A turning point came in 1996, when I met Tamara Slayton while searching for a holistic approach to puberty and adolescence to bring to the Seattle Waldorf School and my own middle school students. She was a dynamic and inspiring teacher! The collegial relationship that Tamara and I shared until her death in June 2003 gave me the focus to do this destiny work. Our initial focus was meeting the needs of youth and supporting those adults, parents, teachers and professionals who worked with youth. A collaboration with Tamara, Anne-Marie Fryer and myself as contributor, editor and publisher resulted in the I Find My Star publication in 2003. Creating, self-publishing and teaching the Human Fertility and Middle School Issues curricula was the next step for me. Also, our individual work with the relationship of the physical and spiritual bodies of the feminine naturally led Tamara and I to explore our relationship with death. To work with this theme with another woman was powerful. (See: Products & Publications)
2006
During the second half of this year, two events moved my primary focus on youth to the needs of elders and my future calling. This was the year of my 60th birthday. I wished to mark it in a communal way through a Croning (Crowning) ceremony. (See: Life Celebrations) I began preparation in the summer and asked two close friends and Waldorf teachers to participate, Ann Marie Hahn and Carole Street. In September, Carole suddenly became ill. October brought my Croning and one month later Carole died. She asked me to create and host her memorial service which took place in December. (See: End of Life Services) The process of creating this ceremony and authoring a workbook on Rites of Passage brought me to develop ceremonies to mark seasonal and comological events throughout the year. (See: Lunar and Solar Celebrations)
2010-2017
I completed patient care training with Providence Hospice of Seattle and worked for two years with a hospice team. I became a National Home Funeral Alliance founding member and completed two trainings in the art of caring for our loved ones who have died. Next, I spent one and a half years of study in the Funeral and Social Services programs at the Lake Washington Institute of Technology. I also completed patient care training with Evergreen Hospice and worked for one year with a hospice team. I cared for both my parents in our home and then in assisted living for more than 3 years until their death. (See: End of Life Services)
In 2014, I began distilling my work with astrology, Tarot, and my spiritual path toward a new Tarot deck and a companion work that is rooted in the non-gendered duality of the feminine and the masculine from the point of view of the Goddess. The work is rooted in years of research, meditation, a personal cosmology, and my spiritual practice. Publication forthcoming.
Present
Currently, I mentor and give guidance to teachers, parents and therapists concerned with sexuality and youth when they reach out to me. I continue to support the community and individuals through phone consultations, email, Zoom, and my Products and Publications. Creating and officiating celebrations for life’s transitions continues to be my passion and joy. (See: Life Celebrations)
My husband and I moved to Tucson in the spring of 2019. I was called to work with the Web of Life Church and Quynn Red Mountain to further my spiritual and personal development and to connect to the Animist community. I have led workshops concerning our relationship to death and end of life documents. I enjoy hosting lunar and solar celebrations at full and new moons, solstices, equinoxes, and cross-quarter festivals. All ceremonies are held in a private garden space in southwest Tucson.
I continue writing the work that integrates Astrology, Astronomy and the Tarot, as well as creating and designing a companion deck of Tarot that will supplement the book. This engagement benefits my spiritual and creative growth which I intend to share.
