For many years, my primary passions have been music and spirituality. I've been a devoted student of many spiritual paths, culminating in a focus on the self-study book known as "A Course in Miracles". In 2009, I gave up a successful career as a hypnotherapist (which was wonderful, but had reached that point where it no longer felt spiritually fulfilling) in order to be a traveling minstrel with my songs on guitar. An album of songs came through me very quickly after I made this transition, which I finally recorded in a studio a couple years ago. On my travels, I enjoy using every encounter to practice mindfulness and presence, and occasionally, I'll share my songs when inspired. It's not a conventional life by any standards, and I hope I never settle for the "status quo". My goal is consistent peace of mind, and I've discovered life to be quite an adventure when Inner Peace is my primary focus.

You can learn more about me and listen to my music at: erikarchbold.com

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I feel that life is all about connecting with people and learning to trust, go with the flow, and be flexible. Couchsurfing feels more in line with the adventurous spirit of that mindset than staying in hotels.

Interests

Music - I play acoustic guitar and sing my original songs, as well as many cover songs. The music I play is usually of a spiritual nature - you can hear my songs at erikarchbold.com

Spiritual Growth - I've been a devoted student of "A Course in Miracles" for many years, but I'm equally fond of all spiritual paths and religions. All of them offer helpful wisdom when you have the eyes to see it.

• books
• singing
• traveling
• music
• guitar
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: The Beatles, James Taylor, Cat Stevens. I've also learned to really enjoy the passion in Christian singers like Kim Walker of Jesus Culture. Basically anything that feels spiritually uplifting, regardless of what religion or spiritual path it seems to be coming from.

Movies: The Matrix, Truman Show, Her, Lucy, Transcendent, to name a small handful. There are so many great movies that point to deep metaphysical and spiritual lessons.

Books: A Course in Miracles, The Power of Now, Celestine Prophesy, The Bible, Siddhartha (Herman Hesse), Unwind Your Mind Back to God: Experiencing A Course in Miracles (David Hoffmeister). So many more...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Got married to a woman based on clear spiritual Guidance, after only having met her on the phone two weeks earlier! It was an incredibly healing relationship, lasting almost four years before we felt the relationship's Purpose (spiritual growth) had been maximized and we felt Guided to get a divorce.

Teach, Learn, Share

Life is a process of learning to become more mindful. When we are more consistently aware of what's really going on in the deep recesses of our mind, it ceases to have the power to control us. Instead, we learn to operate more and more based on intuitive Guidance. All our behavior then becomes more loving, and we feel a sense of true Happiness flowing through us from our Source.

Ultimately, the goal is to merge with our Source, and remember what Jesus remembered: "I and my Father are One."

What I Can Share with Hosts

Presence
A willing listener
Music
Peace
Respect
Honesty

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Mexico, Spain