ASCENDING WITH HETEROPHILIA, DESCENDING WITH HOMOPHILIA
The sun was just beginning to descend behind the western ridge, casting golden light across the rocky plateau where Kalen O. Tolán and a small group of students had gathered. They had hiked together in silence most of the afternoon, breathing in the clarity of alpine air and the vast stillness that comes only at high elevation.
Now they rested near the summit—seven souls seated in a circle. Kalen, dressed in off-white hiking clothes, removed their hat and looked out across the horizon.
“Up here,” Kalen said, “everything feels both closer and farther away. The sky seems just within reach. The earth, though beneath our feet, also feels mysterious and vast. This is the perfect place to speak of the two great currents of love.”
They paused, then continued. “Before we go too far, I want to introduce two words that can help us understand how love moves through us: homophilia and heterophilia.
“Homophilia is love of sameness—of what is familiar, resonant, kindred. It often draws the soul downward, into the body, into intimacy, into recognition. Sometimes I speak of this as resonant love. It aligns more with the Descending Current.
“Heterophilia, by contrast, is love of difference—of what is unfamiliar, mysterious, other. It pulls the soul upward, toward transcendence, the unknown, the sublime. Sometimes I speak of this as complementary love. This aligns more with the Ascending Current.
“But remember,” Kalen added, “neither is better. Whatever your sexual orientation or gender identity, you love through both resonance and complementarity. Love dances through both.”
Elijah Speaks: The Call of Transcendence
Elijah, a gay man with a steady gaze and a mischievous smile, raised his hand. “That makes sense. When I feel pulled toward a man, it’s often because I see myself in him—his energy feels like mine. But then there’s this craving to go beyond myself too, to lose all sense of separation. Is that the Ascending Current?”
Kalen nodded. “Yes. That urge to merge, to be completed, to dissolve boundaries—that’s the Ascending Current in motion. And what you described at first, that resonance with another man’s energy—that’s homophilia. It awakens the Descending Current first, then lifts you higher with homoeros.”
Elijah grinned. “Been there. Homophilia starts it. The Ascending Current takes it somewhere wild.”
Sasha Speaks: The Body as Temple
Sasha, a transgender bisexual person wrapped in a red scarf, spoke next. “I think I lean toward homophilia too. Not just in attraction—but in how I come to feel at home in my own body. It took me years to see my body as a sacred place.”
“The Descending Current,” Kalen replied, “is exactly that—spirit flowing into matter. It honors flesh, emotion, intimacy, and presence. When you see the body as a temple, you are allowing the divine to dwell here.”
Sasha closed their eyes. “That feels true. And beautiful.”
Amira Speaks: Of Gender and Archetype
Amira, a heterosexual woman and a scholar of mythology, looked thoughtful. “So how do these currents relate to masculine and feminine? I’ve read that the Ascending is masculine, and the Descending feminine. But also… isn’t that too simple?”
“Those are old archetypes,” Kalen said gently. “Useful, sometimes. But we must not bind spirit to gender. Every person carries both currents. The real question is not who you are fundamentally in your identity—but which current you are inhabiting in this moment.”
Amira nodded slowly. “I think I’ve been more heterophilic in my life—drawn to difference, challenge, growth. But I’m learning to rest in sameness too. Maybe there’s a shift happening in me.”
Taiq Speaks: Asexual Love and the Mystery of Agape
Taiq, an asexual man with a quiet demeanor, spoke up. “Where do I fit in? My love isn’t erotic, but it’s deep. Steady. I don’t feel pulled up or down. Just… here.”
Kalen’s eyes softened. “Agape, or selfless love, flows in both currents. When it lifts you out of ego, it’s ascending. When it roots you in care and presence, it’s descending. Your stillness is not the absence of current—it’s the river in repose.”
Taiq gave a gentle smile. “Maybe I’ve always loved without needing difference or sameness. Just being with.”
Michelle Speaks: When Both Currents Meet
Michelle, a lesbian poet with sunburnt cheeks, spoke next. “Some of my deepest relationships have been earthy and transcendent at once. They start in the body—in that warm, familiar resonance—but then take us somewhere beyond language.”
“That is the great fusion,” Kalen said. “When gay eros is strong, it can evoke the ecstasy of the Ascending Current. When gay love is strong, it grounds us in the Descending Current. Together, they make a spiritual path I call The Unitive Way. A way of love that does not divide heaven and earth, but unites them.”
Michelle breathed in deeply. “I like that. I’ve always wanted to live in that union.”
Manu Speaks: On the Path of Renunciation
Manu, a celibate man who had taken a vow of simplicity, spoke last. “Is it possible to avoid both? I try not to be pulled in either direction.”
“There is a time for stillness,” Kalen replied. “But the point is not to resist the currents—it is to learn how to move with them. Even in your renunciation, love flows. Ask yourself: What is love doing here, now?”
Kalen stood and looked out across the valley below. “The soulfully gay path isn’t just for gay men, it’s not merely about who we love. It’s about how we live. It’s about how to be human wisely and courageously. Its essence is a path for everybody that I call The Unitive Way. It is about recognizing that love moves us in many directions, but always toward wholeness. Our task is not to choose a current, but to become the river.”
The students sat in silence. The wind stirred. The sun fell gently into the waiting arms of the mountain.
