The Story of Peter Calhoun

by Kit Luciano

“I saw that no matter what
path we take, each one of us,
in the end, must transcend all religions and belief systems.”
~ Peter Calhoun

I had the privilege and honor, last spring, to meet and interview Peter Calhoun, author of Soul on Fire. It was an assignment I wanted, and it was a meeting I looked forward to, just like a little child looks forward to meeting his or her favorite baseball star or fairytale heroine. Peter is an average-built man with gray hair and sky blue eyes that dance with merriment. Wearing an Australian-type hat and dressed in khakis, he has a presence that speaks to the totality of the peace he has found within himself and his surroundings. Peter Calhoun was a priest in the Episcopal Church and felt called to leave the church to begin his soul’s mission to seek the truth, his truth, ancient truth. And so the story began.

Peter calls this path a transformational journey, and he admits that it is truly the ultimate adventure. He discovered that this singular quest surpasses in richness, depth, diversity, and drama any fictional account that could ever be envisioned. He calls it both the fool’s journey and the hero’s journey. A leap into the unknown, it’s a path he found to be heart-warming and heart-wrenching, humorous and deeply serious, confusing and educating, fearful and filled with courage. It’s a journey in which he found one fact to be steadfast and constant – when one takes this journey, one is never the same again.

In his book, Peter describes his journey with stories, from his journal, of transformation, spiritual intervention, shamanic rituals, plant spirits, elemental ceremonies, paths of return, rebirth and renewal. He writes about rejecting a cultural belief system that is centuries old. He describes a quest for knowledge that is based purely on soul-filled questions and an open heart to comprehend the answers that may come in a variety of surprising and interesting ways. Peter speaks to his fears, doubts, depth of despair, and confusion on this path. He also speaks to the joys, love, celebration and humanness of such a journey. He discovers the harmony of living in balance with the earth and the value of its primal source to our existence.

In my meeting with Peter, I asked him what stood out as the most important lesson he had learned on his journey. He took a moment and then said, “to thine own self be true.” He continued with the importance of following the dictates of your heart and your innermost being and not to the mandates of society, churches and political parties. He defined how imperative it is to not believe information because an authority figure told you, but to believe it because you feel it. He spoke to the difficulty of listening to your own heart versus the dictates of society and to the absolute joy and magic that will fill your life when it is your heart path.

To spread the word and continue the community of his work, Peter has started spiritual ecology ceremonies all over the world. The dates are held closest to the full moon, on a monthly basis. In our local area, information of dates and times may be requested from Natalie at art@worthingtonstudios.com

Two upcoming seminars with Peter will be held at the Dancing Moon in Raleigh, NC on September 8-9: The Mirror Universe Using Synchronicities and Dreams to Guide and Improve Your Life and Inner Visions. For more information, call Dancing Moon at (919) 833-8081 or visit www.DancingMoonRaleigh.com