James Mogayzel was lost, but in the woods he found his way

James Mogayzel is 64. He says that for a long time he was lost, confessing that six years ago he was at a personal crossroads, unhappy, drinking too much, and smoking pot. He calls it a dark, dark period.

“It started off with me being stupid. I was lost in the woods, spiritually.”

He offers a capsule description of life changes that he had endured, mentioning a divorce “17 or 18 years ago,” and another 10-year relationship that, in his own words, terminated in a “bad breakup.” Then during the COVID pandemic in 2020 both his parents died within five months of each other, his father two days after Christmas, his mother in April.

There was a profound feeling that he was being enveloped by overwhelming confusion and a sense of futility. While he was immersed in the unrelenting emotional pai