FRANK INZAN OWEN, M.A.

I earned a Master of Arts in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology from Naropa University, with a focus in Jungian Psychology, Ecopsychology, and Gestalt Studies. I also pursued post-graduate studies in Japanese Naikan psychology, Jungian Dreambody work, spiritual direction studies, and Spiritually-Integrated Psychotherapy (SIP), a course of study developed by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education. Though I have facilitated traditional counseling in the past, over time I realized my gift lay more in the domain of supporting high-functioning seekers experiencing the sometimes disorienting process that can accompany spiritual initiation, the creative process, and life-path clarification at midlife.

I am a descendant of artists, chaplains, cowboys, country doctors, ministers, poets, and teachers, a lifetime devotee of what Japanese spiritual tradition refers to as Great Nature (大自然 Daishizen), a longtime student of the Deep Self, an active hillwalker, organic gardener, and author of three books of poetry. I also studied for a decade with Darion Kuma Gracen (1949-2007), a teacher, counselor, wilderness guide, and mentor in the Path of Wayfaring.

My Spiritual Journey to the

Trailhead of the Wayfarers

My spiritual journey began, in earnest, on the threshold between childhood and adolescence. My path was initially 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 Tao-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. In my early teen years I began reading about Japanese Shinto, Taoism, and Zen, and at some point I encountered a quote by the renowned Japanese poet Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) that would deeply influence the trajectory of my path. The quote read: "Seek not the paths of the ancients; seek that which the ancients sought." This, in time, led me into a deep process of experiential study of diverse spiritual traditions and practices that originate in East Asia.

In my college and graduate school years I engaged in formal academic studies of Buddhism, Taoist 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, developmental psychology of the gifted, and other body-based studies such as training in the Japanese martial art of Aikido.

In time, I would meet my late teacher whose own Wayfaring spirituality and Zen lifestyle was a long-simmered brew of various orientations and practices. Hers was a vivacious, creative, and expeditionary wilderness spirituality that drew inspiration (and an adventurous spirit) from Great Nature, multidisciplinary approaches to meditation practice, and the verses of some of the hermit-poets of the past who offer us practice hints for the path.

My time with Kuma-sensei opened me to a path I came to realize had been under my feet all along: the Path of the Wayfarers, which weaves together three facets: connecting with Great Nature, contemplative practice, 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 only body and mind, and we are more than the sum of our parts), and an interfaith ethic of hospitality (I support each person, whatever their spiritual or religious path).

Archetypally speaking, as a Wayfarer, I see my role as "the hermit at the foot of the mountain" -- one who has had (and continues to have) his own journey, but who now holds a lantern of inquiry to support others along their way. In this work, I think of myself as a sendatsu (guide) and I refer to others as "fellow travelers" rather than "patients" or "students." There are no doctors or spiritual gurus here.