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Benedictine & Randy From monk to masseur, this interviewee soothes with his heart and hands By Mark Ewert What is your name? Thomas Aquinas Westerfield How would you define your job? I call myself a male soul bodyworker. Come again? Basically what I'm doing is integrating psychic and intuitive work with massage--Swedish, deep tissue, Esalen, acupressure--as well as erotic stuff ... I use intentional touch, laying of the hands, breathwork, guided visualizations, etc., to help people clear out things that might be blocked. Whoa, whoa, back up a minute. What's this "erotic stuff"? Well, sometimes, if indicated, there will be massaging of the genitals, as well as the heart, to build up energy and heat that spreads throughout the body. It doesn't have to be sexual per se ... it's more about being right on the verge--because that's when the most emotions come up. If you couldn't be doing this, what would you be doing? Well, when I was younger I was going to become a Benedictine monk, but I wasn't long in seminary before I realized that was not the place for me. Are there any similarities between your former calling and your new one? What I'm doing now is more spiritually fulfilling. It involves the soul and the body. [ San Francisco | MetroActive Central | Archives ]