Beau had a high school teacher who taught world religions through basic spiritual texts as well as through science fiction, fantasy, and humanistic and transpersonal psychology. This sparked a lifelong spiritual exploration. He then majored in Religious Studies at Reed College with a focus on the western mystical tradition. He earned an M.Div. degree from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California and is an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister. Eventually, he came to Vermont where he managed both a concert series, focused on world music, and also a retreat and conference center. His time in Vermont ended during the pandemic, but inspired him to start Halcyon Arts in 2020 and then The Oratory in early 2023 as the new monastic community that presents the Halcyon Arts programs in world spirituality.