Diana's Grove Staff

Cynthia Jones followed a call to manifest the vision of a place where people could come for personal and spiritual growth, as well as leadership development. When she and Patricia Storm founded Diana's Grove in 1993, both a retreat center and a spiritual philosophy dedicated to healthy group interaction and community building was born. She is the primary force behind the Mystery School stories and material, and designs the weekend and week-long intensives. Cynthia has taught metaphysics, Tarot, and astrology for over 20 years, and her video, The Priestess' Journey through the Tarot invites the viewer into her unique process of bringing the cards out of the box and into conversation. In addition to her passion for myth and community development, Cynthia devotes much of her time to the Diana's Grove Dog Rescue operation, one of the no-kill independent rescues in Missouri, where she has helped to save the lives of countless dogs and puppies and find them homes across the United States and Canada.


Patricia Storm was “sponsored” by the vision of Diana’s Grove in 1993. Her preparation for following that vision includes a MA in Psychology and experience in working with special needs children, adults, and families. Additional preparation came from working as a telephone engineer and supervisor for 8 years. She can now wire the Grove for phone service and lead a group to discuss the philosophy of communication. Since founding Diana’s Grove with Cynthia Jones, Patricia has worked with everyone who has passed through the gate - in person, on line, or on the phone. She is committed to the philosophy of leadership and personal growth that is a part of and a continually developing process at Diana’s Grove. Patricia’s special interest in drumming has been fostered and grown by her work with Layne Redmond, Tommy Brunjes, and Glen Velez. She now has her own introductory frame drum video: The Frame Drum as a Tool for Transformation.


Canyon's life mission is to offer others opportunities that enable them to step into wholeness. Her programs and publications support you as you strive to become who you truly are, who you were intended to be. Her experiences with her own healing and recovery work as a survivor of childhood abuse and in her work with others who were wounded as children have become the warp threads of a tapestry. This life experience is the frame into which is woven her PhD in developmental psychology, almost 30 years experience in that profession, and her training and experience in leadership development. She believes that we can all move beyond the wounds of our pasts and into wholeness as humans. Canyon has been a participant in leadership development programs at the Center for Creative Leadership, the Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, and Diana's Grove. For 28 years, in eight states from Georgia to Idaho, she has provided workshops, seminars, online and college courses, focus groups, and leadership in statewide and community initiatives to support human development as it was meant to be. Canyon is currently writing a book, 7 Childhood Treasures to Enrich Your Life Now.

Jim Carey has been a member of Mystery School since 1997 and he has been a part of the greater Diana’s Grove community since 1995. Jim joined the staff at Diana’s Grove in 1998 and has been serving as a facilitator and presenter while being deeply committed to land management.

Jim is a lifelong devotee of rhythm and movement and he has studied extensively with Gabrielle Roth and Vin Marti. Jim is a certified teacher of Soul Motion, a form of ecstatic trance movement and personal meditation. Jim presents this work at Diana’s Grove and in workshops around the Midwest. He has also studied frame drum and tambourine with Layne Redmond and he is actively seeking new ways to merge these two forms of rhythm together. Jim has been staffing and teaching since 1998.

Charles is a wandering spirit who has come to this work by daring to follow his heart and listening to the yearning of his soul. With faith and curiosity he has spent life roaming North America gathering an eclectic set of skills and experiences.

From these journeys have learned many lessons: how to survive on what is at hand, how to live in community, and how to solve problems without first worrying whether a solution can be found. His life is his spiritual practice, and sustainability and Earth stewardship are his passion.

He teaches skills in alternative and sustainable living through the Stewardship program, focused weekends and long-term apprenticeships.

Charles has taught at Sterling College, Diana’s Grove, Earth Activist Trainings, Farm & Wilderness, Adirondack Leadership Expeditions, Witch Camps, Sacred Places, numerous mass mobilizations and workshops around the country.


