After dreaming of coming for many years, interspiritual teacher Mirabai Starr will lead her very first Esalen workshop, Ordinary Mysticism: Reclaiming the Landscape of Your Life as Sacred Ground, this spring. The international speaker and award-winning author shares some real-life heroes, explains how she maintains her practice with a weekly Sabbath, and talks about bringing together those who have experienced great loss: “...the fragrance of the sacred fills the broken-open heart and connects us with unexplainable beauty, even joy.”
What do you do/are you doing at Esalen?
This is my first time at Esalen, although I have dreamed of coming for many years. Being a high desert dweller, I have always loved the Big Sur area, and have long heard how special the Esalen land is. I am offering teachings on the way of the ordinary mystic, how to reclaim our everyday lives as sacred ground.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Taking a long, fragrant bath with my beloved, while listening to music. My students are my DJs. They send me playlists, so we always have something new to listen to in the tub.
What is your greatest fear in your work?
That my work might only be accessible to privileged people, that my offerings lack diversity, that the people who are drawn to me are more interested in being comfortable than in transforming and activating their transformation on behalf of those who suffer and the earth.
Which living or dead person do you most admire in your field?
Teresa of Avila and Ram Dass
What is your current state of mind?
I am heartbroken for the heartbreak of the world. In light of rising authoritarianism and the normalization of violence against the most vulnerable, I am looking to small movements and communities that lift love as the guiding energy that leads to wholeness and belonging.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Logical consistency
What is the quality you most like in a human?
A willingness to not have all the answers, to abide in Beginner’s Mind, to be as curious about others as about themselves.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My deceased daughter Jenny.
What about your work brings you the most happiness?
Much of my work centers on grief as a spiritual path. Rather than being sad and heavy, I find that when I gather with people who have experienced shattering loss and have made the countercultural choice to turn toward it rather than run away, the fragrance of the sacred fills the broken-open heart and connects us with unexplainable beauty, even joy.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My addiction to being perpetually over-extended.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My books. I feel so blessed to be able to marry my love of language with my passion for awakening.
How do you maintain your practice(s) during challenging times?
A weekly Sabbath, drawing from my ancestral tradition of Judaism and woven with the sacred feminine, is a deep drink of soul-water that carries me through the rest of the days.
What is your favorite component of your work?
Ever-unfolding beloved community, sangha, soul-friendship. I am not a hierarchical teacher. I am a weaver of belonging.
What is your most marked characteristic?
Irreverent reverence
Who are your inspirations?
My dogs, Lola and Ruby, whose exuberance for life and unconditional love remind me to cultivate a gaze of wonder and unapologetic appetite for life.
Who are your heroes in real life?
Valarie Kaur, Greg Boyle, Anne Lamott, Richard Rohr, Rev. angel Kyodo williams
How would you like to die?
Fearless, curious, easeful, like pulling hair out of a cup of milk, as it says in Jewish mysticism.
“Remembering to be as self compassionate as I can and praying to the divine that we're all a part of.”
–Aaron
“Prayer, reading, meditation, walking.”
–Karen
“Erratically — which is an ongoing stream of practice to find peace.”
–Charles
“Try on a daily basis to be kind to myself and to realize that making mistakes is a part of the human condition. Learning from our mistakes is a journey. But it starts with compassion and caring. First for oneself.”
–Steve
“Physically: aerobic exercise, volleyball, ice hockey, cycling, sailing. Emotionally: unfortunately I have to work to ‘not care’ about people or situations which may end painfully. Along the lines of ‘attachment is the source of suffering’, so best to avoid it or limit its scope. Sad though because it could also be the source of great joy. Is it worth the risk?“
–Rainer
“It's time for my heart to be nurtured on one level yet contained on another. To go easy on me and to allow my feelings to be validated, not judged harshly. On the other hand, to let the heart rule with equanimity and not lead the mind and body around like a master.”
–Suzanne
“I spend time thinking of everything I am grateful for, and I try to develop my ability to express compassion for myself and others without reservation. I take time to do the things I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy. This includes taking experiential workshops, fostering relationships, and participating within groups which have a similar interest to become a more compassionate and fulfilled being.“
–Peter
“Self-forgiveness for my own judgments. And oh yeah, coming to Esalen.”
