Female

62

Yellow Cosmic Seed (or sometimes Purple Dragon)
Born Michelle K. Berg, eldest of seven. Norwegian father, farmer and chemist, and mother, Marjorie Ruth Livingston(e), artist and mother, part of the Gardnerian Holygail Bloodline. We lived with her mother, Ruth Nye, and father, Chas Livingston, were part of a secret order, Freemasons and Eastern Star. In a sense I am the daughter of these.....although my grandparents died while I was still young. Finding my insanity, reclaiming my inner vision, and learning through a 'spiritual emergence' (term coined by Stan Grof): I have claimed my own identity. My father's mother's name Gardner was very important in my psycho'spiritual opening,though my Grandmother was in a mental hospital for many years. Through my own emergence, I became an actual gardner, which healed my spirit, and gave creative stabilty and revenue. I learned as I went, finding the knowing about it there in my hands, a true Druid. Many visions came, and guidance. My astrology: five signs in Virgo (including asc. and sun), moon in Capricorn. Virgo=prudence, coitus, healing.
After studying mathematics at Los Gatos High School, I became an art student at SJState. I left before I graduated, joined the Ren Fair reading tarot, later (1991) to finish my education at New College of Calif. I had a spiritual emergence at age 20 after my mother died, healing a Jewish pastlife through the veils, and found others on the path doing the same. Fragmented, yoga and gardening put me back together, but left me open to understand transpersonal experience. I began the practice of yoga at 17, and found my first teacher while in college. In 1969, I received my first contact then with JJ Hurtak, who channeled the transmission of the 'Keys of Enoch' (affs@affs.org), sacred order of Melkizadek. Later in 1980, received another transmission, and again in 1998 at the Berkeley Psychic Center, and 2005. I started reading Egyptian Tarot cards in 1970, given to me by sweetheart and sage, Jerome Ware, whose mother Marie was a part of Omega Fellowship, started by Jack Swartz.. This which eventually led me to the Temple of Isis (Isis@isisoasis.org), and metaphysics. Through divine guidance and dreams, I arrived at Harbin Hot Springs. Ishvara became my tantric partner, and I started teaching yoga in Middletown in 1974. In 1975 I co-founded Heart Consciousness Church, owner operator of Harbin Hot Springs, of which I am minister and preistess. Together we all started an intentional community--I painted the first entrance sign, and went on to become Beautification Coordinator. I went to my first rainbow gathering in 1974 on Mt. Shasta. I conceived my child at a rainbow gathering with Zev Levy. In 1977, I birthed my daughter , Grace Anandi Heart, at home at Harbin Hot Springs. Through of the study of Kaballah, Divine mother revealed herself to me, and I was given my name. With my Rainbow sisters, including Devorah Kaufman ( --rainbow tiedie artist), we brought the consciousness of Goddess to Harbin. With venus on my ascendent in Virgo, I also work as an artist-- florist, model, and art therapist.

In 1976...through the " Ken Keyes Experience" I learned about higher consciousness, psychological catharsis, affirmations, and surrender. This work allowed me to open and understand my cultural conditioning, along with my community friends at Harbin. It was then Ish and I met Baba Hari Das as well....and became interested in Yogesvarmuni (Charles Berner) and Kripalu. I organized the position of Beautification Coordinator at Harbin Hot Springs in 1980, and served as director and president of HCC between 1975-1983. I took my first massage class with Vasanthi Devi at Harbin, and was later certified by Acupressure Institute.. Vasanthi and I studied with Rosemary Gladstar at her School of Herbal Studies with her daughter, Sage , who attended the birth of my daughter, Grace Anandi. Rod Johnson (director and VP of HCC) and I, along with the All One Family, a splinter group of the Rainbow Tribe, created what is now seen as the Medicine Wheel (perfected by Grandpa Roberts and community) and received an token of honorary minister in the All One Family Church. The Medicine Wheel was later named by Ancient Ways (of which I received training from the Wiccan Order of Niroogd) as the Grandmother's Circle. I have attended many circles there since with Anne Prehn, current high preistess, and Lorindra Moonstar, native grandmother.

In 1979, David Purseglove and I became involved with the' Aurora House' project at Harbin, through the Spiritual Emergence Network, then based at Esalen Institute. I started the practice of Holotropic Breathwork, created by the Grofs at Esalen, along with David (Shift Happening) and Renee Abouef, who became one of my dearest friends. Renee is a French psychotherapist coming through Esalen Institute, affiliated with Spiritual Emergency Center. Renee later joined the 'red road,' and started the practice of native American religion at Harbin, still singing native songs to folks at Harbin.

Planting seeds at a sisterhood ritual with Ariadne in 1985 by the Medicine Wheel to 'bring the Goddess to Harbin,'" the COG (Covenant of the Goddess) mysteriously held their annual event the next year, which evolved to become Ancient Ways annual gathering. Many incredible mentors appeared here, including: Sean Blackwolf on Runes; DKubrin @ the war against the earth; Jim Duran, linguist at Stanford Univ. on the Sidhe, Devorah Kaufman, on sacred dance, Z. Budapest on Wicca, and Lady Sara Merlin on the 'lightness of being' , Starhawk--spiral dance, Devorah Kaufman---Rainbow Goddess tiedie clothing. Great folks!

