Michael~

If there was a category for the kind of creature i seem to be i would inevitable eat it. Anything you wanna know about me begins with the basic fact that i am a spiritual animal.

From the outside what you'll see a 30-something caucasian male – but if you get closer you'll discover a much deeper and radical being. i am inquisitive and powerful hominid driven by a curiosity in the nature of all LIFE - in the most inclusive sense of that word.

My intellectual life began at a very young age with darkly themed graphic novels, alternative film & transcendentalist poetry. These initial encounters became mythic explorations of fantastic possibilities.

i went on to read Nietzsche, and then Jung as a freshman in high school – with the result of never really recovered an obligation to the mainstream.

After turning down several sports scholarships, i spent my early twenties on the west coast of Canada exploring entheogens, western philosophy and subversive subculture.

Years later, i entered university for formal studies in Psychology, Religion and Anthropology. It wasn't long into my training, however, before i realized i had developed nothing less than an obsessive interest in PRAXIS – as the explicit application of thought forms to practical human affairs. And although i continue to draw deeply from many different disciplines, perspectives, theories and traditions – I have always maintaining my commitment to praxis.

In university i also began integrating martial arts (traditional karate, jujitsu, muay thai), activism and community service into my Life. Through these explorations in ‘applied humanism' i met many different kinds of ‘wisdom’ teachers.

After many years in academia, i began actively pursuing a career in community development & community-based health projects. During the past several years i have worked with inner city youth, persons affected disability, the mentally ill, the homeless and among First Nations (aboriginal) communities.

i currently work in non-profit health program design & coordination - as a facilitator, counselor and public health consultant; with specializations in youth outreach, aboriginal communities, street subculture, and acquired brain injury. i have enjoyed applying an 'integral approach' to all my community development and counseling work.

i am currently the Executive Director of the Integral Research Group (IRG). The IRG is a non-profit research and development venture. We are still in the early stages of formation and have launched our official public internet platform: the INTEGRAL PRAXIS BLOG. The IRG's focus is on gathering research, developing web presence, increasing organizational capacity and networking with potential partners. We will be launching our first ‘integrally-informed’ local community development project in summer 2010.

Every single day i am reinvigorated by the tragedy, grace and potential of the human condition. during my Life i have had the opportunity to witness the depths of our shared humanity and explore both the most advanced and the most marginalized aspects our civilization. And, honestly, i wouldn't have it any other way.

i firmly believe that all of us are in this kosmic adventure together. And it is only united as a species that we will rise to our challenges and become something more in the midst of a global crisis. i believe that you and i, and we and they, and them, together can find ways to appreciate our differences while strengthening our connections.

And, finally, from just the right angle, i believe that we are all part of the Grand Lila: kosmic dreams of Vishnu; sublime jazz dances of lord Shiva; vibrating, dynamic energies at play in a field of meaning.

Feel free to contact me anytime with questions, comments and/or concerns about OPEN SOURCE INTEGRAL. As the webmaster of this site I want to facilitate growth and sincere dialogue among all our members.

Thank you.

And Please Visit Us At: INTEGRAL PRAXIS