InterSpiritual Mentors
Our certified InterSpiritual Mentors are here to help you develop your spiritual path and contemplative practice. Mentoring can include both InterSpiritual Meditation (ISM) and the Mandala Process. You may engage with a mentor individually or along with a practice partner. Here are the steps for engaging with a mentor.
- Become a current member of our online community.
- Review the brief bios of our mentors below to discern the right person for you.
- Request a free intro consultation by sending an introductory email to the mentor of your choice. (Email contacts are listed below.) Include some information about your spiritual and meditation experience.
- Discuss an appropriate donation to the mentor for their time and guidance. A percentage will be shared the mentor with the Spiritual Paths Foundation to help support our work. Although there is no required fee for InterSpiritual Mentoring, $85/per session is not unusual. Your donation will depend on your financial circumstances.
- Set up mentoring time and mode of communication with your mentor.
- Enjoy the mentoring process.
Ed Bastian, PhD, Founder
Email: ed@spiritualpaths.net
InterSpiritual Meditation courses were created by Dr. Ed Bastian and co-led with a team of certified InterSpiritual Mentors. He holds a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies and is the founder and president of Spiritual Paths Foundation. He formulated the 7-step interspiritual meditative process based on his work with over 40 teachers of meditation from the world’s great spiritual and secular traditions. This process is designed to help meditators of all levels to engage in a holistic, integrated, and systematic InterSpiritual Process to find their path, their practices and their answers to their deepest questions. He developed this process through his fifty years of research, study, and teaching, especially during the past twenty years, with over fifty esteemed teachers from Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Taoism, and Native American traditions. He is the award winning co-author of Living Fully Dying Well, author of InterSpiritual Meditation, author of Mandala – Creating an Authentic Spiritual Paths, contributor to Meditations for InterSpiritual Practice, and producer of documentaries on religion for the BBC and PBS. He is the former co-director of the Forum on BioDiversity for the Smithsonian and National Academy of Sciences, teacher of Buddhism and world religions at the Smithsonian, an internet entrepreneur, and translator of Buddhism scriptures from Tibetan into English. He is also a faculty member of Antioch University in Santa Barbara where he teaches courses on Buddhism, Mindfulness Meditation and religion. He has led dozens of retreats and programs at such organizations as the Parliament of World’s Religions, the Chaplaincy Institute, One Spirit Interfaith, CIIS, Omega, Esalen, Hollyhock, La Casa de Maria, Garrison Institute, the Aspen Chapel and the Aspen Institute.
Jeanette Banashak
Jeanette Jeanette Banashak, EdD, PhD is the co-founder and co-director of The Spiritual Guidance Training Institute. She is an interfaith/interspiritual bilingual spiritual director and supervisor who loves to incorporate creativity, ISM, and the mandala into her sessions as well as teachings. Jeanette facilitates ISM and the mandala in various groups and also incorporates them as supports for her own path.
Jeanette is also faculty at Erikson Institute, where she teaches core child development courses and social and emotional learning, and a visiting professor of spiritual direction at the Graduate Theological Foundation. When she’s not facilitating communities of practice, Jeanette is hiking and laughing with her fabulous partner or playing board games and telling stories with friends and family.
Nancy Rushlow Bray
Nancy is an enthusiastic and compassionate champion for the human spirit and contributes her success to her insatiable appetite to engage. Recognizing each person’s inherent worth and appreciating their individuality is her trademark. Nancy is an Emmy award-winning producer and recipient of several Clio Awards for excellence in advertising. She excels in her ability to combine business prowess and the creative experience. She began her career producing visual effects for the acclaimed PBS series Cosmos and continued on as the executive producer/producer for academy-award winner, Robert Blalack, (Star Wars) also becoming the studio’s vice-president of operations & business development.
Nancy has studied meditation and spiritual development for many years with Transcendental Meditation, Self Realization Fellowship and the Spiritual Paths Institute. She strongly values the inclusive nature of the interspiritual teachings, practice and collaboration made available through Spiritual Paths Institute and is pleased to participate as one of the Institute’s certified facilitators and mentors.
Nancy also serves as an education advisor for the Charter For Compassion Education Institute and lives in Orange County, CA.
