Mythica Community Members
The great treasuries of the world have been preserved most beautifully and most powerfully within art, music and literature. Inside the images, songs and stories of the past are seeds that can ignite our own imaginations, connecting us to both the ancient wisdom of the past and illuminating the latent wisdom that lies within each human heart. Mythica is dedicated to preserving the rich culture which is our human heritage and to passing on a legacy of creativity, contemplation and compassion through our classes, workshops, pilgrimages and community gatherings. Our extended family consists of musicians, mythologists, poets, storytellers, art therapists and ritual leaders and are some of the most inspiring people you'll ever meet. Read about them below and follow their links to discover what they have to offer.
Kayleen Asbo, Ph.D, Artistic/Executive Director holds four advanced degrees in mythology, psychology and music. A professor, lecturer, pianist and composer, Kayleen's greatest passion is inspiring people to find their own inner creativity and greatness through connecting to the masterpieces of music, art and literature. Kayleen is the cultural historian for the Santa Rosa Symphony, a Master Teacher for Veriditas, a lecturer for the San Francisco Opera and the Mendocino Music Festival, and a faculty member of the Osher Lifelong Learning Programs at UC Berkeley, Dominican University and Sonoma State University. Kayleen taught music and psychology at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for 19 years and lectured on courses ranging from the HIstory of Christianity at Pacifica Graduate Institute to Expressive Arts Therapy at Sonoma State University before integrating all of these subjects in her work for Mythica. She has delivered keynote presentation for Humanities West in San Francisco, at the Assisi Institute for Depth Psychology in Italy, at the Oxford University Conference on History, Women and Power, for Jung Centers, seminaries, churches and retreat centers across the world as well as serving as a consultant for myth and ritual for Proctor and Gamble's Clay Street Project.
Kayleen 's first passion was music, and she made her debut at age 12 as a soloist with the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra performing Mozart's Piano Concerto in A Major, K. 414. As a high school student, she studied at the North Carolina School of the Arts and was planning on a life in music when a crippling injury cut short her piano career, leading her to pursue degrees in psychology and literature while at Smith College and Mills College. After recovering the use of her hands, she returned to music, receiving a Master's degree in both piano and Baroque performance Practice from the San Francisco Conservatory, where her principle teachers were Paul Hersh, Mack McCray and Laurette Goldberg and where she was the Music History assistant to Robert Greenberg. The fruits of her work in composition are most abundantly represented in The Passion of Mary Magdalene, a liturgical musical drama she created for the Pacifica Graduate Institute as part of her Ph.D dissertation in the field of Mythological Studies. Kayleen's greatest joy as a musician is in producing and performing musical events with her Mythica colleagues. Here is an interview with Kayleen:
Kayleen 's first passion was music, and she made her debut at age 12 as a soloist with the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra performing Mozart's Piano Concerto in A Major, K. 414. As a high school student, she studied at the North Carolina School of the Arts and was planning on a life in music when a crippling injury cut short her piano career, leading her to pursue degrees in psychology and literature while at Smith College and Mills College. After recovering the use of her hands, she returned to music, receiving a Master's degree in both piano and Baroque performance Practice from the San Francisco Conservatory, where her principle teachers were Paul Hersh, Mack McCray and Laurette Goldberg and where she was the Music History assistant to Robert Greenberg. The fruits of her work in composition are most abundantly represented in The Passion of Mary Magdalene, a liturgical musical drama she created for the Pacifica Graduate Institute as part of her Ph.D dissertation in the field of Mythological Studies. Kayleen's greatest joy as a musician is in producing and performing musical events with her Mythica colleagues. Here is an interview with Kayleen:
Mythica's Alchemy of the Arts Academy
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Nigel Armstrong, violin
As soloist Nigel has performed with orchestras such as the Dusseldorf Symphony, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, YOA Orchestra of the Americas, and the Boston Pops, and with conductors including Sir Neville Marriner and Carlos Miguel Prieto. He received the 2nd Prize, the Ole Bull Prize, and the Nordheim Award at the 2010 Menuhin Competition Senior Division in Oslo, Norway, and got the 4th Prize plus the Prize for the Best Performance of the Commissioned Work (STOMP, by John Corigliano) at the XIV International Tchaikovsky Competition. As a chamber musician his concerts have taken him across the US and abroad--highlights have included opportunities to share the stage with the Tokyo String Quartet and pianist Jonathan Biss.
