Linda has taken an exciting odyssey before her arrival in
the Monterey Bay area. Born and raised in England,
with an Irish father, she moved to Canada
as a young adult. Fascinated with the
deep questions about the meaning of life, she began her soul’s journey with an
eclectic study of spiritual paths--from transpersonal psychology, Buddhism,
Hinduism, Zen, Jung, to the radical teachings of Jesus(love your
enemy/neighbors as yourself). She became
an apprentice in the theatre at 17, marrying a stage manager at a tender age
and working as a professional actor for ten years. She traversed the continent several times
with her children and spent a couple of years living close to the land in a
tent and tipi on the Gulf Islands, off Vancouver. “This experience grounded me” says Linda, it
brought her close to the earth and exposed her to Native American belief,
culture and life-style.
Although her childhood experiences in the Anglican Church
were unappealing, she developed a deep belief in love and for the sentience of
the Universe. She felt alienated from
the harmful and abusive faith traditions that stressed ‘original sin’, guilt,
suffering, sacrifice and the patriarchal model of the priesthood. Eventually, Linda’s path would lead her to
college where she earned a Master’s degree in Fine Arts, and afterward taught
theatre and voice/speech classes at various universities and colleges-- even a
Presbyterian Seminary.
In the 90’s, Linda discovered the teachings of Unity. “I was overjoyed to discover a spiritual
community that shared so many of my thoughts about the teachings of Jesus combined
with respect for all the other paths
of sacred knowledge and Unity’s embrace of the Universal Truths of Love,
compassion, and peace….There is an equality
in Unity: God is genderless (Mother/Father God) and all people—whatever their
lifestyle or cultural tradition--are equally precious as human beings with a
Divine nature.” Linda
found the Unity
teaching of the “God within” perfectly aligned with her own journey and
discovery of this mystical Truth in many other faith traditions.
Linda speaks at Unity Temple at least twice a month, be sure to
check the calendar on the home page for dates!
You can read Rev. Linda's Blog, or listen to past services here!
|