Naamleela F Jones, PhD

Naamleela Free Jones, PhD, is a scholar-practitioner, educator, and musician deeply immersed in the history of religions and esotericism. She teaches at Naropa University, Pacifica Graduate Institute, and the Jung Center of Houston, where her work focuses on new religious movements, Gnostic spirituality, modern yoga and Tantra, and consciousness studies.

Grounded in both lived experience and scholarly inquiry, Naamleela investigates the role of religion in shaping human consciousness and culture. Her research explores the ongoing intersections between Western esotericism and Asian religious traditions as well as the evolving cross-cultural currents of American metaphysical religion. She studies how these transmissions continue to challenge conventional paradigms and shape the contemporary spiritual landscape, with particular attention to the ways in which gnosis, nonduality, and the sacred are being reimagined within global, post-traditional contexts.

A lifelong musician, classical pianist, and composer, Naamleela has performed at prestigious venues such as the Teatro della Pergola and the Bargello Museum in Florence, Italy, as well as intimate settings in North America, Europe, and the South Pacific. Her music, like her academic work, integrates themes of embodiment and transcendence.