Biography continued
I guess I am a bit of an alchemist - I see beauty everywhere, especially in things that are imperfect, primitive and incomplete. These conditions don't have to be the end, any condition has the potential to be the beginning of something amazing. There is an aesthetic called Wabi Sabi, derived from the Japanese art of appreciating. Wabi stems from the root wa, which means harmony, peace, tranquility and balance. Sabi means “the bloom of time.” Sabi things carry life's burdens with dignity and grace, becoming more interesting and beautiful with the passage of time and use. Together, Wabi Sabi promotes attention, reverence, generosity and respect. As with Wabi Sabi, we too have the potential to become unexpected and beautiful. We must simply awaken to the possibilities.
My interests and experiences have evolved around the field of design where my energy has been focused most of my life. When I graduated from high school, I had also earned enough credit hours of training during my summers to become a licensed cosmetologist and I had ten years of ballet training. In 1968 I left home to study Art at Kent State University. Yes, it was during those times of protest and revolution. I remember watching the Students for a Democratic Society demonstrating just outside the windows of my art classes. That same year I hitchhiked with friends to Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio to learn about the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Transcendental Meditation. I can hardly believe that was over 50 years ago. In the early 70's I moved to California for a couple years, got more training in hair design, hung out in the clubs on the Sunset Strip with musician friends, and then came back to Ohio. I got a job and was given the opportunity to train with some of the best international hair designers in the business. I eventually became a National Trainer of Advanced Hair Design for Glemby International. Those were exciting times with the introduction of precision hair cutting and blow dryers but the lifestyle came with a price. By 1983, I'd had enough of living on the edge and made some life changing decisions. I walked away from everything that no longer served me - my career, drinking, late nights, and relationships. I was not the master of my life, my life was ruling me. I was depressed, wounded and disconnected. I had done a lot, seen a lot and lost a lot. But what seemed to be the dark night of the soul eventually became the dawn of another way of life. It was not easy to go against social habits and patterns, but as hard as it was, it has been and continues to be worth it. I enrolled in a private interior design school, graduated and began working as a designer. Parallel to this early design work, I trained in Reiki and Vibrational Healing, and studied multiple other healing modalities and nutrition. My own health challenges were the impetus to explore alternative healing practices and eastern medicine and philosophy thereby, informing the work I do today. This includes my design work where I am able to apply what I have learned to enhance the creative outcome. 1993 was another turning point, I met Grethe Fremming and Rolf Havsboel, the Danish founders of a method of specialized energy kinesiology called Transformational Kinesiology. A core component of that work is the 'Ageless Wisdom'; an interest of mine since college. I studied and co-worked with them to fulfill the requirements to become an educator and practitioner of Transformational Kinesiology. This method of specialized kinesiolggy goes beyond the physical and emotional components of healing into the mental and spiritual planes to find the insight needed for transformation..
I founded Still Point Centre in Columbus, Ohio in 2001 where I saw individual clients, facilitated small groups and workshops. I also revised, edited and produced the English speaking version of the Transformational Kinesiology Training Manuals for Polaris International College, Denmark. I served as webmaster for the national website www.TK-USA.com and researched, developed and implemented the use of the principles of the 'Ageless Wisdom' for conscious business practices. 2020 marks 37 years since I took my leap of faith and when I look back it reminds me to keep on keepin' on. Over the years, I have witnessed many remarkable breakthroughs and transformations. I have honed my skills and developed expanded ways of using my knowledge and still continue to be amazed by the human potential. Setting inspired goals, committing to them and finding ways to realize them is alchemy in the truest sense. The best part of all of this is that in the grand scheme of things, I know almost nothing - that means there are more experiments to conduct, adventures to experience and mysteries to solve. Life is beautiful. |