Fabio Capano
Fabio vive en Uruguay y dedica su vida a ayudar a las personas a hallar sanación principalmente a través de la sanación energética y otras técnicas. Además desde 2015 contribuye como Tutor-Docente con el curso de 2 años de Sanación Energética Argentina. Criado y educado en el cristianismo y en los últimos años ha estado estudiando el camino místico sufí, y halló en la Meditación InterEspiritual los cimientos para profundizar su llamado interespiritual. Fabio desarrolló una exitosa carrera profesional de más de 30 años en la industria farmacéutica donde trabajó por más de 20 años en el laboratorio suizo Boehringer Ingelheim en diferentes posiciones culminando como presidente de los países hispanos de Sud América. Luego dirigió su propio laboratorio farmacéutico y presidió varias cámaras de asociaciones de la industria farmacéutica. Gena Davis
I grew up in Kingsville, a small town in South Texas, where I developed my deep love for desert spirituality. With a graduate degree in business, I worked as a human resources director in the financial services, healthcare, and higher education industries. As I began to explore Christian spirituality, I became a certified Spiritual Director, answered the call to ordained priesthood, and became a Benedictine Oblate in the World Community for Christian Meditation.
Upon ordination and while leading Grace Episcopal in Houston, I began the integration of yoga into my ministry. In 2015, upon receiving my yoga teacher certification, I founded and co-created YogaMass—a blend of yoga, breathwork, meditation and Holy Communion.
Interfaith relations is a key component of my ministry, and when I discovered Interspiritual Meditation, it deeply resonated with my work to integrate yoga, meditation, and respect for people of all faith traditions. ISM is a tool that will help many to integrate the wisdom teachings into their own spirituality and to find their unique styles that deepen their spiritual path. ISM supports my work in helping others discover wholeness within and to discover their true essence and I am honored to be a Facilitator and Mentor of ISM.
Jeffrey Keefer, Ph.D.
Jeffrey is an Educational Consultant and Eco-Mindfulness Guide dedicated to blending academic rigor with practical applications in personal growth. With extensive experience in educational consulting, he offers strategic guidance to higher education institutions and nonprofit organizations, focusing on strategic planning, capacity building, and accreditation processes. Jeffrey reinforces a systematic approach to knowledge development and skill enhancement as a research methodology professor and institutional researcher.
In addition to institutional strategy, Jeffrey is deeply committed to coaching adult doctoral students, aiding them in navigating the complexities of thesis and dissertation completion. This personal mentoring aligns with his vision of applying eco-mindfulness practices in educational and nonprofit settings. This approach fosters individual well-being and promotes a sustainable impact on the community. Jeffrey’s work as a spiritual life advisor at New York University and as a spiritual director in private practice further complement his professional endeavors, offering a balanced perspective that integrates academic pursuits with mindful environmental and personal stewardship.
Jeffrey has a Ph.D. in educational research and graduate degrees in religious studies, English and American literature, business education, and adult learning. He completed a two-year certificate in Spiritual Direction from Cherry Hill Seminary. Jeffrey is an active editor of Wikipedia, enjoys spending time with his two pugs, and celebrates nature through walking parts of the Camino de Santiago in France each summer.
Rev. Judith Liro, MDiv
Email: jliro@swbell.net
Judith is an Episcopal priest called to recreate the Christian church responsive to the sacred feminine, open to the wisdom of earth’s diverse spiritual traditions and the evolving creativity of the universe. Her work centers in deepening spiritual community that is transformative personally and societally. She co-founded and continues to co-lead and teach in The Servant Leadership School of Austin (Texas). She co-founded and leads St. Hildegard’s Community, a contemplative-active faith community. Since 1992 The Servant Leadership School has offered classes and retreats to support participants in seeking what makes them come alive. For twenty years St. Hildegard’s Community has sung justice: celebrating intimate weekly Eucharists with eclectic songs and dancing, with inclusive liturgical language, creative ritual, and thoughtful sermons. The contemplative life is nourished with silent retreats and accountability for spiritual practices. Each person is encouraged to discover his/her own path and serve from the heart. Both St. Hildegard’s and the SLS provide a generous space for those seeking spiritual authenticity and she has mentored those on an interspiritual path for many years.
Judith’s marriage to Joe for more than fifty years, the joy and challenges of being mother and grandmother, and the grief of a stillborn child have been significant for her spiritual life. She did Jungian analysis for many years and dreams are a source of guidance. Centering Prayer, QiGong and yoga are longtime practices that continue. Judith is nourished by the mystics (especially Hildegard and Julian), poets, Celtic spirituality, the wisdom of Thomas Berry and especially by delighting daily in the Earth Community. She is involved in local efforts to address climate change, immigration and racism. She currently serves on the board of Equity for Women in the Church, an ecumenical Christian organization. She is included in two books by Jann Aldredge-Clanton: She Lives: Sophia Wisdom Works in the World and Changing Church: Stories of Liberating Ministers.
