Double Wand of Power; the wand of the Force of Coph Nia--but my left hand is empty, for I have crushed an Universe; & nought remains. -- Liber AL vel Legis 3:72

Coph Nia 2012: "Ascension"

Each year a theme is selected for that year's Coph Nia event. While workshops and rituals that tie into the theme will be given precedence, proposals do not have to fit the theme to be considered. The theme is as much a vision of what the planning group would like the Coph Nia community to meditate upon and manifest during the year. The theme for Coph Nia 2012 is "Ascension"

Ascension

When most people think about Ascension, they may think of it in a Christian context. However, there is a lot more to ascension than the Christian concept of rising into heaven without first passing through death. In many New Age traditions, we talk about ascended masters who have moved beyond the cycle of death and rebirth and now live completely in the spiritual realms. From these realms, they often provide guidance and teaching to those of us who seek it.

In choosing a theme for this year's Coph Nia, our community council discussed ascension as moving from one state to another higher spiritual state. Some thoughts were that this might involve skipping some in-between states and other thoughts were that it was an accelerated process. It definitely seemed like a relevant theme as the experiences that we have at pagan gatherings with a large community of spiritual seekers often seem to speed our spiritual development.

If we, as a community of gay and bisexual men, only think of ascension as something that each of us personally seeks, we'd be missing a huge opportunity. There is a real opportunity through Coph Nia for this community of men to experience an ascension of the gay community and of the way we relate to one another and treat each other. It is the hope of the community council of Coph Nia that we will experience an ascension individually and as a community of loving and supportive men.