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Saying Goodbye to Esalen... Maybe Not Forever?

With the end of the semester in our midst, it is time to close the ninety tabs I have open on Google Chrome, and to stop thinking about the Esalen Institute multiple times per day. This being said, I would like to share my final thoughts and feelings about this project and what I have taken from it. By Brian Weaver Studying the Esalen Institute this semester was an interesting experience as it is so different from the other New Religious Movements we have examined this semester. From the very first week we began to examine all the movements that were considered “cults” during their prime. From the Shakers to the “sex cult” Family International, we saw examples of groups that people have written off throughout the years as “crazy”. Esalen on the other hand, is a bit of a different story. Not only is everyone welcome at the institute (if you can afford it), they do not associate themselves with any sort of religious movement. The Esalen Institute considers themselves a place of
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Choosing Between Esalen and Other Practices Kinda Like It

By Brian Weaver With the Esalen Institute seeming to be much more of just a retreat center than an actual religious commune, it is hard to draw parallels between it and other famous communes such as Jonestown or even Mother Ann Lee’s Shakers. However, what is notable about the Esalen Institute is the way that it has been a leader in the New Age and Counterculture movements since its conception. One easy comparison to make is between Esalen and the practice of Transcendental Meditation. While both institutions claim that they are in no way a new type of religion, they have both attracted thousands of vocal followers. The popularity of these two practices stems from all over, be it celebrity involvement, social status, or the privilege of being wealthy enough to participate. Ultimately, the people that seek out these two institutions are looking to expand their minds in some way. Involvement in either the Esalen Institute or in Transcendental Meditation requires one to attend wo
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How Esalen Expands the Minds of Those Who Visit

By Brian Weaver The Esalen Institute is tricky to discuss, not because it is veiled in secrecy, but because at a glance it looks like any other retreat center. Through various media outlets and on their own website, the institute focuses on the 600+ workshops they offer each year , which are "devoted to cultivating deep change in self and society". Esalen co-founder Michael Murphy has stated they " did not want to start a religious cult, a new church ". Like Transcendental Meditation and other new-age religions, many visitors of the Esalen Institute consider themselves "spiritual but not religious" (or other variations of this common phrase). However, like all New Religious Movements we have examined in the past, those who go to Esalen seem to be deeply affected by their experiences there. Yoga instructor Janet Stone  says that her experience at Esalen has been “a series of meltings and unfoldings that have contributed to a profound shift in perspectiv
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Blog 1 media portrayals

The  Esalen Institute , commonly just called  Esalen , is a non-profit American retreat center  and  i ntentional community  in Big Sur ,  California  which focuses on alternative humanistic education.  The Institute played a vital role in the Human Po t ential Movement  beginning in the 1960s. Its innovative use of encounter groups, a focus on the mind-body connection, and their ongoing experimentation in personal awareness introduced many ideas that later became mainstream. On February 1, 2017 , the Institute was cut off when Highway 1 was closed on either side of the hot springs. The institute doors were closed and evacuated all guests via helicopter, and was required to lay off 90% of its team through at least July. When the Institute resumed with limited workshop offerings. Also, the institute decided to revamp its offerings to accommodate topics more relevant to a younger generation.  As of July 2017, due to the limited access resulting from the road closures, the hot springs are
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Esalen Blog Post 11/6/17 Rosalinda

For many new religious movements, the media has not been a friend to them. Due to the rise of new religious groups in the 60s and 70s, there were groups forming all over the country and many had no idea what they were about. When any negative attention would be given to one group it was placed on all of the groups and then everyone would just assume that every cult was like that. Many of the groups, however, did not deserve this negative attention.   The Esalen Institute is a retreat center famous for it hot springs and magical scenery. In February it was shut down due to a massive mudslide that closed the road leading to the retreat center. Now more than six months later the retreat center is opening up again and this time the retreat center and the people who work there are leading their lives in a new diffraction. Many of the leaders took the closure as a chance to revamp many of the programs and teaching that have been part of the retreat center for 50 years. They have incorpor
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Expensive-len

By Brian Weaver Throughout the history of our country, new religious movements have been misinterpreted by the media and consumers. Buzzwords such as “cult” and “brainwashing” run rampant, leaving those who view the media very uninformed on the actual dogmas of these religious practices. Even with movements such as Transcendental Meditation and centers such as the Esalen Institute, the media seems to miss the purpose of their respective existences. These institutions, along with other New Age movements such as Ramtha’s School of Enlightenment, are constantly being criticized for the amount of money asked in order for people to participate. Whereas other religious communes have rejected capitalism as a concept, these newer movements require people to come up from a certain background. While they claim that they exist to open the mind and create a better world, only a select few can actually afford to be a part of the supposed revolution. In particular, it is difficult to discern
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