The death of Linda Diane Feldt, at 62, on November 17th came as a shock to Ann Arbor’s holistic subcultures. There was an immediate outpouring on Facebook of heartsickness and grief, a sense of being stunned that someone so integral, so key, could be gone in a flash. For those who didn’t know her, or never came across her, it is hard to put into words the depth and range of her presence and her impact. We have had a holistic alternative healer/genius in our midst, for decades, and we all knew she was special, but took for granted that she would always be here, so no need to pay extra special attention to her gifts, to her very existence in our community. Though, as she said often in recent times, take nothing for granted.
Linda’s work life ranged from being a counselor at Ozone House in her youth, (where I first met her when she was 16), to becoming a massage therapist, cranio-sacral therapist, and an herbalist. She notably became a profoundly special healer for young babies and their moms, doing cranio-sacral work on newborns, and she was immensely gifted in that specialized endeavor. She had an exceptionally gifted touch —she was an “organ whisperer” who could feel around the organs of the body and know what was going on, at much deeper levels than could readily be surmised by doctors and lesser bodymind therapists. But she engaged in so many ways—teaching health classes at Rudolf Steiner, leading nature walks, serving on civic boards—always teaching, always humble, always tuned in.
She was highly committed to ethics and professional boundaries, and served for a time on the boards of the American Massage Therapy Association and the national organization for Polarity Therapists. She was also deeply committed to her lifelong relationship with the town of Ann Arbor, and she was active as a pedestrian advocate. She was dedicated to the People’s Food Co-op, and served as the President of its Board. And she loved her dogs.
The smattering of comments we’ve captured in the next pages from Facebook can only give a glimpse of her good works, love, dedication, and her subtle knowing and wisdom. She was a partner of Crazy Wisdom for 40 years, leading a Contributions to Wisdom lecture series for 15 years, and then teaching Herbal Wisdom classes at the bookstore.
Her death, in the same month that we announced the closing of the bookstore, seems to be no mere coincidence. She was the very embodiment of Crazy Wisdom in the Ann Arbor community.
Bill Zirinsky – Co-owner of Crazy Wisdom (with Ruth Schekter)
