Areas of Focus

Spirit – identifying, exploring, affirming, deepening, evolving, and/or transforming what inspires us and gives us meaning:

Consciousness, Worldviews, Myth, Personal Values, Theories of Development, Self-Compassion; Spirituality; Shamanism and Shamanic Practice; and Divine Feminine and Feminist Spirituality

Purpose – responding to life’s calling(s), facing challenges, gathering resources, drawing upon personal and shared values, and collaborating with compassion to make a positive difference in the world:

Heroine/Hero’s Journey; Imagining Dreams and Visions of a Better World; Empathy, Compassion, and Compassionate Relationships; Facing Life, Wellbeing, and Death; Aging with Consciousness; Exploring Human Potential and the Brain; and Values and Values-Based Transformational Leadership

Community – returning the Treasure, building on collective values, embodying dreams and visions, sharing resources, becoming Global Citizens and Universal Humans, developing as Social Artists, nurturing community(ies), supporting collective empowerment, and activating the Anima Mundi:

Return of the Heroine/Hero; Becoming Global Citizens, Universal Humans, and Social Artists; Compassion for Society and the Environment; Developing Skills to Co-Create and Nurture Compassionate Communities; and Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability

Background

Since the early 1990s, I have felt called to help retrieve spirit, purpose, and community – elements of what I consider the anima mundi, or world soul. This website attempts to explore these elements not only individually, but also as they weave together holistically. I have made these connections myself, but have drawn upon the wisdom, writings, insights, and guidance from many teachers in all realms.

During the Mystery School and Social Artistry trainings I’ve attended, Jean Houston has spoken about the dimensions of ‘I Am’, which I would connect to Spirit; ‘We Are’, which matches my sense of Community; and ‘This is Me’, which parallels my understanding of the unique Purpose or contribution each of us has to make. I think we have nested relationships with ourselves, others, and what we consider our Source.

Jean also has explored the dimensions and levels she has named Physical/Sensory, Historical/Psychological, Mythological/Symbolic, and Spiritual/Mystery. We ‘cook on all our burners’, as Jean says, when we engage our bodies, tune into our life stories and emotions, call upon the myths and symbols that are form a Larger Story we all share, and tap into the ‘juice’ that give us meaning and motivation.

As you explore this website, remember that some of the distinctions have been created to further understanding of individual components as they relate to an integral understanding described by Ken Wilber. Of interest to me here is that Wilber’s model shows the interconnectedness of individual and collective meaning with individual and collective behaviors, processes and systems. I think that is important.

I have tried to integrate in my life and work, but also throughout this website, many of these concepts and models briefly described above. We are individuals, but we are in relationship to others, and we can make a difference in the world. I invite you to reflect on your reaction to that statement and to what it evokes for you not only at this time in your life, but also at this most amazing era in the history of our planet.