There's a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from having to wonder if it's safe to fully be yourself.

For many LGBTQIA+ people, that question can become a quiet companion. Can I hold my partner’s hand here? Will my family accept me? Is it safe to tell them who I am? Will someone judge me, mock me, threaten me, or hurt me? Can I simply exist without having to explain myself?

Over time, questions like these will take a toll.

LGBTQIA+ people experience significantly higher rates of anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts than their non-LGBTQIA+ peers. Among LGBTQIA+ young people in the U.S., 62% reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety and 47% reported symptoms of depression in 2025. In 2024, 39% said they had seriously considered suicide during the previous year, and 12% reported attempting suicide. These numbers are even higher among many transgender and nonbinary young people.

At Mana Grove, we know that behind every percentage, is a person. A person who may have spent years learning to make themselves smaller. A person who's been rejected by people they thought loved them. A person who's learned to scan a room before relaxing in it. A person who's survived bullying, discrimination, violence, or simply the relentless ache of feeling like, or being told, they don't quite belong in the world.

Which is why we chose to partner with two organizations that share our same value of finding community. We wanted to find organizations that could bring a resourceful approach to practices once considered witchcraft, to work towards healing not just our mind, but our bodies too.
Because even when we're finally somewhere safe, our bodies don't immediately know that we're safe.

We carry the vigilance with us. And the grief.

We carry the years of holding our breath and walking on eggshells.

The Queer Mystic Retreat is an invitation to put some of that weight down in a safe, earth-centered, and queer-focused space.

A space where you don't have to explain yourself. Where you don't have to perform, defend, or translate who you are. Where you can breathe deeply, come back into your body, bare witness to the effect of our own energy, and remember what it feels like to simply be.

Because we deserve more than survival.

We deserve moments of softness.
We deserve community.
We deserve to feel at home in our bodies.
We deserve to experience joy without apology.

For one day, come put down the armor.
Come home to yourself.

All funds from The Queer Mystic go directly toward animal care and toward continued efforts to create safer, more supportive spaces within our community — helping people find connection, resources, and support when they need it most.

So this gathering is not simply a day of rest.

It is one small act of care becoming another: care for the animals who depend on us, care for the people who need somewhere safe to land, and care for a community that deserves to know it is not alone.

Mana Grove, WIn Place Home, and A Haven For Us Bring:

10am - 4pm

Team Members