My primary focus for the last 25+ years has been spiritual practice, a form of deep play that draws on Tibetan Buddhism, mystic Christianity and indigenous perspectives.

I have also led retreats and mentored individuals in spirituality, meditation and in writing as a soul practice. With flamingseed, I bring together my love of books and language with my dedication to all that serves to open and transform.

While I’ve drawn spiritual inspiration from many sources, the ground of my practice comes from Buddhism. On the advice of Bokar Rinpoche, my study has crossed lineages and my path has been largely intuitive. I officially entered Buddhism when I took refuge vows with Pema Chödron. After much retreat, practice and study that drew on a variety of Buddhist lineages, I completed an Interlineage Buddhist Teacher Training with Lama Palden Drolma and Sensei Lewis Richmond, and in 2009 was authorized as a Dharma teacher.
​
I’ve also received personal spiritual guidance from the late Indian scholar and Tantric master Kamalakar Mishra, who I met in Varanasi, India, and whose open heart, depth of practice and intimate teachings on love and the immanent nature of the Divine touched me deeply. Other important influences include the writings and practices of the Christian mystics, graduate training in transpersonal psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies (where I received my MA in Integral Counseling Psychology), a deep study of Jungian thought and the work of Marie Louise Von Franz, and transmissions of indigenous wisdom during visits to the Menominee reservation (where my maternal grandmother was born and raised), as well as Bali, Borneo and Peru.

---

​

Traveling has been an important part of my life and I’ve been something of a nomad. I’ve spent a great deal of time in India, first working in the slums of Bombay and then on extended retreat in the Himalayas. Since then, I’ve led student groups to spiritual India, studied sacred chant in Varanasi, taught meditation and spiritual practice in Rishikesh, and gone on solitary retreat and pilgrimage as I'm called. I also spent two winters in a small Andean village in Ecuador, where I taught meditation and Buddhist compassion practices and did solitary retreat in the Andes.

​For a number of years, I spent a good amount of time in Bali, where I introduced Writing from the Soul to visiting and local writers and spent long periods in solitary retreat. After powerful visits to Muara Tae (an indigenous village in Borneo, where I collaborated with elders in an effort to save their rainforest from destruction), a pilgrimage in West Bengal (where I connected with the primordial energy of the divine feminine), and another to St. Francis country in Umbria, Italy followed by a Christian ashram in South India (where I touched into the purest form of the Christian mystical tradition), most recently I found much resonance and depth in Peru, with it's living indigenous traditions and innovative explorations in sacred medicine work for healing and spiritual alignment.

As part of my spiritual work in Peru, ​I spent time learning from a local medicine woman, and also collaborating with consciousness researcher Frank Echenhofer, investigating how various forms of spiritual practice might combine with sacred medicine ceremonies in a way that draws on the best features of both. We are looking at how to refine these methods as tools for healing and spiritual integration that can be used by people of diverse backgrounds. There may be opportunities to engage with us in these cutting-edge explorations, if you are so inclined. 

Since covid entered the scene, I've been in semi-retreat on a wild and windswept peninsula that juts into the Pacific Ocean in Northern California, and my work has moved primarily online for the time being, so be sure and check out my current offerings.

I am available to work with those interested in spiritual mentoring (sliding scale via phone or Zoom to anywhere in the world). These sessions are valuable for those who want to deepen and enliven their spiritual practice, regardless of religious affiliation or lack thereof.  I also mentor writers interested in using writing as a tool of awakening. I periodically teach and lead retreats in writing, spiritual practice and meditation, and write books, poetry and personal essays that focus on the challenge of marrying spirit to earth.  

To get a sense of how I think, browsing the writings on my blog  will give you a taste of my approach to life and spiritual practice. If you resonate with what you read on this site, be sure to keep in touch: sign up for the mailing list for periodic newsletters,  announcements, and a free gift. Thanks for stopping by!