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.
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 from media the
true purpose of the Esalen Institute. Originally founded in 1962 by Stanford
graduates Dick Price and Michael Murphy, common culture seems to view Esalen as
a mere retreat center in Big Sur, California, with a focus on bathing naked in
their hot springs. The reality is that Esalen is a center to find alternative
ways to further human consciousness, with an emphasis on “human potentialities”.
Esalen became a major player in the counterculture movement in the 1960’s and
has become a place for people to meditate and discover their own potential. The
intent, as stated by Murphy, was to create “a forum to bring together a wide
variety of approaches to enhancement of the human potential… including sessions
involving encounter groups, sensory awakening, gestalt training, and related
disciplines”. In other words, they did not want to be viewed as a cult or a new
religious movement. The key to Esalen lies in the idea that “the cosmos, the
universe itself, the whole evolutionary unfoldment is what a lot of
philosophers call slumbering spirit. The divine is incarnate in the world and
is present in us and is trying to manifest”.
On November 23, 2016, The San Francisco Chronicle posted an
article to their website entitled “Esalen Refreshed for Another New Age”. The
article, written by Jeanne Cooper, talks about the changes that have been made
to the Esalen Institute since its founding over half a century ago. The main
focus of this article seems to be not in attracting newcomers based on the changes
introduced by Esalen in February of 2016, but in shaming them for the expenses
asked of visitors to the institute. The article opens with prose that creates a
very hippy-dippy scene in the reader’s head, using words like “yurt” and “kale”
to paint a picture of a New Age utopia. However, the article then goes on to
drop the economic facts. The lodge itself underwent a $7 million renovation,
which is only a small part of the greater $20 million renovation in the works.
Rooms at the institute can get all the way up to $5,240 per person. However,
Cooper’s article still ends on a positive note. A quote from an unnamed source
states “The overwhelming environment that is so stimulating and so welcoming
has not changed at all”. While the media may throw shade for the amount of
money being asked of visitors, Esalen enthusiasts themselves seem to remain
positive about the experience the institute provides.
There is a lot of truth in this article, as this seems to be
a theme throughout the New Age and Human Potential movements. As mentioned earlier,
new religious practices can be extremely expensive and participation comes from
a place of privilege. Should these institutions be charging so much, when they
claim to exist to better human potential? Religious history has always included
a need for some form of money as this is the only way to keep places like
Esalen open. But is it necessary to charge as much as they do? This is
debatable and requires discussion. While we will probably never as a society
come to a conclusion on this issue, this article helps to open discourse on the
issue that is financial privilege within new religious movements.
I enjoyed reading about the views on religion and money. I think the article you mentioned talked about the economics within the Esalen Institute because they were trying to find something negative about them. This is why we should never trust what the media has to say, because they are mostly biased. In case of those new religious movements, most of the media does not see them as communes but instead as "cults", and try to shut them down because they gain members. To go back to the money question, I think everyone seems to forgot that to create something, you need money. So maybe Esalen needed more money than most but as long as no one complains that they have to pay, we should not criticize them as everyone is allowed to do what they want with their money.
ReplyDeleteI just had one critic about this blog, is that the embedded links that you have chosen, I would rather have them open in a new window, because it is easier then to go back to the blog.
Wow! this is a great blog and very detailed, NICE! I really enjoyed reading this but the questions you asked in your last paragraph are really what got me thinking. It was not until this class that I realized money had so much to do with religion because of how nonchalant it may seem for people in that specific religion to tolerate because it is what they believe and what they are used too. Your last question about whether or not it is too much is a good one and I agree that it may not be something we will ever know but I am a firm believer in what Claire had mentioned "to create money, you need money" and maybe that is something that was a thought process for Escalen as well.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I like how you started of by explaining the affect media has on new religious movements and how they are all categorized in the same way even if they are completely different and have different practices. But they went into explaining your group. I completely agree with you and what you have to say about the media. In regards to your question, I do not think that people should have to pay that much money to be apart of something especially if it is something that can benefit them or a religious practice. I do think people use religion as an easy way to get people to donate money or give money because depending on the persons beliefs they believe they are putting there money towards something that is going to benefit them in the long run and make they a good person.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting work. The New Age movement grew out of the hippie counter-culture but did not share its' disgust with capitalism. It has grown around the belief that people can prosper financially as well as spiritually. In this way it resembles in some sense the Prosperity Gospel message.
ReplyDeleteAmazing blog! Loved the style and approach you took with the style of writing. I thought the prices and costs you listed about Esalen were very eye opening. With renovation costs exceeding $25 million dollars, you would expect them to be bringing in a huge revenue stream. This ties in perfectly with the ideal that new religious movements are for privileged people.
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