What is Mystery Knowledge?
In practical terms, mystery knowledge can be as simple as having an innate sense that a ginger tea would be good for your stomach ache. Or it can be as dramatic as a sudden spiritual opening that leads to significant changes in your life.
Both of these are examples of knowledge that is connected with an aspect of human experience that I refer to as mystery. The knowledge we come to is immediate; and yet its source and ways of functioning remain mysterious.
In my experience, having a direct connection to mystery brings a sense of purpose, well-being, orientation and adventure to life. I have been blessed to have a connection to mystery for as long as I can remember. I have dedicated large portions of my life to courting and exploring the mysterious aspects of being human.
The following practices are ones that I teach and do. I've found that when you approach the practices with humility, sincerity and humor, the capacity to stay in an honest relationship with the unknown expands and increases.
Buddhism
Buddhism teaches us that it is possible to be free – regardless of the conditions in your life. There is a ground of being that is a stable and reliable base amongst the continual fluctuations in our lives. We are reminded that we can rest. Buddhism also teaches us about compassionate and skillful action in response to suffering.
I've been practicing and teaching Buddhism for almost 20 years and it is the foundation of all my other work. I serve on the Teachers Council at Spirit Rock Meditation Center where I lead intensive retreats.
Celtic Wheel of the Year
Since October 2021, I've been leading a small group on the Solstices, Equinox and Cross Quarter holidays of Imbolc, Beltane, Llamas and Samhain. This is one of my current passion projects.
Each time we meet as a group, we set clear intentions to be of service at this time of great crisis. We are co-learning together what praying and aligning with the earth and cosmic energy cycles reveals. If this resonates with you, I sincerely invite you to join us on the journey. All of the rituals are offered completely as a gift.
Rites of Passage & Initiation
I see all of my work with individuals and organizations as supporting them in rites of passage and initiating them into their next stage of life. As humans, we are constantly in a process of change.
Some changes are sudden and others are more gradual. Sometimes, we find that we have not completed the cycle of change because we are disoriented. Other times, we only complete some of the aspects of what needed to change. These parts are left as voids in our life and there is a feeling of being incomplete, which can make it challenging to advance to the next stage.
Embodiment:
The Body as the Teacher
I am currently in my own deep dive of embodiment. After suffering for years with chronic pain and overriding it, I am now committed to working with deep listening and moving the body as one of my primary practices.
I teach from my direct experience. So as long as I am on this journey, the experience of it will be woven into my writings and teaching.
Daily Practice
One of the best ways to connect with mystery is to have a daily practice. For some people, the discipline of a daily practice comes naturally. They can stick to their practice very easily, for years.
I am not one of those people.
I have to love what I do in order to do it with any consistency. For me, daily practice is an evolving relationship with what is calling my psyche at any given time.
My Offerings
Most of my teachings offer a combination of all these systems and practices as well as the knowledge from the collective liberation work I am deeply immersed in with Nonviolent Global Liberation.
I encourage you to check out my events page and join one of the upcoming offerings, check out my Gift Economics Experiment or select the button to below to listen to recent talks I've done.
