Interfaith Ben

So interested in the meaning of life I ordained about it

I’m here for people who are spiritually curious, furious, confused or apathetic. However you’re relating (or not relating) to questions of meaning, purpose, or the sacred, we can explore that together.

Maybe you’re curious about practices from traditions other than your own, but you’re not sure you can talk about that with in your usual spiritual community.
Maybe you want to explore questions about intuition or symbolism, prayer or the paranormal.
Or maybe you need someone you can trust to talk about your own relationship with the Higher Power of your understanding – someone who can help co-create an exchange where you can hear yourself in loving, supportive presence.

As an interfaith minister, I don’t represent any particular institution’s rules or judgments. I’m free to explore the movement of Spirit/Higher Power/Love/God, however you name these, with whoever needs that kind of open conversation about their understanding of the sacred.

I particularly relate to and understand people who are spiritually independent, LGBTQIA+, or neurodivergent, and those who have experienced trauma – not because these are the only people I work with, but because sharing some of these experiences can mean coming to understanding more quickly. The places we may have experienced some overlap, eg. religious trauma, sensory overwhelm, or what it feels like when your authentic self is rejected from conventional spiritual spaces, are experiences you won’t have to educate me about just to begin to be heard.

My Journey

I left the Catholic Church at 15, explored Buddhism and shamanic practices, and eventually became an Interfaith Minister, learning about beliefs from all around the world. I’m autistic, queer, and trans – identities I came to understand in my late 30s/early 40s. I know what it’s like when the containers everyone else seems comfortable in just don’t work for your nervous system, your way of processing the world, or your authentic self.

Something that surprised me was discovering I could re-engage with Christian contemplative traditions on my own terms and the ways my Buddhist and Shamanic experiences helped me to go back and enjoy some of the treasures of Christianity despite the harms that I and others have experienced by some of it’s practitioners and institutions.

My experiences inform how I support others navigating their own spiritual journeys, but I have no agenda for how things should be for you. Your journey and relationship to the spiritual is perfectly, imperfectly, your own.

What I Believe

What I believe, what I know, what I have faith in, are always transforming. I could write about this for Days.

We could sum it up as:

Everything belongs. Healing is always possible. We can always begin exactly where we are, in every moment.

The slightly more nuanced angle for curious minds:

I see faith as an evolving, loving, consensual relationship with what is real.

Real as in, Reality: that which is embodied, felt, sensed, interacted with, unfolding in the here and now. Less the stuff that happens in the mind, more what happens when I’m not lost in my thoughts, present with myself, present with as much of what is happening inside me and around me as my nervous system is capable of experiencing at a given moment.

I understand this relationship with the Real as a loving, reciprocal relationship. Dynamic, embodied and interactive rather than separate and far away. Radically accepting and inclusive of all that is. The beauty and the horrors.

That there is potential for us to experience our lives a playful co-conspiracy with this loving reality (it’s close to panentheism if you want to get nerdy, but I’m still working on it 😉) .

I’m speaking from a many years long interest and journey towards the mystical core of faith traditions – the direct, personal experience of Spirit.

I view interfaith work as what I call spiritual polyamory: standing lovingly among diverse paths without possessiveness.

How I Work

My practice is rooted in somatic grounding (creating safety you can feel in your body, not just think about) and nervous system safety. I create containers that honour different sensory needs, processing styles, and ways of being in the world.

I listen closely for the movement of love and spirit in someone’s life, creating space for their wisdom to emerge naturally. You set the pace entirely. Your comfort, consent, and autonomy are fundamental.

For people re-approaching spirituality after religious harm, I provide slow pacing, clear consent structures, and collaborative approaches.

I offer spiritual counselling focused on supporting your spiritual wellbeing and growth. This is a non-judgmental space to explore your spiritual journey, beliefs, and practices. I do not provide mental health treatment or therapy. If you are experiencing mental health concerns or trauma, I encourage you to seek appropriate professional support whilst I can complement that care by focusing on your spiritual needs and questions.

Where appropriate I bring practices from my trauma-informed training with the Centre for Mind Body Medicine to my approach, together with extensive training with the Scandinavian Centre for Shamanic Studies. I also bring the experience of more than a decade of practice, sangha building and retreat organisation in the Buddhist Zen tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh (Plum Village).

As a former Executive Public Librarian, with a Masters in Information and Library Management and an Honours Degree in English, Media and Cultural Studies, I am also very happy to discuss and share inspirations for appropriate texts, articles and other useful materials.

What Makes This Different

I’m not offering a new religion or trying to convince you of anything specific. I follow professional ethics but don’t have institutional positions to defend. Whether you’re staying rooted in your tradition while exploring others, creating something entirely new, or healing from religious harm – I can meet you there.