–David B.
“Hmm, this is a tough one! I guess I take care of my heart through fostering relationships with people I feel connected to. Spending quality time with them (whether we're on the phone, through messages/letters, on Zoom, or in-person). Being there for them, listening to them, sharing what's going on with me, my struggles and my successes... like we do in the Esalen weekly Friends of Esalen Zoom sessions!”
–Lori
“I remind myself in many ways of the fact that " Love is all there is!" LOVE is the prize and this one precious life is the stage we get to learn our lessons. I get out into nature, hike, camp, river kayak, fly fish, garden, I create, I dance (not enough!), and I remain grateful for each day, each breath, each moment. Being in the moment, awake, and remembering the gift of life and my feeling of gratitude for all of creation.”
–Steven
“My physical heart by limiting stress and eating a heart-healthy diet. My emotional heart by staying in love with the world and by knowing that all disappointment and loss will pass.“
–David Z.
Today, September 29, is World Heart Day. Strike up a conversation with your own heart and as you feel comfortable, encourage others to do the same. As part of our own transformations and self-care, we sometimes ask for others to illuminate and enliven our hearts or speak our love language.
What if we could do this for ourselves too, even if just for today… or to start a heart practice, forever?
After dreaming of coming for many years, interspiritual teacher Mirabai Starr will lead her very first Esalen workshop, Ordinary Mysticism: Reclaiming the Landscape of Your Life as Sacred Ground, this spring. The international speaker and award-winning author shares some real-life heroes, explains how she maintains her practice with a weekly Sabbath, and talks about bringing together those who have experienced great loss: “...the fragrance of the sacred fills the broken-open heart and connects us with unexplainable beauty, even joy.”
What do you do/are you doing at Esalen?
This is my first time at Esalen, although I have dreamed of coming for many years. Being a high desert dweller, I have always loved the Big Sur area, and have long heard how special the Esalen land is. I am offering teachings on the way of the ordinary mystic, how to reclaim our everyday lives as sacred ground.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Taking a long, fragrant bath with my beloved, while listening to music. My students are my DJs. They send me playlists, so we always have something new to listen to in the tub.
What is your greatest fear in your work?
That my work might only be accessible to privileged people, that my offerings lack diversity, that the people who are drawn to me are more interested in being comfortable than in transforming and activating their transformation on behalf of those who suffer and the earth.
Which living or dead person do you most admire in your field?
Teresa of Avila and Ram Dass
What is your current state of mind?
I am heartbroken for the heartbreak of the world. In light of rising authoritarianism and the normalization of violence against the most vulnerable, I am looking to small movements and communities that lift love as the guiding energy that leads to wholeness and belonging.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Logical consistency
What is the quality you most like in a human?
A willingness to not have all the answers, to abide in Beginner’s Mind, to be as curious about others as about themselves.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My deceased daughter Jenny.
What about your work brings you the most happiness?
Much of my work centers on grief as a spiritual path. Rather than being sad and heavy, I find that when I gather with people who have experienced shattering loss and have made the countercultural choice to turn toward it rather than run away, the fragrance of the sacred fills the broken-open heart and connects us with unexplainable beauty, even joy.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My addiction to being perpetually over-extended.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My books. I feel so blessed to be able to marry my love of language with my passion for awakening.
How do you maintain your practice(s) during challenging times?
A weekly Sabbath, drawing from my ancestral tradition of Judaism and woven with the sacred feminine, is a deep drink of soul-water that carries me through the rest of the days.
What is your favorite component of your work?
Ever-unfolding beloved community, sangha, soul-friendship. I am not a hierarchical teacher. I am a weaver of belonging.
What is your most marked characteristic?
Irreverent reverence
Who are your inspirations?
My dogs, Lola and Ruby, whose exuberance for life and unconditional love remind me to cultivate a gaze of wonder and unapologetic appetite for life.
Who are your heroes in real life?
Valarie Kaur, Greg Boyle, Anne Lamott, Richard Rohr, Rev. angel Kyodo williams
How would you like to die?
