Michael is currently an adjunct professor of Religious Studies and World Religions at Central Texas College at a campus located on the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Base in Tacoma, WA. Michael’s approach is from a full-life experience and he can relate to a wide range of people. He has a way of communicating to those at the top of their game and those ready to quit. Life is educational in a soul-making world; each morning presents an opportunity to begin anew.

 

He has taught at the graduate and undergraduate levels and has a proven ability to inform and inspire students ranging from the informal beginner to the serious scholar. Students and audience members frequently comment on his depth of scholarship, personal approach and sense of humor. Michael has studied theology, Jungian Depth Psychology and universal mythologies. He has taught classical texts from many religious traditions and is a very effective teacher of psychological and spiritual ideas and practices.

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“As an instructor, Michael is able to create instant comfort in the classroom with his warmth and humor. Through solid academic preparation and exceptional communication skills, he makes education interesting and available to people from all walks of life. I would highly recommend him to you as an instructor.”   ~ Valerie Barnes, Ph.D., Psychologist, UW, Seattle, WA

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Educational Experience

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Michael began his formal education in the arena of creative writing and journalism, and then earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Biblical Studies in 1977. He traveled through Eastern Europe for a short time, and then went on to earn a Master of Divinity from Northwest Baptist Theological Seminary in 1982, and a Master of Theology Degree from Trinity Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois in 1983. He has recently completed a Masters in the Humanities and Depth Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute, which will become a Ph.D. when his dissertation is completed.

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Summary of Field Experience and Accomplishments

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• Currently adjunct professor of Religious Studies, World Religions at Central Texas College, Joint Base Lewis-McChord Campus, Tacoma, WA

• Currently Adult Education Instructor at the Center for Spiritual Living in Seattle, WA.

• Currently regular teacher at Seattle Unity and Bellevue Unity churches.

• Currently live and online speaker, teacher and seminar presenter in venues in U.S. and Canada on various topics.

• Former Instructor at Western Reformed Seminary in Tacoma, WA.

• Formerly Taught at University of Washington, Experimental College on World Religions and Depth Psychology.

• Formerly Taught at Bastyr University on subject of Creating a Personal Vision Statement.

• Presented at the Seattle Rotary Club.

• Seminars at Homestreet Bank in Seattle, WA.

• Presented at the Pacific Northwest Alternative Dispute Resolution Conference and Oregon Mediation Association.

• Interviewed on Seattle radio KISW 99.9

• Appearances on KKNW 1150 AM with Holly Holmquist show, Open Conversations, and the Mantz and Mitchell Show

• Articles published in journals and online.

• Poetry published in Between Literary Journal, 2012, 2013.

• Served as Director of the Port Townsend Unity Church in Port Townsend, WA.

• Served as Assistant Minister at Lynnwood Unity Church in Lynnwood, WA.

• Served as Senior Minister at the Pinehurst Community Chapel in Everett, WA.

• Took educational literature and medical supplies into Communist Europe with a team of professionals dedicated to helping families undergoing political discrimination and persecution.

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A Sampling of Class and Seminar Subjects Michael has Taught

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• A Depth Psychological Introduction to the Bible: Watching God Grow Up

• History of the New Thought Movement

• Ernest Holmes and Neoplatonism: The Source of Science of Mind

• Ernest Holmes and Carl Jung: The Yin and Yang of Spiritual Growth

• The Four Stages of Psycho-spiritual Development

• The Four Stages of Mystical Experience

• Caring Prayer versus Curing Prayer: Two Ways to Pray

• Religion in America: History, Beliefs and Praxis

• The Dead Sea Scrolls: The Community and the Philosophy

• Introduction to Tutankhamun and Egyptian Mythology

• The Joy of Sects: An Introduction to the World’s Religions

• Introduction to Native American Mythology

• Introduction to Greek Mythology

• Introduction to the Chinese Classic, The Tao Te Ching

• Introduction to the Hindu Classic, The Bhagavad Gita

• Introduction to the Islamic Qu’ran

• How and Why the Bible Was Written

• The Differences Between Islamic Sects: Sunnis and Shiites

• The Gospel of Mary Magdalene: The Ascending Soul

• Introduction to Ancient Gnosticism

• Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code: America Wakes Up to Gnosticism

• The Jesus Journal: The Gospel of Thomas

• The Positive Power of Negative Events: The Gospel of Judas

• Introduction to the Theologies of the World

• A History of the New Thought Movement

• Active Imagination: The Rediscovery of Old Ideas

• Introduction to the Work of James Hillman’s Archetypal Psychology

• Cinema and Spirituality: Modern Psycho-spiritual Texts

• The Spirituality of the Beatles

• The Spirituality of Pink Floyd’s, The Wall

• The Spirituality of Dr. Seuss

• The Science of Change: James Prochaska and the Stages of Change

• Writing a Conscious Intention Statement

• Discovering and Developing Your Life Purpose

• Masculine Spirituality: Putting the Pattern Back in Patriarchy

• Gender Revolution: From Role Mates to Soul Mates as Seen in the

• The Eros/Psyche Myth

• And many more

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As you can see from the class titles and seminars he has conducted, Michael integrates mythology, theology, personal spirituality, practical philosophy and depth psychology. He combines deep scholarship, spontaneous humor and contagious enthusiasm with a down to earth practical approach to personal and spiritual growth. People open up easily to his clear and amicable style.