The universe is hurting. Our world, this country, our growing communities are in need of healing after generations of traumas. Despite the efforts of enterprising humans, humanity is increasingly divided, even with all this technology designed to connect us. The scientific, philosophical, and spiritual ways our collective humanity can heal create the greatest pathway for individual prosperity. In turn, when we have the space to heal individually, we help build meaningful collective impact that ripples both near and far. The urgent need for healing is very real and present — be it for the land, our relationships, or to address our deepest selves.

As you read through this newsletter, we invite you to explore with us the different ways the Institute and our partners facilitate healing. And please, if you feel called, share with us how you work towards your own healing.

On November 13, 2022, in recognition that Esalen Institute resides on sacred indigenous land, we invited the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County, our co-stewards of this stretch of Mother Nature, to participate in a land acknowledgment ceremony and sage planting. Six months later, we reflect. Back in November 2022, Esselen Tribe Vice Chair Cari Herthel taught her first workshop at Esalen. In March 2023, Tom Little Bear Nason, chairman and chief of the Tribe, led his first workshop at Esalen in decades. Both Little Bear and Cari Herthel return July 23–28 for Cultivating Personal, Social, and Planetary Flourishing for Healing Connections with Daniel Siegel, Elissa Epel, and Rhonda V. Magee. Bookmark our workshops page to stay up to date with more Esselen Tribe-facilitated workshops.

This month we share with you our newly created Esselen Tribe webpage, a dynamic, bookmarkable resource that includes videos, articles, podcast episodes, and photos. (Big loving credit to Cali King Films and Michael Troutman for your creative contributions.) Check out this short video we created that captures some of our ongoing relationship and co-stewardship with the Tribe through the November 13th gathering.

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We asked four of our upcoming workshop leaders to share a few of the modalities, exercises, symbols, totems, and mentors that have helped facilitate the healing process for themselves and others.

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For the first time since the pandemic, Esalen Institute, the New Camaldoli Hermitage, the Tassajara Zen Center, and the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County recently gathered officially to continue their shared mission to protect the sacred wilderness of Big Sur — the lands we all treasure.