Where you live: Wasilla, Alaska
What you do as a vocation or avocation?
Writer & editor. Animal communicator & dreamer.
I'm the author of three books: Animal Voices; Animal Voices, Animal Guides; and Shapeshifting with Our Animal Companions. All three are about talking with animals. Really? Can we talk with animals? Yes, that's the hook, but deeper still the books are about connecting in a heartfelt way with nature and our planet, with others -- especially those who think differently than we do -- and, perhaps most challenging, with ourselves.
I'm also the editor of a health & wellness magazine here in Alaska. I love to help new writers find their voice.
And I dream. A lot. I'm fascinated by the stories that come to us in our dreams. A theme throughout my writing -- and my life -- is how we might make better use of all that untapped wisdom.
Your two favorite books:
Only two? The favorites I'm reading right now are The Holy Man/Woman trilogy by Susan Trott, The Secret Teachings of Plants by Stephen Harrod Buhner and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.
Your two favorite songs:
Today my two favorites are k. d. lang's version of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' and 'Peace Train', both the original by Cat Stevens and his newer version as Yusuf Islam.
Why you are interested in spirituality?
I've always been curious why people believe what they believe, and how different cultures use myth/stories to speak about the divine. I think some of the juiciest questions of life arise out of this thing we call spirituality. For me, spirituality holds our greatest fears (death, the unknown) and our greatest longings (love, discovery of self, connection with god/all that is). It shows us where we are, within ourselves and within the world.
Your favorite quote:
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I will meet you there." --Rumi
Your favorite web sites:
ted great talks and "ideas worth spreading"
lumosity fun place to recharge the old brain batteries
betterworldbooks good for readers; good for the earth
amazon helpful place to check out book excerpts
netflix because I can easily watch a film a night
craigslist cool place to sell & buy locally
Your hero:
I think we're all heroes; I think we all have amazing abilities and unique qualities that we have to share with the world. It's inspiring that certain people are willing to take on these projections--the greatest, the fastest, the highest--and reflect that outward, encouraging us to find our own hero within. Right now my heroes are the polar bears. These highly adaptive, intelligent survivors who spend long, dark winters alone on the arctic ice are the ones who shine bright within my dreams.
A spiritual lesson you hope to learn?
Trust, trust, and more trust.
A place in the world where you feel spiritually "connected?"
Near or on water. There is something about water that speaks to me deep inside.
To read more about my books and/or contact me: http://www.animalvoices.net/
