Hi!  I'm Jan Hodgman. My "official" qualifications include ordination as a Soto Zen priest, an undergraduate degree in Psychology, a Master’s in East Asian Studies, with studies in Zen Buddhism to augment my eight monastic years in Japan, certification as a Focusing Trainer by Reva Bernstein, and a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education, serving as a hospital chaplain.  More importantly, though, I really love being a part of a person’s journey toward self-awareness and a full life.    

                                                         The primary influences in my own journey have been my Zen monastic training and my training in Focusing. In 1984, after several years as a professional musician and a volunteer and board member of a newly formed hospice  in Oregon, I took a trip to Japan  to visit my sister and family. While there, I decided to check out the Zen scene “on the side”. I had already been meditating for many years, and wanted to experience Zen in the land of its development. At Hosshinji Monastery I attended a week-long meditation retreat and upon meeting Harada Sekkei Roshi, the abbot, I knew I had to study with him.

                                                      After ordaining as a Zen Buddhist priest, I spent a year at a Soto Zen nunnery then returned to the men’s training monastery of Hosshinji for several years. I also spent a year at a temple in a mountain village in Fukui. Here’s a photo of me on my ordination day in 1986:

Upon returning to the U.S., in part to help care for my mother with Alzheimer’s, I sat in on a Theory Construction course taught by Eugene Gendlin, Ph.D. at the University of Chicago. (This course later became “Thinking at the Edge".) Later my sister introduced me to Focusing, a dynamic process developed by Gendlin. Focusing continues to amaze and nourish me personally, and I love sharing it with others. I did my Focusing training with Reva Bernstein as my Coordinator, and took workshops with Ann Weiser Cornell, Ph.D.

                                                               While in graduate school in East Asian Studies at University of Illinois, I met my husband-to-be at our Zen group. Married life offers daily challenges and opportunities to grow, and brings the importance of relationship to the foreground of my life. Bob and I have a dog, Bodhi, a cat Missy, and we enjoy hiking in the glorious Pacific Northwest, playing music like "Ashokan's Farewell" and  Pernod's Waltz" together  (Bob on guitar, me on concertina,  hammered dulcimer, flute or piano), growing vegetables and flowers, and watching movies. Our dog often sits with us when we do morning zazen!

                                                            Another interest of mine is fabric dyeing,  and using the fabric to make hangings, scarves and quilts. The one below is done with an old photographic process called cyanotype. I hope to put more of my altar hangings and fabric pieces up on this website soon.

I am also a published author, with works in CALYX, Post Road, The Raven's Chronicles, The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror and others. Most of my writing draws on my experience as a Zen monk in Japan. I have also had interviews published in the Focusing Institute's newsletter. I love conducting workshops incorporating Focusing into the process of writing and music.

Anacortes is on Fidalgo Island, where the ferries depart for the San Juan Islands in Washington. The weather is mild and the scenery is spectacular. I love listening to fog horns and the sounds of crows. Here's a lake about a 5 minute walk from where I live:

And please take a stroll in my garden:

 Hollyhocks and sweet peas

Artichokes

 Scarlet runner beans 

 Irish Eyes rudbeckia and lavatera