Bio

EARLY MEMORIES

My spiritual and artistic journey began on the cusp of adolescence 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 and have studied the Japanese martial art Aikido, Daoist philosophy, Neo-Confucian thought, Shinto, and Zen. I am a passionate explorer of the shaping influence of the Cosmos-connected Deeper Self as it relates to creativity, dreams, inner alchemical growth, shadow work, and spirituality in general.

WAYFARING

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a wayfaring man
the name I would be called by --
first winter drizzle
- Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), Wayfarer, innovator of haiku

While I tend to avoid formal religious affiliation or labels (following in the footsteps of my late teacher), I consider myself a Dōjin, a Wayfarer (a tradition of Nature-oriented creative spirituality hailing from the Far East wherein a person’s spiritual life is characterized by an integrative weave of contemplative practice, connection to landscape, 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.

I studied the Wayfaring Path for a decade with Darion Kuma Gracen (1949-2007), a Wayfarer and well-seasoned teacher, counselor, hillwalker, wilderness guide, and mentor. Her unique approach to spirituality and the work of holding space for each person’s process of endarkenment, 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

Though my spiritual and creative practice is tethered to an East Asian tradition, my ancestry goes back predominantly to Scotland, northern England, and Denmark. I am a descendant of artists, chaplains, cowboys, doctors, educators, midwives, ministers, poets, sheriffs, soldiers, and Scottish knights.

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