About David Franklin
Biography
David Franklin, MA, has twenty years of experience teaching, facilitating, and coaching hundreds of people in workshop, group, ritual, and one-on-one settings. As an active participant and leader in the men's movement since the early 90's, an ordained minister, and certified somatic erotic educator, David incorporates his expertise in leadership and organizational development, mindfulness, spiritual development, human sexuality, and natural history from an indigenous perspective to offer simple, down-to-earth practices for personal and cultural growth and transformation.
David holds a Master's Degree in Leadership and Organizational Development from the LIOS Graduate College of Saybrook University and a Bachelor's Degree from The Evergreen State College in Natural History from an Indigenous Perspective. He is an ordained minister through the FireHeart Sanctuary, a Certified Educator through the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, and the first graduate of the Kamana Naturalist Training Program through the Wilderness Awareness School. He has completed trainings in Re-Evaluation Co-Counseling, Tantra, Naka-Ima, Vipassana meditation, and men's rites-of-passage and studied with a diverse array of teachers including Bradford Keeney, David Deida, Satyen Raja, Jon Young, Tom Brown, Jr., Amara and Sara Pagano, Michael Meade, Joseph Kramer, and S.N. Goenka.
In addition to his work as a coach and educator, David is a professional guitarist who has taught and performed for over twenty years. A native New Yorker and bagel and pizza aficionado, he currently lives near Seattle, WA.
Personal Story
For as long as I can remember, I've had a vision of what is possible on the planet. A vision of a world where people are seen and supported in being who they truly are. A vision of living close to the earth in sustainable communities. A vision of people engaging in honest, open, authentic relationship with one another with time and energy to play, co-create, connect, touch, and laugh. A vision of a world where people are honest, transparent, and direct with one another, where people take responsibility for their behaviors and choices without resorting to blame and violence. A vision of a world where people live in alignment with a higher power and universal principles, practice loving kindness, unconditional love, living in the present moment, and embracing both the light and the dark aspects of our existence.
What I perceived and experienced throughout my life was quite different. I saw people try and be who others wanted them to be, doing their best to fit in in order to gain love, acceptance, and approval. I saw people treating each other cruelly, resorting to physical and emotional violence as they took their pain out on others. I saw people be unwilling to stay in relationship and talk honestly and openly about their challenges and conflicts, instead choosing to leave, shut down, numb, or talk about people rather than to them. I saw the earth being disrespected and destroyed in favor of personal gain, greed, and selfishness. I saw people choosing abusive power over kindness, compassion, and generosity. I saw people sleepwalk through their lives, following an external model of who and how they were supposed to live. I saw people choose addiction over Divine nourishment and sustenance. I saw people stay caught up in a rat race of distraction, numbing, and disconnection.
I had my own fear-based responses: I became isolated and withdrawn, afraid to be in relationship with people. I was afraid to speak up or take a stand for my own needs and desires, and for what I believed in. I judged others, silently stewing in anger and resentment. I turned to sex and relationships to avoid having to feel my own pain and hurt. I protected my heart, withholding love out of fear of losing something and being vulnerable, instead choosing to live more through my intellect and rational mind.
Both my vision, personal struggles, and experience of the world led me at an early age to create new possibilities. I sought counseling, read books, took workshops, participated in groups, and joined communities. I graduated from the Evergreen State College and was mentored by the Wilderness Awareness School in natural history emphasizing an indigenous perspective in order to deepen my connection to the earth. I engaged in spiritual practices including Vipassana meditation, Five Rhythms/Ecstatic Dance, Sacred Sexuality, Naka-Ima/Heart of Now, and indigenous ritual. I became a proficient guitarist, learning to express myself through music. Aware of the disconnection, abusive behaviors, domination, isolation, and fear in men, and experiencing those aspects in myself, I became passionate about men's consciousness and participated in men's groups, rites-of-passage, and workshops. I studied with countless teachers, including David Deida, Michael Meade, Satyen Raja, Bradford Keeney, Joseph Kramer, Sara and Amara Pagano, Michael Brown, and S.N. Goenka.
As I explored these possibilities, I became drawn to teach and share with others what I was learning and experiencing. Rather than remain in the theoretical and conceptual, my experiences were about the practice and embodiment of spiritual truths. As I noticed the gap between what people were espousing and how they were actually living, I sought to teach and support people in helping them practice and embody these truths in their own lives in simple and practical ways. For almost twenty years, I've taught workshops, facilitated groups, led ritual, and privately coached couples and individuals around presence, honesty, sacred sexuality, men's consciousness, personal growth and spiritual development, and intimacy. I have been active in community development through living in cooperative houses, participating in intentional communities, and being part of a year-long journey with a group of people committed to discovering and walking the path of embodied love and service.
What I have learned thus far is quite simple: that we have the opportunity to love unconditionally in each moment of our lives. We have the opportunity to live lives of presence, connection, joy, abundance, play, co-creation, vitality, health, and service. Rather than project this into a future possibility or fantasy, these possibilities are here, now, in each moment. The world around us doesn't change - we change, by practicing simple principles such as honesty, openness, generosity, service, kindness, compassion, authentic communication, personal accountability, awareness, loving touch and affection, presence, and enacted love. Our lives, and our world, are then come into alignment and integrity with the highest good for everyone and with the essence and depth of who we truly are.
This is what I strive to bring to the world, one moment at a time.
