Angeles Arrien (December 25, 1940 – April 24, 2014) was a Basque-American
cultural anthropologist
Cultural anthropology is a branch of anthropology focused on the study of cultural variation among humans. It is in contrast to social anthropology, which perceives cultural variation as a subset of a posited anthropological constant. The term s ...
, educator, author, lecturer and consultant, best known for her book ''The Four-Fold Way: Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Healer, Teacher and Visionary''.
Early life
Angeles Arrien was born in 1940 in the
Basque Country, Spain, to Salvatore Arrien and Marie Elordi. She moved with her family to Idaho, USA, when she was seven years old, and later became a naturalized American.
She received a
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
from the
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho, United States. Established in 1889 and opened three years later, it was the state's sole university for 71 years, until 1963.
The un ...
, a Master's degree from the
University of California Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkeley ...
, and a doctorate from the
California Institute of Integral Studies
The California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) is a private graduate school (with limited undergraduate offerings) in San Francisco. Founded in 1968 as the California Institute of ''Asian'' Studies, the name was changed in 1980. CIIS has b ...
.
Career
Arrien taught at the
California Institute of Integral Studies
The California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) is a private graduate school (with limited undergraduate offerings) in San Francisco. Founded in 1968 as the California Institute of ''Asian'' Studies, the name was changed in 1980. CIIS has b ...
, the
Alaya Institute, Spain,
John F. Kennedy University
John F. Kennedy University was a private university based in California with offices in San Jose, California. The university was founded in 1965 to offer degrees and certificates for non-traditional higher education students, taught mostly by adj ...
, and at the
Metta Institute
Frank Ostaseski is an American Buddhist teacher and a leader in the field of end-of-life care. He is the Guiding Teacher and founding director of the Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco. The AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) named ...
, California.
She was a founder of the External (Global) Program at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (now
Sofia University
Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" () is a public university, public research university in Sofia, Bulgaria. It is the oldest institution of higher education in Bulgaria.
Founded on 1 October 1888, the edifice of the university was constr ...
).
[Boucouvalas M. 'Editor’s Note.' ''Journal of Transpersonal Psychology''. 2014;46(1):V-Vi.] She served as Vice President of the
Association for Transpersonal Psychology
The ''Journal of Transpersonal Psychology'' (JTP) is a semi-annual, peer-reviewed academic journal which is published by the Association for Transpersonal Psychology (ATP). The journal is a seminal publication in the field of transpersonal psychol ...
and as President of the Angeles Arrien Foundation for Cross-Cultural Education and Research.
She received honorary doctorates from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology and the East-West Interfaith Ministry, California.
She lectured, gave keynote speeches to medical, academic and corporate conferences, held workshops and worked as a personal consultant across the US and worldwide. She mentored many colleagues, students and individuals.
Arrien published ten major works that bridged anthropology, psychology, and religion over a period of twenty-four years, and which were translated into many languages. Her book ''The Signs of Life'' won the 1993
IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award, and ''The Second Half of Life'' won the 2007
Nautilus Book Award
A nautilus (; ) is any of the various species within the cephalopod family Nautilidae. This is the sole extant family of the superfamily Nautilaceae and the suborder Nautilina.
It comprises nine living species in two genera, the type of which ...
for Best book on Ageing. Her book ''Working Together'', in which she recognised that cultural diversity is a reality in many fields of employment, and proposed strategies that would enable workforces to build on that diversity and create bridges between people from different cultural backgrounds, was influential in the fields of leadership development and change management.
[Shelton K. 'The Constant of Change.' ''Executive Excellence''. 2001;18(12):2.] The concepts developed in her book ''The Four-Fold Way: Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Healer, Teacher and Visionary'' influenced the personal and professional development of many who attended her lectures, keynote speeches or workshops.
Arrien died on April 24, 2014, aged 74, due to pneumonia.
Bibliography
* ''The Tarot handbook : practical applications of ancient visual symbols'' (1987, 1991, 1997)
* ''Power and Love in Relationships'' (1991)
* ''Signs of life : the five universal shapes and how to use them'' (1992, 1998)
* ''The Four-Fold Way: walking the paths of the warrior, teacher, healer, and visionary'' (1993, 2013)
* ''Gathering Medicine: stories, songs, and methods for soul retrieval'' (1994)
* ''Working Together: producing synergy by honoring diversity'' (editor; 1998, 2001)
* ''The Nine Muses: a mythological path to creativity'' (2000)
* ''The Preferential Shapes Test'' (2002)
* ''The Second Half of Life: opening the eight gates of wisdom'' (2007)
[HEERY M. 'Baby Boomers on Conscious Aging.' ''Journal of Transpersonal Psychology.'' 2011;43(2):256-259.]
* ''Living in Gratitude: a journey that will change your life'' (2011)
References
External links
Death notice at official site (archived)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arrien, Angeles
1940 births
2014 deaths
University of Idaho alumni
University of California, Berkeley alumni
Basque people
American women non-fiction writers
Cultural anthropologists
American women anthropologists
Naturalized citizens of the United States
Spanish emigrants to the United States
21st-century American women academics
21st-century American academics
21st-century American social scientists