Free Spirit Connection

**The Free Spirit Connection** is the fictional sex-positive religion featured in the erotic novels of Rikki de la Vega. Inspired by the Medieval “Brethren of the Free Spirit”, its members see sexual activity between consenting adults as a form of communion, and even provide rooms in many of their local meetinghouses for that purpose.

## The Founder

Janella Pirtskhalaishvili was born in Knoxville, Tennessee; her father was a Georgian immigrant and conservative Methodist minister, while her mother was an uninhibited artist. She pursued studies in comparative religion and sexuality, with her doctoral dissertation on the Medieval Brethren of the Free Spirit. She taught at the college and university level, and while at a conservative school that did not allow students to engage in sex, she allowed couples and even threesomes to use the guest room in her house. After a pivotal experience in the Appalachians, she began to put her own ideas about spirituality and ethics into a small book, *The Way of the Free Spirit*. As she shared her ideas with others, they began to form the nucleus of the Free Spirit community, with Janella as their leader. Over time, she stepped back into a more consultative role with the titles of Celebrant-at-Large and Steward Emerita.

## Beliefs and Core Values

The Free Spirits embrace a pantheistic "open naturalism" that sees the Divine as the amalgam of creative and evolutionary forces in the universe. The vast majority of Free Spirits (76.47%) would identify as *pantheists*, with the rest as agnostics (11.76%), atheists (5.88%) deists (3.93%) and theists (1.96%). They would consider their ethics to be more central, however, being rooted in four core values: love, truth, peace, and bliss. The definition of these values is left deliberately broad; so, for example, "truth" also includes a commitment to honesty, "peace" includes noncoercion, and "bliss" includes sensual and sexual pleasure. The holistic spirituality of the Free Spirits defines "communion" as any endeavor by two or more people which is done intentionally in the light of these core values, and "covenanting" as the process of engaging in intentional agreement towards some form of communion.

### Sexual Ethics

Free Spirits extend their values and ethical process to sexuality, regarding the negotiation of consent as a form of covenant, and consensual erotic intimacy as communion. With consent being the paramount factor, they are thus accepting not only of LGBTQI people and their relationships, but polyamory, BDSM, and consensual adult sex work. They support fact-based and age-appropriate sexuality education, so as to enable their young people to have better intimate relationships. They support abortion rights and making contraception widely available, and oppose efforts to censor sexually explicit media or otherwise repress consensual sexual expression.

### Politics and Activism

Free Spirits represent a broader spectrum of political thought than groups like the Unitarian Universalists and Quakers, including libertarians, anarchists, independents and radical centrists. As a result, the Connection and its constituent groups tend to avoid collective social activism, preferring instead to encourage its members to engage on issues as concerned individual citizens motivated by Free Spirit core values. Free Spirits also tend to express a less ideologically rigid approach to political and social activism, focusing on workable solutions to specific problems; Tracey Bilodeau hence uses the label "practical heretics" to describe this approach.

## The Formative Assembly

As the early Free Spirit community expanded into a network of local groups, discussions began about creating a formal organizational structure. While some resisted, it soon became obvious that such a structure was necessary, so plans were made for a mass meeting to share and discuss ideas towards this end. This meeting would be called the Formative Assembly, or "FA"; it would be the equivalent of a constitutional convention. Many Free Spirits attended in person, but there was also significant online participation as well. Janella avoided favoring any particular proposals, instead asking people to consider how any scheme would be consistent with Free Spirit ideals. The result was a hybrid polity resembling the "connectionalism" of Methodist denominations that promoted interdependence and grassroots participatory democracy, and a clarified explication of Free Spirit beliefs and values.

## Organizational Structure

The Connection's organization has four major components: Local Gatherings, Regional Conferences, the Triennial Assembly, and the Stewards.

### Local Gatherings (LGs)

Most Connection members participate in Local Gatherings, or LGs. An LG either "emerges" anew from unaffiliated members (colloquially known as "solos") and/or members who transfer from other LGs, or is "birthed" from another LG which has approached its maximum size of 150 individual members. LGs are governed by an elected Council, which expands in size in rough proportion to the size of the LG:

* 3 Council members for 10-24 LG members
* 5 Council members for 25-49 LG members
* 7 Council members for 50-99 LG members
* 9 Council members for 100+ LG members

The 150 member maximum is based on Dunbar's number, said to be the cognitive limit of stable human relationships. When a given LG reaches or surpasses one hundred, they begin making plans to "birth" a new LG, with two members of the parent Council becoming part of the birthed LG's Council. While LGs are autonomous in their affairs, they are periodically reviewed or "audited" by Connection staff, who provide guidance and constructive criticism to Council members and other LG leaders.

