Born in Canada, I was raised in an environment of the counter-culture movement. In the 1970's, I lived in a meditation centre, which my parents managed, and which was part of a rather large spiritual movement which was based in Poona, India. At the meditation centre, the members were also very strongly influenced by the work which was being popularized and coming out of institutes like Esalen and Naropa. In my younger life, I lived in several different cities and provinces in Canada, as well as in Oregon, U.S.A., but eventually, in the mid-90's I moved to Europe because I became a student of a spiritual teacher who described himself as an energy master, and who worked with the energy of pure consciousness. I was his student for about 20 years. After that time I felt it was necessary to move on. Around this time, as well, I rediscovered my interest in Shaolin Chan, and have been training in the Shaolin arts regularly ever since. My experience of training Shaolin Chan in China was very impactful on my soul.
I have been a student of the Ridhwan School since 2003 when I attended my first retreat with Sandra Maitri, and then a few years later joined Janel Ensler's Diamond Approach Italy group. This has been my home group since 2006. In 2012 I joined the EURISNG Seminary Teacher Training, completed the core training and continue now on to the advanced training as a newly ordained teacher. My contact with the Ridhwan School was deep love at first sight.
Currently, I live in Vienna, Austria, where I settled over 20 years ago. I live with my life partner and have two daughters whom I love immensely.
I have learned deeply about myself, my Soul and the psycho-dynamic history of myself. I have also become conscious of, and objective to, the wounding I experienced in my history. The work of the Diamond Approach has greatly contributed to my healing and to my sense of universal belonging and wholeness as a Human of Being. Most profoundly, I have realised that the learning never stops and the beginning is always present, just as practice and realization never stop, but go on and on. Practice is realization. Realization is practice.
I would like my potential students to know that I am here to serve You wholeheartedly, with the deepest and most respectful compassion, honesty and integrity, to support your inquiry, into yourself, into your Soul as a Human of Being, and into your discovery of Presence and True Nature.
What attracted me was the most profound compassion I had ever experienced. The first few times I attended my ongoing retreat group, the moment I arrived at the venue, I felt: "I can go through anything in this work and I will be safe." And it is true. My life has been an ongoing transformation and unfolding as a result. As many know, the spiritual path is often very difficult and painful, and without the loving compassion that I have experienced from the Diamond Approach logos, from my teachers, from my fellow students in these years, there is hardly any chance I would have had the willingness and capacity to be able to dive into some of the most difficult junctures and experiences True Nature has gifted me with. What also attracted me very much to the Ridhwan work the intelligence of the teaching. I undertand it. I relate to it. The logos is available.
What is most important for people to understand about the Diamond Approach is that it is a gradual path and teaching that really delves deeply into the finest details of the self, Soul and ongoing essential realization. It is not a path where one can hope to somehow quickly bypass or transcend oneself and one's issues and history. Moreover, the Diamond Approach logos forms a coherent and cogent teaching, quite unlike other contemporary spiritual methods and teachers who offer their students nice spiritual experiences, a rather vague and unclear teaching and little understanding. It is also a path of deep and subtle nuances, which does not embrace a typical and traditional teacher/student hierarchy. Finally, while it of course welcomes curiosity shoppers, it really does recognize and support the value of longterm participation in the teaching and a sacred and enduring commitment to oneself and the work.