Meaning, purpose, and moving past the ego without religion

I can work with a wide variety of people who eschew organized religion—from the ex-religious to lifelong atheists, agnostics, secular humanists, people who draw from multiple faiths, spiritual but not religious folks, or the curious who don’t know what they believe.

I offer a safe, grounded, inclusive space dedicated to your personal exploration. I’m not antireligious, and don’t advise people away from religion (or toward it); I’m passionate about helping people who feel lost and alone without a single, prescribed spiritual path.

This is not therapy or life coaching. It’s not a set program. It’s a one-on-one partnership led by you. Whether your lens is neuroscience or mysticism, my role is to meet you where you are, listen deeply, and help you uncover and walk your own path toward greater meaning, purpose, and egolessness, in a responsive and nondirective way. Think of me like a spiritual counselor, but for people who don’t have religion—some of my clients may even cringe at  the word "spiritual." 
 

Begin your journey

If you’re ready to learn more, schedule a complimentary exploratory session today.
 

30-min exploratory session - FREE -  BOOK NOW - We'll spend this time learning about each other to see if we're good match.

50-min one on-one guidance session - $75* -[PLEASE NOTE: Many Paths is in its inception phase and cannot yet accept payment. All work will be pro-bono for the time being.] You must book  an exploratory session before starting guidance.

Navigating the human experience

I offer a confidential partnership dedicated to your unique needs. You may have heard of “spiritual direction,” an old practice of walking alongside someone on their spiritual journey. That’s what this is, but since I don’t want to alienate people who want more secular guidance, I call myself a guide. You can call me whatever you want. 
 

I was trained in an “interspiritual” program, which is a jargony way of saying that I learned how to cut through the rigid boundaries of faiths, belief, and non-belief and see the universal human journey that hides behind these worldviews. Since that’s where my focus is, I can talk to anyone about their spiritual life.

People come to this work for many reasons. Your journey is unique, and our conversations will be guided by your background and needs. We’ll explore the questions that matter most to you, such as:

• Why am I here? We can create space to unpack complex feelings about existence, purpose, ethics, and values without the pressure of finding a box for you to fit into.

• How do I navigate the aftershocks of a damaging relationship to religion? We can hold a safe, non-judgmental space for you to unpack past trauma and reclaim your spiritual life after religion.

• I’m feeling drawn to something beyond myself, or a more evolved version of me. How can I get there in a way that feels authentic to me? We can explore how to move beyond an unexamined, ego-centric self to cultivate a deeper sense of purpose and meaning in your life without ever having to explore concepts you don’t believe in.

• I’m not a part of a tradition, or I feel drawn to multiple traditions, and am struggling to find a path or my own practice. I can work with you to uncover both.

• I feel adrift, lost, or a “dark night of the soul.” How can I find my way out of this? While a therapist is the right fit for depression, if your struggle is existential rather than psychological, I can help. You may not believe it, but you probably already know on some level how to walk toward greater meaning, direction, and egolessness. We can work together to help you uncover this path.

This is a nonjudgmental, inclusive partnership. I take seriously the values of respect, confidentiality, and meeting you where you are. Atheists, agnostics, and spiritual seekers of any kind are all welcome here. I even welcome those who do belong to a faith tradition but want to explore their path independent of it.

Begin your journey

If you’re ready to learn more, schedule a complimentary exploratory session today.
 

30-min exploratory session - FREE -  BOOK NOW - We'll spend this time learning about each other to see if we're good match.

50-min one on-one guidance session - $75* - [PLEASE NOTE: Many Paths is in its inception phase and cannot yet accept payment. All work will be pro-bono for the time being.] You must book  an exploratory session before starting guidance.

FAQs

How often would we meet?
We can meet as often as once per week or once per month, or something in between. A minimum of once per month is traditionally recommended for this kind of work, but the choice is yours. 

Your approach can be goal-specific. I can work with you to resolve an issue and then we can part ways, or we can establish an ongoing relationship. You can also come and go as needed. 

How do we meet?
I mostly meet clients remotely over video. If you’re in the Western Massachusetts area, we can arrange to meet in person. I can work over the phone if that’s what you’re most comfortable with. If you’re able to walk outdoors while you talk on the phone, we can both do that in our respective areas, with nature as the stand-in for observing each other. Bottom line: I’m flexible and love variety.

What happens in a session?
It really depends. A lot of what I do is deeply listen and ask questions, and reflect back to you, but this work can veer into unexpected places. You will come to me with an idea of what you want to use a session for, and I will work in support of that. I rely on my intuition and feelings most of the time, so I’m not thinking or overthinking on your behalf. People deal with enough of their own overthinking and need the space to hear their own wisdom. My work is meant to provide you with this space. For the first few sessions, we’ll be getting to know each other; I’ll get to know the edges of your beliefs, so I can communicate to you in your vocabulary. 

How is that you can work with anyone who has any belief? How could that work?
I believe that all faith traditions, all spiritual instincts and practices, and all non-spiritual human exploration that operates from a place of wonder, is essentially the same thing. If this is something you disagree with, we may not be a good fit for each other. But let me explain further.

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A dog sees a tree one way with its different eyes. A cat another. A horse another. A human another. Who is seeing the tree correctly? Of course the answer is none of them.  So then what does a tree really look like? It has no objective “appearance,” yet it surely exists. The way it “appears” depends on the observer.

Whatever this human urge is to make meaning, find purpose, and move beyond the ego, it appears differently to different people all over the world and always has. Some people feel strongly that their journey beyond the ego will lead them to communion with a god. Some believe it will lead them to enlightenment. Others simply long to feel the vastness of the universe inherent in nature, or the infinite universe, or scientific inquiry. What is the real, objective truth then? Which of these people has the right idea? Just like with the tree, the answer is none of them. Because the tree can’t be seen without subjective experience, we have no way of knowing what it “really” is in any kind of universal or objective way. We can’t know what the universal human urge is to pursue meaning, purpose, and egolessness in any kind of objective, universal way, but we know it exists. And given time and space to grow and move beyond our basic needs, all humans seem to want these things—or must reconcile with these things—in one form or another. 

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The subjectivity of much of what we call reality is even validated by quantum physics.

The details of what you believe are important, even vital, to your spiritual progression, but they aren’t as important to my work as they are to your journey. Wars have been fought for millennia over the belief that one group’s details are wrong, offensive, or should be the same as another’s, but this is all nonsense. 

*Do you offer a sliding fee or reduced rates?
If the rate is too high for you, ask me what I can do in our exploratory call. If money is an obstacle, I strongly recommend the Many Paths community as a way of getting peer support for a much lower cost. Learn more here.
 

Begin your journey

If you’re ready to learn more, schedule a complimentary exploratory session today.
 

30-min exploratory session - FREE -  BOOK NOW - We'll spend this time learning about each other to see if we're good match.

50-min one on-one guidance session - $75* - [PLEASE NOTE: Many Paths is in its inception phase and cannot yet accept payment. All work will be pro-bono for the time being.] You must book  an exploratory session before starting guidance.