“Who am I? I’ve lost the thread.” Jensen McRae

In the summer of 2024, I wrote the lines: “There are so many ways in and out of a life. So many ways we may remember and forget.” They were a lament, a prayer, a way to make sense of grief at life’s losses, and a yearning to return to a devotional life.

In the years following the pandemic, I underwent a profound ego death, where I questioned everything that had once provided meaning. I went into a years long deep cocoon, and stopped offering services and programming. It was a much-needed time of self-rediscovery.

The thread is the thread

“The thread is the thread,” I said to a friend during this time of soul-searching. My heart had just cracked open as I took the long walk back to myself. I was dreaming again and making new vows to honour my inner voice.

So, what do I mean by: “the thread is the thread”? We look for threads and through lines to make sense of our lives.

As I searched for my own through lines, I realized that the myth of Ariadne and her red thread had been with me since I was young. I was fascinated by the Minoan Cretan princess, her love for the Athenian prince Theseus, and how she helped him through the labyrinth to defeat her Minotaur brother at its centre.

Further, after graduate school, I became a professional Priestess for over a decade, and the thread is an important symbol of that work. It was a way of reclaiming that part of myself.

The truth is, the thread has always been a thread in my life. It’s a way I’ve made meaning and a lifeline when I’ve felt lost.

When I returned to the thread, I stepped on the path back to my soul at the centre of the labyrinth.

The ways I’ve hidden my magic

After Ariadne helps Theseus defeat the Minotaur, they escape her father in Crete and arrive on the island of Naxos. She believes that Theseus loves her and that they will always be together, but wakes up alone the next morning to discover that Theseus has abandoned her.

As a child, I wasn’t conscious of (or chose to forget) this part of the story. No longer an innocent girl holding on to what I thought was a love story, I began to see the thread of abandonment that had been stitched into the fabric of my life. At first, I focused on the ways I’d been abandoned, but later, and more significantly, I brought awareness to all the ways I’d abandoned myself:

  • I let go of a childhood dream of being an actor because I was afraid, and instead became a stage manager (safe behind the scenes).

  • When I was questioned if I was a lesbian at 17, I got and stayed married to a wonderful man for 15 years because leaving would mean everything would change.

  • At 12 years old, I knew I wanted to be a professional poet when I grew up, but I didn’t apply to MFA programs because I believed poets couldn’t make money.

  • Robert Frost’s poem, The Road Not Taken, has always been an inspiration to me. But I still found myself taking the safe roads, even when I knew not doing so “would make all the difference.”

  • Kermit the Frog’s Rainbow Connection is the lullaby I sang to myself as a child. I believed in dreaming, and the sailor who hears the call, but the truth is I’ve people-pleased my way through life, heeding their calls instead of my own.

  • I’ve hidden my rainbow magic more times than I can count by being an expert shapeshifter. I’ve found that shapeshifting is exhausting…unless it’s in a magical way.

Now, I am taking a thousand thousand steps back to myself as I face my fears, own my story, write again, take roads less travelled, heed the call, and weave magical rainbow connection light in the world.

She picked herself up to rise into ecstasy

The final part of Ariadne’s myth is about falling in love with the god Dionysus on Naxos. He finds her sleeping, they fall in love, marry, and he transforms her crown into a constellation of stars so she can forever shine.

It turns out that Ariadne is a survivor who dances in ecstasy with Dionysus.

Dancing out of the depths into ecstasy is all about tapping into the living force within, trusting that living force, and letting it move you.

A tarot card titled 'Page of Cups' held in front of ancient ruins with stone structures and greenery, under a cloudy sky.

Walking alongside

In every other about page I’ve written, I’ve begun with my outward strengths and accomplishments. Isn’t that what we’re taught to do?

But what I really want you to know is I’ve been swimming in the depths my whole life.

What I know about the depths is that they’re never so simple as sinking or swimming. Often grief and joy, freedom and feeling trapped, despair and hope walk alongside each other. At least that’s been true for me.

Over and over again, I meet the Minotaur within and embrace my shadow with compassion.

I’m a warrior, and I’m also very human. I think we all are.

But what if Ariadne is also a Mermaid?

One last thing: in my mind, Ariadne is a mermaid dancing with dolphins. I like to imagine that after Theseus leaves, she puts her feet into the sea, transforms into a mermaid, and swims with dolphins who teach her to discover joy and new life.

