Today we’d like to introduce you to Craig Zuber.
Hi craig, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I discovered Reiki at a particularly overwhelming time in my life. I was pursuing my master’s degree in social work at Humboldt State University among the redwoods in Arcata, California, while living in a van and attempting to heal some deep emotional/psychological wounds.
For years I had been living in a state of chronic overwhelm and stress. And I kept reasoning that if I just pushed myself harder, just a little further, that things would get better. If I could just prove to the world that I was worthy, successful, that I could do it all- keep my feelings bottled up, put on a brave face, achieve, achieve, achieve, then everything would be okay.
Little did I know that there was a different way, a different path that I was being called to. I started attending community Reiki sessions after finding a flyer on the community bulletin board in Arcata. And soon I found myself hearing a small voice inside guiding little everyday choices. That little voice turned out to be very powerful and is the reason that I am still following the path of Reiki today. That voice, my intuition, led me to a Reiki 1 certification in 2023, a Reiki 2 certification in 2024 and a Reiki Master certification in 2026. And it is that reconnection, to the inner voice, that I hope to share with others through sharing the power of Reiki.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have lived with anxiety my whole life. Looking back, I can remember the feeling as early as 6 or 7 years old. I always worried about what others thought of me and was always trying to keep the peace. I have always struggled with expressing myself and my emotions often overwhelm me. I was also a shy child. I got good grades and didn’t get in trouble, so I was able to fly under the radar. I internalized everything and created a habit of suppressing my feelings. Over the years, these patterns really took a toll on me.
Things came to head after my first psychedelic experience with mushrooms. A few evenings after that experience I felt strongly compelled to create. An intense energy filled my body and I proceeded to draw for two hours straight. What came out of that intense session was a drawing I now have tattooed on my right thigh which symbolizes what I now understand to be the beginnings of a spiritual emergence (y). Initially, I thought I was having a mental breakdown or experiencing psychosis. My anxiety was at an all time high, I couldn’t sleep and I had begun to see people’s auras. Functioning on a daily basis became really difficult.
I eventually decided to quit my full-time job as a teacher assistant for autistic students. I sold all of my things: my car, my CD collection, my books, and made my way to Maui to do work-trade on a flower farm in exchange for housing and the opportunity to reset. I ended up spending the next two years there.
It wasn’t until I decided to go to graduate school at Humboldt State University that I began to get some clarity on what had been happening to me. On the flight to Medford, Oregon I was graced by an angel sitting next to me. She somehow managed to coax my story out of me. To this day I still cannot understand how I was willing to share with a complete stranger about my post-psychedelic experience. She created such a safe space for me to be vulnerable. After hearing my story, she wrote a prescription on a piece of paper for a daily prayer and recommended that I read a book by Bonnie Greenwell entitled, When Spirit Leaps. As it turns out the book was all about experiences of spiritual emergence(y).
On a later road trip to another part of Oregon I ended up at a used bookstore where another book called to me. This time it was about kundalini awakenings, which I later learned are also referred to as episodes of spiritual emergence (y). Things were starting to make sense.
Through my research I had come to understand that in ancient traditions, Kundalini was awoken with care through yogic practices under the guidance of someone who had already gone through the experiences. Kundalini can also be awoken unintentionally by psychedelic use, intense meditation, and traumatic experiences. Well, I had experienced the trifecta. Prior to my awakening I had been intensely meditating, I had started to address childhood trauma, and I had used psychedelic mushrooms for the first time.
I had awoken Kundalini unintentionally and my nervous system was unprepared for it. Subsequently, I began to experience intense anxiety, insomnia, and a host of other health issues. Keep in mind, I knew nothing about Kundalini or spiritual awakening prior to my experience. I was not trying to awaken Kundalini. And I would not recommend that anyone attempts to without proper guidance.
My research continued and while I was at graduate school and seeking some respite from all of my mental/emotional/physical and spiritual ailments, I fatefully came across a flyer for community Reiki one morning. I had no idea what Reiki was but something inside of me said “Go”. And thus began my journey with Reiki. It would be another 6 years before I became attuned to Reiki myself.
Life continued and I returned to Maui the summer between my first and second years of graduate school to continue work on the farm where I did work-trade. One day, while perusing the farm owner’s book shelf I came across a book by Hank Wesselman, entitled, The Bowl of Light, which detailed Hank’s relationship with Hawaiian shaman, Hale Makua. My interest was piqued and an unquenchable thirst to experience and learn all I could about Shamanism was initiated.
After connecting with Reiki and Shamanism, I began to discover and connect with my true self, my intuitive self. The one who had been there all along, hiding beneath the anxiety and fear. I began to see the places where I wasn’t showing myself love or I was unable to accept myself- both the good and “bad” parts of myself. I place bad in quotes because I don’t really believe there are bad parts, just parts that are hiding in the shadows because they are scared and have been neglected and unintegrated.
After exploring shamanic journeying inconsistently for a couple of years, I decided that I wanted to prepare myself for my first vision quest and have a trial run. I would go to the woods behind the house I was living in to the place where I did all my journeys- a stone circle that happened to be near the creek. I began fasting the morning of and remained in that circle praying, dancing and resting, only leaving to relieve myself in the woods. I built a fire when night came and remained part of the evening returning to my home sometime before 10pm. I was too scared to stay the night alone but I felt good about what I had accomplished. The next morning I returned to clean up the circle and to my astonishment I found two small crystals that had not been there the day before- an amethyst crystal and a rose quartz crystal- symbols of love and self acceptance.
