(970) 880-1640
Positive Intelligenceâ„¢ Relationships
Constantine Dhonau
Publications
Self-Compassion in LGBTQIA+ Individuals
New College of Florida, 2015
A 115-page research study on how levels of self-compassion (Neff, 2003) vary in LGBTQIA+ individuals based on their sexual & gender identity and their involvement with supportive communities.
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Smile
Birdy Magazine, 2017
A flash-fiction story about grieving the loss of a lover through flashbacks to a fatal car accident. Published in Denver's indy art magazine, Birdy.
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Collateral Intentions
2020
A poetic memoir of collected works from more than a decade of writing. A raw exploration of internal darkness and finding strength through vulnerability. Each chapter is divided by individual journals & age, ending with a brief synopsis of backstory to give the works context.
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Dear Feminism
Vines Leaves Press, 2021
Vine Leaves Press is a female collective of internationally-based powerhouses from the U.S., Germany, Greece, England and beyond. SPILL IT! is a monthly opinion column designed to spark debate and conversation, often through some controversial content.
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Getting Younger
The Vessel, Vol. 1: Solitude, 2022
CornDogCactus is an art collective for the positive ripple æffect;
change is slow
slow is steady
steady is fast.
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Blog Posts
Currently Reading
In general, it's a safe bet that books on Daoism and psychology are practically falling off my shelves, but here's some of the latest.
Original Tao
Harold D. Roth
A scholarly text focused on the Nei Yeh (Inward Training). Roth provides an original translation of the Nei Yeh, summarizes the existing literature around it, explores its history, its structure, and demonstrates why it likely predates the Tao Te Ching.
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I picked this up on Russel Kirkland's suggestion in The Enduring Tradition. Does not disappoint. I'm particularly enjoying the breakdown of poetic structure in the Nei Yeh and the Tao Te Ching.
Death: The Final Stage of Growth
The origin story of death psychology from the pioneer, herself. A compilation of death traditions from around the world. A bold call-in of the avoidance with which we tactlessly reproach death in the U.S.
Elizabeth Kübler-Ross
Taoism: The Enduring Tradition
Setting the record straight on the Western view of Daoism and its history. As dense as a collegiate textbook. Russel has a tendency to be wordy to the point of making new ones but he's got some thought-provoking proposals. For the Daoist student who's diving deeper into their studies.
Russel Kirkland
The Tao of Physics
Fritjof Capra
An unexpectedly well-informed and theoretical presentation of how quantum physics supports theories of how Dao manifests in the world. For the Daoist/science nerd. Too woo-woo for school, too school for woo-woo.
The Surrender Experiment
The autobiography of the founder of WebMD. He details how, throughout his life, he experiments with surrendering again and again to the flow of life as a Zen Buddhist. Easy page-turner as a daily reminder that as much as you let go, you will be reciprocally provided for.
Michael A. Singer
A Primer of Jungian Psychology
A telephoned interpretation of Cal Jung's controversial contributions to psychology and metaphysical intergrations. Part of the "Mentor Book" series by the New American Library. Dated? Yes. Satisfying? Also yes.
Calvin S. Hall & Vernon J. Nordby
Quantum Soup
Chunliang Al Huang
Calligraphic exposition with short snippet accompaniment by Daoist & Calligraphy Master, Chungliang Al Huang. After reading The Watercourse Way (wherein Huang collaborated with Alan Watts) and upon encountering this slappable paperback in Powell's in Portland...I had to have it.
Tao Te Ching
Ursula K. Le Guin
Le Guin's own transliteration and interpretation, post-humous reprint. Turns out her father had his own copy of Paul Carus's 1898 Edition, handed down to her. They both marked which chapters they would like read at their funerals.
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Many chapters includes some notes about Le Guin's interpretation or snippet of her life or relationship to that chapter.
Life Changers
These books are milestones or major turning points in my life.
Autobiography of a Yogi
Paramahansa Yogananda
One yogi's life tale of meeting his Master, traveling around the world to meet saints, direct experience with the unseen, and establishing ashrams in the U.S. to bring yoga to the West in the mid 1930's.
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I spent a year and a half reading this book when I was 19. Picking it up, digesting, and returning. It led me to get my first tattoo: a giant Om on my chest. It inspired pieces of my spirituality and fueled my struggle to find meaning.
The Little Book of Changes
Peter Crisp
The first and oldest document of Chinese thought. An oracle over 3,000 years old. I picked this up at the Tattered Cover in Denver, CO on a whim, not realizing it would serve as a powerful guide in times of uncertainty for myself and people I met for years to come.
Tao Te Ching: Pocket Edition
Stephen Mitchell
A pocket-sized text on the art of living. I encountered this ground-breaking booklet one morning while working in the field as a wilderness therapy guide. Since then, I've read those 81 poems hundreds of time in different translations.
The Leader Who is Hardly Known
Stephen Simpson
Designed for outdoor educators with some miles on their packs. This book draws parallels between Outdoor Education & Daoist philosophy. Easily digestile page-turner. Each chapter begins with ancient Chinese folklore told through modern-day stories, then woven into practical lessons and techniques for the field.
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A birthday gift from a lover. Having tread the waters of Dao for several months and trying to keep my head above water toward the end of my guiding career, this text book blew Daoism open for me. I ravenously ordered books from its bibliography.