
My first experience with subtle energy came in the autumn of 1972 in British Columbia. One afternoon as I sat in the sunniest spot in the house, the immense quiet of the land became subtly audible to me. As I listened to it, the hum of it drew my focus to the center of my head, then to the center of my body. I began to feel simultaneously awakened and relaxed. The interior of my body felt remarkably fluid – and if I moved even slightly, streams of sensation and expansion would spiral around my spine. I was filled with an inexplicable vitality. This experience of sitting became a common practice for me for several months.
The following October, I moved to a farm in the far North and there I began a walking practice. As I walked along the lakeshore on our property, I would focus on the interior of my body. One day as I walked with the hum of the silence in me, the voices of the loons, the pulse of the trees, and the whirring wings of the geese resonated within me, as though they were my own breaths. I felt in complete union with the natural world.
It was then, in the deep calm and vitality of this union, that I experienced passing from my physical surroundings. My eyes were open and I was still moving, but everything was gone. A shimmering sea of light had taken its place. I do not know how long I remained in the light – but at some point I realized I could reverse my depth of focus and return to physicality. My first words to myself after this experience were – “The world needs this.”
Within days of my first “light walk” I began to see energy fields (although I did not know what they were). Over the next ten years I discovered the implications of what had happened at the lake. During this period, I trained at the Arica Institute for two years and took numerous courses in esoteric studies. In 1983 I developed a whole body of healing work and energy practices that comprised the core curriculum at the Transformational Healing Institute. I founded this school in Boulder, Colorado and directed it for seven years.
My earliest experiences with energy are important for me to share with you, because they are foundational to my work in subtle energy healing and to my view of energetic practice. Energy awareness and practice are natural to us. They are integral to the expression of our physical-spiritual being and integral to our health, consciousness, and relationship with Earth.
As a complement to the energy work I developed, I continue to study and practice Jin Shin Jyutsu, offering private sessions to my clients. I am also a practicing astrologer and have been since the early 1980s. Astrology provides specific vantage points that are particularly helpful in life transitions and periods of profound transformation.
I live on Whidbey Island in Washington State, where I offer private sessions and conduct individual and group mentorship programs. I also work with clients and students across the U.S. and in Europe. My mentorship coursework for 2020 and 2021 includes Soul Witnessing Practice Facilitator’s Training.