My Journey to Temple Sotto Luce …

I created Temple Sotto Luce for many reasons; the first of which is that throughout the start of my own healing journey, I noticed there was something missing in the space: Some practitioners only focused on traditional therapy, others only on metaphysical approaches and spirituality, others on solely somatics, others offering only sound and energy healing, others only psychedelic medicine therapy, and some only integration … but in my exploration and inner work, I didn’t come across a practitioner, or group of practitioners, that put it all together. Furthermore, everywhere I turned, I often came across a narrative that centered around the practitioner as the “healer”. This never resonated with me. I remember thinking to myself, “Aren’t we all healers, because we each are fully capable of, and responsible for, our own individual healing?”

As I continued down my own healing path, doing deep work within my inner landscape, practicing aligning my own psyche-spiritual work with somatic experiencing, trauma resolution, internal parts work, and energetic attunement, my desire to fill this white space grew.

Working with meditation, various therapies, ancient practices, and entheogenic medicines, I was healing more and more pieces of myself, learning more and more about my true self, and gaining more and more clarity about what I wanted to create: A community in which people are empowered to do their own healing. Healing that takes place in safe, facilitated and guided containers, supported by a wide variety of modalities, approaches, wisdom, and tools. A community in which those on their healing path can connect with others, and support each other, and engage in co-regulation - one of the most beautiful gifts of the human experience.

Another piece of the inspiration for the creation of Temple Sotto Luce was my upbringing, and my parents. Though I wasn’t aware of it while growing up, my upbringing was quite unique. I was raised by a mother and father who are, in their own right, quite prolific in the field of psychology, esoterics, psychedelic medicine, and metaphysics. I grew up in an environment in which the words consciousness and metacognition were regular fodder over dinner table conversation. I spent time with the likes of Dr. Leo Zeff (Uncle Leo, as I called him) and Ram Dass as a small girl, but of course had no idea at the time who they were; I simply thought mommy and daddy had interesting friends who talked to me like I was one of the grown-ups. I grew up observing my parents lead practitioner trainings in group therapy, and talk about various therapeutic approaches, from gestalt to rational emotive to art therapy, to name a few. My maternal grandfather, with whom I was very close, was closely involved in esoteric trainings and a follower of Indian philosopher, poet, and maharishi, Sri Aurobindo. To this day, this influences in my own interests and desires to understand the world in which we live (and beyond it).

Furthermore, as a child, I spent a great deal of time in indigenous First Nations communities in which my mother facilitated social care programs, practitioner trainings, and interdenominational consciousness trainings along with tribal leaders. Among these events was one I’ll never forget: The first days of a Sundance ceremony that was held in honor of children by a tribe experiencing a high infant (under age five) mortality rate. It was then I realized that what my “normal” peers were not getting access to with their “mainstream” upbringings was a level of consciousness in regard to all stages of life, including death, and that I had a desire to understand more - not just about the human life, but the life the self, the life of this planet, of the universe, and to connect in community with others who were exploring the same.

Spending so much time in community as a child instilled in me a desire to create something that wasn’t mine, but was ours. I always felt best when I was supporting others and helping them succeed. I knew from a very young age that when I grew up, that’s what I wanted to do … though at the time I didn’t know how it would come to life.

But it wasn’t until decades later, when I truly began to do my own healing work, heal my deep childhood wounds, shine bright lights into the deepest corners of my shadows, and connect in sacred, devotional connection with my path that it all became clear: I was called to create Temple Sotto Luce, and in doing so, to dedicate and devote my life to be of service to the Divine, to the all, to the one. This means that I am forever committed to doing my own inner work, so that I am able to walk the walk, and so that I can always be in pure, unadulterated service to others as they find their own medicine, and become their own healers.

In my life’s work it is my role not to be the healer for anyone else, but always be in service of others on their healing paths, so that we can all stand Sotto Luce, beneath the light, together.