Meet Christian
“The function of freedom is to free someone else.”
- Toni Morrison
I began the study and practice of meditation in 2003 while in college, however my spiritual journey began in earnest 10 years later. While living in San Francisco and working as an attorney, I began to experience a “stuckness”: a series of struggles with depression, anxiety, and addiction that I now recognize as Vairāgya - a general sense of dissatisfaction with the material and a need to find something bigger: a calling to spiritual . This began a period of spiritual seeking which led me to two teachers who changed my life.
The first was Swami Khecarnatha “Nathaji.” Nathaji opened my heart and gave it to God. He introduced me to the Nityananda-Rudrananda lineage, and revealed to me the purpose of my life: to know God in myself and to serve God in others. An authentic Guru relationship defies easy explanation, but it suffices to say he remains a source of limitless divine spiritual energy I am able to draw on if I am able to remain open.
The second was Bronwyn Ayla, a multitalented healer: acupuncturist, herbalist, Reiki master, and Shaman. While I went to Bronwyn for help healing, I found so much more: an example of someone who strives to live her whole life as an expression the oneness that is our truth. Receiving the Wu Wei Reiki Master training and attunement from Bronwyn gave me a way to focus on healing myself and others.
The final ingredient for my present beginning came in the form of three foundation shattering life-shocks. In the spring of 2020, my father passed away unexpectedly, the pandemic began, and I relocated nearly 3000 miles away from my spiritual teachers and community. This led to an incredible intense 18 month period of suffering, soul-searching, and ultimately surrender, culminating in the decision to commit to this endeavor. When I began planning this new beginning, I wrote the following in my journal, and it seems a fit way to conclude:
Awakening to the bliss of the Self, experiencing grace, growing faith, witnessing healing: these are a few of the treasures I have received on this journey. What better work could there be for me than sharing this awakening with others?