CURRENT MISSION

To connect the world with plant medicines in order to build trust in nature.

ABOUT ME

I live in the rainforest of Peru with my wife, Mariella, where we work with plant medicines and economic development projects. We have worked thoroughly with the great plant teacher ayahuasca, and have a heart based sense of connection with nature and the path of raising consciousness levels.

I moved to Iquitos, Peru with my wife to work on nature conservation and poverty alleviation projects through a director's role with NGO CONAPAC, which I held from 2016-2020. My notable adventure was planting 20,000 native fruit trees in deforested areas owned by rural families, training the families, and then connecting them to fruit markets.

Concentrations:

Social development and conservation in the Peruvian low Amazon basin, Shambhala Buddhist practice, being a loving husband, optimal health with sunfood, building relationships with plants and trees, absorbing the morphic resonant field of esoteric healing modalities.

Exploring how the inherent existence of goodness exists in everyone.

Previously, I taught middle school, studied clinical herbalism, and ran a plant medicine healing center where we offered gentle, natural treatments to those with serious illnesses. This included offering ayahuasca retreats and long term trainings to become a plant medicine healer.

I am a member of the Shambhala Buddhist society, love the dharma very much, and am open to the practices of other lineages and spiritual groups as well. I took refuge in Buddhism with ease in 2004 because the detailed exploration of the mind felt right at home for me. To that degree, the path of recognizing our inherent goodness, sanity, and power is of dear importance to me. Understanding the patterns of the mind allows these qualities to shine.

I studied economics in order to develop my understanding of how a planned social economy could function in a world that places human development and environmental concern as the highest priorities. I yearn for the age when bottom up, participative democracy is powered by member-owned businesses (cooperatives), and empowered by politicians who seek to meet the needs of every cooperative while minimizing competition and regulating prices. Thinking of such community cooperation, of the importance of individuality without individualism, of appreciating cultural norms, of making people excited for their daily activities leaves my eyes wet.

Overall, I strive to love. I don't mean a mere wishy washy emotion that leaves me oblivious to the realities of our world. Indeed, quite the opposite. I mean the spiritual feeling of tender openness that allows us to understand how we are connected to all life and things in this universe. When I am best able to maintain the feeling of awareness of interconnectedness, I am able to most effectively act supportively of all connections that I can foresee.

PHILOSOPHY

Be of service in a way that is sincerely beneficial to all beings including myself.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm an honest face in the crowd committed to giving Couch Surfing a good name. Otherwise, I try to promote Couch Surfing when I run across fellow travelers for the cultural exchange and general international relationship building. The more we know each other, the more we trust the world's inherent goodness.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've been Couch Surfing longer than I have known about this website. I have always encouraged myself to stay open to adventures when they arise. Naturally, that has been bringing me in to the homes of friendly strangers for many years.

Yet now that I have spent 20 months traveling out there, well, all I can say is that I loved the times I was building relationships with the locals and felt like something was missing when I had to stay in hostals.

Interests

Interdependence, Healing, Natural Medicine, Herbalism, Local Currency, Monetary Reform, Cooperatives, Development Economics, Social Economics, Progress of the Soul, Bolivarianism, PROUT, Neo-Humanism, Nutrition, Mindfulness, Dancing, Skiing, 2012, Moral Civilization, Enlightened Society, Tactful Humor, Youth Development, Photography, Meditation, Meditation in action, Connecting with Nature, Staying open enough to recognize the strangers who are already a friend to me.

• meditation
• permaculture
• organic gardening
• socialism
• herbalism
• social entrepreneurship
• sustainable agriculture
• entheogens
• economic development
• economic democracy
• international aid
• enlightened society
• shambhala buddhism

Music, Movies, and Books

Science Set Free, Enders Game Series, Grapes of Wrath, Farenheight 451, Build It Now, Hugo Chavez (Gott), All the Pretty Horses, Stranger in a Strange Land, Primal Leadership.
Musa the Warrior, many more.
I listen to whatever may fit the mood.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Marrying my beautiful wife, the fire of my home, in front of a powerful waterfall, surrounded by forest and friends.

Seeing baby dolphins play in the water in a private reserve in the Peruvian Amazon

Making my own medicine from plants and trees and using it to heal my own chronic ailments.

Going for a one month solitary retreat in the Amazon, and staying to build a healing retreat center.

Moving to New York City without a plan and leaving with a master's degree.

Galloping on an uncontrollable horse with a smooth gait along the beach of a tropical country.

Driving through the mountains of Colorado under a cloudless night sky occasionally lit by passing meteorites.

Living in impoverished, dangerous neighborhoods of Nicaragua, and having a wonderful social experience.

Witnessing the community-focused economic democracy Venezuela strived to build, and learning how the existence of that threatened the US government and oligarchical capitalism.

Other personal websites of mine:

Journal:
http://samericatravels.livejournal.com

Shambhala Buddhism:
http://www.shambhala.org

Working with PROUT in Venezuela to help cooperatives in the country run more efficiently with the intention of encouraging a cooperative, caring, empathetic economy.

Teach, Learn, Share

Discussing mindful lifestyles is delicious. I want to live in a world where we are, to the greatest degree possible, conscientious of how our lifestyles impact the natural environment, other cultures, other classes, our own culture, etc. I therefore constantly strive to value how our world is interconnected. There is no such thing as simply buying a Hot Wheels tricycle from Walmart. There is a world of involvement behind that purchase. And there is a world of pressure behind everything that leads us to making that purchase. Many of these pressures are quite dishonorable. I want honor in my world. I do not want negative manipulation causing everyone to intensely value purchasing stuff. There is so much that we can value about life.

Culture, nature, and the interconnectedness of everything makes our world so profound and gorgeous that it makes my heart burn to think of living in a society where people find contentedness, pleasure, and magic in everyday life. Imagine people encouraging tolerance and understanding, patience, personal awareness, societal awareness, material appreciation, consientious purchasing, conscientious sales, cultural familiarity, and appreciation of exactly where each of us is in any given moment. There are so many reasons for great joy. This joy acknowledged could rip all the despairs which lead to materialism right out from under our noses.

My vision is still developing. But as an open minded idea would remain flexible in order to attend to different times, people, culture, etc, I will never have a complete vision. The best big picture ideas I have been learning of are from PROUT. Check it out on the wikipedia.

I am also interested in learning the information of secret societies that have majorly influenced history, the characteristics of wise femininity, accupressure, and how to establish organizations.

Comfort for everyone, without hurting anyone.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Stories of working in the rainforest

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Israel, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Peru, United States, Venezuela

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