Others have shown me the way to self acceptance and love as well, both human and non-human. Guidance has come from some of the most unlikely places. Trees have shared their wisdom with me, telling me it’s okay to be unique. The spirit of buffalo has come to share its wisdom of self-respect, gifting me a daily morning ritual for protection and guidance. Water has shared with me its amazing powers of peace, flow, and reconciliation. In fact, water has been one of my greatest friends. It has always been a place of solace and joy for me, whether surfing in the ocean or building cairns in the creek behind my home. I always feel at ease when I am in/near the water. A new spirit arises, a peaceful, meditative, playful, and joyful spirit. My body feels lighter and wants to undulate, creating figure eight patterns and spirals. I arrive in the moment and there is nothing more important than being. The creek behind my home-Mingo creek- is a sacred place to me.
For a long time I played the victim and could only ask why. Why did I experience the trauma I did as a child? Why was I so anxious? So depressed? What did it all mean? Over time, I have learned to see my challenges and battles as gifts. Gifts that led me to Reiki, to Shamanism, and back to myself.
While I continue to struggle at times, I am grateful for my challenges and where they have led me. And I have discovered so much more about myself than I ever could have imagined and there is an infinite amount to keep discovering.
I am not this body and my spirit will continue to live on when my body perishes. In peak moments, I am a tree as much as a human. I am a hawk, the creek, the mayapple, the breeze dancing the trees. Below is a poem I wrote entitled, “I am”, that encapsulates the sentiment nicely.
I am
The fog that sweeps low, blanketing the creek, keeping Heron hidden
The first rays kissing the tips of the Sycamores
I am the wind rattling the Oaks, dancing the dead during winter
I am the Flame forever flickering
I am the River undulating
I am the hissing Sand
Nothing can stop me from returning once again
I am every Pebble, every Leaf
The dew that dribbles down, descending every blade of Grass
Walk quietly and you may hear the whisper of my name
Belly rising, belly falling
With every breath,
I am
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a Reiki master and provide in-person Reiki sessions. Reiki is a Japanese healing method where practitioners lightly place their hands on or above the body to guide energy, promote relaxation, and reduce stress, thereby aiding the body to heal itself. Currently I offer in person sessions at Just Be Holistic Wellness Center in Royersford, PA. Be on the lookout for additional spaces in the Montgomery County/Chester County areas where I will be offering sessions as my services expand. Be the first to get updates by signing up for my newsletter at thunderheartwellness.com
I like to think of my work as first and foremost creating a safe and sacred space for people to let down their guard so that they can relax, find a respite from stress, and reconnect to their intuition and innate healing. I do my best to get out of the way and let Reiki serve the client’s highest good.
Reiki isn’t just something I do when I am seeing clients. It is a way of life for me. During my training, I learned the many applications of Reiki and now I use it in my daily life. I use Reiki to connect with my divine self, to bless and empower my food. I share Reiki with animals and trees. I share Reiki with the creek behind my home, with the Earth, with fire. I share Reiki with my wife and son, and I ask Reiki to flow through me and bless anyone who wants to receive it. I write down issues I am struggling with and ask for Reiki to assist me in solving them. I share Reiki at my ancestral altar and offer Reiki to my spirit guides and ancestors.
I am so proud that I answered the call of Reiki and Shamanism- really a call to engage in the ongoing discovery of who I really am and how I want to show up in the world.
For those interested in my credentials, a list is provided below:
Masters of Social Work | Humboldt State University – May 2018
Licensed Social Worker in PA – 2024
Certified Trauma Professional – 2025
Reiki 1 Certification-Usui- Kathy Tooley- Summer 2022
Reiki 2 Certification- Usui-Kathy Tooley- Summer 2023
Reiki Master Certification- Usui/Holy Fire Certification- 2025/2026 Shelby Lynn, Just Be Holistic Wellness
Embodiment Coaching Certification- Coming 2026
Medicinal Plant and Herbal Studies- Self Study beginning Spring 2025
Medicine Wheel and Thunderbird Medicine Teachings with Tim Yearington (Algonquin Shaman)- Summers 2023-2024
Kids Yoga Teacher Training- August 2023
HealthRHYTHMS Group Empowerment Drumming Certification- August 2022-REMO
Indigenous Ancestral Spirit Technologies with Elder Theresa Sykes Brittany who is continuing Elder Malidoma Some’s work (IAST)-2022-Present
IAST #1 Elemental Immersion- May 2022
IAST #2 Ancestralization- August 2025
Introduction to Shamanic Journeying- August 2021 | Sacred Stream
Shamanic Power Retrieval- August 2021 | Sacred Stream
Yoga of the 4 Directions- Fall 2020 | Rebecca Mayer Yoga
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I am also a musician! I write my own music and have a fondness for kid’s songs. With the help of my lovely wife, Katherine, I published a book entitled, Laundry Quandary, that is available for purchase on my website at thunderheartwellness.com. It is the first in a series of books that allows the reader to listen to the song as they read the book. The book was done in collaboration with my friend Julia Shively, who is an artist and fellow social worker. You can also check out the video that I did for the song with my friend and wonderful videographer/fellow creative, Luke O’Brien here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEXRizu-h9E. You can also check out Luke’s work on his Youtube channel, Lukey the Bird (https://www.youtube.com/@LukeyTheBird). I am currently working on the second book in the series entitled, Magic Wand.
I am currently working on new solo material and have had a productive summer of songwriting. You can check out some snippets of my newer songs at https://soundcloud.com/thunderheartwellness.
Contact Info:
- Website: thunderheartwellness@gmail.com
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thunderheartwellness.