What if she is a shapeshifter, too? Only in this case, shapeshifting is definitely a magical choice!

We get to write our own myths.

An illustration of a Minotaur's head with large horns, with the horns forming a quote saying, 'life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage,' written inside the horns. The quote is in red and blue handwriting.

A Siren’s Call

Just like you, I’ve heard the call to dream my life into being and bravely become alive and free.

May this be a space where we dance together, not by ignoring all that we’ve been through, or the ways life and the world may have let us down, but by holding ourselves with deep compassion and care.

My prayer is that we truly live while we’re alive

To live while we’re alive is the greatest gift. How much sweeter to dance while fully embracing our challenges. What a radical act it is to take life as it is, embrace what you can, and feel it as much as possible.

In my mind, I am meeting you on the shore of the clearest blue water we’ve ever seen. We have our arms outstretched, delight on our faces, and we are free.

May I meet you on that shore.

May it be so.

Expertise

  • As a queer, disabled, body-positive, intersectional feminist and spiritual practitioner, I am committed to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion.

    I experience both visible and invisible intersections of marginality, and care deeply about holding space that celebrates differences so that we can all experience the power of connection.

    My north star is to embody and express the ecstatic nature of life because I haven’t always felt hopeful or alive. I know what it’s like to walk alongside anxiety, depression, and complex trauma.

    As a poet of life, I encounter the world with embodied presence and alchemize the beauty and the pain, offering it back as creative expression.

  • Informed by research and lived practice, I offer culturally sensitive support within an anti-oppression framework.

    With grounded, contemplative practices that honour many paths. I integrate mindfulness, somatic approaches, and positive psychology for holistic support.

    • PhD in Cultural Anthropology from McMaster University

    • Master of Arts in Cultural Anthropology from Memorial University

    • Honours BA & Social Research Certificate from Cape Breton University 

    • Awakening Through Nature, 6-month immersion with Mark Coleman, Spirit Rock Dharma Institute

    • EPI Practitioner, Level 2 Coach Certification with Julia B Colwell, PhD

    • Neuropsychology Coach Training with Mandy Wintink, PhD

    • Mastering Your Nervous System Certificate with Jeremy Hunter, PhD

    • Managing Transitions and Moving Forward Certificate with Jeremy Hunter, PhD

    • The Inner MBA with Sounds True & LinkedIn

    • Emotional Intelligence Certificate, Western Continuing Studies

    • Innovative Thinking Certificate, Western Continuing Studies

    • Professional Certificate in Leadership, Western Continuing Studies

    • Digital Communications Certificate, Western Continuing Studies (In Progress)

    • Communications & PR Certificate, Western Continuing Studies (In Progress)

    • Marketing Management Certificate, Western Continuing Studies (In Progress)

    • Principles and Practices in University Teaching, McMaster University

    • Other: Right Brain Business Plan with Jennifer Lee; B-School, Time Genius & Copy Cure with Marie Forleo; Sacred Creators: Branding & Marketing with Chris-Anne Donnely & Becca Berggen; Business as a Spiritual Journey with Asia Suler; Dharmic Business School with Life-Force Academy; The Queen Codes‍ ‍with Achintya Devi; ALOHA MĀ with Ke’oni Hanalei; Your True Calling with Stephen Cope; ‍Essence: Branding & The Hearth: Website with Laren Barber; Master YouTube with Matt D'Avella

    • 25 years of meditation practice in the Vipassana and Vajrayana Buddhist traditions. Took refuge in 2005 in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. My Buddhist name is Lodrö Da-ö, which means Intellect Moon Light.

    • Owner and Creative Director of Sage Life Consulting

      • Founder and operator of a global coaching and consulting business, delivering immersive educational experiences in the fields of personal and professional development.

      • Providing research-based individual coaching specializing in positive psychology, emotional intelligence, mindfulness, resilience, navigating change effectively, and leadership.

      • Developed and delivered 1500+ hours of multi-level online courses utilizing online learning platforms, extensive reading lists, slide decks, PDFs and engaging community forums.

      • Oversees branding, marketing and client services, achieving consistent growth to a six-figure revenue through innovative strategies and strong leadership, interpersonal and project management skills.