Nigel feels fortunate to have had the chance to explore great orchestral literature throughout his career. Since 2009 he's appeared as concertmaster with the Colburn Orchestra, LA's American Youth Symphony, the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, YOA Orchestra of the Americas, and the New York String Orchestra in their annual Carnegie hall performances. Beginning in the 2016/17 season he serves as concertmaster of the Santa Cruz Symphony.
A graduate of the Colburn School and the Curtis Institute of Music, Nigel's teachers have included Arnold Steinhardt, Robert Lipsett, Zaven Melikian, and Donald Weilerstein, among others. He also recently had the opportunity to live with and learn from the Plum Village community founded by Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, where he spent a year working on their organic farm and taking part in their daily life, an experience for which he continues to be grateful. You can learn more about Nigel and listen to some of his stirring performances here
Catherine Braslavksy (voice dulcimer and tambour )divides her time between Paris and the San Francisco Bay Area. Trained by the world renowned David Hykes, she travelled around the globe performing in his Harmonic Choir. Deeply steeped in the music of the Middle Ages from Christianity, Islam and Jewish sources, she has recorded eight albums of sacred music ranging from Hildegard von Bingen to Arabic chants and the Cantigas de Santa Maria. Catherine has produced seven theatrical pieces in collaboration with Joseph Rowe that have ben performed in sacred sites around the world including Thoronet Abbey and the Basilica of Mary Magdalene in Vezelay. Catherine has collaborated and performed with artists such as Alain Kremski, Steve Shehan, Marie Christine Barrault, and Yuval Ron, and has composed, produced and recorded several soundtracks for documentary films and French television. Read more and listen to her hypnotic music at http://www.naturalchant.com.
Robin O’Brien, M.M. singer, composer and sound healer, is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music. A massage practitioner for over 20 years, Robin is a Registered Nurse with certification in psychosomatic bodywork. She has recorded several albums of original music, and leads sacred song circles in the North Bay and teaches workshops on writing chants. She has performed for Veriditas at Chartres Cathedral in France, and sings regularly for Yoga on the Labyrinth at Grace Cathedral. She is core staff at the annual Advent retreat at Bishop’s Ranch, where she leads a call and response meditation with the music of Hildegard of Bingen. At her home church; Church of the Incarnation in Santa Rosa, she directs the monthly Taizé program. Robin is an amazing healer of both body and spirit. She can be reached for sessions in singing or bodywork at robinannobrien@comcast.net
Bonnie Brooks, mezzo-soprano, received her Bachelor of Arts in Music from Kenyon College in Ohio and studied voice at the Mozarteum Conservatory of Music in Salzburg, Austria. Moving with ease between the worlds of opera, lieder, musical theater and jazz, she has performed principal roles with Pocket Opera, Cinnabar Opera Company, Northbay Opera, Sonoma City Opera and Redwood Empire Lyric Theater. A member of the San Francisco Opera Chorus for twelve years, she has appeared as a guest soloist with the Sonoma County Bach Choir, Santa Rosa Symphony, Sacramento Metropolitan Orchestra and the Oakland Symphony Chorus, as well as performing in many musical theater performance.Bonnie released her first jazz CD, “You Are The Song In Me.” in 2015.
Bonnie brings music and meditation to homeless centers throughout Sonoma County and is devoted to using music as a vehicle for healing in her own life and the lives of others. Bonnie and Kayleen partnered with poet Larry Robinson to create "Fire in the Ashes", a series of benefit concerts of music and poetry for Sonoma County Fire Victims.
