He spent many years as a world traveler, spending large amounts of time in the Sinai, Egypt, America, India, Australia and South Africa. He practices spiritual techniques from many different cultures including Druid, Native American, Toltec, Buddhist, and Hindu. The teachers that have personally influenced Ivan deeply on his spiritual path include:

Gabrielle Roth (Shamanic Dance),

Carlos Castaneda (although Ivan never met him in the flesh, his dream teachings were, and still are, very influential in his life),

Mahavatar Babaji (Incarnation of Shiva, patron of Kriya Yoga and Rebirthing),

Hyemeyohsts Storm (author of “Seven Arrows”, Song of Heyeokah”, “Lightningbolt”, and the bringer of the Native American way to the rest of the world,

Sri Goenka (Head Teacher of Vipassana Meditation),

David Urie (The Native American Medicine Way)

The Rev. D’hyani Wahoo (Cherokee Elder and Tulku),

Leo Rutherford (Head of ‘Eagle’s Wing’ Centre of Shamanic Studies),

Philip Carr-Gomm (Chosen Chief of the Order of the Bards, Ovates and Druids)

Ken Eagle Feather (Shaman and student of Don Juan, CC’s enigmatic teacher)

Jonathan Kay (Fooling Master).

Ivan was visited by the Bird of Freedom and entered the world of the shaman in 1974; he has been on the adventure of his life ever since. At that time he was first introduced to the writings of Carlos Castaneda, and discovered that there were people, in fact a whole culture, that experienced life in similar ways he did. He realized that he wasn’t hopelessly mad, and that his perception of life was a valid shamanic reality. He became inspired to commit himself to the way of the spiritual warrior, and introduced the techniques and training of Toltec shamanism into his everyday life.

The goal of the spiritual warrior is to find Freedom - the freedom to be oneself, and to express one’s innermost being with grace and impeccability. This is a dream that touched Ivan deeply, precisely because he felt so wounded emotionally, and trapped in a world that had conditioned him to think and act in unnatural and restrictive ways. He is constantly working towards his freedom, and is happy to share his findings with anyone else that is truly inspired to do the same. He feels that the planet itself is also subject to the unnatural dominance of humans, and he works, in the creation of sacred space, to bring the magic back into world. Thus he found his healing, and so it continues to the present day.

Ivan’s passion is the creation of sacred space, and stone circles in particular. Since 1990 he has designed and built ten full-sized stone circles in various countries around the world: in the UK, North America, Canada and Australia. They include the large Swan Circle on the site of the Glastonbury Music Festival, and the Dragonstones in Surrey. Some of these large megalithic temples, consisting of stones of up to twenty tons, were built by hand over many months, utilizing only those tools used by the ancients, and focused muscle and mind power.

He has trained a skilled team of stone circle builders, called The Megalithic Order of Druids, or MODs for short. He is a founder of ‘Circles for Peace’, a nonprofit making organization whose intent is to build stone circles around the world, dedicated to peace on Earth. The first Peace Temple will be built in May/June 2006 on the shores of Lake Champlain, Vermont, in the USA.

At present Ivan lives in Vermont, USA, where he is exploring his New World. He is married to Fearn; they are sharing the path of loving partnership together. He teaches ongoing shamanic healing courses on both sides of the Atlantic. He loves hiking through wild and beautiful country, where he delights in interacting with the spirit of the land. He plays the dijereedoo, hurls a mean boomerang, and often wears a silly hat.