I love conversations about what feels sacred to different people. I also love talking with people who have no idea where to start – maybe you’re wondering about ghosts, ancestors, or something you can’t name. You don’t need the right words or to have it figured out.

In spiritual accompaniment, we explore the glitter of the sacred threaded through everyday life – synchronicities, body wisdom, small epiphanies – at whatever pace feels right for you.

My Vow

When I was ordained, I simplified my vow to what felt most true: “I live from love.”

That’s my commitment to this work, to the people I serve, to the mystery that holds us all.

If something here resonates, I’d love to hear from you. We can start wherever you are.

My FAQs page also has further information you might find useful/soothing (I find context and thorough information soothing a lot of the time).

Need Simpler Language?

Hello, I'm Ben

Maybe you’re curious about practices from traditions other than your own, but you’re not sure you can talk about that with your usual spiritual community. Maybe you want to explore the messages you might feel you receive, questions about intuition or coincidence, or what old family traditions might teach you. Or maybe you need someone you can trust to talk about your own relationship with the Higher Power of your understanding – someone who can listen to you and hear you and meet you with the language you’re using for where you’re at currently, someone who is able to facilitate a space where you can hear yourself in loving, supportive presence.

As an interfaith minister, I don’t represent any particular institution’s rules, creeds, or judgments. I’m free to explore the movement of Spirit/Higher Power/Love/God, wherever it leads, with whoever needs that kind of open conversation about their understanding of the sacred. I don’t list these names to suggest they are interchangeable, but to offer you your own choice of whichever names feel good and true to you.

I particularly understand the experiences of people who are spiritually independent, LGBTQIA+, or neurodivergent. Not because these are the only people I work with, but because sharing these experiences often means we can understand each other more quickly. There’s less explaining needed about things like religious trauma, sensory overwhelm, or what it feels like when your authentic self doesn’t fit, or is actively rejected from conventional spiritual spaces.

If none of those labels resonate with you and you just feel drawn to how I approach spirituality—if something about my energy or perspective feels like someone you could talk openly with about the sacred—that matters more than any category.

My Journey (The Real Version)

At 15, after visiting the Vatican, I told my parents I was atheist, disillusioned by the gap I saw between the teachings and the practice. I explored Buddhism and shamanic practices, looking for direct, embodied encounters with the sacred that honored my curiosity, autonomy, and authenticity in ways organized religion didn’t.

I’m autistic, queer, and trans—all identities I came to understand in my late 30s/early 40s. Being a late-diagnosed autistic person and late to coming into alignment with my queerness and gender means I know what it’s like to spend decades feeling slightly out of step, spiritually or otherwise. I know what it’s like when the containers everyone else seems comfortable in just don’t work for your nervous system, your way of processing the world, or your authentic self.

What surprised me was discovering I could re-engage with Christian contemplative traditions from a place of discernment and embodied integrity, embracing their wisdom while respectfully setting aside what felt misaligned. This lived experience informs how I support others navigating similar journeys—away from, back into, or between spiritual traditions.

What I Actually Believe

I see faith as an evolving, loving, consensual relationship with the potential to render our lives a playful co-conspiracy with the sacred. My primary interest is the mystical core of traditions. The direct, personal experience of Spirit, however you understand or name that.

I view interfaith work as what I call spiritual polyamory: standing lovingly among diverse paths without possessiveness, affirming the validity and beauty of each. I also affirm the value of “taking the one seat”—deeply committing to one particular path if that’s what calls to you.

Everything belongs. Healing is always possible. What we bring to life belongs and is necessary, all of it. We can always begin exactly where we are. In fact, the curiosity of a beginner is one of the most healing and generative stances ever available to us.

How I Work

My practice is rooted in somatic or body-based grounding (creating safety that you can feel in your body, not just think about) and nervous system safety—creating containers that honor different sensory needs, processing styles, and ways of being in the world. This matters whether you’re neurodivergent, highly sensitive, have trauma history, or simply need spiritual exploration that feels safe in your body.

I listen closely for the movement of love and spirit in someone’s life, creating space for their wisdom to emerge naturally through unconditional positive regard. My deep listening practice has been shaped by meditation, shamanic training, and years of learning to recognize the internal distractions that can get in the way of real presence, an ongoing practice

For people tentatively re-approaching spirituality after being hurt by religion—those potentially cautious of control or wounded by rejection, but hungry for meaning—I provide slow pacing, clear consent structures, and collaborative approaches. You set the pace entirely. Your comfort, consent, and autonomy are fundamental.

The Sacred in Daily Life

Walking in nature in relationship with the sacred is ceremonial for me, an embodied dialogue that dissolves perceived boundaries between ordinary and spiritual. Inspired by Brother Lawrence’s practice of seeing daily life as prayer, I practice the presence of Love. I return often to understanding my entire life as a ceremony, a continual prayer unfolding moment to moment.

