Navigating the Psycho-Spiritual Journey – an introductory essay to my workDimensions – Aspects and Realms of the Human Experience covered in the workModalities – Approaches used in my workServices – A list of specific services available
  . . . the Psycho-Spiritual Journey When exploring foreign countries I have found it common to encounter other travelers, and regardless of our diverse countries of origin, I find that what we have in common stands out—our being sojourners in a distant land. But one important factor has become apparent for me. I’ve found that it is those who have done some traveling inward, those who have dared to know themselves and dared to know something of Spirit that get the most out of visiting distant and foreign lands. It amazes me how relatively few people actually cut loose and go abroad, but even fewer venture inward. I have fo  und that in traveling inward there are, similarly, vast distances and horizons, exotic tastes and wonders,hazards andrewards. And it is such an inner journey that frees us to truly see the world around us. Such are the rewards of venturing forth into living awareness. Markers, Maps, and Guide Books: Explorers have always done their best to consult charts, maps and navigation tools, always valuing the most accurate and comprehensive they could find. Unfortunately, many documents abounded that were vague, incomplete or of questionable authenticity, sometimes  leading to disastrous outcomes. There are uncharted seas and lands enough, so it is wise for us to carefully search for reliable maps. Furthermore, forms of navigational information vary greatly. They can be the simplest signposts, markers or basic compass headings; or they can be elaborate maps with recorded accounts of magnificent detail. They can be full of metaphoric images of serpents and flying dragons, or have the precise measurements of science behind them. Yet each in their way contributes a significant truth. The realm of venturing our inner worlds is no different. Sadly, most of us, whether stranded on the shore or pinned upon the rocks from pounding surf, have been or still are, tangled and bewildered in a morass of poor charts and navigations. These are not healthy and accurate psycho-spiritual landmarks and compasses, but our fear and shame-based conditioning. We certainly don’t want to remain lost or stranded. And we gravely need awareness of expansive and rich destinations so we have something far better to move toward. Finally, we need the tools to point us in the right direction and guide us along the way.  When it comes to the psycho-spiritual there is an enormous range of “maps” and “markers.” Some are as simple as symbols that represent archetypes, meant to remind us and direct our attention. Some are simple descriptions found in chants, rituals and ceremonies. Perhaps next would be the dramas and myths handed down through the generations, often in song or story. And then we have systems reflective of the complexity of reality: whether ancient, in the form of collections of scriptures and religious paths, or the more modern, in the form of philosophies or theories of human health and development. Optimally we can find what’s truthful in the best of each type of markers and maps and create an “integral” navigation system for our journey through the Cosmos, both outer and inner. Many make one of two mistakes. People largely either drift around through life bumbling into things—these are they of which the world’s major religions refer to as living an illusion, asleep, or blind. Sadly, they neither seek out maps and navigators, nor venture into the inner realms on their own to “rediscover” the beautiful islands, coasts, planets and the riches they contain. This includes all those who live compromised lives, settling for just “getting by” through life, no matter how dull, unaware and unrewarding that may be. Often, they defensively ridicule others who have made mistakes or encountered some misfortune in their ventures.  Then there are those who quickly seek out maps, even swear by them, but get lost in them. They never get beyond living their lives vicariously through the maps and travel books. These are the armchair psycho-spiritual travelers who never leave the comfort of their favorite rituals; the dogmatically religious (however severe or subtle); and the “theory-bound,” hiding within the witty reasoning of their ego. No, venturing into and through this life fully with your eyes wide open is not for the faint of heart. But the rewards are beyond measure. And the “treasure maps”—the symbols, the proverbs, the stories, the religious disciplines and the theories of humanity—the best of them—are wise and helpful for our journey. We simply need a healthy relationship to them. Some contemporary “navigators” and “mapmakers” such as David Deida or Ken Wilber serve as examples…and their guidance can be wonderfully liberating.  