Who Am I?
I am an everyday mystic, walking in more than one world at a time, a practitioner of word magic, capturing a cascade of vision and subtle knowing, dancing with the intangible and seducing it into form.
I am a cosmic creatrix with a down to earth vibe, a dreamer who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty, and a visionary who joyfully explores the cycles and patterns of nature while finding ways to make them applicable to everyday life.
I am an alchemist, catalyzing transformation in everything I touch, diving into the void, seeing in the dark, and lighting it up with my fiery, rebel heart. I am a seer and truth-teller, at times deeply compassionate, at other times blunt and irreverently inappropriate.
Like so many of us, my tender heart is still healing from the wounds of current life, past life, and ancestral trauma. It takes guts {and hella good boundaries} to walk out into the world and navigate the minefields of shame, blame, and judgment. It takes stamina to maintain the presence of Center in a culture of distraction. It would be much easier to stay small and safe.
But here’s what I know... I am at my best when I:
· express my truth wholeheartedly {knowing it could be different tomorrow}
· laugh at my own bullshit {we’re all human and growth is messy}
· show up authentically {rather than project an image of who I think I should be}
· am self-centered, loving myself in your presence {so you can do the same!}
· have the courage to be disliked {still working on that one. Being over 40 helps!}
I welcome you to join me on this adventure, as I live the passionate, spirit-led life of a wyrdwoman. Walking the edges while also staying grounded, present, and approachable, normalizing what is still considered fringe for so many. I am learning what it means to rewild myself, to remember the magic in my blood and reconnect to the sacred animist practices of my ancestors. And I want to share that with you!
What's my Story?
I grew up in Portland, Oregon, in a family full of artists {painters, writers, performers, and musicians} but I spent most of my childhood believing the gene for creative brilliance must have skipped me. My first attempts at painting were difficult. I had to force myself to spend money on materials, even though I was paralyzed with fear that they would be wasted due to my inexperience. I was regularly disappointed with how little the finished product looked like the vision I had in my head. Everything that was coming out of me in the beginning was regurgitated from others and my soul knew it wasn’t authentic. At the same time, I felt the burning awareness that something powerful and authentic was within me, yearning to get out. I had to be brave enough to make terrible art that I knew was a poor attempt at the brilliance I aspired to, in order to get to the point where creating from my soul became natural.
In 2005, I graduated from East West College of the Healing Arts in Portland, OR and became licensed as a massage therapist. For more about my work in the healing arts, go here. That same year, I completed my training through the Order of the White Moon under the leadership of its original founder, Luna Blanca. I was ordained as a High Priestess and received a license through the Esoteric Theological Seminary to minister to the public. I began my first magic circle with the women in my family shortly after. In 2010, I founded a second women’s circle, and served as their HP for eight years before stepping down. In 2014, I joined with Sisters in Celebration to refresh my skills through their Priestess Path and High Priestess courses, and am a current member in good standing with that organization. I updated my ordination in 2022 through the Universal Life Church. For more about my work as a Priestess, go here.
Spirit brought me my first spontaneous initiatory experience when I was 29. Terrified and unprepared, I resisted the call, and for the most part, went back to my old ways of being. The call came again when I was 32, and this time, major changes were required if I wanted to keep my sanity. I resigned as Creative Director of a healing center that I had co-founded and distanced myself from the New Age community that I’d been a part of for ten years. I wrote a memoir about this time in my life. For more information, go here.
In 2015, At the age of 37, I finally attended my first art class: a five week online course called Bloom True with Flora Bowley. Two years later, I completed a course in shamanic painting, called Visual Quest with Pixie Lighthorse. As a mostly self-taught artist, I figure stuff out as I go along, gather inspiration from many places, and keep things as simple and fun as possible. When I first began to notice that what I was making felt like ME, it was a moment of celebration. It didn’t mean I had mastered my craft. It meant I was ready to really start practicing it. For more about my work as an artist, go here.
