My Spiritual Path
I am a Zen Punk Buddhist, a student of A Course in Miracles,
and a recovering alcoholic (since 1996). My spiritual path incorporates ancient
practical wisdom (compassion, forgiveness, acceptance, mindfulness) with a
rebellious, question-everything, punk attitude.
In the past, I was Irish Catholic then later a born-again Christian. I also spent a year studying Wicca. My path now is less about belonging to a particular religion and more about understanding the dynamics of spirit; that is, discovering what blocks the experience of love, peace and joy and learning how to remove these blocks. I'm not in it for the money. I'm just paying it forward, as they say. I am alive because of the generosity of strangers. I'm passing on their experience, strength and hope.
Other Weird Stuff About Me
- Dharmashanti
is my middle name. The Sanskrit word Dharma can mean many things but I
take it to mean the "Divine Law of the Universe". Shanti is the
Sanskrit word for "inner peace".
- Several years ago, I donated
my right kidney to a stranger, making me the first in Arizona to do so
and one of the first in the country. What? I had two, she had none. You
do the math!
- I used to teach free MS Word and Excel classes to women who were trying to turn their lives around.
- I designed the website (for free) for the Uganda Community School Project, a grassroots non-profit organization started by my mentor Kaay Grosso. Please check them out!
- I am the survivor of two suicide attempts. Yeah, I'm too stupid to die! Thank my Higher Power!
- When I was in my mid-20's, I was gang-raped by three guys. It was an awful experience that I now use to teach others about the power of forgiveness. Think about it.
- I've been in a healthy, loving relationship for about a decade.
- We have three cats living in our house. The youngest we
found abandoned when she was a day old (with the umbilical cord still
attached). We had to bottle feed her and help her pee and poop round
the clock for several weeks. And she is as wild as I am!
- I'm a gender-queer dyke. What does that mean? I'm
physically female, genetically male, and I play with gender like it's
the silly social construct that it is. Oh, and my partner is female.
- I have lived as a lesbian, a gay man, a straight chick and a straight dude, not necessarily in that order.
- Currently,
I have 4 tattoos; an abstract butterfly on my upper right arm, a blue
crescent on my forehead, a labrys (double-headed battle axe) on my
ankle, and a rainbow double-female symbol on my shoulder. More on the
way!
- In November 2007, I became a NaNoWriMo winner by writing a 50,000+ word novel in 30 days.
- I used to be a silversmith. That's right! I was a girl with a torch! Scary!!!!
- As a teenager, I once solved the Rubik's Cube in 23 seconds. That's what kids with no social life do!
- I can recite the phonetic alphabet that the military uses (i.e. Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, etc.).
- I'm such a bad cook that I have to look up the recipe for toast. It doesn't help that I have almost no sense of smell.
- I have never been able to blow a bubble with bubble gum.
- Politically, I'm an independent. I don't need some party to do my thinking for me or to tell me who to vote for.
My Current Projects
PODCAST/BLOG
- Zen Punk Radio - audio podcast
Growing up, I was always told I had a face for radio, so an audio podcast is a natural for me. After all, I had to find some way to put my broadcasting degree to work. In my usual crazy, yet informative Zen Punk style, I discuss the dynamics of joy and how to make them work in your life.
It's fun and best of all, it's FREE! So SUBSCRIBE already! If you're not sure how, get signed up with iTunes, even if you don't have a iPod or other MP3 player!
- Zen Punk Diary - blog
This is my blog (online journal) that I update whenever I feel guilty about not blogging. Hey! I'm bein' honest here! There's still a lot of interesting stuff here so check it out and add it to your blog aggregator (such as Google Reader).
BOOKS
- Fight the Misery Conspiracy:
Reclaiming Your Right to be Happy
In Fight
the Misery Conspiracy, I offer entertaining,
yet revealing insights into the nature of this pervasively
negative belief system. Drawing on my personal experience
as a recovering alcoholic and codependent, I show how
you can overcome the Misery Conspiracy and reclaim your divine
right to joy, happiness and a profound peace.
"Fight
the Misery Conspiracy was, from the first page to the last, a pure
pleasure to read. Dharmashanti has so many things working in her favor:
a marvelous sense of humor, a unique prose style, a talent for raw
honesty, and best of all, a fascinating life story that she is willing
to mine endlessly for the benefit of her readers."
-- Writer's Digest, Self-Published Book Awards
- Eight Catalysts for Unlocking Happiness, Peace &
Unconditional Love (eBook) - in progress
As
you may recall from 9th Grade Chemistry, a catalyst is something that
triggers a reaction, that gets the ball rolling! In this book, I share
with you the six catalysts for unlocking happiness, peace, and
unconditional love that I talk about in my lecture plus two more! It
doesn't matter who you are or what your religion is, these catalysts
work for everyone!
LECTURES
- Six Catalysts for Unlocking Happiness
As you may recall from 9th Grade Chemistry, a catalyst is something
that triggers a reaction, that gets the ball rolling! In this lecture, I
share with you the six catalysts for unlocking happiness, peace, and
unconditional love! It
doesn't matter who you are or what your religion is, these catalysts
work for everyone!
Currently, I only give this lecture in the metro Phoenix area, but if the money is right, I'm not above crashing your city and bringing it live to the venue of your choice. I may soon put this lecture on CD and have it available for purchase.
Peace out, namaste and rock on!
Dharmashanti
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August 29, 2008 - 09:20 AM