Betsy Perluss, Ph.D. (she/they), a lover of landscape, story, and myth, grew up as a semi-feral child on Pimu (Catalina Island), where she was ignited with a passion for wild and unbounded places. She stumbled upon the School of Lost Borders in 1998 and has since been involved as a participant, guide, trainer, board member, and member of the elder’s and guiding councils. Betsy aspires to live a life informed by the wisdom of the land, the pan-cultural ceremony, and the mystery of initiatory rites. She is an accepting, down-to-earth guide who brings a mix of sacred and profane, gravity and playfulness to her work. As a “young elder,” Betsy is passionate about supporting new generation guides, mentoring, and being mentored by those who embody the future yet to come. As a guide, her aim is for simplicity and spaciousness, and to facilitate spaces that are inclusive and accessible to all who desire to participate. 

Betsy is a certified Jungian Analyst with a background in eco and liberation psychologies. In addition, Betsy’s passions include dreamwork, ancient feminine initiatory rites, and Christian mysticism. Betsy teaches ecopsychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute and, from 2001-2012, was a professor of counseling at California State University, Los Angeles. She splits her time between Grass Valley on the Sierra Nevada’s western slopes and the Owens Valley’s eastside, traditionally known as Payahuunadü, the “land of flowing water.”  

Email: [email protected]

For more about Betsy and her writing, please visit her website at betsyperluss.com or her blog at www.psycheandnature.com