Constance Fleming has been a student of nature's wisdom since her youth, when she spent long hours exploring and studying the woods and prairies around her home. Her intense curiosity about the natural world drove her investigation into the lives of animals, plants, and the environments in which they make their homes. Deeply touched by the inter-dependence of all life, she later began to explore human community and studied psychology, earning a BA in that field, followed by a year of graduate study in social work.

Constance joined the Diana's Grove Mystery School community in 2000, bringing her love of both the natural world and healthy, life-sustaining communities to her work here. For two years she taught our online class, Nature Wisdom, and has taken groups of Mysteries on informative and magical nature walks during many intensives. She works closely with Cynthia Jones in the Diana's Grove Dog Rescue and serves as co-mentor of the Initiatory Priestess Program with Pamela Wilz.

Shaun Perkins is a poet, teacher, storyteller, and workshop presenter. She has a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in liberal studies and has been a teacher for over twenty years.

She facilitates the Grove's online writing class, and her Journey in Words workshops have been presented many times at Diana's Grove and for other organizations, such as the National Storytelling Network, the Popular Culture Society, and Tellabration. In 2007, she will be presenting workshops for the National Association of Poetry Therapy, The Golden Fleece Day, and The Story Circle Network.

For more information about her and her work, see www.journeyinwords.com. She is the co-author of two books, and information about them can be found at www.rumorperkins.com.

River is a priestess, musician, and Reclaiming community and camp teacher who has been involved in earth-based spirituality for over thirteen years. River joined Mystery School in 2000, and has since dedicated her spiritual practice to the exploration of ritual arts, ecstasy, authentic risk-taking, and connection to Spirit through voice and rhythm. In September of 2003, she left her 9 to 5 job to become what she calls a “Freelance Priestess”, and has been on the road ever since teaching workshops and mentoring community organizers and teachers throughout the United States and Canada. River serves as the Ritual Arts mentor for the Rites of Passage team at the Grove. She has a passion for the Tarot, is a strong singer and drummer, and would like nothing more than to talk about ritual for hours on end. She currently lives in Chicago, IL with her roommate and a small orange tabby cat named Theseus. For more information on River, including a collection of her articles on ritual arts, what’s going on in her local community, and her travel schedule, visit her website at: www.rivermagic.org.



Elizabeth Wilson is a member of the Diana's Grove staff and has been serving her home community in Iowa for 17 years as a human services professional. She is a passionate advocate for individuals living with HIV and AIDS and the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) community at the local and state level. Elizabeth serves as the Community Arts mentor for the Rites of Passage team at the Grove, facilitates small groups, and provides technical support and web design. She is a Community Artist who believes that being in relationship with each other gives us the opportunity to learn how to function with mutual respect and develop our ability to grow and thrive as human beings. Another focus of her work with Diana's Grove is Leadership Development, and she sees the community as an incredible environment in which to hone leadership skills and "live it while you learn it."



Jennifer Wilson is a Diana's Grove staff priestess and educator from Milwaukee, WI who holds an MA in Counseling Psychology and has extensive experience in adult education and professional development. In her home community, she is an Associate Lecturer in the School of Education at UW-Milwaukee and founder of New Leaf Coaching and Consulting, a practice focused on supporting schools and providing personal coaching for women in midlife.

At the Grove, she offers workshops on tarot and leadership, facilitates small groups, and is passionate about the Grove's online community. Jennifer believes that by learning about ourselves through myth and ritual, we can be of better service to the world in which we live.





Pamela Wilz is a facilitator, priestess, dancer and student of life. She joined the Mystery School community in 1997 and is continually awed by the power and potential she sees in personal growth and community. Pamela holds an MA in Counseling with emphasis on Group Dynamics, is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Ohio and is certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors. Her extensive background in the field of domestic violence has expanded into a passion for understanding the complexities of all human interactions. Pamela’s desire to integrate skills and learnings from Diana’s Grove with all facets of her life led to her creation and continued development of the Taking it Home program. She also serves as co-mentor of the leadership-centered Initiatory Priestess Program. Pamela lives in Ohio where she is a director in a social service agency. She shares her home with a family of felines.