other ways of being
philosophical, practical, & earth-rooted guidance for transformation that is liberated from the cultural script
Welcome; I am Maris. My calling is to help shift and prepare people for beauty and expansion amidst collapse.
I am a re-imagination guide, and have spent my time on earth fine-tuning my relationship with cross-roads, the liminal, and change.
In the way I shape my own life and in the way I guide others, I move from a foundation of skepticism of the guideposts of western, modern, capitalist, imperialist culture. From that foundational skepticism towards the polarity of constriction, I move towards the sacred pull of hope that lives in the opposing polarity of expansion, light, liberation, and loving kindness.
My focus is in north star wayfinding, animistic relationship with the earth, deep & rich dialogues, and interspecies relationship developed in community.
I guide from education, structure, flexibility, intuition, and the wisdom of my teachers and ancestors.
Pathways
Something like a life coach, but not quite.
Other ways of being is about identifying the dominant cultural narratives that are woven into our tissues, and then re-imagining new (and old) ways forward.
Through observation, I’ve noticed that creating a values-aligned container for your human life in the horizontal realm creates the conditions for the spirit to reconnect in the vertical realm and remember why it is here. Remembering helps facilitate presence, and presence is the central pillar of aliveness.
In the horizontal path, we focus on the tasks, structures, and material reality our daily lives are build upon. In the vertical realm, we focus on the eternal present, the connected Self, and the soul's connection with the planet.
Both the horizontal and vertical paths are deeply powerful, interrelated, and long for guidance and witness along the way.
All of my work is based in personal values of justice for all species, liberation of the spirit from the shackles of empire, hope in the power of portals, and vision in the transformation of the path of the homo sapien.
I cannot tell you how to move forward, or what path to take. I can help you ask the right questions, listen more deeply, and ignite a curiosity that illuminates the possibilities ahead. We are not here to tell one another how to live, but to hold one another's hand and point to what we see ahead.
1:1 Guidance:
North Star Mentorship
In this pathway of focus, I guide you in creation of a life in the horizontal realm (the realm of linear time and tasks) that aligns with your values and sense of joy. How do you make choices in this task-filled world of forms that create alignment with your longing for community, relationships, self sovereignty, and purpose?
Group Guidance:
Animist Forest Circles
In this collective setting, we work with the animate (alive, conscious, wise) beings and energies of the forest to reactivate ancient wisdom pathways inside our bodies.
For too long, assimilation to the culture and values of empire have stripped us of our spirit ways of knowing, listening, and being. In the modern age, we live in the mind almost exclusively, losing our ability to hear, feel, and see the lessons and magic alive around us.
Humans are not the intelligence. Let us practice remembering together.
1:1 Guidance:
Rooting & Expansion Mentorship
In this pathway, I guide you in deepening your relationship to the vertical realm (the realm of infinite presence, spiral time, and self knowing) by rooting our practice in re-connection with the animate beings and energies of the earth, and in re-membering the relationship between
spirit, body, and mystery.
Group Guidance:
Dialogic Circles
Dialogue is about expanding our collective understanding of reality to encompass the infinite fractals of understanding that humans hold. We weave complex webs of understanding, deep and wide, as we use dialogic principals to build relationship.
Virtual & in person options.
how do we live during the collapse of empire?
a time of ecological collapse, climate change, grief
During this time of ecological and systems collapse under the rule of empire, one approach we may choose to take is to view the breakdown around us as trickster openings in the fabric of reality where the light of mystery can peek through.
These openings act as portals to re-imagine, re-weave, and grow into other ways of being. It is, in fact, the destabilizing nature of entropy itself that allows these portals to be sensed in the first place.
Whether you experience destabilization as an urge to reimagine the structures of your life (relationships, money-making, housing, community) or as a longing to connect with something more expansive and profound than your individuality (earth, spirit, non-human species), every portal wants to be acknowledged in its power to transform.
And every person who steps through a portal deserves a guide & witness.
Testimonials
Olive, Envisioning & Backward Design Client
Few truths are as apparent to me as Maris’s intrinsic gift of guidance. Life is a series of trials by fire, and her acumen extinguishes the bluest portion of the flames. Her coaching has impacted me by guiding my life decisions towards aligning with my authentic truth and setting myself up for deep fulfillment, yet somehow without embedding her personal optics into my budding vision. I would absolutely recommend Maris to another person - any who is ready to understand their reality as mutable and their life course as flexible. She uses her vast experiences as well as her extensive research to help you navigate the many pressing concerns and questions of modern life, all while maintaining immeasurable compassion for the absurdity and pain and excitement of it all.
Alexa, Conscious Partnership Client
Maris really opened my eyes to the ways that I have internalized a narrow cultural script about what connections can and should look like, and helped me challenge that script and opened my eyes to wider possibilities. She helped me view connection through a more open and meaningful lens that really required me to dig into what I bring to relationships and what I hope to experience in them. She helped ease my anxiety about non-traditional relationships and shared really practical anecdotes and advice on communication and intimacy. I am so grateful to have had Maris’s guidance and it has changed my mindset for the better!
Alice, Single Session
Grief Client
My session with Maris helped me work through decades of unprocessed confusion and blockages that all other professionals could never get me to. Part of it is due to how she takes so much care to know her clients, but also her incredible way of helping me articulate what I was processing. With her coaching, I’ve been able to unlock a new way of processing that I will forever take into my future. I would 100% recommend Maris to anyone who is ready to grow.
Eli, North Star Client
Maris helped transform my default ways of thinking and narrative-telling through our Other Ways series work. When I first discovered Maris, I felt stuck, cycling through similar ways of being despite doing so much, and trying so much. What was initially a 6-week series commitment turned into nearly 3 months of work together — once we got into our work, there was so much to unpack and I felt excited to see how I could shift my perspective on my life and how I exist in the world to one that not only honored where I am in my life journey but also to what I value and dream for my future. Maris has an exceptional and rare gift: she is a true teacher and guide, enabling you to feel seen, validated, and understood while helping to steer you in the direction you desire to go in. If you have the ability to work with Maris in any capacity, I highly recommend it. Maris has done the deep work, and is still doing the deep work; you have someone in your corner who not only wants to help you change you life, but also wants to help change the world — one brave and vulnerable person at a time.
Dating used to be the most horrible anxiety inducing experience of my life. I was trapped in a horrible cycle of chasing after the wrong partners, spending tons of time and energy trying to convince them to like me, and not being an authentic version of myself. To summarize, I went on exactly zero good dates. That’s where Maris changed my entire perspective and sense of self-worth through her personalized and hands on coaching. We spent hours 1:1 discussing new approaches, practicing mantras, working on self esteem and self worth, and so much more to get me to a much healthier overall mindset and into a healthy relationship (my goal for an extremely long time). Maris’s insightful and honest approach changed my entire life (seriously) she’s the best and I couldn’t be more grateful
Charlotte, Conscious
Partnership Client
Maris is an expert at unraveling the often tangled, messy, and complex feelings that surround vulnerability and companionship. Through gentle questioning, Maris teases out one’s most intricately buried social constructs, internalized expectations, hopes, and fears. In each of our sessions, Maris has unspooled the many threads that wound themselves together in my mind, allowing me to experience a series of revelations about myself and my place in the world. More concretely, without her guidance, it would have taken me years to discover the true nature of my toxic relationship –– and much longer to uproot and address its impact on my psyche. Sessions with Maris have allowed me to redefine love, friendship, and my own needs and desires therein. I’d recommend a session to anyone and everyone who wants to better understand both platonic and romantic partnerships in their lives…or simply seeks to better understand themselves.