In 1985 I moved to Walnut Creek, to raise my daughter, and attended New College of Calif, graduating in 1991 with a degree in Women's Studies/Feminist Object Releations Theory. I then had a landscaping service and partnership with Walter Rogers (also attending New College), worked as a property manager, and also a florist at this time. I received a massage certificate at the Acupressure Institute in 1988 after which I attended JFK UNIversity receiving a diploma in Holistic Studies/Transpersonal Psych in 1996. In 1987, Walter and I became members of the Agent Orange Project, working with Clark Smith, professor at Berkeley University, against Monsanto to save the environment.
In 1990 a class action suit was filed against Dow Chemical using data compiled by the Agent Orange project and put onto disk by two guys from Apple Computer. They won........over several million.

I have been blessed with many talented mentors of which Mai-lai Farrell is one. I assisted Ma'lai Farrell at Backcare Physical Therapy for (1990-6)six years, while apprenticing with Nancy Keng, her ass't, for the Sui-Keng technique. I also trainied in Cranialsacral therapy, Feldenkrais movement therapy, and other physical therapy modalities. The last eight years, I have had a close association with friend/mentor Barry Barnett, learning deep tissue bodywork. We both have been active in promoting the use of herbal healing, supporting local doctors.

In 1994, I started drumming, joined with the Drums of Orpheus, led by Bruce Silverman, devotee of Hermes. We performed Rumi poetry at festivals, and I danced my heart out at a 4th of July parade in Bolinas with these wonderful folks. We sang to Yemana, by the ocean.......opened our minds and hearts, sharing Her inspiritus.

During my practice of yoga in 1976, I was initiated into a Kundalini order created by Kripalu, with Madasudandasji and Yogeswarmuni. I started the practice Sahaj Yog or Surrender Meditation at this time, until 1983. My breathwork therapy evolved from basic yogic pranayama, through the Holotropic version withthe Aurora Center, and then still further with a group of students from JFK Univ. and friends practicing in an eclectic modality group. About 1995, I spearheaded, with a movement called '2nd Chakra' a circle of light workers and bodyworkers connecting with holistic rave parties. We helped to ground and make safe the rave experience.
An offshoot of this became Anon Salon.

I am in gratitude of the Goddess for my bellydance teacher "Leah" in Walnut Creek, wise mathematician. Married and gracefully y active in the bellydance for many years, I watched this 'dance movement' interact with the 'Goddess movement' in the early 1990's. Magic! So many ethnic stories--I hope they were filmed.

Blessings to Sara's son, David, in my recovery, at 'Any'A ' meetings at Harbin in the 90's and all those wonderful Watsu's!

I also want to thank Rory Skuce, owner of Middletown Massage and Herb Collective, for his friendship and guiding light in shamanship in Celtic and Taoist arts, sharing his life path with me as healer and herbalist for seven years.

Blessings to Ishvara, for introducing his form of Taoist gestalt therapy, and his support during Anandi's birth in our home at Harbin Hot Springs.

Special thanks to MaryEl, for her leadership in the 11:11 Dance, her iniation through Watsu therapy, as well as being a swell friend and manager at Cal Spa Hotel, a nice family hotel in Calistoga where I practiced massage therapsy from 1999-2010.

I have been a preistess of Kwan Yin since birth, in recovery through her healing guidance many times. Her flower, the myrtle flower, is seen all over Harbin, planted by early Chinese emigrants. I have led medicine circles in the hot baths periodically, Harbin was called 'Holy Hollow' by locals in the late 1890's: May the Goddess hold you gently in Her hands. I now reside at a Sai-Sho Zenji on Cobb, above Middletown, a Buddhist retreat center.

In 2003, was initiated into the Order of Saraswati at Harbin Hot Springs, by Arpita. I often sing with the Heart Consciousness Choir at Kirtan, where Bhagavan Das sometimes appears, singing to Devi Ma, also known as Ammagi.

In 1995, with Jane Hartley, along with Prema Das, we invoked the Sacred Order of Tara at Harbin as well, restoring balance to the planet. This completed the work initiated by my spiritual counselor and spectral friend Ranjita Koubanec.

Special thanks to Anne Prehn, publisher of Harbin Quarterly, who published several articles written by me, and high preistess of Harbin Hot Springs. These to be shared later.

In 2005 I was ordained in the Temple of Isis, taking communion with Mary Magdalene with the Bay Area Gnostic Order; and again in 2006, when I danced with the preistesses.

1999-present I have been a partner and therapist at the Middletown Massage and Herb Collective (MMHC). I currently reside in N. Califonia, and have a private practice as a somatic bodywork practitioner, holistic advisor, and transpersonal therapist. You can reach me at 707-993-2173 for an appointment.
I am that I am, a thread on the web: Blessed Be, Elo Ma Devi