Rev. Margaret Northall
Email: margaretnorthall@sbcglobal.net
Margaret Northall is a Registered Nurse, Interfaith Minister and Chaplain and Spiritual Director. Born in South Africa, I learned early on to live in cultural diversity, spiritual diversity and the importance of community. Fueled by creativity, my life has been mixed with a sense of humor, adventure and deepening interfaith spiritual exploration. As an Interfaith Minister and Chaplain, Spiritual Director and Registered Nurse, I find my roleas a healer, through spiritual practices, ritual and ceremonies. As a mystic I engage in writing sacred poetry, soul art and dance, meditation and hiking as I seek Wisdom from the natural world. I draw from several traditions and I believe every spiritual tradition is valid, as well as those with no tradition or spiritual path. In the name of Interfaith Ministry, I am called to conscientiously help others in their awakening journey, communicating with love, compassion and understanding. Spirituality is best expressed for me in the words of Rumi:
“All religions
all this singing
is one song
The differences are just
illusion and vanity…”Mentoring
Juliet Rohde-Brown, Ph.D.
Email: drjrohdebrown@gmail.com
Juliet Rohde-Brown, Ph.D. is the Chair for the Depth Psychology: Integrative Therapy and Healing Practices specialization program at Pacifica Graduate Institute where she has also served, in the past, as Director of Clinical Training for the Clinical program. Prior to this, she held similar core faculty positions for the doctoral program in clinical psychology at Antioch University, Santa Barbara. She has a very small private psychotherapy practice and has been enjoying a separate non-therapy practice as a certified Interspiritual Mentor under the umbrella of the Spiritual Paths Foundation. Her book is entitled Imagine Forgiveness and she has contributed guided visualization CDs and downloads which are available on amazon.com and other venues. She has volunteered with inmates at Corcoran Prison, focusing on facilitating imagery, compassion and somatically based experience, education about trauma, and role-play while her co-facilitator emphasized training in restorative justice practices. She is a past president of Imagery International, an organization that works toward augmenting public perceptions about the value of the imagination in meaning-making and health and which offers continuing education to nurses, psychotherapists, body workers, and those working in inter-spiritual and energy medicine venues. She is also a founding board member of the Sacred Earth Foundation, which invites indigenous elders to share their wisdom with spiritual seekers. She has been engaging in mindfulness meditation practice since the 1990’s and occasionally co-facilitates retreats and workshops that focus on such topics as, but not limited to, forgiveness, imagery, healing, and meditation. She deeply appreciates her participation with the Spiritual Paths Foundation and having the distinction of being among the first cohort certified to function as mentors. In her free time, she enjoys contemplative photography, being in the natural environment, nurturing her relationships, and engaging in all of the art forms, such as writing and singing sacred songs. She shares meditative songs in gatherings for the Interfaith Solidarity and Compassion project which is sponsored by the One Dharma Sangha organization. She lives and works in Carpinteria, CA.
Rev. Tim Sexton
My background includes being an Aerospace Engineer, building and operating a horse boarding stable, driving a truck, and teaching in a private school.
I recently celebrated my 44th anniversary of ordained ministry, having served Episcopal congregations and on Bishop’s Staffs in the Dioceses of Central Florida, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Utah, Olympia, Hawaii, & New Mexico. Over the course of my ordained life I have experienced many of the different contemplative practices. At different times different ones have appealed more to me. After spending a week with Thomas Keating, Centering Prayer became my “go to” practice.
In 2016 I came to The Mandala Center, a retreat center in NE New Mexico, as Director. Shortly after coming here I read an article about InterSpiritual Meditation. I was draw to it first because of the name connections and then more because of the vision and emphasis that Ed Bastian had for what this was becoming. I have taken the InterSpiritual Mandala, InterSpiritual Meditation, and Facilitator Training courses. I have also facilitated a couple of InterSpiritual Meditation weekends at The Mandala Center and have created a Mandala Walk based on the seven steps, with a video of the Mandala Walk. I believe that the InterSpiritual approach is a great way for all who are on, and those who want to be on, a spiritual journey which brings together their own path with the paths of others, both present and past.
I am blessed with a wonderful and supportive wife, 7 children and 11 grandchildren. Life has been and is truly a grand adventure!
