Torrey James Lystra

Torrey James Lystra developed organized and presented hundreds of public programs on wildlife, ornithology, ethno-botany, and ecology during his career as a park ranger /naturalist and supervising park ranger. He has extensive experience in park design, management, and supervision, and received numerous awards including the Sierra Club's Environmental Educator of the Year. It was during this time that his unusual journey began with his soon to be grandfather/teacher Wallace Black Elk. At this moment in time his "Sacred Earth Series" began in real time and his introductory book to that series, "In The Spirit of Black Elk: Preserving a Sacred Way" describes his quest to fully understand the restoration of sight to the blind eye of one of his own sons in a native ceremony. In this volume you can follow his steps as he becomes a part of this ancient lineage of healers and seers. His first hand accounts of the natural and supernatural worlds he explores provide a spiritual, anthropological, and metaphysical view rarely ever shared in this manner. His second book in this series "An Angel and a Shaman" is a 2016 Nautilus Book Award winner. It describes the next level of this true story. His original paintings and photographs to begin each chapter in these volumes can be utilized to distill your experience and convey ideas not found in words.

After moving to the Pacific Northwest he has worked as a naturalist on an orca research team, he has travelled to several parts of the world to study and swim with wild dolphins, he has served as a director during the design phase of an ocean based Seaquarium in Mexico, he has completed two terms as a local parks commissioner, and continues to write, paint, teach, and be a humble shaman. His deep relationship to our planet and its sacred places coupled with his experiences on ancient pathways have given him a unique view into the worlds of art, science, and Spirit.