Much of the standard definitions of a mystic align with my own experience. As its namesake states, a mystic is associated with mystery. And its etymology states, “one who has been initiated”.

My definition: I am someone who accepts mysticism, and I am a person who seeks a direct, personal, and often transformative experience of the divine.

Initially, this was done through meditation and yoga. Later through other paths.

Knowledge transmission is a highly valued skill in nomadic cultures, where the giving of knowledge and wisdom is critical to the survival of people. 

I come from a lineage of culture workers—those who protected others from injustice, like my great grandmother Dorothy who by night helped network pathways of freedom for those in need. Like my mother, who taught science. Like my aunt and uncle who deliver medicine to those in pain and poor health.

I became a teacher, focused on building citizenry for the nation. Then I became a counterculture worker in a desert that abhorred commodification and gave praise to a world based on gift giving. So today I transmit the depths of wisdom and spiritual knowledge that were transferred to me, and I do so ethically and in integrity.

We are not meant for our spirituality to be fucked with, and it has been—too terribly.

I have a mixture of ancestry through my mother and father’s lines.

My mother’s lineage points to present day Mozambique in East Africa and Europe (Atlantic Celtic).

My father’s lineage points to present day England in Europe and North Eastern Africa.

Both lines of my parents also carry Indigenous N. American lines.

The list below crosses many borders. Eastern Mysticism has its roots in modern-day India from Tantric forms of Buddhism which died out there, but which found its way across East Asia, and into Tibet, and is now traversing the globe. These are people I have learned from, whether in person, or through text.

To note and for their privacy, this list does not include the underground guides that I have studied with.

Mysticism and Meditation

Wŏnhyo (원효) / Machig Labdrön / Dajian Huineng (大鑒惠能) / Seongcheol (성철) / Gampopa Sönam Rinchen (སྒམ་པོ་པ་བསོད་ནམས་རིན་ཆེན།) / Daehaeng Kun Sunim (대행) / Ramana Maharshi / Adyashanti / Dr. Christopher Bache

Yoga

Vinyasa doesn’t directly follow lineage, but I provide my instructors and the known broader lineage.

My teachers: Brad Simanski / Alexandra Geringer / Alex Artymiak. The line of study: Patanjali / Sri Krishnamacharya

Cacao

I do not claim ceremonial Cacao lineage in any way, and I do not offer any ceremonies. To read about my introduction to Cacao and chocolate — and those who first taught me of this plant, visit here.

Note: This is not a complete list.

Love
I’m here for the love.
Integrity
Self-betrayal is the worst — and keeping in integrity prevents all of that drama.
Growth
There is callus growth — sorta gross. Then there’s there the life-giving growth. I’m here for the latter.
Authenticity
To be honest, I am feeling into this and my mutable signs make it challenging. But I am definitely making the effort to show up as I am.
Health
I have been called a hypochondriac. Fine, I’ll take it. But good doctors — bless them — know what’s up and will guide you to your best health.
Wisdom
There’s a proverb…something like, “Wisdom cries from the rooftops and no one hear’s her…” Honey, my ears are all open — share your wisdom, let me learn some wisdom. I’m here for the wisdom too.

A quote from an article entitled, The Climate Crisis is a Spiritual Crisis written by -Anna K. Del Castillo and Maya Pace, best sums up how I understand and view the current climate challenge as someone working in spirituality.

“While climate change has material implications, the environmental devastation also has urgent psychological, spiritual, and social implications…1) an increase in climate-related anxiety and PTSD, 2) a rise in the likelihood of armed conflict, and 3) growing suicide rates among farmers. To mitigate these potential outcomes, communities will need to deploy social and spiritual resources to attend to the emotional fallout from ecological devastation, especially for communities of color which climate change disproportionately impacts.”

• Gene Key 64/Virgo Sun, Gemini Rising, Leo Moon/ 1,3 Generator

• In part, I see my work and role here in a hybrid function across multiple mediums. At heart, a storyteller and translator of the mysterious. A bridge.

• I love books. I love learning and helping others to learn too. I have a B.A. in Child Development and Language Study from Southwestern, and an M.Ed. from Vanderbilt in Curriculum Development, and I’ve been creating courses since 2005 - including a course for a National Historic Site in the U.S.

• I began my Eastern mysticism study in South Korea in 2011. In 2013 I expanded this with a RYT® 200 certification. I taught meditation in L.A. and continued in my studies with flora and fauna medicines with medicine women and travels into sacred lands with indigenous peoples and healers.

• I write about my experiences of adventure and psycho-spirituality at Icing On The Cake and I’m a member-contributor in the writer collective, Foster.

• I was born on the ancestral land of the Caddo, Wichita, and Comanche people in present-day Texas. Currently I live on the ancestral land of the Iberians and Celts in present-day Portugal.

• I love chocolate (and commune with it) so much that I attended and completed training with the International Institute of Chocolate and Cacao Tasting. Consuming ethical, slave-free chocolate is very important to me, and this Chocolate Scorecard can help you choose better chocolate too.