David Wali Waugh, RPC
(Registered Professional Counselor)
Email:davewaugh1@gmail.com
David is a Midlife Awakening Specialist, Sufi Healer and has trained in the art of interspiritual guidance. He is the director of Elements Counselling in Courtenay, BC, Canada and Cofounder of The Natural Gifts Society. He has over twenty years training and experience in wholistic development. His private practice includes one-to-one, couple and small group work for people interested in transformation, psychospiritual development and relationship work. His general orientation is to assist people in accessing their inner resources in order to develop more conscious choice in their lives, and thereby foster the potential for growth in their evolution of consciousness. This often unfolds as one develops an aware ego process that leads to greater individuation, while contributing their gifts to their community and the world. He believes that if we want meaningful change to happen in others, we must first learn to practice living the perspective that Gandhi espoused, “becoming the change that we seek in the world.” www.davewaugh.net
Alejandra Warden
Email: essentialoneness@gmail.com
Alejandra Warden is an educator, divine feminine mentor, Sufi guide, and interspiritual director. Author of the interspiritual book, Remembrance, a Vision of the Sacred Feminine and the Renewal of the Earth, and founder of the project Essential Oneness: Feminine Wisdom, her interfaith/interspiritual work is based on her studies with renowned specialists in the areas of meditation, dream analysis, spiritual ecology and personal development, and a series of deep spiritual experiences that began in her youth.
An Argentine American, Alejandra has been working with groups and individuals in various Latin American countries, Spain and the US since 2007. She translated the ISM and Mandala workbooks into Spanish and wrote the prologue for the Spanish edition of the ISM book. She facilitates ISM and Mandala courses and retreats in person and online and serves as a teacher for the facilitator and mentor training programs for Spanish speakers. Alejandra lives with her husband in Washington State and, when not teaching, she loves to travel and learn about the history, art and religion of different cultures from around the world.
Matt Whitney
Matthew Whitney (he/his/him) is a multidisciplinary artist and educator rooted in the Pacific Northwest. He is currently the Creative Director for Spiritual Directors International (SDI), a non-profit member organization of over 6000 spiritual directors and spiritual companions. SDI seeks to cultivate the practices of deep listening and spiritual practices across all faith traditions and spiritual orientations. Matt hosts the SDI podcast, SDI Encounters, which engages in conversations around spiritual direction, contemplative practice, and spiritual care. He also works as a spiritual director and meditation facilitator and is certified by the Spiritual Guidance Training Institute and the Spiritual Paths Foundation. He has given presentations and facilitated group spiritual direction for the Center for Action and Contemplation and the Shift Network. Before joining SDI, he taught studio art and visual culture courses for Northwest University, Seattle Central College, and Seattle Pacific University. He is an avid backpacker and pedestrian, weaving between the spiritual practice of pilgrimage, and the concept of the French flâneur. He lives with his family in Seattle, Washington, USA, and acknowledges that his daily walks occur on the traditional land of Seattle’s first people – the Duwamish Tribe.
Rev. John Wilde
Email: abundancetrek@yahoo.com
Spiritual Practice has been a major focus for as long as I can remember. Although I am a representative of a traditional religious institution, I am very sympathetic to the growing trend of people identifying themselves as spiritual and not religious. But I do see the need to be grounded in a particular wisdom tradition. I continue to appreciate the teachings, the rituals and the relationships which have come through my life-long commitment to Christianity.
Nevertheless, the teachings of other wisdom traditions are very appealing to me and have been for most of my life. You can see this very clearly if you visit the website I have worked on since 1999: www.abundancetrek.com.
Anna Wolfe
I grew up in Illinois, was raised an Episcopalian. Through early travels my mother opened my eyes and heart to learning about and connecting with people of other cultures and religions.
After graduating from Yale, I settled in Washington, D.C. where I worked on Capitol Hill for my Congressman. I began to raise my family in Virginia, and I started to take courses in spiritual subjects, getting an adult education certificate in theological studies from Georgetown University, completing the Education for Ministry program for lay people from the University of the South, and I became a Stephen Minister.
In 1997, I founded a retreat center, the Mandala Center, on the high plains of New Mexico. My family moved to New Mexico, where we lived for about 15 years to serve those who came on retreat. Over the years the Mandala Center has had programs on meditation, yoga, healing, Buddhism, and many of the arts, as well as personal growth. In December of 2023 I gave the Center to the the Charis Foundation for New Monasticism and Interspirituality so that it can continue into the future as a place of retreat, learning and making connections. I now live in Carpinteria, California. On our Center’s 20th anniversary in August of 2017 I learned about InterSpiritual Meditation, and I have practiced this daily ever since. I have taken the ISM course multiple times, and also the Mandala class, often assisting as a resource lead, and I am now certified as both a facilitator and a mentor, and now an instructor.