Bonnie brings music and meditation to homeless centers throughout Sonoma County and is devoted to using music as a vehicle for healing in her own life and the lives of others. Bonnie and Kayleen partnered with poet Larry Robinson to create "Fire in the Ashes", a series of benefit concerts of music and poetry for Sonoma County Fire Victims.
Evan Kahn cello
A native to Los Angeles, Evan has performed in concert halls across the globe and in 15 different states. Intensely passionate about new music and music of non-Western cultures, he has premiered over 40 new works for cello or chamber ensemble. A recipient of an instrument grant from the Maestro Foundation, he has the great honor of playing on the foundation’s “Mendelsohn” cello, a 2001 instrument by Mario Miralles named after the foundation’s head, Aaron Mendelsohn. Evan plays with a Paul Martin Siefried bow, also leant to him by Maestro. Evan is a Professional Studies Diploma student at San Francisco Conservatory of Music, studying with Jennifer Culp, and received his BFA at Carnegie Mellon University, studying with David Premo. This summer, he will attend the Piatigorsky Cello Festival as one of 40 international fellows, and will serve in the Orchestral Leadership program at Aspen Music Festival and School.
A native to Los Angeles, Evan has performed in concert halls across the globe and in 15 different states. Intensely passionate about new music and music of non-Western cultures, he has premiered over 40 new works for cello or chamber ensemble. A recipient of an instrument grant from the Maestro Foundation, he has the great honor of playing on the foundation’s “Mendelsohn” cello, a 2001 instrument by Mario Miralles named after the foundation’s head, Aaron Mendelsohn. Evan plays with a Paul Martin Siefried bow, also leant to him by Maestro. Evan is a Professional Studies Diploma student at San Francisco Conservatory of Music, studying with Jennifer Culp, and received his BFA at Carnegie Mellon University, studying with David Premo. This summer, he will attend the Piatigorsky Cello Festival as one of 40 international fellows, and will serve in the Orchestral Leadership program at Aspen Music Festival and School.
Christopher Love, MA, is a devotional singer whose repertoire ranges from Kirtan chants to Lorenna McKinnett songs. He has been a cantor at Grace Cathedral for the Sundays at Six service where he led traditional hymns, Celtic folk music and Taize chants. Christopher brings mind, body and spirit together through his work as a yoga teacher and psychotherapist, appearing regularly with Kayleen Asbo and Robin O'Brien as a trio offering music for Yoga on the Labyrinth, an extraordinary gathering of over 600 seekers of all ages performing yoga in Grace Cathedral. His newest project is directing a weekly program of yoga with live music at St. John's in Ross- you can learn more at www.yogastjohns. Christopher is both yoga teacher and cantor for Mythica's retreats at Bishop's Ranch.
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Sadie Sonntag, mezzo soprano, is a voice teacher and choir director for over 400 students in the Sonoma County community, from Elementary schools through High School. She is also the music director for the Santa Rosa Unitarian Universalist church. Her solo repertoire encompasses everything from Bach to Broadway and even skate punk. She is a singer-songwriter who is passionate about the transformational possibilities of music.
Kyle Craft, violin, is the concertmaster of the Santa Rosa Junior College Orchestra and a member of the Ukiah Symphony. An avid lover of the music of Johann Strauss , Kyle produces regular "Afternoon in Vienna" performances of waltzes for community seniors. |
Art and Ritual
Sue Ellen Parkinson, Expressive Arts and Ritualist
uses painting as a medium for healing, self discovery and community connectedness. Sue Ellen will be the featured soul collage facilitator for Mythica's 2019- 2020 offerings at retreat, pilgrimages and workshops.
You can read more about her and see her icons inspired by the themes of the sacred feminine and mysticism at www.miracleofyourlife.com.
