- Who Am I?
Everyone has a calling.
Mine is showing you how to live with reverence and joy.
Hi. I'm Carolyn.
As a Wiccan priestess, I draw from my Celtic background. I am ordained to perform legal weddings in any state, and provide chaplaincy and spiritual counseling services in the state of California.
I was trained and ordained at the Artemis Institute in Sebastopol, CA, in 2000. I then received an additional ordination from the eco-feminist American Priestess ministry associated with Belladonna Sanctuary.
I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Literature and Theory of Outsiders in American Society, a minor in Spanish, and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. I also have an extensive background in theatre and comedic performance.
Currently, I am the Community Engagement Director for an LGBTQ health research project. I help diverse groups of people connect, problem-solve, and take positive action together.
More
In case you were curious...
Activism and Community Building
I am the founder of Bay Area Rising, (part of V-Day's One Billion Rising), a nonprofit that brings together a powerful network of artists, spiritual leaders, and activists dedicated to ending violence against women and girls.
I have volunteered my services for several wonderful groups, including providing guided imagery for low-income women living with cancer at the exceptional Charlotte Maxwell Complementary Clinic in Oakland and San Francisco for over 13 years.
Most recently, I am acknowledged in the award-winning journalist and social activist Naomi Klein’s tour de force This Changes Everything, this era’s game-changing book about global warming.
My work as a priestess and as an intentional community builder is referenced in several excellent non-fiction books: Susan Jane Gillman’s hilarious New York Times bestseller Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress (yes, I married this couple!), Erika Dillman’s ground-breaking The Party of Your Life: Get the Funeral You Want by Planning it Yourself, and Janelle Orsi’s The Sharing Solution: How to Save Money, Simplify Your Life, & Build Community.
I have been married for 26 years to social justice activist Cecilie Surasky and we have a teenaged son. We live in Berkeley, CA
