Corbin Harney was a shaman of the Western Shoshone Tribe. He lived in Nevada, and called it the most bombed place on Earth, because of the nuclear tests that were done in that desert. When he visited Esalen he would walk the land, sing and drum, and lead sweat lodge ceremonies. He would say that the Spirit of the land is hungry, that it needs care and attention, that we should do more sacred ceremony and honor the ancestors and the gifts of clean air and water that we take for granted.

Corbin’s words ring true now as then. Without a foundation grounded in the love and care of that shelf of land and all the creatures who live on it, and without a mutual respect among those who live and work there, and without an awareness that the bottom line is only one measure (and often a poor one) of the success of the Esalen experiment, nothing substantial or worthy will follow.

Ours is a prophetic task, calling the Institute and its representatives to remember it’s founding values and principles. Yes, changing times will require new forms, but the essence of what the place represents — its values, its openness to ideas, new and old, its willingness to experiment, its radical commitment to the unfoldment of human potential — all of that must be sustained and protected for Esalen to be Esalen.

—Anonymous