Lea Goode-Harris, Ph.D., a mixed media artist and poet, is the founder of Creative Labyrinths, specializing in labyrinth design, development, site selection, creation, and installations. While pursuing her doctorate in psychology she walked her first labyrinth and the direction of her life was changed forever. She has spent the subsequent years walking, designing and researching labyrinths. She brings her keen observation of human behavior to each project, connecting people to place with her labyrinths. She has created traditional and contemporary labyrinth installations for public and religious organizations, corporations and individuals throughout the United States and internationally. Examples include the copyrighted Santa Rosa Labyrinth and the Snoopy™Labyrinth for the Charles M. Schultz Museum. Lea is the author of A Discovery of Labyrinths and the Ladybug Labyrinth, a book for children (and adults). Her poetry has been published and read at public events. Both in the United States and world-wide, Lea has been invited to give experiential labyrinth talks, classes, and workshops at universities, junior colleges, high schools, and numerous organizations, including the International Labyrinth Society. You can read more about her amazing work at www.creativelabyrinths.com
Brighid Fitzgibbon, Labyrinth Rituals
Brighid is an Advanced Labyrinth Facilitator for Veriditas and has been a circle facilitator for pilgrimage at Chartres two times and she is the coordinator for the Community Labyrinth Walks at St. John's. Episcopal . Brighid was a Waldorf kindergarten teacher for over fifteen years and is now an English and Social Studies teacher. She earned her BA in history from U.C. Santa Cruz, her teaching credentials from San Jose State University and is completing her Master's degree in Humanities at Dominican University , where her thesis will focus on coming of age rituals.
Brighid is an Advanced Labyrinth Facilitator for Veriditas and has been a circle facilitator for pilgrimage at Chartres two times and she is the coordinator for the Community Labyrinth Walks at St. John's. Episcopal . Brighid was a Waldorf kindergarten teacher for over fifteen years and is now an English and Social Studies teacher. She earned her BA in history from U.C. Santa Cruz, her teaching credentials from San Jose State University and is completing her Master's degree in Humanities at Dominican University , where her thesis will focus on coming of age rituals.
Taylor Lampson retired from a long career in business to focus on tending the life of the soul. After apprenticing with Francis Weller and many years as a hospice volunteer , Taylor has become a specialist in Grief Rituals.
Taylor integrates poetry, drumming, somatic practices with deep and compassionate listening in his work as a leader of men's circles and has a deep commitment to i creating intergenerational bridges that bring together the wisdom of the elders with the fire of the youth. . A devoted husband and father of twin college students (one male and one female) He he is committed to fierce and honest exploration of the issues of gender to create circles of healing for both men and women. Taylor has been trained as a Veriditas Labyrinth Facilitator.
Taylor integrates poetry, drumming, somatic practices with deep and compassionate listening in his work as a leader of men's circles and has a deep commitment to i creating intergenerational bridges that bring together the wisdom of the elders with the fire of the youth. . A devoted husband and father of twin college students (one male and one female) He he is committed to fierce and honest exploration of the issues of gender to create circles of healing for both men and women. Taylor has been trained as a Veriditas Labyrinth Facilitator.
