Jerikaye Maria Magdalena Nelson

I am from a rural community in south Louisiana calledTee-Mamou. A child at heart, my life has been guided by a search for novelty, truth and beauty that has taken various forms and diverse courses. My activities are largely motivated by my personal nexus of priorities -- intellectual advancement, creative movement, health and wellness, artistic expression, and spirituality (which is the synthesis of all the others). My intense interest in the human mind led me to engage in graduate studies at the Institute of Cognitive Science at the University of Louisiana where I studied the neurophysiological substrates of the creative process in the human brain.

A lifelong lover of learning, I come from a long line of educators and was even a middle school English teacher myself for a short time. I now am a homeschooling mom participating in alternative educational cooperatives for children and adults alike. I am the director of a Montessori learning environment for spiritual formation at Archangel Gabriel Eastern Orthodox Church where I work as a catechist with very early children. I am also a student myself -- a graduate student of Eastern Orthodox Theology working towards a Master's degree through the Balamand University of Lebanon. Currently my research interests there include the divine feminine and comparisons with other eastern mystical traditions.

I am a founding member of my local Red Tent Community and remain interested in women's spirituality. I also am a holistic health enthusiast. My interests/specialties in that area arise out of general caregiving for loved ones and include renal dietetics, plant-based culinary arts for health & fasting, and the study of creative activity, movement, touch, community and intention.

Alongside these interests has always been the dance -- not merely a form of entertainment, but an artistic expression, a physical exercise for health and welness, a spiritual practice, and a vibrant community-builder. Dance attests to the innate holiness of the human body and the physical world, I specialize in modern tribal dance forms interconnected with bellydance and other folkloric styles from around the world. I am also a fire performance artist known as the Fire Maiden. But my favorite role is that of wife (Pavlos) and mom (Seraphim).