Yesterday I had the extraordinary privilege of being given a tour of @shakermuseum in Chatham led by executive director @lacy.schutz, followed by a glorious dinner on The Hudson catered by @lildebsoasis. I admit that apart from the furniture and The Shaker Hymn I was woefully ignorant of this fascinating religious sect. I had trouble getting to sleep last night thinking about their radical stances on pacifism, gender and the nature of God which seems like the opposite of the violent politicized Chode Christianity we’re being subjected to in the present day. While reading about them on Wikipedia I came across this: Shaker theology is based on the idea of the dualism of God as male and female: "So God created him; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:27). This passage was interpreted as showing the dual nature of the Creator.[33] I, of course believe we are meant to open our minds and take that one step further -to take the previous passage literally wherein the use of “them” seems so moderne. I don’t think of the soul, or The Holy Spirit as gendered. Here it seems like “them” is being used as we use it in the present day, to describe one non-binary being or entity that contains a plurality of genders -to believe God is not just both “man” and “woman” but that God is everything. The evening culminated with a beautiful reading by @thewinsomebrown from the new translation of Rumi by Haleh Liza Gafori. They’re currently in the process of raising funds to transform a historical building in Chatham into a new home for the rich history of The Shakers. What a gift that would be! I know I, for one, want to know more! A special thank you to my friends @2oldgaydads and @danielschmeder for inviting me and my childhood sweetheart and lifelong friend Carrie Robertson to experience what was truly a magical evening! #shakers #shakermuseum #tisagifttobesimple #glamourisresisrance #nonbinary #transtheology #rumi #queerspirit