Bill Epperly

I’m Bill Epperly and I am an Interning Teacher and member of the Trillium Awakening community since 2011. If you are looking for someone to support your ongoing unfolding I hope you will consider working with me.

My spiritual story begins in early childhood when I had important experiences of Spirit in nature. Out of my love for nature, I majored in biology in college, then went to grad school to study biochemistry. I was an agnostic and believed that studying life in the lab might help me discover the mystery of life with a capital “L.” After a profound early awakening in 1987, in which I had a glimpse of nondual awareness, I lost all interest in biochemistry and set out on a spiritual search for enlightenment. I became fascinated with both contemplative Christianity and Zen Buddhism. My interest in Buddhism led me to investigate a Korean Zen Buddhist Temple in Ann Arbor, MI, where I was doing my doctorate. I fell in love with zen, and with the community, and ended up moving in and experiencing 3 years of residential Zen training. More recently, I became interested in Ken Wilber’s integral spirituality as a way to integrate zen, contemplative Christianity, and the many contemporary forms of spirituality I had studied.

My spiritual journey has been about awakening, deepening and healing. Traumas I experienced as a child have impacted me deeply. I wrestled with anxiety, depression, self-doubt and a lack of basic trust for decades. For a time, I had a drinking problem which I understand now as an attempt to self-medicate my anxieties. My healing continues to this day, but through this work I have come to a place where I experience a strong sense of fundamental wellbeing most of the time.

I bring a relational style and a lifetime of experience to my work as an interning teacher. I enjoy holding the space for your spiritual exploration and often bring tools such as focusing, voice dialogue, and co-meditation into my sessions. My personal experiences with darkness, depression and anxiety make it possible for me to be deeply present with  you as you explore your darker corners.  I see our relationship as a form of spiritual friendship in which two share the ongoing adventure of walking the spiritual path.

I live in the city of Chicago with my wife Claire, and have learned to live a balanced, spiritual life in a large city. It’s my experience that awakening does not necessarily require a certain kind of job or environment. What it seems to require is an intention to awaken and a willingness to creatively cooperate with the awakening process, wherever it may lead. If you’re interested in connecting to explore working with me, I offer a no-obligations first session. I look forward to hearing from you!