Talk: Encountering a Creative, Free Spirituality (Jiyū Shūkyō 自由宗教) through Walking

Hi, friend. This is still Vince Imbat and you are receiving this because long ago (or recently?) you subscribed to The Long Walk, an occasional newsletter on walking, literature, photography, and spirituality.

Last June 28, 2025, while the Pride March was happening at Quezon City here in the Philippines, I was invited by the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics (GNRC) through its Contemplative Spiritual Formation committee to give a talk. Argel Tuason, a new friend and collaborator whom I met just this month, extended the invitation and asked me to talk about jiyū shūkyō, the foundation of the spirituality and religious life I’m building. I decided to share my encounter with it, which is best represented by the three walks I did from 2022 to 2025.

You can watch or listen to the talk below. I’ve also published the talk’s video and transcript as an essay in my website.

One of the thirteen people who attended the talk via Zoom told me during the free conversation that followed that my journey could be a template for a lot of spiritual journeys even among people from the LGBTQ+ community in his tradition. I felt very privileged to hear this. While I use he/him pronouns, I’ve always felt fellow-feeling with people in the LGBTQ+ community, so much so that several of my closest collaborators and friends are active members there.

The first time I talked about my story in front of a crowd of strangers was in a writers workshop, where one of the panelists, Jhoanna Lynn Cruz, is one of if not the leading lesbian writer in the Philippines. Reading her book Abi Nako, which talked about her journey toward authenticity, coming out from her marriage and relocating from Baguio City to Davao City to begin a new life, spoke strongly to my desire to become my truest self and to be brave in speaking my truth.

And so to be given a chance to talk about my journey in front of the GNRC is a huge privilege, one that I hope to continue doing in the years ahead.

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