My primary focus for the last dozen years has been spiritual practice. I have also taught Buddhist meditation and worked as a transpersonal counselor as well as in book publishing — both as an editor and as a book designer — and have taught writing and coached authors. With flamingseed, I hope to bring together my love of books and language with my love of all things transformational and life-giving.
While I’ve drawn spiritual inspiration from many sources, I am grounded in the daily practices of Buddhism. On the advice of Bokar Rinpoche, my study has crossed lineages and my path has been largely intuitive. In 2009 I was authorized to teach in the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism by Lama Palden — my mentor, teacher, and spiritual big sister in San Rafael, who I also apprenticed with in Buddhist-based counseling after completing graduate training in Integral Counseling Psychology.
Other important influences include the writings of the Catholic mystics, as well as vital and humbling transmissions of indigenous wisdom during visits to the Menominee reservation (where my maternal grandmother was born and raised) and from eco-psychologist Leslie Gray, a modern-day shaman with a powerful clarity that continues to inspire me. I’ve also received personal spiritual guidance from the Indian scholar and Tantric Master Kamalakar Mishra of Varanasi, whose depth of practice and sublime teachings on maitri and bodhicitta have touched me deeply.
Traveling has been an important part of my life and I’ve become something of a nomad. I’ve spent a great deal of time in India, first working in the slums of Bombay, then on extended retreat in the Himalayas and finally, leading student groups to Spiritual India and studying sacred chant in Varanasi. Two years ago, I spent the winter in a small Andean village in Ecuador, where I taught meditation and Buddhist compassion practices, and a month in the tropical forests of Costa Rica, where I fell in love with an orphaned howler monkey named Francesca. Last year, I spent nine months in an open-air house in the Balinese countryside outside of Ubud, and now I am back in Ecuador, staying in a little cabin in the Andes just outside of Vilcabamba, connecting with a humble, sane way of life as I dive deeply into spiritual practice, teaching, and my explorations into Writing from the Soul.
If you resonate with what you read on this site and would like to be in touch, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