    • Teaching Assistant and Guest Lecturer in Cultural Anthropology, Religion Magic & Witchcraft, and Sex, Gender & Inequalities courses at McMaster University.

    • Raven Black Theatre, Co-founder of a Shakespeare in the Park theatre company.

    • Cultural Anthropology: Anthropology of Religion; Urban Anthropology; Gender & Sexuality; Landscape, Place & Space; Pilgrimage; Alternative, Pagan & New Age Religions; Art & Creative Expression; Community Building & Conflict; Materiality; Hope; Nostalgia; Aesthetics; Affect; Imagination

    • Culture & Religion: The Re-enchantment of the World; Anthropology of Wonder; Sacred Spaces; Rites of Passage; Initiations; Animism; Paleolithic & Neolithic Goddess Cultures; Minoan Crete; Ancient Priestessing; Walking a Mystic Path; Witchcraft: Fear & Burning; Alchemy & Hermeticism; Gnosis: The Grail Within; Contemporary Paganism; Earth Mysteries; Tarot Systems; Mythologies of Descent and Return; Mythopoetics of Venus; Indwelling Spirit: Divine Feminine; Modern & Tibetan Buddhism

    • Theory Into Practice: Mindfulness Meditation; Nervous System Care; Lovingkindness; Compassion; Contemplative Practices; Circle, Ritual & Ceremony; Mindfulness & Writing; The Science of Happiness; Understanding Burnout; Working with Blocks; Change-Making Habits

    • Creative Entrepreneurship: Success Visions; Business Plans; Working with Clients; Self-Paced, Short, Long & Multi-Level Offers; Pricing Strategies; Project & Time Management for Entrepreneurs

    • Digital Marketing: Authentic Branding; Digital Storytelling; Brand Values, Voice & Visibility; Website Strategy, Social Media Marketing; Opt-ins, Newsletters & Customer Flows; Launch Planning

    • Leadership: Equity, Diversity & Inclusion; Creating Enriching Experiences; Sharing Your Message; Holding Space for Groups & Individuals; Growing & Nurturing Community

  • Writing creative non-fiction and memoir at coffee shops; bullet journaling with candles lit and incense burning; taking photos of tarot cards anywhere interesting; brazen femme makeup artistry; reading poetry out loud while drinking tea; chanting with the sunset in Chania, Greece; slow travelling; singing loudly in the car on adventures with my wife; finding interesting graffiti; swimming in the Atlantic Ocean in Mabou, Cape Breton; reading nerdy esoteric and spiritual books about the ancient world…

Symbols that Guide You Back to the Truth of Who You Are

  • White illustration of a Mermaid holding her arms in the air on a circular blu background

    Mermaid / Siren

    The mermaid/siren is a liminal being who sings to those who’ve silenced their longings, lost their wildness, or floated too long on the surface. She calls you back to your ecstatic aliveness, singing to the parts of you that long to live your life on your terms.

  • White botanical illustration of a pomegranate with leaves on a red circular background.

    Pomegranate

    The pomegranate holds the power of descent and return, offering a rite of passage into a more embodied, initiated life. Part of the ancient Mystery traditions, the pomegranate permits you to be in progress, to go to the depths and dance out of them again.

  • Illustration of a white seashell on a coral circular background.

    Shell

    The shell carries the memory of where you’ve been and invites you to feel safe in your rhythms. The shell is a symbol of beauty, sensuality, pilgrimage, protection/resilience, and the birth of self. Listen to the sound of the sea and attune to your Source.

  • Labyrinth with white lines on an circular olive green circular background.

    Labyrinth

    The labyrinth is a living map that leads you to meet yourself at the center. Rooted in ancient circle dances associated with Ariadne and later echoed in the crane dance of Delos, its winding path invites you to move in devotion.

  • A dark blue circular background with a white star in the center.

    Star

    The star is your inner compass, guiding you toward your soul’s calling by trusting your light within. Reorient as you feel the magnetic pull of soul-work and find your way home.

  • Yellow circle with a white sunflower / sun and an oval-shaped white center.

    Sun / Sunflower

    The sun and sunflower hold the return to radiance, offering creative fire, joyful growth. and the choice to live with unapologetic brightness. Glow as you reconnect to your life force.