Finding spirituality is a quest for many of us.
Riddled with questions about what it means, how to make it your own, how to understand we are (a part) of nature , how to integrate activism, Iker Nafta, the subject of this series makes his own contemporary saga about self-growth through spiritualism: a queer guide.
By now we all have an interpretation of queerness, but how do we define spirituality? This series tries to answer that concept: what does it mean to be a queer spiritual holistic guide in 2025. But let’s accept that the answer might not completely be visible with the human eye.
“For it is strength that grows within us,
It is not what one lives but what one does,
Following the guide in every breeze that blows,
The direction wherever the ocean goes,
We find love in all connections to any kind,
Our inner power that these fires fuel and find.”
— Iker Nafta
Modern kind of witchcraft
Iker Nafta used to be closely connected to the punk scene. Not exactly the environment you expect a spiritual guide will arise from. However, their travels brought them into contact with persons from different spìritualities, cultures and divergent knowledge. Eager to learn, they embarked on a voyage that reflects his radiant energy: from shamanic practice to psychotherapy, from channelling to art therapy, they blend it all into a modern kind of witchcraft. An odd one, maybe. A queer guide.
From a young age, Iker was strongly involved in the community and its rights in the Basque Country, often in conflict with traditional institutions. Moving on to punk in a later stage, it comes as no surprise that his later spirituality relates to more forms of activism, as Iker’s punk culture was intertwined with feminism, animal rights and anarchism. And let it be anarchism that led Iker to question the very word ‘spirituality’. Because what does spiritualism mean in 2025?
“I had quite a dusty view on spirituality when I first got into contact with it. It felt hippyish, outdated. Through my learnings I discovered that it is so much more: it’s nature, energy, connections, finding and defining your own rituals and routines. As a guide, it’s helping people see, hear and feel. It’s being by their side when they discover new layers.”
— Iker Nafta
True surroundings
Unfortunately, spiritualism still is often misinterpreted too. “We think of institutions, dogma’s, religions and sects. Maybe it’s time for a new, more inclusive word that replaces and creates and inclusive ‘spirituality’.”
Iker connects her version of ‘spirituality’ deeply with his activism: it is their way of living, learning, understanding and doing from love. SSurrounded by lesbians, women, queers, animals, transgender people, artists and every living creature around him and in nature he becomes more self-aware, energetic and fulfills life.
He shares this energy in meaningful experiences with any kind and helps them see their surroundings truly and true surroundings.
“A nice example about how queer activism and spirituality connect is the fluidity of nature - which we also find back in gender. It’s this fluidity - a stream of different dimensions, but not divisions - that help us to find strength, grow our community and enrich our spirituality. Which is, like gender, somewhere on a spectrum. Nature, which we are, is our guide. Truly seeing and understanding its layers, joy and endless connectivities will lead to be a more humble, empathic, loving and conscious people.”
— Iker Nafta
A Queer Guide
In this series, the photographer Yves Drieghe portrays facets of Iker’s spiritual practices in his current surroundings: the island Lanzarote, in the Atlantic Ocean. Iker’s roots are in Basque country - well-known for its elaborate witchcraft history. Yves captures nature-driven rituals, deep connections with animals, their own quest for beauty in the ocean, the urban reality of daily life and artistic vision. The picture of a queer guide, with all their energy.
About
Iker Nafta works as a holistic therapist, offering his offering his own program, which includes psycho-, energetic- and body therapy and spirituality. He uses the pronouns he, she & they.
Yves Drieghe, next to being a photographer, runs a guesthouse on a regenerative farm. He welcomes artists and activists in residence, tourists and rescue animals.
Bert Pieters, the author of the text, is a vegan chef and regenerative farmer.
They live together on a small farm in Lanzarote, sharing common ground.
