Maryam discovered drums and fell in love with them at the age of 9, after which her parents in self-defense got her to take lessons at the age of 10. She graduated from playing with sticks to playing with her hands in her 30s, and after joining B’nai Or was allowed the honor of playing for her congregation. Now she is a sacred drummer and plays for 4 Jewish congregations and one coven, as well as other Jewish groups.
Maryam is a Jew by choice who has avidly embraced Jewish Renewal since 2001. She is also an initiated Wiccan priestess of over 20 year’s standing in the Alexandrian tradition. She finds that each tradition enriches the other and is a member of both SOPHIA coven and B’nai Or of Boston, the third oldest Jewish Renewal congregation.
Maryam has been on a healing journey from trauma and has used the wisdom she has gained to help others along that path. She has studied bodywork, trauma release techniques, shamanic work with Kohenet Tiana Mirapae, and reiki over the past 15 years. She opened her practice, Phoenix Healing Arts in 2007 to enable her to offer her clients many possible roads to health. She weaves together healing in all four worlds of the body, heart, mind and soul to help clear pain and trauma for those who come to her for care. She sees the whole person both in this life and in past lives. To this end she utilizes shamanic journeying to reunite lost parts of body or soul with the current selves of her clients.
She is continuing studies in shamanism and aromatherapy to expand her offerings.