Within a religious view, I have personally journeyed across a continuum from the conservative (some would say fundamental) to the liberal. Presently I find myself in that ever growing demographic, “spiritual but not religious” group. I have, however, maintained the same relentless passion for something divine that I held throughout my childhood.

In my exploration I have found the following tendencies:

When we embark on deep change in our orientation to life, we can suffer a disconnect with those we knew from our previous point of reference. We, by nature of moving into something new, often are uncertain of things. If we are the type of person who defines ourselves by our view of the world and our relationship to it, we might experience a loss of self. Added to this is the conflictual longing for certain aspects of the past, to the point of grieving, while being relieved that we don’t see or do things the same anymore. But perseverance in this journey brings an expanded awareness and ownership of our choices that we never want to relinquish. Your path, of course, will look different, maybe less or more dramatic than my inclinations. It will start from different roots and grow to different skies.

Following are what I consider my “qualifications:”

- Over forty years of spiritual pursuit

- BA in philosophy

- Attended seminary

- Four years of concerted studies and practice in a variety of spiritualities

- Enneagram training with Riso & Hudson

- Certified by the National Enneagram Institute in 2007

- Nine years working in human services

- Eight years teaching in public and private elementary schools

- Trained volunteer in hospice and telephone crisis line work

- Extensive experiences working in both blue- and white-collar jobs

- Poet (& a whole lot of other interesting life affirming activities!)