Meet Cherizar Walker | Author & Engineer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cherizar Walker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cherizar, as a parent, what do you feel is the most meaningful thing you’ve done for them?
The most important thing I’ve done as a parent is the inner work I’ve done, and am constantly doing on myself. My hope is not to pass on any of the generational trauma that I’ve inherited. This is extremely difficult, but I feel it is the great task of our generation. The beautiful thing, is that my son (our children) help us to do this work. Children are our mirrors, and it is honestly heartbreaking, at times. I am also constantly telling my son how loved he is, and how he is the greatest gift I’ve ever received.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My journey to being a writer started in the midst of an identity crisis in my 20s. I just could no longer survive by being who I used to be. I had to go on a journey of self-knowledge and self-discovery, and writing was my way of doing that. Over time, writing became a form of therapy for me.

The journey was always hard to be honest because I had never seen myself as an “artist” even though I was very creative. I guess it was about the discovery of my inner artist and/or inner child; a path I think we are all on. I just happened to share the journey with the world. And in that I realize that the “sharing” part of art is the real transformative aspect of being an artist.

Writing was intertwined with healing, so I decided to document my anthropological research of indigenous culture and shamanism. The end result is my first book “The Conception of Utopia”. I would say that this book and who I am as a writer and researcher is a bridge between the ancient and modern way of living and healing. A return, a rewilding of Utopia.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
For a week long trip, I would start in the desert, near Joshua Tree and Palm Springs. We would do some glamping and healing work in Joshua Tree which is most certainly an energy vortex. And then stay at one of the really beautiful (expensive) hotels in Palm Springs. Ideally the Parker haha but there are so many options. So the desert for 4 days at least. And then we would drive to the coast, and spend part of the day in Venice at the boardwalk, and then drive up the coast towards Malibu for the sunset. We could have dinner at Nobu, or drive inland and have dinner at the Inn of the Seventh Bay. We would stay that night in Topanga and then head to Silverlake area the next day to end the trip. There are so many delicious places there.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
In terms of engineering, all of my mentors deserve a shoutout. I owe a lot my success to them. Kenneth Millspaugh and Tom Song from Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems (both retired now), and my current mentor at Pratt & Whitney, Michael Hanna.

For my career as an author and shamanic researcher, I have to give a shoutout to all of the shamans I studied with of course, but there was a book that catalyzed the whole journey: Journey to Ixtlan by Carlos Castaneda.

Website: https://theconceptionofutopia.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/cherizarwalker

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/cherizarwalker

Twitter: https://facebook.com/theconceptionofutopia

Facebook: https://facebook.com/theconceptionofutopia