“Love and Truth must always walk hand in hand, and both are irrepressible forces.” – Vanessa Osage
Love & Truth Rising is a Social Enterprise with a Mission to Positively Transform Love, Sexuality and Human Connections.
As a vehicle for positive social change, it seeks to bring truth into the ideal of love, health into our experience of sexuality and humanity into every way we are with one another.
At the root of nearly every motion of life is the drive to achieve one of these three experiences. These drives shape our culture, our social structures and our environments in profound ways. By addressing these roots in triplicate, we aim to inspire positive change in all that humans touch.
To love something in the fullest sense, we must first know the truth of it. Until that point, our experience is simply an unfolding where expectation slowly yields to reality. Love flourishes where our truest selves are brought forth and welcomed. At the breakdown of many a connection, there surfaces a long-buried or hidden truth… “I didn’t want children” or “I just agreed so I could please you” or “I wanted to appear successful” and on and on. A mirage of oneself cannot love a mirage of another.
One of the most inspiring philosophies I’ve heard of romantic love came from a woman in her 70’s, who was dating again after many, many years of marriage and then divorce. She said, “I just keep showing him who I really am, and hoping he comes back…” This is the foundation of enduring love. The practice also supports a safer and more balanced world, as demonstrated in the statement: Truth may walk through the world unarmed. When we have nothing to hide, and have owned all of ourselves, there is a synergy of connection that makes great things possible.
Understandably, both truth and love can rattle one to their core. It is the nature of powerful things. So, this journey requires awareness, reflection, dedication and continual reorientation over time. Still, regardless of the ways in which humans may retreat from love, or hide from truth, both insist on being known. To quote from Max Ehrmann’s Desiderata, “Be not cynical about love, for in the face of all disenchantment and aridity, it is perennial as the grass.” Life continually reorients everything toward both love and truth. Sometimes, it is simply a matter of learning to respond well to the inevitable returning.
Sexuality, as a force, is undergoing a massive and necessary transformation in our time. Having been relegated to the dark and hidden places, it is now arising as an aspect of being human that deserves our clear and honest attention. Love & Truth Rising has a core tenet of acceptance for diversity in sexual orientation and gender expression. All offerings are LGBTQ+ friendly. We revere the journey of self acceptance and honesty of those who live a minority experience and choose to bravely stay true.
While we regard all lifestyles chosen freely with consent, we strive to place sex and sexuality into the context of love. By this, we understand that loving well supports a healthier experience of sexuality, in whatever values one holds. Loving well is a practice and a journey. We intentionally connect the two. Love & Truth Rising also acknowledges that the ways we connect, our attachment style, and the skills we have for repair, also influences the quality of one’s sexual life and experiences.
Bringing humanity to our connections means that each human exchange is reflection of our inner landscape, implying that all are equally worthy of care. Another core tenet is the belief that, the closer one gets to us, the more our relationship with them mirrors our relationship with ourselves. This is most important, of course, in the grittier moments of frustration, disappointment, betrayal, fractures of word/action and points of divergence. How we attend to our moments of trial is the greatest testimony to our true strength.
Please see Related Movements to understand how this mission, and its tenets, relates to the larger scale work of Rites of Passage, Comprehensive Sexuality Education, Intimate Justice, Truth & Reconciliation and Restorative Justice.
All Offerings are informed by these Guiding Principles ~
Integrity – speaking truth and living by a consistency of thought, emotion, word and action in line with one’s highest values
Confidentiality – holding absolutely sacred the trust one gives and the information shared
Optimism – believing anything is possible and insisting on reaching past previous limitations
Self-Awareness & Self-Love – honoring our first relationship through ongoing discovery, so that all other great relationships are possible
Personal Responsibility – the foundation of empowerment, owning what is ours and therefore knowing where our agency lies
Healthy Boundaries – inversely, knowing what is not ours and how to set healthy limits
Inspiration – understanding how a connection to something greater fuels our life purpose and energizes our whole world
Loving Relationships as Priority – the wisdom that structures our life and time around love as a primary force and celebrated privilege of being human
Love & Truth Rising operates as a reminder that every true and courageous act of love contributes to the betterment of our world. Whether it is an individual coaching session, a group program, a seminar, retreat or community event, we come together to celebrate the greatest accomplishments and the greatest joys of being human.
Welcome!