This is both practical and empowering. It takes me deeper into relationship with life and myself and helps me to feel resourced and more resilient. I feel loved and that I belong, in all that I am, all the messy humanness.

My shamanic (nature based spirituality) relationship with nature shapes everything—the felt experience of interconnectedness, every being and every body belonging to the whole. This isn’t metaphor for me; it’s direct experience that informs how I hold space for others.

What Makes This Different

I’m not offering you a new religion or trying to convince you of anything specific. I don’t have creeds to uphold or institutional positions to defend. As an interfaith minister, I follow a code of ethics that prioritizes safety, consent, and authentic spiritual exploration.

Whether you want to stay rooted in your tradition while exploring others, or you’re creating something entirely new, or you’re healing from religious harm. Whatever your reasons for seeking spiritual accompaniment, they are too numerous to list —I can meet you there and if I know of someone better suited than me, I will help you to connect with them as best I can too.

People are continents; from the outside, we see very little. Yet Spirit—the love underlying and interwoven through all life—moves gently through each person’s story, offering guidance, learning, and healing. This isn’t merely a belief; it’s something I know through direct experience.

I love having conversations about what feels sacred to different people. I also love talking with people who have no idea where to start—maybe you’ve lived without spirituality but now you’re wondering about ghosts, or ancestors, or something you can’t quite name. You don’t need to know the right words or have it all figured out. I won’t judge you for where you’re starting from.

In spiritual accompaniment, we explore the glitter of the sacred threaded through everyday life—synchronicities, body wisdom, small epiphanies—at whatever pace feels safe and right for how you move through the world.

My Training & Ongoing Growth

I’m an interfaith minister with training in spiritual accompaniment, pursuing further study in shamanic counselling and mind-body medicine. My most relevant qualification is nearly two decades of navigating my own spiritual path as someone whose way of being in the world doesn’t fit conventional containers.

I maintain regular supervision because accountability and reflective support are non-negotiables for this work. My lived commitment remains curiosity, responsiveness, and open-heartedness, recognizing spiritual growth as inseparable from all aspects of my life.

My Vow

When I was ordained, I simplified my vow to what felt most true: “I live from love.”

That’s my commitment to this work, to the people I serve, to the mystery that holds us all. Living from love, not from fear or agenda or the need to fix anyone.

If something here resonates—whether it’s the specific experiences I’ve mentioned or simply the way I approach the sacred—I’d love to hear from you. We can start wherever you are.

Want More General Information About Me?

I get up to a fair bit of stuff...

Ben Robin Lucent is an interdisciplinary theatre-maker, storyteller, minister, and artist whose work orbits one steady centre: everyone deserves to feel like they belong in the story. An autistic artist and ordained Interfaith Minister, he creates sensory-led, autism-affirming performances and spaces that invite real agency, curiosity, and play—especially for neurodivergent children and those who don’t usually get asked what they need.

Before stepping fully into his own creative practice, Ben spent over fifteen years in public libraries, building community programmes, supporting artists, and quietly smuggling radical imagination into everyday spaces (frequently quite loudly, too, in all honesty). That time, alongside degrees in English, Media & Cultural Studies and Library & Information Management, shaped his practical, accessible, trauma-aware and warmly rebellious approach to art and ministry.

His current performance project, Teddy Play, is a multisensory show he built and performs in, with interactive, touchable toy-like props, sensory exploration, and co-created story. Developed with dramaturg Sinéad O’Brien, produced by Heather Rose, and supported by the Hawk’s Well Theatre ‘Time at the Well’ Bursary (2024), Teddy Play has been tested in autism classes and on professional stages, with Arts Council-supported touring planned for 2026.

Ben’s work finds it hard to sit in one box, moving between performance, sculpture, storytelling, participatory installation, and adult Play workshops. He has created and shared stories at places such as the National Gallery of Ireland, GAZE Film Festival, Dublin Pride, and in schools, libraries, and festivals around the country. He co-created the 15ft illuminated Queen Maeve sculpture for Cairde Arts Festival with Dee Armstrong and worked as lead sculptor, painter, and fabricator on large-scale mythological figures for the 2024 Dublin St Patrick’s Festival with Allta Creations.

As a minister, Ben offers writing and one-to-one spiritual accompaniment through a neuro-affirming, queer-welcoming, spiritually independent lens. Drawing from contemplative, Buddhist, and shamanic traditions, he focuses on integrity, imagination, and finding language and ritual that actually fit. He also designs small sacred objects and experiences that help people feel rooted, seen, and at home in their lives.

He lives in south Sligo with his dog companion Kru, plus a frankly unreasonable number of teddies, fairy lights, and houseplants.