“There is reason, after all,
that some people wish to colonize the moon,
and others dance before it as an ancient friend.”
— James Baldwin
Gabes emerged around a time a cataclysmic volcano erupted. She carries with her the history of that day, marveling in the magma of intrinsic, unbearably beautiful questions. She does not seek to solve, but to steward and weave what comes up for the one who pays attention to the incandescent questions. She is an essayist, organizer, and psychotherapist.
Gabes completed a Bachelor’s in Historical Theology & Philosophy at a theological school in Chicago, Illinois. She pursued this field because of her fascination in the birth and growth of the Western church and missionary movements, especially in light of Christian hegemony and colonization in the Philippines.
She fulfilled a Master’s in Theology and Culture at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, focusing on colonialism and its impact on the virtue and practice of hospitality. She later earned a second Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology in the same graduate school. Her clinical practice and research concentrated on racial and migration trauma.
She founded and co-facilitated the Heritage Workshop, a virtual workshop for people of color around the world where they explore ancestral lineage, stories, and medicine.
She writes for Yes! Magazine with a column focusing on mental health and collective action.
Gabes writes poetry and makes songs. She independently produced 3 albums of original music, and her first one was launched when she was 17. She has toured in Southeast Asia, Chicago, San Francisco, and Seattle.
Photography by Laurel Yae of Nour Images