I'd
like to share a little about myself. In addition to my education, which
has provided me with unique knowledge and skills, much of my adult life
has been spent inquiring into matters of the Spirit. Since the very
nature of such pursuits is nonlinear, I've needed to find other ways
to share about my journey. Our early conditioning creates the expectation
that our lives will be linear; one thing following another in a logical
and timely fashion. However, once some years have been added to our
experience bank there are so many more dimensions of living and being.
Thank goodness for artistic expression, metaphor, ceremony, ritual.
It creates another way to access parts of ourselves; languages to speak
in, and containers to hold experiences that cannot be described in a
linear way.
A most critical adjunct to my professional background is my personal experience of walking the path of being human. It is from my deep well of life experience, my intuitive abilities, and the application of the principles I have studied in my own life that my real gifts have emerged. I have been an adventurer, seeker of truth, aspiring healer, artist, poet and all around free spirit. I intimately know about the path of healing and awakening and I have a deep compassion for the myriad ways people experience pain, and a confidence in our collective potential for healing.
I earned a Master’s degree in clinical psychology from Antioch University with a specific interest in integrating Eastern and Western psychology, and studying Buddhist psychology. I had the good fortune to be a student of the late Venerable Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Tibetan master and founder of Naropa Institute (now called Naropa University). He also developed the Shambhala Path of the Warrior teachings, which focuses on the simple and profound technique of mindfulness and awareness practice as the basis of a secular path of meditation. My Master’s thesis research was in the area of death, dying and grieving.
My strong interest in healing and knowledge of the inseparable nature of the body/mind continuum led me to study therapeutic bodywork and become a licensed massage therapist. I wanted to facilitate healing from a holistic view of body, mind and spirit and understood that the energy exchange of receiving human touch is an essential part of being human and that working with the medium of the physical body is yet another important way to access the inner world, reduce stress, and release old patterns.
As I continued in my own healing/awakening journey I felt a strong calling to express myself creatively through voice and sound. I moved beyond my own hesitation to study voice and write, and sing. Singing was something I had always loved to do. Now I was combining voice, which allows the expression of the energy of sound moving through the body, with the expression of my personal life experiences through my writing. It was a powerful combination. As a songwriter I composed songs which expressed my own journey of healing and awakening and composed “medicine songs” to support others in their personal empowerment, healing and journey of awakening.
More recently, my appreciation for the beautiful stones of the earth
have captivated me and I love creating pieces of jewelry to adorn, honor,
and empower the wearer. I especially love creating individualized pieces
which have personal meaning for the wearer.
To find out more about this aspect of my work please visit Bodhi Jewels.
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Further reading: