« Faculty

Chandra Alexandre

Chandra Alexandre, Ph.D., Dept. of Pastoral Counseling & Chaplaincy

Chandra Alexandre, Ph.D.

Chandra Alexandre is a householder and clergy, initiated in 1998 into the mysteries of the dark goddess Kali in India, first on the dakshinacara path and then, five years later, on the non-dualistic path of vamacara tantra. A regular visitor to Assam, Orissa and West Bengal, she is the founder and a spiritual leader of SHARANYA (www.sharanya.org), a federally-recognized church dedicated to engaged spirituality for social justice and transformation through Sha’can, an authentic lineage tradition of (r)evolutionary shakta tantra. Chandra and community also run an online mystery school, Kali Vidya.

As adjunct research faculty at the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology for more than eight years, Chandra is known for her passionate engagement of theory and practice through courses on women’s spirituality and tantra. She holds a PhD in Asian & Comparative Studies from the California Institute of Integral Studies, a Doctor of Ministry degree from Wisdom University (formerly the University of Creation Spirituality), and an MBA in sustainable management from Presidio Graduate School. She is conjurer of “The Aghori Bakery: Everyday Spiritual Conversations” (forthcoming) and serves on the Board of Directors for several community-based nonprofit organizations committed to the empowerment of women and girls.

Originally from New York, Chandra has, since 1995, called San Francisco home. During business hours she is a fund development officer for a fund development officer at a nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lowest performing schools so that every student thrives, regardless of background, and at all hours, mother to Eve, born at home on December 12, 2009. calexandre@cherryhillseminary.org