Metamorphosis and Adolescence Every beautiful (and not so beautiful) butterfly must go through the torturous process of metamorphosis. Likewise, every adult human had to navigate the often traumatic, troublesome, sometimes terrifying labyrinth of teenagedom. Lori Evans, Bio.’79, recently invested six weeks of her time, talent and treasure in a group teens, introducing them to … [Read more…]
The Sound of Silence Inspired by a photo from Jane berg. Excerpt: BOFAW, Simple Gifts. A boot that I had not heard squeak suddenly sounded like a loud stair squeak. A squeaky clevis pin on my backpack sounded like a rusty gate opening. The blood rushing through my ears became audible and … [Read more…]
From the Cathedral of Yosemite to the St. Helena Catholic Church Shakespeare described a prayer as a thought that starts in the heart and passes through the mind on its way to heaven. I suspect that most storytellers are familiar with steps number one and two, however, after each story is recorded, it typically … [Read more…]
An Evening at the Ahwahnee For the first 10 years of Biodesign, on the last night of the Yosemite trip, we walked the short distance from the group camp area over to the Ahwahnee Hotel. I thought it was a good idea to provide the students with as complete experience as possible … [Read more…]
Wilderness in a Feather “Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops at all.†― Emily Dickinson In the 1960’s, Marin County, California became a Mecca of a specialized hybrid blend of pop-psychology and the spiritual exercise of mantric meditation made … [Read more…]
Teilhard de Chardin wrote, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.†Excerpt: BOFAW, Chap. 4, “A Class is Born.†1. The class was not a philosophy class. 2. The class was not a religion class. 3. The class was not a spirituality class. Any … [Read more…]
An Easter Celebration With Loren Eiseley and George Fredric Handel “As a modern man, I have sat in concert halls and watched huge audiences floating dazed on the voice of a great singer. Alone in the dark box I have heard far off as if ascending out of some black stairwell the guttural … [Read more…]
Another Kind Of Bird Of Paradise “Everything you need to know is contained within a flower.†Buddha. It is often very frustrating for scientists to not be able to solve mysteries. Einstein originally found the idea of the universe with a beginning quite irritating. Carl Sagan exhibited anger by not being able to explain … [Read more…]
Synchronicity Excerpt: BOFAW, Chap. 28, “Amazing faith.â€Although I am intrigued with the courage it takes for men in foxholes and on pitching decks to pray to a god who mayor may not exist, I am even more intrigued with the courage it takes for men and women to make the scary leap of faith, without … [Read more…]
Laurie and St. Valentine In the fall of ’79, on the second or third day of Biodedsign, Laurie came up to me after class and whispered, “When is it OK to hug?†I gave her a puzzled look and asked what she meant. “Well,†she said, “Last year I saw Biodesigners hugging frequently and … [Read more…]