Teàrlach eshu RCH LNLPP

For all of my life I've been fascinated by the power and capacity of the mind, and how human beings can intentionally utilize non-ordinary states of consciousness to bring about transformation and seemingly miraculous changes in how we experience our lives.

Hypnosis and hypnotherapy have been interests of mine since childhood, and it is an honour to guide and witness the transformation that Trancework creates in the lives of those I support.

Trancework through meditation, ceremony, and ritual has been a significant part of my life. I have been exploring my own consciousness as an ordained Rinzai Zen priest and authorized teacher for 25 years.

Spiritually, I identify as an Ancestral Animist, as I believe that the foundation of reconciliation is coming to know ones own origins, and from a place of deep rootedness, building reciprocal relationships with all beings; human and other-than-human.

Transformative states of consciousness at the end-of-life is also a lifelong interest for me, and for 6 years, I was the Spiritual Health Coordinator for Victoria Hospice. Hospice is also where my interest in psychedelic therapy began by exploring the use of psilocybin at end of life. Wanting hands on experience, I trained as a mentee, and became a facilitator and mentor for the Roots to Thrive program (RTT).

Entheogenic (psychedelic) Therapies are an area of particular interest to me, and while most of these powerful medicines are currently and unreasonably illegal, I am able and delighted to provide preparation consultation and integration support for individuals who choose to engage with psychedelics for personal healing and Spiritual development.*

In my personal life, I am a father of two amazing young adults, and a big dog lover (especially Great Danes). I am an actor, a singer, an avid reader and storyteller, and a Gàidhlig (Scottish Gaelic) language and culture reclaimer and teacher. I value communication, honesty, integrity, and commitment bordering on zeal. Most of all, I value magick; and for me, the transformation that is possible through the power of the human mind is the most magickal thing of all.

- Eshu

(for more details, see below)

Book a consultation with Eshu

More about Eshu

When Eshu was just 5 years old, his older sister asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. His answer was “a priest… or a wizard” - it was an odd answer, as their family didn’t attend church, and religion was not a subject of discussion.

After completing second grade in the public school system, Eshu asked his parents if he could go to Catholic school the next year. His parents thought it was probably a “phase”, but when he persisted, they agreed and enrolled him. Eshu felt a deep connection to ceremony and spiritual exploration, but often found himself engaged in debates that challenged authority. He remembers being asked to step out of the class after pursuing a line of questioning on the nature of “holy” objects when the Bishop of the diocese visited his class.

When Eshu was 9 years old his mother Jean suffered a stroke, and died shortly after - and this tragedy was to shape the path of his life. What had begun as spiritual curiosity, became an existential crisis and a “dark night of the souls” that for Eshu lasted for nearly a decade.

In his late teens he became involved in martial arts, which led to his exposure to Eastern traditions through the teachings of the Tao te Ching, and eventually to Zen Buddhism. A passage in Musashi Miyamoto’s “Book of Five Rings” struck Eshu like a bolt of lightning, and he knew that he had to find out more.

He began to sit zazen (zen meditation) in 1994, and within a year he had moved across the country to Vancouver Island and became a member of the Victoria Zen Centre, and in 1996 he was elected chair of the board of directors. In 1997 he travelled to Mt. Baldy Zen Centre to begin his training under Joshu Sasaki Roshi, at the time a renowned 90 year old Zen Master.

Eshu was ordained at Mt. Baldy as a novice Rinzai Zen Buddhist priest in 1999, and served first as the resident priest (1999-2004) and then as the Abbot of Zenwest Buddhist Society (formerly Victoria Zen Centre) from 2004 - 2019. Eshu became an Osho (Full Priest and Dharma Teacher) in 2013 - authorized by Genjo Marinello Roshi of Dai Bai Zan Cho Bo Zen Ji.

As the Abbot of Zenwest, Eshu led a full spectrum temple and training centre program which included daily zazen (zen meditation) practice, koan practice, meditation programs for members and the public, several week long intensives (sesshin) each year, as well as guiding several residential students at their Centre in Sooke.

Eshu gave thousands of Dharma talks at Zenwest, hundreds of which are still available online via the Living Zen Podcast.

The Zenwest Sangha was actively involved in the Vancouver Island community, and Eshu was frequently called upon to represent Buddhism, offering talks, lectures, and invocations for charities, universities, and other events, including the Order of B.C.

Eshu served as the Buddhist Chaplain at the University of Victoria (2005 - 2010) where he collaborated with a dynamic team in Multifaith Services.

After serving at Zenwest for 20+ years, Eshu retired from his role as Abbot to focus on family, and continuing his own Spiritual practice outside of the Zen tradition.

From 2016 - 2022, Eshu worked as the Spiritual Health Coordinator (formerly called ‘chaplain’) at Victoria Hospice, an 18-bed palliative end-of-life care facility embedded in the Royal Jubilee Hospital (Victoria, BC); as part of a multi-disciplinary team of doctors, nurses, counsellors, and many other health care specialists.

Eshu has trained in several traditions of European witchcraft and Wicca, paganism, and Hermetic magic, as well as Nordic Heathen traditions with a specialized focus on runecraft and galdr, all of which have informed his continuing training and practice of Animist healing (Shamanism). Eshu has been formally trained to work with his guides and ancestors to offer psychopomping, pattern and curse unwinding, removing and healing spiritual attachments, ancestral lineage healing, and shamanic depossession of people and places.

Eshu completed training in Hypnotherapy at the Horizon Centre School of Hypnotherapy in Victoria, BC in 2016 and is a Registered Clinical Hypnotherapist with CACHE (Canadian Association of Counselling Hypnotherapists and Educators)

Eshu is a Licensed NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) Practitioner with the Society of NLP; founded by NLP co-creator Richard Bandler.

In 2019 Eshu began an intensive exploration of psychedelic/entheogenic medicines in both ceremonial and clinical context - including acting as a group facilitator for the Roots to Thrive - Ketamine Assisted Therapy (RTT-KAT) program which was co-sponsored by Island Health and Vancouver Island University from 2020-2022. Eshu has been a conference speaker on the intersections between psychedelics and spiritual practice - as well as recommended competencies required for guides to ensure safe and powerful medicine experiences.

Eshu is deeply involved in Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) language and culture revitalization and reclaiming and is beginning to teach, and organize a Gaelic community on Vancouver Island.

Today when Eshu is asked about his work, or about what he does he just smiles and says, “Priest… and Wizard. That about covers it!”

*DISCLAIMER: Monarch Trancework does not provide psychoactive or illegal substances.