Storytellers, Mythologists and Poets
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Doug von Koss
Gifted artist, teacher and performer., Doug spent decades as a costume and set designer for the San Francisco Opera before succumbing to the allure of poetry and storytelling. His great love is to guide community circles through ecstatic and sacred experiences that celebrate the human spirit, drawing upon many of the world’s religious traditions to create with chants and songs a "mosaic of beauty that hopefully remains in an individual’s heart long after the day or night has passed." Doug presents chanting and singing workshops, study trips, poetry performances, rituals and other festive surprises in widening circles around the United States, Canada, Mexio, Bali and Italy. You can discover more about the joyous work of this self proclaimed Holy Fool at dougvonkoss.com |
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Hari Meyers
Hari holds master's degrees in English Literature, (University of California, Berkeley) and Counseling, (Sonoma State University, 1985 MFCC, 1987) but has found his life's true calling in presenting mythological stories for almost thirty years -- at conferences and classes around the globe classrooms. His repertoire ranges from Parzifal and the HOly Grail to Odin and Norse myth to his special favorites: the Ramayana and the Mahabarata. Hari believes that the live transmission of stories, theater pieces, wisdom of all sorts contains a vibrant quality of Soul which is absent in the same material relayed via media. HI latest project is to bring the spirit of Walt Whitman to life in a one man show. |
Nancy Castille
After a twenty five year career in banking, Nancy Castille returned to her early roots in comparative religion which she had studied as an undergraduate at Oberlin College and in graduate study at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. Upon retirement in 2012, she began pursuing her latent passions with renewed zeal as she plunged into Mythica's offerings on Dante, Pythagoreanism and Neopythagoreanism, Platonism and Neoplatonism, Greek Mythology, Orphism, Gnosticism, Religion in the Ancient World, Archetypes in Biblical Literature, Carl Jung’s Red Book, the Parsifal Legend, Faust, and Sacred Geometry. Nancy weaves together her many talents as artist, poet, storyteller and scholar. Her first productions with Mythica were as the co-curator for the Women and Wisdom exhibit for Women's History Month at the Petaluma HIstorical Library and Museum where she enthralled audiences with her engaging and earthy presentation of the Ancient Sumerian myth of Inanna. She has become obsessed with the field of Sacred Geometry and is apprenticing with the Artist-Geometer, Mark A. Reynolds (www.markareynolds.com) She has travelled to Chartres to study the patterns and practices of their great Cathedral wisdom school. Nancy posts some of her artwork, occasional blog essays, and book reports on her website: www.nancycastille.com. She is a board member of Humanities West and also can be found behind her lyre, experimenting with Ancient Greek modes or at her fiddle, accompanying Celtic tunes or Taize chants, or singing music ranging from Schubert Lieder to French torch songs and American folksongs.
After a twenty five year career in banking, Nancy Castille returned to her early roots in comparative religion which she had studied as an undergraduate at Oberlin College and in graduate study at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. Upon retirement in 2012, she began pursuing her latent passions with renewed zeal as she plunged into Mythica's offerings on Dante, Pythagoreanism and Neopythagoreanism, Platonism and Neoplatonism, Greek Mythology, Orphism, Gnosticism, Religion in the Ancient World, Archetypes in Biblical Literature, Carl Jung’s Red Book, the Parsifal Legend, Faust, and Sacred Geometry. Nancy weaves together her many talents as artist, poet, storyteller and scholar. Her first productions with Mythica were as the co-curator for the Women and Wisdom exhibit for Women's History Month at the Petaluma HIstorical Library and Museum where she enthralled audiences with her engaging and earthy presentation of the Ancient Sumerian myth of Inanna. She has become obsessed with the field of Sacred Geometry and is apprenticing with the Artist-Geometer, Mark A. Reynolds (www.markareynolds.com) She has travelled to Chartres to study the patterns and practices of their great Cathedral wisdom school. Nancy posts some of her artwork, occasional blog essays, and book reports on her website: www.nancycastille.com. She is a board member of Humanities West and also can be found behind her lyre, experimenting with Ancient Greek modes or at her fiddle, accompanying Celtic tunes or Taize chants, or singing music ranging from Schubert Lieder to French torch songs and American folksongs.
Daniel C. Morse, MFT has a private psychotherapy practice in Sebastopol, California. Having received his Master’s degree from Pacifica Graduate Institute, he has worked with both the depth traditions of Carl Jung along and with current breakthroughs in therapy such as with the work of The Coherence Therapy Institute and the discovery of the memory reconsolidation process. Dan also received a Master’s degree from Mathew Fox’s University of Creation Spirituality in Oakland with an emphasis in Deep Ecumenism. Dan has conducted extensive research into the theme of Sophia within the “gnostic” schools of the early first millennium and has presented numerous lectures and multi-media presentations on how the wellspring of various esoteric traditions can offer guidance for our spiritual development in these current times of instability and opportunity. Daniel's first Mythica collaboration was the Passion of Mary Magdalene. He will be co-teaching the seminar on Early Christianity and the Lost Feminine in April of 2019, with a production of his multimedia musical production The Myth of Sophia to follow. Learn more about his work in philosophy and religion at sophiaproject.net or see his website www.transformational-counseling.com for his therapy practice.