One can get lost in the Cosmos …and one can get lost in a multitude of maps. Either way, however—no matter how good the “maps,” we eventually have to leave them behind and venture into land and sea, sky and space that is new to each of us. Can you imagine sitting in the driver seat of your car, holding a large, unfolded map in front of you—your whole view obscured by the map—and yet you attempt to drive the car? Yes, it is wise to consult the markers and maps and travel books. But then we have to put them aside, step out and truly live our own lives, take some risks and put up with some of the discomforts of travel in order to truly deepen ourselves psychologically and expand ourselves spiritually. Again, there are contemporary sages that exemplify this “pathless path”—Charles Berner and Eckhart Tolle come to mind. Perhaps the best psycho-spiritual maps indeed show an edge to the world, a place where we either “fall off” or we make a deliberate leap of faith. Because this place is too difficult to sketch it’s often referred to as mystical in nature and, for that matter, those who’ve ventured there have traditionally been called mystics.  To find images of beasts shrouded in fog, or perhaps gargoyles, on the charts at these nether-lands beyond the “known world” is somewhat appropriate as this is where we may encounter the dark night of the soul on our way to the heavenly places. Indeed, the “drop-off” is aptly shown as our usual reliance on thinking, believing and emotional responses become wholly inadequate and must be left behind in order to reach these next realms. All of this is perhaps best summed up by the adage of the raised arm and hand with an extended finger. Many, unwilling to face the pains and responsibilities of life, sucked  on the finger finding infantile comfort. Many others, full of shame and condemnation, used the finger to gouge out their eyes—or the eyes of others. Some even pontificated on the gesture and published all their findings. Nearly all made shrines of the form and worshiped it. And then there were the few who saw the finger for what it was, a marker that pointed beyond itself to the Truth. These were they who vastly appreciated the gift that it was, willingly aligned themselves with it, and left the marker behind as they ventured forth and made contact with God. Living Awareness is both the path and the destination. |
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 I hope you enjoyed the metaphor of exploration and navigation. I find that what people need can be framed as some combination of moving beyond the avoidance to venture—creating a new, curious relationship to fear; letting go of outdated, erroneous, and often contradictory travel plans; attaining new, more accurate navigational aids; and the need to let go of aids altogether and courageously venture forth into full living. The Full Context of Each Person The full context of the individual has to be considered in an integral approach. An integral approach includes an individual’s physical life—especially one’s physiological body, social life—how we “fit” in our human systems, cultural context—our conditioning, and inner life—the individual’s pycho-spiritual realm. All Ways of Knowing All ways of knowing are honored for what they do best: Thinking to analyze the components or seek the logical cause and effect of physical or social systems, Sensing to test the reality of physically-based knowing—such as taste, touch, or even the observations and measurements of science; Emotional Feeling to know more about ourselves—our perceptions of reality, inner beliefs, and personal shadow as we react to life; and Intuiting, in the largest sense, to know beyond all other forms of knowing. Discerning Between Us and Not Us Crucially, we need to discern between us and not us. Conditioning provides us with loads of false identifications that only weigh us down. We’ve clung to identities that we think we’d be worthless or even cease to exist without. Yet psychological health and spiritual realization are about negotiating the path of human development, letting go of something old and moving onto a newer, brighter us. This takes courage and the willingness to face the uncomfortable, but the rewards are beyond description. As we continue to discern between us and not us, we paradoxically realize what is Us. Loss and Change / Pain and Suffering – A Definition of Health It is an age-old understanding that how well someone can negotiate loss or change defines their health. This is demonstrated in a  person’s ability to continue to grow and develop and is essentially one’s relationship to pain. Knowing how to be with the inevitable pain of life and no longer spin it into unnecessary suffering is the key to living well. Sadly, most of us are conditioned to avoid pain rather than see it for the gift it can be. In avoiding it we create our own pathologies and illnesses of every kind. To relate to pain in an ultimately healthy way is to know ourselves to be children of God and that pain is our birthright. Meeting the Shadow In order to get beyond our personal morass we need to understand our conditioning and to willingly seek to understand our own shadow. As “scary” as this is for some, it invariably is revealed to be the “bogyman” we always feared and projected into the dark recesses under our beds at night. It was often something about ourselves that we feared the most and as we regain an appropriate relationship to it we become whole and healed. …and, in the process we relax both our inner-critic and our judgment of others. It is in the harsh separation of good and evil, the over-efforting to “be good,” that we most often create ourselves as monsters. A healthy life, in contrast, is a life lived in love and grace, avoiding dogma and harsh judgments, both of our selves and of those we encounter.  