NOTE: I'm currently in the process of moving and will be able to host once I do. :-)

Are you looking to connect with a thoughtful and creative explorer? Let's chat! I'm a curious and adventurous type with a liking for flowing clothing and endless conversation. My favorite thing to do is to chat late into the night over soy CBD lattes and zucchini bread hot from the oven, with Burial Radio playing on Pandora and lots of candles flickering.

I run a one-woman indie press, Grey Shaman Press, with areas of interest ranging from social marketplaces to apocalyptic fiction. Find me at https://helenoneil.com. Among other projects, I also curate Fiery Five: Music To Mellow Out To, a weekly playlist of the best experimental songs in the industry. Learn more at https://patreon.com/fieryfive. As an eclectic shaman, I'm a pioneer in the use of Existential Kink for processing racial trauma. Ask me about it sometime!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm wandering the U.S. to find a new place to call home. It needs to be super-cheap, relatively safe, artsy, and quiet, with good access to Wi-Fi and lots of natural beauty. I'm also trying to connect with artist, writer, nerd/geek, and monk/nun types who want to make an artsy friend.

Interests

I love experimental music, candles, holistic medicine, and books. I have a special passion for used bookstores and the public library, which keeps me from spending rent money on literature. An avid meditator, I enjoy things like incense, jasmine oil and Om temporary face tattoos.

I pride myself on being a curious soul who courts the unknown. Unlike some, I enjoy encounters with insightful people who think differently from myself. My hobbies include:

--indie concerts and theater
--fine vegetarian cuisine
--cafe and bookstore culture
--lectures
--classes/workshops

I'm currently learning to cook South and East Asian, Mexican, Italian and North African cuisines. I have the best pad Thai recipe and a secret curry blend for Massaman curry that will blow your mind! Ask me to bring a tin of it with me when I come over :-)

• documentaries
• concerts
• yoga
• meditation
• reading
• journalism
• mathematics
• neuroscience
• ballet
• holistic health
• asian cuisine
• shamanism
• finance
• contemporary dance
• genetics
• experimental music
• fiction writing
• personal training
• economic development
• baking/cooking
• indie publishing
• sacred fashion
• sharia

Music, Movies, and Books

My favorite music includes specific works by:

--Hildur Gudnadottir
--Ingram Marshall
--Jodie Landau
--Bejun Mehta (opera)
--Lee Burridge's 2018 mix for Robot Heart at Burning Man
--Lisa Thiel
--Gabrielle Roth and the Mirrors
--Chopin
--Son of Saturn
--2Pac/Makaveli
--Tool

I'm addicted to New Sounds on NPR and particularly enjoy experimental Scandinavian music. Some of my favorite movies/documentaries include The Shawshank Redemption, The James Holmes Conspiracy, Four Horsemen, Schindler's List and The Red Pill. I love watching YouTube.

Favorite Books:
--The True and Only Heaven, Christopher Lasch
--Generation Me, Jean Twenge
--Female Chauvinist Pigs: Girls and the Rise of Raunch Culture, Ariel Levy
--The Wealth of Nations and The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Adam Smith
--sacred scriptures from around the world
--On Becoming An Alchemist, Catherine MacCoun
--Song of the Exile, Kiana Davenport
--The Imitation of Christ (Dover Thrift Editions), Thomas a Kempis
--Bastard out of Carolina, Dorothy Allison
--The Working Poor, David K. Shipler

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I ran a street ministry in New York City that involved dadirri, a Maori technique of active listening that creates sacred space between two people. To date, I've enjoyed the privilege of buying dozens of people meals, offering them info about soup kitchens and job opportunities, and listening quietly as they shared their stories.

Teach, Learn, Share

For over 30 years, I've spent hours researching on a daily basis and have tons of knowledge. I can teach you how sage can kick your pasta up a notch or show you how to talk to plants. Looking for arcane info about cockteasing or vegan Jewish penicillin? I'm your woman. Or we can just practice our Arabic together :-)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'd love to grab Ethiopian food with you and have a long conversation about anything from the current state of public education to contemporary Chinese and Pacific Rim art. Or we can catch a documentary at your place, or talk about the latest book I've read. I could cook you my famous pad thai, or we could go for a long nighttime walk in sweats with flasks of my world-famous Heartache Tea. I'll even help with your laundry!