Why did I Create Art of Alchemy?
We are all following the breadcrumbs of our inner guidance to our next truest step. If you have found your way here, you are a likely a fellow seeker and follower of breadcrumbs, trying to follow the voice of your soul/inner guidance, maybe longing for it to be present and alive in your choices, actions, and interactions.
Following breadcrumbs is messy, solitary work. Which is why I created Art of Alchemy. To write about spiritual practice, as inner alchemy and a way to deepen my relationship with myself and the natural world.
Spiritual practice is an art, and yet it also provides valuable structure to support our own transformations. There is a sacred space that is the intersection between the art and structure, the sweet spot that I am trying to bring to my practical daily life, my relationships, my parenting, my work where things flow, where I feel connected to myself and my own inner knowing, where I can breathe deeply and feel my lungs open and my chest relax.
There is something deeply satisfying to me about the power of words to describe, understand, and integrate the nonverbal experiences of the deep inner dives exploring and deepening the relationship I have with the intelligent Divine Love of the lifeforce. That exploration is so BIG and mysterious and unknowable in many ways and yet here we are on Earth trying to figure out how to allow that same energy to transform us and shape the world through us as us. For me writing and the precision of words help make life more manageable and graspable and is a my tangible way to connect and build community with like minded souls.
Being a parent, and a widowed parent, is perhaps my biggest in-the-moment opportunity each day to access my inner guidance, practice the art and discipline of my Daoist education, and above all, consciously create a world in which I listen to and respect each other’s inner guidance. I was not expecting to be a single mom, especially one with such big and seemingly endless grief, who is also trying to figure out how to reorganize myself and hold space for my son and his grief. It fuels my commitment and discipline to joy and play as full body experiences that are as necessary as breathing.
Both single parenting and grief have crystalized for me how valuable and necessary connection and community are in this journey. And are the lens through which I now know the world. I will be writing about both grief and parenting as where I integrate the inner transformation that happen in my spiritual practices.
The Daoist practices are the tools I have used to understand and shape my own journey and what is happening within my inner world. They have been a compass as I find my way back to my own inner guidance when I react to and am triggered by what is happening in the outer world. Daoism is not a religion or a dogma for me, but rather another layer in the foundation of spiritual practices and wisdom that support me in connecting to my own inner home when I am navigating life each day and when I sit alone in the unknown.
You do not have to be Daoist to be a part of this community. You only need to be curious. You may follow another spiritual tradition or no spiritual tradition at all. You are welcome here.
Why Subscribe?
I know you’re bringing your own powerful, insightful life experience into this space. Subscribing to Art of Alchemy isn’t just about receiving content—it’s an invitation to sit together in the tender (and often lonely) places of inner exploration. It’s a space to feel accompanied, witnessed, and supported.
You can subscribe for free and receive access to public posts. Or, if it feels aligned, you can become a paid subscriber and step into a deeper rhythm with me—supporting this sacred space and receiving additional offerings in return.
Paid subscribers receive:
Access to all posts, including the full archive of past writings
The ability to comment and engage in shared reflection
A monthly reflection prompt—a simple thread or question to hold inwardly throughout the month
A monthly guided meditation—rooted in Daoist practice, to support you in returning to your center
Early access and discounts on upcoming courses that offer grounded ways to bring Daoist and Chinese medicine practices into your daily life
Your support makes all of this possible—not just logistically, but energetically. It allows me to continue showing up in this way. And it helps hold this little sanctuary open—for all of us.
Who I am
I am a mom and a widow and also an herbalist, a master of Medical Qi Gong, a Daoist priest. I have been practicing Chinese herbal medicine for over 19 years, Taoist meditation for 16 years, and Chinese energetic medicine for over 10 years, over a decade of which I spent exploring these landscapes with my life partner in many of my grandest adventures, Andres.
Above all, in the quiet moments when the world drops away, I am a human on an inward journey to find tender, spacious, healing after facing hard dark times. And a way to sit in the quiet stillness in acceptance feeling the peace, spaciousness, freedom in the core of my being. What I longed for on the different parts of my own journey was a sacred container to honor my own body wisdom and inner guidance. My years working with plants, practicing Chinese medicine, and exploring Daoist mysticism and inner alchemy practices have been essential elements of my roadmap to connect not simply my own inner guidance but with a spacious Divine intelligence that rests beyond my five senses.
I am honored to share this space with you and to dive in to these unknown waters together.