Reactive Emotions vs Spiritual EssencesIn knowing ourselves we need to discern between the reactive-emotions—the fear and anxiety, the anger and irritation, the sadness and despair, and even the happiness and excitement that depend upon conditions around us, versus the spiritual essences—the states of our inner Spirit that are not circumstantially dependent but are wonderfully apparent when we’re not so terribly preoccupied with chasing happiness or defending against some loss. The spiritual essences are captured well in ancient descriptions of bliss or love, and in the ancient Christian description of the “fruit of spirit” as love, joy, peace, kindness, and so on. Entering the Drama of Life Oriented and With Passion This is not to say that a spiritual life is “dead from the neck down.” Images of holy men sitting all day in the lotus position with some soft smile of bliss or cloistered men and women covered head to toe and living in silence is not what’s being endorsed here. To separate ourselves in “retreats” is well and fine, even wise, but continuously separating ourselves from the fullness of life is an outmoded model that is too often only an attempt to cover up and disguise the fearful avoiding of life. It is when we maintain some sense of our truest selves from a spiritual basis that we have a healthier relationship to the inherent drama of life. This is where we become fully whole both interiorly and socially and actually fully reenter such drama with humor and humility. Relationships – Divine Opportunities Relationships to friends, lovers, significant others, family—relationships we really can’t avoid—all create “crucibles” in which the heat and chemistry of passion, conflict, and even the Divine all have opportunity to manifest. Try to avoid some of them as we may, they follow us. Avoid conflict and it only grows. Avoiding merely creates more avoiding until the weight is too great and we either manifest symptoms or we have to face the inevitable only to find that there always was a beautiful, divinely ordained opportunity of grace contained within each interaction. Yes, of course, some people have to be avoided and some relationships have to end. But not out of emotional avoidance. It is only when we face our fears and pain that we can either join another in harmony or create the healthiest of boundaries. Any other lesser boundary will carry with it something toxic—for us as well as for them. I hope this begins to illuminate much of the areas within which I work. What follows is a brief attempt to describe the modalities of the work. Of course, every modality is adapted to each and every individual, couple, or group. |
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 Unique Response to Both the Personality and the TranscendentThere is no assumed, set manor in which to start. Whether working with an individual, couple or group on an intuitive level, being with who they are and what is “up” for them in the moment carries a certain amount of value. Both the story someone has and what is beyond their story is important. What you need to know is that I will be present to the best of my ability to grasp and know you—both your personality and its identities and the ultimate You that is your undying spiritual being. Each individual is seen in their wholeness—as a spiritual being making a unique human appearance in body, mind and emotions—within their own particular social context on this planet. While this means there may be a lot to you, it doesn’t mean waiting until the whole story is out to get started. Some of the work starts immediately and the therapeutic relationship develops further over time. Approaching All Aspects of Self Being wholly human means approaching all aspects of self—body, mind, emotion and spirit—with the assumption that “right relationship” between them all leads to health and expansive fullness of life. The work is approached both intuitively, where aspects of self are realigned in “real time” practice, and through insight. This means that insightful teaching is balanced with experiential modalities that may include some form of body-work, emotive work, relationship work and spiritual work. Most likely what serves you will be something that challenges, yet clarifies. The human areas of emotional, relational, romantic sexuality, social, career, spiritual and other realms are available to be addressed. Insight Teaching, Body Work, Emotive Work, Spiritual Work The various aspects are here, briefly described. In practice they likely would be combined… 
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One-on-One Work Personal Psycho-spiritual Guidance. One-on-one work addressing some combination of a “presenting problem,” personal growth, or spiritual practice.  Relationship Work While often pertaining to committed couples, this can include other combinations of family members (whole families or mother/daughter dyads, for example) or even friends or coworkers. Group Teachings and Various Workshops Group Work takes numerous forms and schedules, including retreats. Information on specific upcoming events will be posted.
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Enlightment Intensives 
