Gratitude to all The Ancient Ones who weave life together here in the Driftless Region of Wisconsin on what are the ancestral homelands of the Ho-Chunk peoples—the descendants of the Mound Builders.
My own ancestors hail from Southern Italy, Denmark, England, and Ireland.
Aspiring always to be a welcomed guest, I am nourished by the spiraling hillsides, the underground rivers, and the big big weather—the thundering of spring that wakes the Mushroom People and the ice-whipped winds of winter that deepen our season of rest.
Alongside the slow and generous Kickapoo River and just east of the great Mississippi, I bring a braided river of offerings to my community near, far, and in spirit.
As a freelance writer and editor, I work with independent authors, small businesses, nonprofits, and creatives of all types across the globe. My services include developmental editing, line editing, ghostwriting, and copywriting. I also contract with publishing houses to produce fiction and nonfiction works from in-house concepts.
For those on the ground in my hometown, I offer private piano lessons. My teaching focuses on both building skill and technique to be able to play emotion-filled music from the heart, and also on piano practice as a portal for deeper connection to the Divine. Piano as ritual for kinship, communion, and discovery. You can read more about my musical background and teaching approach here.
And finally, I am a practitioner-in-training with the Ancestral Medicine Network and am honored to be able to offer in-person and online ancestral lineage healing to clients for the purpose of healing intergenerational trauma and reclaiming and embodying lost ancestral wisdom. I abide by Ancestral Medicine’s Code of Ethics.
My Professional Background
I hold a Bachelor of Applied Sciences degree in Human Development and Family Studies with a Concentration in Adolescents and Families from Colorado State University. I worked in drug and alcohol rehabilitation as a Certified Addictions Counselor and later as a transition facilitator and program director for a nonprofit serving youth aging out of the foster care system, on parole or probation, and at-risk of homelessness. During these years, I was trained in motivational interviewing, dialectical behavioral therapy, and trauma-informed care.
I have a Certificate in Piano Pedagogy and Performance from Colorado Contemporary Music College and have taught piano lessons for over a decade. I am currently being mentored in composition by William Grosvenor Neil, and spent close to a decade learning from internationally-known composer Calvin Jones.
The majority of my formal ritual arts education has come through the excellent courses and trainings offered by Dr. Daniel Foor of Ancestral Medicine and Shannon Willis of Red Earth Healing. Some of these include: Ancestral Lineage Healing Practitioner Training; Initiations: A Life of Ritual; Writing with the Dead; Forces of Nature: Ritual Safety; Dreaming with the Moon, among others.
Hurray! Your note is soaring through the interwebs and straight into my arms. I'll be in touch soon. XO, Asha