Fearless, curious, easeful, like pulling hair out of a cup of milk, as it says in Jewish mysticism.
“Remembering to be as self compassionate as I can and praying to the divine that we're all a part of.”
–Aaron
“Prayer, reading, meditation, walking.”
–Karen
“Erratically — which is an ongoing stream of practice to find peace.”
–Charles
“Try on a daily basis to be kind to myself and to realize that making mistakes is a part of the human condition. Learning from our mistakes is a journey. But it starts with compassion and caring. First for oneself.”
–Steve
“Physically: aerobic exercise, volleyball, ice hockey, cycling, sailing. Emotionally: unfortunately I have to work to ‘not care’ about people or situations which may end painfully. Along the lines of ‘attachment is the source of suffering’, so best to avoid it or limit its scope. Sad though because it could also be the source of great joy. Is it worth the risk?“
–Rainer
“It's time for my heart to be nurtured on one level yet contained on another. To go easy on me and to allow my feelings to be validated, not judged harshly. On the other hand, to let the heart rule with equanimity and not lead the mind and body around like a master.”
–Suzanne
“I spend time thinking of everything I am grateful for, and I try to develop my ability to express compassion for myself and others without reservation. I take time to do the things I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy. This includes taking experiential workshops, fostering relationships, and participating within groups which have a similar interest to become a more compassionate and fulfilled being.“
–Peter
“Self-forgiveness for my own judgments. And oh yeah, coming to Esalen.”
–David B.
“Hmm, this is a tough one! I guess I take care of my heart through fostering relationships with people I feel connected to. Spending quality time with them (whether we're on the phone, through messages/letters, on Zoom, or in-person). Being there for them, listening to them, sharing what's going on with me, my struggles and my successes... like we do in the Esalen weekly Friends of Esalen Zoom sessions!”
–Lori
“I remind myself in many ways of the fact that " Love is all there is!" LOVE is the prize and this one precious life is the stage we get to learn our lessons. I get out into nature, hike, camp, river kayak, fly fish, garden, I create, I dance (not enough!), and I remain grateful for each day, each breath, each moment. Being in the moment, awake, and remembering the gift of life and my feeling of gratitude for all of creation.”
–Steven
“My physical heart by limiting stress and eating a heart-healthy diet. My emotional heart by staying in love with the world and by knowing that all disappointment and loss will pass.“
–David Z.
Today, September 29, is World Heart Day. Strike up a conversation with your own heart and as you feel comfortable, encourage others to do the same. As part of our own transformations and self-care, we sometimes ask for others to illuminate and enliven our hearts or speak our love language.
What if we could do this for ourselves too, even if just for today… or to start a heart practice, forever?
After dreaming of coming for many years, interspiritual teacher Mirabai Starr will lead her very first Esalen workshop, Ordinary Mysticism: Reclaiming the Landscape of Your Life as Sacred Ground, this spring. The international speaker and award-winning author shares some real-life heroes, explains how she maintains her practice with a weekly Sabbath, and talks about bringing together those who have experienced great loss: “...the fragrance of the sacred fills the broken-open heart and connects us with unexplainable beauty, even joy.”
What do you do/are you doing at Esalen?
This is my first time at Esalen, although I have dreamed of coming for many years. Being a high desert dweller, I have always loved the Big Sur area, and have long heard how special the Esalen land is. I am offering teachings on the way of the ordinary mystic, how to reclaim our everyday lives as sacred ground.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Taking a long, fragrant bath with my beloved, while listening to music. My students are my DJs. They send me playlists, so we always have something new to listen to in the tub.
What is your greatest fear in your work?
That my work might only be accessible to privileged people, that my offerings lack diversity, that the people who are drawn to me are more interested in being comfortable than in transforming and activating their transformation on behalf of those who suffer and the earth.
Which living or dead person do you most admire in your field?
Teresa of Avila and Ram Dass
What is your current state of mind?
I am heartbroken for the heartbreak of the world. In light of rising authoritarianism and the normalization of violence against the most vulnerable, I am looking to small movements and communities that lift love as the guiding energy that leads to wholeness and belonging.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Logical consistency
What is the quality you most like in a human?
