Frank Inzan Owen, M.A. - Contemplative Soulwork Guide | Contemplative Soulwork with Frank Inzan Owen

FRANK INZAN OWEN

I am a descendant of artists, chaplains, cowboys, country doctors, ministers, poets, and teachers, with ancestral roots that predominantly originate in Scandinavia and Scotland. An active hillwalker and organic gardener, I'm also the author of three books of poetry, The School of Soft-Attention, The Temple of Warm Harmony, and Stirrup of the Sun & Moon.

I earned an M.A. in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology from Naropa University, and pursued post-graduate studies in Jungian Dreambody work, spiritual direction studies, and Spiritually-Integrated Psychotherapy (SIP), a course of study developed by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education. I also studied for a decade with Darion Kuma Gracen (1949-2007), a Wayfarer, educator, counselor, wilderness guide, and mentor.

My Spiritual Journey & Orientation

My spiritual journey began, in earnest, on the threshold between childhood and adolescence, spurred by a series of numinous dreams and synchronicities that initiated a deep search in my life. At that time, my mother (a student of Jungian thought) introduced me to dreamwork, the work of C.G. Jung, and the I Ching (the Dao-and-Nature-inspired Chinese Book of Changes).

Though I was originally raised in a Christian home with two clergy parents, my process of seeking took me away from their faith tradition into a cross-cultural exploration of Nature-oriented spirituality and - eventually - into a deep process of study of traditions and practices originating in East Asia.

By the time I reached my college and graduate school years, this included formal academic studies of Daoist philosophy, Ch'an/Zen, Neo-Confucianism, and Japanese religions in general with the scholar Thomas Kasulis, author of Shinto: The Way Home and Zen Action, Zen Person. During this time, I also embarked upon studies of psychosynthesis and other experiential studies such as training in the Japanese martial art of Aikido.

In time, I would meet my late teacher whose own spirituality and Zen lifestyle was a weave of orientations and practices. Hers was a creative spirituality that drew inspiration from Nature, different approaches to meditation practice, and verses from some of the hermit-poets of the past. My time with Kuma-sensei opened me to a path I came to realize had always been under my feet all along: the Path of the Wayfarers, which weaves together contemplative practice, connecting with Great Nature, and creative expression. I continue to follow this way-within-the-Way today.

In my work with others, I adhere to a transpersonal orientation (we are more than just body and mind), and an interfaith ethic of hospitality (I support each person, whatever their spiritual or religious path).

Archetypally, I see my role as "the hermit at the foot of the mountain" -- one who has had (and continues to have) his own journey, who now holds a lantern of inquiry to support others along their way.