Julia Cameron's mentor, Sonia Choquette, had written a book, The Psychic Pathway, for people who wanted a practical and grounded introduction to their intuitive gifts. I found this book by chance in the used book store, and began it. With her guidance and sense of permission, my intuition started to explode. As this was happening I began to be more and more aware of what was going on around me in my relationships.  I came to understand that even though I had created a pretty good life for myself, it wasn't the ultimate, fulfilling life that I really wanted.

And so, everything that didn't help me toward that new life fell away. My husband and I divorced, close friendships that didn't serve fell by the wayside. It must have looked like a complete mess from the outside. From the inside I was doing exactly what I needed to do, and most of the time I felt completely confident in my own internal guide.

Perhaps the most ironic event was returning to work as a scientist. And I was very good at it, and actually quite happy at what I was doing, which was an unexpected surprise. My soon-to-be second husband moved to Texas, and I joined him a few months later. I worked at the University of Texas at Austin for a neuroscientist who studied vision.  I was just about ready to settle into this new life in a new state when my boss decided to move his lab to Pennsylvania.

I was once again comfortably identified with being a scientist, but I had this pull in the creative direction, and no science position at hand to distract me. I still had all of Sonia Choquette's books on my shelf, and I had helped several of my friends attract their ideal mates into their lives using a cominbation of her Your Heart's Desire work and my encouragement. So, I decided that I would explore an intuitive and creative path, and not look for a new research position. The day I turned in my office keys, my boss decided to stay at UT after all. I sometimes think the whole thing was arranged to get me out of the science track again.

But, I was still stuck.  After six months of trying to write, I realized that that just wasn't working, so I set up a reading with Sonia. Her specialty is looking at a person's life or soul path. She told me I should be giving intuitive readings for people, and that while I was well self taught, I needed formal instruction. To me, this was incredibly bad news. I had no plans or intentions of telling anyone publically I was an intuitive.  But, despite my reluctance I studied with Debra Grace, an intuitive and shaman. At the end of my time with her, I looked around for a new career, and that's when I came across the information site on Coaching. How gratified I was to find a career that exactly matched my talents and gifts, one in which intuition is to be trusted and relied upon, but one in which I didn't have to call myself a psychic.

I chose Coach For Life, a spirit based coaching school, because it so well matched my current philosophy, and I knew the people in my class would also be good matches for me. Also, it was one of the schools accredited by the International Coaching Federation, and run by two of the longest standing coaches in coaching. I completed my training, moved back to Portland, and set up my practice. I joined with several other coaches in partnerships. I began teaching workshops on intuition, on attracting a mate , and I absolutely love guiding other's through the Artist's Way , the book that started me on my path to where I am at present.

In 2003 my colleagues and clients began asking for intuitive readings and mentoring and support on the process of opening to our intuitive gifts.  This spiritual opening has challenges on the physical, emotional, psychic, and energetic levels that I had successfully navigated.  While I felt like I was no expert, I did want to encourage and help others through what can be a scary and confusing process.   I began offering Intuitive Readings and Spiritual Crisis Support.  In offering spiritual crisis support I discovered that I had a talent to help people long distance to calm their energy system.  This led to my studying energy medicine and exploring shamanism in depth in 2004.  Somehow along the way I settled into the niche of support person and mentor for those wanting to start their own intuitive based practice, whether it be coaching, spiritual counseling, energywork, or art.  In 2005 I will being offering small workshops and trainings on long distance energywork.

December 2004

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