Excerpt: Biodesign Out For A Walk, Introduction.  “They learned that Albert Einstein and Loren Eiseley agreed that every branch of science was cloaked in mystery and that it would be their challenge and privilege to contemplate those mysteries.†Einstein:  “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of … [Read more…]
       Excerpt: Biodesign out For A Walk, Chap. ;21. Simple Gifts. One of nature’s most outlandish displays of mystery is demonstrated billions of time each year and goes mostly unnoticed and never fully understood. It involves the “common†caterpillar. Whether it spins a cocoon or secrets a chrysalis, what happens next is … [Read more…]
I Want To be In America Excerpt: BOFAW, Chap. 20, Sasha “There is a principle which is pure, and placed In the human mind, which in different places and ages has had different names. It is, however, pure and proceeds from God. It is deep and inward, confined to no forms of religion, nor excluded … [Read more…]
It is possible that the ultimate example of the Taoist concept of yin and yang may be contemporary science and religion. Yin and yang are actually complementary, not opposing, forces, interacting to form a whole greater than either separate part; in effect, a dynamic system. Everything has both yin and yang aspects, (for instance shadow … [Read more…]
Happy Anniversary Christie Excerpt: BOFAW, “In Thanksgiving.†And finally, the omega factor is often the most important in a list. If readers are not able to see, or perhaps more importantly feel between the lines, and sense that Christie was the guiding light for The Biodesign Class and this book, I will have failed. Her … [Read more…]
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…]