Noble friendship is the

whole of the holy life.

Upaddha Sutta, Samyutta Nikaya

(Discourse on the Holy Life)

EARLY MEMORIES

My spiritual journey began on the cusp of my childhood and adolescent years when I experienced a numinous dream. The dream sparked a deep search in me to understand more about consciousness and the multidimensional nature of reality.

Soon after, I had my first exposure to Jungian thought (including the concept of Synchronicity and the practice of dreamwork) and to the ancient Chinese text known as the Yi Jing (I Ching, The Book of Changes), which I have been working with ever since.

Since that time, I have been a devotee of Nature-connection and have trained as a practitioner of different forms of contemplative practice (e.g. Aikido, Zen meditation, etc.). I am a passionate explorer of the shaping influence of the Deep Self as it relates to creativity, dreams, inner growth, and spirituality.

WAYFARING

a wayfaring man

the name I would be

called by --

first winter drizzle

- Matsuo Basho (1644-1694)

While I tend to avoid formal religious affiliation or narrow labels (following in the footsteps of my late teacher), I consider myself a Dōjin, a Wayfarer, in a tradition hailing from the Far East. In this Way, a person's path is characterized by an integrative weave of contemplative practice, connection to Nature, and creative expression through the vehicle of the arts. While this is my own particular "spiritual footing," so to speak, I have also studied comparative religions academically and have an interfaith respect for other people and the path they walk.

I studied the Wayfaring Path specifically for a decade with Darion Kuma Gracen (1949-2007), a Wayfarer, a well-seasoned teacher, counselor, hillwalker, wilderness guide, and mentor. Her unique approach to spirituality and the psychospiritual work of holding space for each person's process of illumination and individuation (whatever their background might be) continues to shape my life, my Path, and my work with others.

My Wayfarer name, Inzan (en'zahn), combines two Japanese kanji or characters: 隠 ("hidden") + 山 ("mountain").

TRAINING IN COUNSELING

I earned a Master of Arts in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology from Naropa University in the mid-90s with a focus in Jungian Psychology. Additionally, I pursued post-graduate studies in Dreambody work, spiritual direction, and spiritually-integrated psychotherapy (SIP), a year-long course of study developed by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE).

ANCESTORS & LIVING IN AN ANCIENT SPIRIT-LAND

I am a descendant of artists, chaplains, cowboys, doctors, educators, midwives, ministers, poets, sheriffs, soldiers, and Scottish knights. My ancestry goes back predominantly to Scotland, northern England, and Denmark, with other ancestral lines hailing from Brittany, Cornwall, Ireland, Orkney, Scandinavia (Norway), and Wales.

I live within the Appalachian Piedmont of north-central Georgia, original home of the Cherokee, Muskogee, and Yuchi peoples, and am a frequent hillwalker, an apprentice of the seasonal cycles through tending a mid-size organic vegetable garden, and the writings of various Wayfaring poets (and other spiritual ancestors), past and present, are always in my vest pocket.