In service,
David
David Franklin, MA, has twenty years of experience teaching, facilitating, and coaching hundreds of people in workshop, group, ritual, and one-on-one settings. As an active participant and leader in the men's movement since the early 90's, an ordained minister, and certified somatic erotic educator, David incorporates his expertise in leadership and organizational development, mindfulness, spiritual development, human sexuality, and natural history from an indigenous perspective to offer simple, down-to-earth practices for personal and cultural growth and transformation.
David holds a Master's Degree in Leadership and Organizational Development from the LIOS Graduate College of Saybrook University and a Bachelor's Degree from The Evergreen State College in Natural History from an Indigenous Perspective. He is an ordained minister through the FireHeart Sanctuary, a Certified Educator through the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, and the first graduate of the Kamana Naturalist Training Program through the Wilderness Awareness School. He has completed trainings in Re-Evaluation Co-Counseling, Tantra, Naka-Ima, Vipassana meditation, and men's rites-of-passage and studied with a diverse array of teachers including Bradford Keeney, David Deida, Satyen Raja, Jon Young, Tom Brown, Jr., Amara and Sara Pagano, Michael Meade, Joseph Kramer, and S.N. Goenka.
In addition to his work as a coach and educator, David is a professional guitarist who has taught and performed for over twenty years. A native New Yorker and bagel and pizza aficionado, he currently lives near Seattle, WA.
Personal Story
For as long as I can remember, I've had a vision of what is possible on the planet. A vision of a world where people are seen and supported in being who they truly are. A vision of living close to the earth in sustainable communities. A vision of people engaging in honest, open, authentic relationship with one another with time and energy to play, co-create, connect, touch, and laugh. A vision of a world where people are honest, transparent, and direct with one another, where people take responsibility for their behaviors and choices without resorting to blame and violence. A vision of a world where people live in alignment with a higher power and universal principles, practice loving kindness, unconditional love, living in the present moment, and embracing both the light and the dark aspects of our existence.
What I perceived and experienced throughout my life was quite different. I saw people try and be who others wanted them to be, doing their best to fit in in order to gain love, acceptance, and approval. I saw people treating each other cruelly, resorting to physical and emotional violence as they took their pain out on others. I saw people be unwilling to stay in relationship and talk honestly and openly about their challenges and conflicts, instead choosing to leave, shut down, numb, or talk about people rather than to them. I saw the earth being disrespected and destroyed in favor of personal gain, greed, and selfishness. I saw people choosing abusive power over kindness, compassion, and generosity. I saw people sleepwalk through their lives, following an external model of who and how they were supposed to live. I saw people choose addiction over Divine nourishment and sustenance. I saw people stay caught up in a rat race of distraction, numbing, and disconnection.
I had my own fear-based responses: I became isolated and withdrawn, afraid to be in relationship with people. I was afraid to speak up or take a stand for my own needs and desires, and for what I believed in. I judged others, silently stewing in anger and resentment. I turned to sex and relationships to avoid having to feel my own pain and hurt. I protected my heart, withholding love out of fear of losing something and being vulnerable, instead choosing to live more through my intellect and rational mind.
Both my vision, personal struggles, and experience of the world led me at an early age to create new possibilities. I sought counseling, read books, took workshops, participated in groups, and joined communities. I graduated from the Evergreen State College and was mentored by the Wilderness Awareness School in natural history emphasizing an indigenous perspective in order to deepen my connection to the earth. I engaged in spiritual practices including Vipassana meditation, Five Rhythms/Ecstatic Dance, Sacred Sexuality, Naka-Ima/Heart of Now, and indigenous ritual. I became a proficient guitarist, learning to express myself through music. Aware of the disconnection, abusive behaviors, domination, isolation, and fear in men, and experiencing those aspects in myself, I became passionate about men's consciousness and participated in men's groups, rites-of-passage, and workshops. I studied with countless teachers, including David Deida, Michael Meade, Satyen Raja, Bradford Keeney, Joseph Kramer, Sara and Amara Pagano, Michael Brown, and S.N. Goenka.
As I explored these possibilities, I became drawn to teach and share with others what I was learning and experiencing. Rather than remain in the theoretical and conceptual, my experiences were about the practice and embodiment of spiritual truths. As I noticed the gap between what people were espousing and how they were actually living, I sought to teach and support people in helping them practice and embody these truths in their own lives in simple and practical ways. For almost twenty years, I've taught workshops, facilitated groups, led ritual, and privately coached couples and individuals around presence, honesty, sacred sexuality, men's consciousness, personal growth and spiritual development, and intimacy. I have been active in community development through living in cooperative houses, participating in intentional communities, and being part of a year-long journey with a group of people committed to discovering and walking the path of embodied love and service.
What I have learned thus far is quite simple: that we have the opportunity to love unconditionally in each moment of our lives. We have the opportunity to live lives of presence, connection, joy, abundance, play, co-creation, vitality, health, and service. Rather than project this into a future possibility or fantasy, these possibilities are here, now, in each moment. The world around us doesn't change - we change, by practicing simple principles such as honesty, openness, generosity, service, kindness, compassion, authentic communication, personal accountability, awareness, loving touch and affection, presence, and enacted love. Our lives, and our world, are then come into alignment and integrity with the highest good for everyone and with the essence and depth of who we truly are.
This is what I strive to bring to the world, one moment at a time.
In service,
David