A willingness to not have all the answers, to abide in Beginner’s Mind, to be as curious about others as about themselves.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My deceased daughter Jenny.
What about your work brings you the most happiness?
Much of my work centers on grief as a spiritual path. Rather than being sad and heavy, I find that when I gather with people who have experienced shattering loss and have made the countercultural choice to turn toward it rather than run away, the fragrance of the sacred fills the broken-open heart and connects us with unexplainable beauty, even joy.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My addiction to being perpetually over-extended.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My books. I feel so blessed to be able to marry my love of language with my passion for awakening.
How do you maintain your practice(s) during challenging times?
A weekly Sabbath, drawing from my ancestral tradition of Judaism and woven with the sacred feminine, is a deep drink of soul-water that carries me through the rest of the days.
What is your favorite component of your work?
Ever-unfolding beloved community, sangha, soul-friendship. I am not a hierarchical teacher. I am a weaver of belonging.
What is your most marked characteristic?
Irreverent reverence
Who are your inspirations?
My dogs, Lola and Ruby, whose exuberance for life and unconditional love remind me to cultivate a gaze of wonder and unapologetic appetite for life.
Who are your heroes in real life?
Valarie Kaur, Greg Boyle, Anne Lamott, Richard Rohr, Rev. angel Kyodo williams
How would you like to die?
Fearless, curious, easeful, like pulling hair out of a cup of milk, as it says in Jewish mysticism.
“Remembering to be as self compassionate as I can and praying to the divine that we're all a part of.”
–Aaron
“Prayer, reading, meditation, walking.”
–Karen
“Erratically — which is an ongoing stream of practice to find peace.”
–Charles
“Try on a daily basis to be kind to myself and to realize that making mistakes is a part of the human condition. Learning from our mistakes is a journey. But it starts with compassion and caring. First for oneself.”
–Steve
“Physically: aerobic exercise, volleyball, ice hockey, cycling, sailing. Emotionally: unfortunately I have to work to ‘not care’ about people or situations which may end painfully. Along the lines of ‘attachment is the source of suffering’, so best to avoid it or limit its scope. Sad though because it could also be the source of great joy. Is it worth the risk?“
–Rainer
“It's time for my heart to be nurtured on one level yet contained on another. To go easy on me and to allow my feelings to be validated, not judged harshly. On the other hand, to let the heart rule with equanimity and not lead the mind and body around like a master.”
–Suzanne
“I spend time thinking of everything I am grateful for, and I try to develop my ability to express compassion for myself and others without reservation. I take time to do the things I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy. This includes taking experiential workshops, fostering relationships, and participating within groups which have a similar interest to become a more compassionate and fulfilled being.“
–Peter
“Self-forgiveness for my own judgments. And oh yeah, coming to Esalen.”
–David B.
“Hmm, this is a tough one! I guess I take care of my heart through fostering relationships with people I feel connected to. Spending quality time with them (whether we're on the phone, through messages/letters, on Zoom, or in-person). Being there for them, listening to them, sharing what's going on with me, my struggles and my successes... like we do in the Esalen weekly Friends of Esalen Zoom sessions!”
–Lori
“I remind myself in many ways of the fact that " Love is all there is!" LOVE is the prize and this one precious life is the stage we get to learn our lessons. I get out into nature, hike, camp, river kayak, fly fish, garden, I create, I dance (not enough!), and I remain grateful for each day, each breath, each moment. Being in the moment, awake, and remembering the gift of life and my feeling of gratitude for all of creation.”
–Steven
“My physical heart by limiting stress and eating a heart-healthy diet. My emotional heart by staying in love with the world and by knowing that all disappointment and loss will pass.“
–David Z.
Today, September 29, is World Heart Day. Strike up a conversation with your own heart and as you feel comfortable, encourage others to do the same. As part of our own transformations and self-care, we sometimes ask for others to illuminate and enliven our hearts or speak our love language.
What if we could do this for ourselves too, even if just for today… or to start a heart practice, forever?
Esalen Institute
55000 Highway 1
Big Sur, CA 93920
US: 1-831-667-3000
info@esalen.org
