More About Silas

My story in brief

As a youth I gravitated towards activism, mostly environmental work.  The 1990’s were supposed to be the so called ‘turn around decade’, when society would finally wake up to the folly of unfettered capitalism. 

What a hopeful vision it was.

After a traumatic injury to my right eye during an anti logging protest on the west coast of Vancouver Island life changed abruptly.  Fortunately, I recovered my vision, but my gaze turned inward and I plunged into a deep depression.  Feeling the futility of the activism I was engaged in and the scorching flames of self loathing I became desperate for a path out of suffering.

for many years after the accident I struggled with chronic inflammation in my eyes.  Western medicine offered little relief.  In the search for answers I came across 2 books that pointed me in a new direction.

The first book, Paradox and Healing, by Michael Greenwood and Peter Nunn introduced me to the inner tradition of Chinese Medicine and the mind/body connection. The second book, The Myth of Freedom by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, gave me a way to work with pain in a personal way through meditation.

I eventually went to school for acupuncture and began a regular meditation practice, studying in the Buddhist lineage established by Trungpa Rinpoche.  I credit both these wisdom traditions for pointing me towards a worldview based on interdependence; an alternative to the nihilistic outlook of materialism consuming our planet.   

I believe healing only happens in relationship, which is why I started AIR. 

There is no magic pill for loneliness, addictions, racism or the existential dread of climate change.   These problems are the result of a fundamental breakdown of connection and it is up to us to heal this.

I certainly don’t consider myself an expert in this field.  Far from.  I have way more questions than answers to offer. However, I hope I can connect my audience with some truly great teachers and a community of change makers who are actively building the road to a more compassionate world, one relationship at a time.