Well, this info was just going to be a Facebook post. And then an Instagram post. Okay, then came the TikTok and YouTube reels. And here we are on my blog. I really loved and admired Jean Houston, and I want to tell you what it was like being in her presence.

Jean Houston (May 10, 1937–May 16, 2026) was one of my supersheroes. I’ve read every one of her books, and her work had a profound impact on me.

She wasn’t just phenomenal. She was a phenomenon. She was bigger than life, and she reached out a hand to let us know we could live there too. She expected it of us.

She lived and worked at such a high level. To be in her presence was to be transformed. Folks didn’t simply meet Jean. We were expanded by her—so much that we could never return to our original shape.

I had the joy and honor of interviewing her twice: once for a spiritual magazine I worked for and once for a documentary I was making for peace.

I still remember her comment about peace. She said, “It’s not”—then in a little wispy voice, not at all like her resonant, master teacher/Earth Mother voice—“oh, peace,” like people might think of it as some optional, fragile accessory to life.

“No, it’s PEACE,” she boomed. “It’s mighty, it’s rich, it’s fecund.”

That was Jean, the world-renowned visionary, living A Mythic Life—the title of one of her many books. At the same time, she was wonderfully homey: a gourmet cook, gracious, warm, and welcoming.

Her house was extraordinary, filled with artifacts from all over the world. There was even an Egyptian sarcophagus in her living room.

The photos here are from the documentary. The link to the magazine article is here.

Thank you, Jean. I’m beyond grateful our paths crossed. I know your next journey will be even more amazing. ❤️