Balance Health of Ben Lomond, Steve Serr

Earth-Centered Ministerial Services

Steve has always walked—as he puts it—“with one foot in both worlds”. Since he was a youngster, he has had a strong pull towards spiritual life. As a young man, he spent years going in and out of Buddhist monasteries, both in the United States and abroad, torn between working in the world, or devoting himself to a spiritual practice.

His intensely nature-centered Buddhist leanings eventually opened the way for compassionate shamanic spirituality, which likely reflects the earliest attentiveness to the sacred that can be found in the natural world. He has discovered that shamanic spirituality is really a world-wide phenomenon, and its essential features do not belong to any culture, time or geographic area.

His more recent development has been in studying and writing about the contemporary development of Earth-centered spirituality, such as is found in sacred naturalism, and rings through such areas as deep ecology, or the writings of individuals like Thomas Berry. Steve is convinced that such a re-sanctifying of the Earth will be necessary as humanity struggles to reestablish a relationship with its living planet, and thus attempt to correct the tragic course and ameliorate the tragic effects of the last several thousand years.

You are invited to discuss with Steve your desires, his assistance in marking rites of passage, such as weddings, memorials, births, preparation for death, partings, coming of age, or any other significant passage that you need to mark.

Steve was trained as a chaplain with Clinical Pastoral Education at the Mt. Diablo Medical Center in Concord, California. His ordination as a minister is with the Circle of the Sacred Earth, based in Melrose, Massachusetts. He has a Masters in Divinity with Ocean Seminary College, with a focus on the sacred in nature.

To reach Steve for consultation, phone Balance Health of Ben Lomond at (831) 336-1300 to set an appointment. There is no charge for initial consultation.

Fees for rites of passage are negotiated in accordance with travel, time, and preparation, and in all cases there is a sliding scale depending on personal resources. Because of the complex variables involved, this can be negotiated in the initial meeting. Generally, Steve suggests $85.00 per hour, although this is flexible in accordance with circumstances. No family or individual will be turned away for lack of funds.