Staff and Administration
Adriana Calambas, associate for online communications.
After 20 years of experience in the corporate world dealing with logistics, volunteers and support teams for non-profit organizations, Adriana is now drawn to pursue a path with Mythica that integrates her practical knowledge and skills with the things that call to her heart: myth, storytelling, ritual , Jungian Depth Psychology and the labyrinth.
Adriana is one of the most compassionate people you will ever meet. In her native Colombia, she was so touched by the plight of homeless children that she organized a group of friends to gather every Friday evening to make meals and bring them to teenagers on the streets. It was in doing this ministry that she encountered a four year old abandoned child. She and her husband adopted him as their son and worked to bring other exploited children to a foundation in order to receive food, shelter, schooling and psychological help.
Adriana holds a Masters on Spiritual Science and is working in her Doctoral Practical Treatise from the Peace Theological Seminary and College of Philosophy (PTS). She is an Advanced Labyrinth Facilitator for Veriditas and is currently studying Archetypal Patterns and Dream interpretation at the Assisi Institute.
After 20 years of experience in the corporate world dealing with logistics, volunteers and support teams for non-profit organizations, Adriana is now drawn to pursue a path with Mythica that integrates her practical knowledge and skills with the things that call to her heart: myth, storytelling, ritual , Jungian Depth Psychology and the labyrinth.
Adriana is one of the most compassionate people you will ever meet. In her native Colombia, she was so touched by the plight of homeless children that she organized a group of friends to gather every Friday evening to make meals and bring them to teenagers on the streets. It was in doing this ministry that she encountered a four year old abandoned child. She and her husband adopted him as their son and worked to bring other exploited children to a foundation in order to receive food, shelter, schooling and psychological help.
Adriana holds a Masters on Spiritual Science and is working in her Doctoral Practical Treatise from the Peace Theological Seminary and College of Philosophy (PTS). She is an Advanced Labyrinth Facilitator for Veriditas and is currently studying Archetypal Patterns and Dream interpretation at the Assisi Institute.
Emily Betts , Community Coordinator for Petaluma; Labyrinth Events
Emily received her degree in Philosophy and Classics from St. John's College in Annapolis, MD, and went on to complete a dual Masters program in City and Regional Planning and Transportation Engineering at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She has been a public transit planner for 16 years, working for environmental justice and social equity through local government policy. A leader in her community, Emily has served on the boards of multiple local nonprofits. She was trained as a teacher in the Anusara yoga method in 2010, and joyfully continues her study of yoga, most recently through the Earth Wisdom traditions. In March 2018, she completed training with Veriditas as labyrinth facilitator, and serves as a coordinator for the Petaluma Labyrinth Guild. at St. John's Episcopal Church where she is also on the vestry. The mother of two young boys, Emily cares deeply about how to cultivate a meaningful and sustainable lifestyle for the next generation and is passionate about bringing restorative rituals, ecology and the arts to the community across generations.
Emily received her degree in Philosophy and Classics from St. John's College in Annapolis, MD, and went on to complete a dual Masters program in City and Regional Planning and Transportation Engineering at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She has been a public transit planner for 16 years, working for environmental justice and social equity through local government policy. A leader in her community, Emily has served on the boards of multiple local nonprofits. She was trained as a teacher in the Anusara yoga method in 2010, and joyfully continues her study of yoga, most recently through the Earth Wisdom traditions. In March 2018, she completed training with Veriditas as labyrinth facilitator, and serves as a coordinator for the Petaluma Labyrinth Guild. at St. John's Episcopal Church where she is also on the vestry. The mother of two young boys, Emily cares deeply about how to cultivate a meaningful and sustainable lifestyle for the next generation and is passionate about bringing restorative rituals, ecology and the arts to the community across generations.