Background

It could be said that Wisdom Bridge began construction in the early 1970s...

Hello, and thank you for your interest. My name is Ed Kriege, and I'm the founder of Wisdom Bridge Creative Life & Lifework Strategies. I'd like to give you a little bit of background as to how Wisdom Bridge came about, and hopefully give you a sense of what Wisdom Bridge draws upon in terms of experience and knowledge.

In 1973 I had graduated from college and was pursuing a career as a professional musician. My life was unfolding according to plan when, subsequent to a profound consciousness-expanding experience, I began to undergo a series of psychological experiences for which I had no prior context. These experiences would come on unannounced and without provocation – instead of perceiving the world as I had always done, I would seem to be seeing ‘through’ things, into their reality – or lack thereof.

This was, to say the least, quite disconcerting, and led me to feelings of uncertainty and deep dissatisfaction. Was I going crazy? Why didn’t I enjoy doing the same things that I had done before? Why did it seem that everyone was happy – or at least accepting of their lot in life, while within myself there was this gestating discontent? What was going on?

This psychological state lasted for approximately twelve months (what I would later classify as my ‘dark night of the soul’), and within that timeframe every aspect of my life was subject to examination. Although I didn't recognize it at the time, it was the archetypal psychological death/rebirth sequence playing itself out. In retrospect I can say that, for me, this period was absolutely essential for preparing the field for its new crop.

One day a close friend returned for a visit after having been on some profound journeys of his own. He was ‘born older’ as they say, and had himself awakened to his latent wisdom in the time he had been away. We went out for breakfast, and I began describing to him what I was going through. Within the context of the spiritual system he was working with at the time he described where I was in ‘the process’ and what was yet to be discovered. I was astounded – “You mean I’m not the only person who has ever gone through this?” As I would shortly discover, far from it.

And so the process of my metamorphosis began to come into focus. Armed with some ‘fingers pointing at the moon’ (i.e. books recommended to me by my friend), I began absorbing as much knowledge as I could, and found much of it deeply resonated with what I was experiencing. A framework of understanding was beginning to emerge. But as it’s been said, “painted cakes do not satisfy hunger”, and so my thirst to know and experience more led me to a spiritual master and an eight year apprenticeship in a monastic environment — an environment dedicated to deepening spiritual realization through compassion, service and meditation — a practice I continue to this day.

And then came the time to ‘battle test’ the understanding that had been cultivated (as it’s been said, it’s easy to keep one’s cool meditating in a cave, but much more difficult when standing on a street corner in Manhattan). I remember reading a news article about Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Computer, and how he wanted to change the world for the better by doing something that was “insanely great” (see his commencement address of June 12, 2005). I was struck by what he said, and how he was going about realizing his vision. Subsequently, through a series of serendipitous events, I was offered a position with a small startup company that was at that time producing gaming software. This company – Odesta Corporation – also happened to be starting development of a software product for a new computing platform known as the Macintosh (Odesta was one of the first twelve software companies to participate in developing software for this new computer). Together with a small group of highly talented and creative individuals we created the first object-oriented relational database for this new and revolutionary platform – a product called Helix. A number of years and products later we developed a new product, one that focused on managing electronic documents and digital intellectual properties of all sorts. We ported this product to run on the internet in 1993, merged with another company (OpenText Corporation) and went public in 1995, and went on to become the world’s largest provider of Enterprise Content Management software products in the world.

In the span of twenty years with this organization I had key responsibilities in such areas as: product development & design, technical support, product testing, sales, client services, business development and accounting. Subsequent to leaving OpenText I founded Global Cents, a specialized software development & consulting company specializing in value-added products & services for Enterprise Content Management, for which I was CEO for ten years prior to selling my position to my partners.

For a more entertaining rendition of my journey, I invite you to read my memoir, Connecting the Dots – memories and musings of small-town baby boomer, in four acts.

Integration & Application

The integration of these life phases hasn't been easy. There have been many difficult struggles with synthesizing the dicotomies; for example, the 'inward' of a spiritual practice with the 'outward' of a career in business. But precisely because of these challenges I have had to work through many seeming contradictions to arrive at a 'personal consensus'. It is this process of integration of our various parts into a whole that makes Wisdom Bridge such a rewarding, and exciting, endeavor.

My work in Wisdom Bridge is to synthesize knowledge and experience gathered from the arts, spiritual psychology and business and form a broad base of resources available to the challenges facing creative individuals & organizations today. And since each client's goals are unique, I seek to combine my personal experience and insight with the appropriate models to effectively produce penetrative understanding and subsequent transformation.

Some of the resources that I draw upon in my work include:

• The contemporary work of: Laurence Boldt, William Bridges, Julia Cameron, Joseph Campbell, Carlos Castenada, Ram Dass, Dr. James Fadiman, Terence McKenna, Prem Rawat, Miguel Ruiz, Shunryo Suzuki Roshi, Eckhart Tolle, Chögyam Trunpa Rinpoche

• Vedic & Yogic Sciences
• Zen and Tibetan Buddhism
• Taoist, Sufi, & Shamanic Philosophies
• The Fourth Way (Gurdjieff/Ouspensky)
• The Entheogenic Experience
• Meyers-Briggs & Enneagram (Temperament/Personality Types)
• Jungian & Trans-Personal Psychology
• Transformations of Myth through Time (the Perennial Philosophy)

In addition to Wisdom Bridge I enjoy studying the piano and playing drums in a jazz trio, and enjoy recreational cycling all over the world. Together with my family, friends, associates and clients this comprises a life seeking to find its fullest expression in the world. I humbly welcome you as a collaborator on our collective journey toward the realization of our Selves.

Please feel free to contact me at (phone) 847.840.7266 or (email) info@wisdombridge.info to determine if a Wisdom Bridge strategy is right for you. I wish you the best in your quest for Self-discovery.