Thanks for stopping by and checking out LifeLuster Spiritual Services. Let me tell you a little bit about myself.

I come from a big Italian/Irish Catholic family, and even though my childhood upbringing was "stable," I was a shy and introverted child who was more comfortable playing with my toy dinosaurs or catching lizards than playing ball with the other kids. And ever since I can remember, it was always important to me to be close to God.

For the first 35 years of my life, being close to God involved participation in Christian religious services. Most of the time this meant going to Mass in the Catholic church, but it also included flirtation with evangelical Christianity, Catholic Charismatic prayer groups, and even an African American Church of God in Christ which had amazing gospel music. I led bible studies, played guitar in the choir, and for awhile, was in active discernment to become a Catholic priest.

My relationship with the Divine is always evolving. Over the years I have also found the Divine through nature, participating in Native American sweat lodge ceremonies, shamanism, Taoism, Buddhism, meditation, sacred sexuality/Tantra, Burning Man and Chocolate.

Let me explain: When I saw the film, "Chocolat" on Ash Wednesday, 2000, I recognized part of myself in the character of the town mayor who jealously begrudged his townspeople their love for the new chocolate shop that opened up in the middle of Lent, the traditional time of self-sacrifice for Catholics. The mayor, lonely and heartbroken, finally succumbed to his humanity, broke into the chocolate shop under cover of night, and fell comatose in a crazed orgy of chocolate consumption.

It was Ash Wednesday and I, as a good Catholic, was looking for a way to impress God with suffering. Doing so no longer felt authentic, however. I knew that I must give up Lent for Lent. By nature, I am a perfectionist and therefore very tough on myself. To walk in this new direction – to give up being a renunciate – has brought me incredible peace, joy and fun.

As your companion on the journey, I offer you the same acceptance and unconditional love that I have learned to embrace for myself.

My training includes Contemplative Listening from the Namaste Center in Portland, Co-Counseling, Ipsalu Tantra, Foundation for Shamanic Studies and extensive coursework at Landmark Education. My best training, however, comes from embracing life itself, and looking for the Divine everywhere – in the sand, under the stones, in the water, in the eyes of my companion, and in the crazy things I myself struggle to understand.

I don’t have all the answers, and I never will. We all have our own questions answers to discover or create, anyway. I listen, ask questions, and sometimes offer ideas that I sense might support you in your process.

I look forward to the opportunity to journey with you. Call me at (503) 708-9394 or email al@lifeluster.com to discuss how I can support you.