#### Sunday Celebrations

Free Spirit weekly services are called Celebrations, and typically follow a simple program:

1. *Welcome* - the equivalent of a prelude, a small chorus sings a simple song welcoming members and other attendees.
2. *Message* - the equivalent of a sermon or homily, typically delivered by a Celebrant or Attendant.
3. *Reflection* - a chime signals a short interval of silent meditation.
4. *Entracte* - a brief performance involving bodily movement, such as dance or mime.
5. *Announcements* - usually delivered by the LG Council chair, including an appeal for donations.
6. *Coda* - the equivalent of a postlude, instrumental music to close the program.

Rather than sit in rows, most LGs arrange "café style" seating around small tables, encouraging more personal interactions before and after the Celebration. A crew of volunteers brings lunch into the meeting hall, and other volunteers collect donations. Local Gatherings also do special Sunday Celebrations, such as during Winterfest.

#### Becoming a Member

People who express an interest in joining the Connection through a Local Gathering are invited to attend a "Wayfinding" or orientation class, where they are introduced to the history, values, and organization of the Free Spirit Connection. If an individual then decides to join, they pledge a regular financial contribution, then participate in a brief ceremony during a Sunday Celebration, during which each member is introduced before reciting together:

> *"We covenant this day to join you in connection, honoring the Divine in each of us, so that together we abide in love, truth, peace, and bliss."*
>
>

Unaffiliated members or "solos" take an online wayfinding course before signing a covenant and financial pledge.

### Regional Conferences (RCs)

The next level of organization in the Connection is the Regional Conference, or RC, representing ten to twenty Local Gatherings in a given area. Each LG sends their Council members, plus a Celebrant or Attendant, as their delegation to semi-annual meetings. RC members share information and consider various proposals. The RC does not "rule over" its constituent LGs, but rather serves as a forum by which LG leaders exchange ideas and attempt to discern consensus. When approaching its maximum of twenty LGs, a Regional Conference makes plans to either split into two RCs or reapportion with neighboring RCs.

### Triennial Assembly (TA)

As the name indicates, the Connection's Triennial Assembly (TA) meets once every three years to review, deliberate, and vote on important matters for the Connection as a whole. Each Regional Conference sends a delegation consisting of ten percent of its participants, with no more than 25 percent of any delegation coming from a single Local Gathering, and no more than 25 percent of any delegation composed of Celebrants and/or Attendants. The TA also elects the Stewards to serve as the Connection's executive body until the next Assembly.

### The Stewards

The Stewards are the nine-member executive body of the Connection, with the main responsibility being oversight of the Connection's finances, especially its unrestricted Endowment. Candidates for Steward are nominated by petition, with each petition requiring the names of ten people who are either current Local Gathering Council members or former Stewards, and no individual may endorse more than one candidate per election period. After the entire body has been elected by the Triennial Assembly, three officers are chosen by and from their membership:

* *Moderator* - chairs all meetings of the Stewards, serves as chief spokesperson for the Connection, and moderates the next Triennial Assembly.
* *Clerk* - maintains all records and serves as parliamentarian.
* *Treasurer* - administers the Connection's Endowment and finances.

Other positions may include a liaison for unaffiliated members of the Connection, chairs of various committees, and leaders of special projects.

## Connection Staff

The Connection's staff is headed by a General Secretary with five Coordinators - Communications, Education, Finances, Governance, and Membership - plus junior staff members. Along with their specific duties, staffers also conduct audits of Local Gatherings to ascertain their progress in meeting members' needs and sharing Free Spirit principles, as well as organizing the Triennial Assemblies.

## Handling complaints of misconduct

If a complaint of misconduct is made against either an individual member or a Local Gathering, an impartial arbiter is chosen to look into the complaint, attempt to resolve the dispute, and report to the appointing body (Local Gathering Council in the case of an individual affiliated member; appointed committee of three in the case of an unaffiliated member; Regional Conference in the case of a Local Gathering). Suspension or revocation of membership in the Connection is only done when attempts at reconciliation have failed.

## Celebrants and Attendants

Celebrants are the Free Spirit equivalent of clergy, with Attendants assisting them much as deacons or lay ministers. While each Local Gathering has one or more Attendants among their members, the Celebrant may actually serve a circuit of two or more LGs in their area. Celebrants have their own Association within the Connection, headed by an Oversight Committee which handles the training, ordination, and supervision of Celebrants within the Connection.

## Nexus Groups

Nexus groups are the Connection's equivalent of caucuses or special interest groups. While they are not officially incorporated into the organizational structure of the Connection, they have significant influence in terms of crafting and supporting (or opposing) proposed resolutions. They are typically headed by two or more co-leads, and do educational and advocacy work throughout the Connection, especially during the Triennial Assembly.