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Half Dome

Erin Sawyer Soper (A Candle In The Wind)

May 2, 2022 by bofaw 2 Comments

It turned out that fire was one of the most important elements in the Biodesign experience. Typically, every day of our studies at Yosemite and Mendocino ended with a circular celebration around a campfire. Often the combination of heat, light and the transformation of solid wood into gaseous flames served as a metaphor for mental … [Read more…]

Posted in: Reflections Tagged: Bio-spirituality, Biodesign Out For A Walk, Erin Sawyer Soper, Half Dome, Lowell Harrison Young, soul medicine, Yosemite Temple

High School Biology Class Freezes To Death In Yosemite

June 23, 2021 by bofaw Leave a Comment

Dateline: 10-15-76 Headline: High School Biology Class Freezes To Death In Yosemite   When I decided to follow John Muir into the mountain wilderness, I was naively unaware that the closer I got to his living spirit, the greater the risk of experiencing one of his near-death events. When I decided to encourage groups of … [Read more…]

Posted in: Reflections Tagged: Class of 76, Half Dome, Little Yosemite Valley, Snowstorm, The Mist Trail

Cosmic Wonders and Wanderings

July 8, 2020 by bofaw 2 Comments

About fifty years ago, long before I knew what a Jungian synchronicity was, I experienced one that still resonates with me on every clear night. I was the father of a two-year-old daughter and on a whim one evening, after her bath, I took her out to see the stars. At the tender age of … [Read more…]

Posted in: Reflections Tagged: Half Dome, soul medicine, spiritual evolution, spirituality, Yosemite Temple

Anne Frank—Dealing With The Covid-19 Virus.

March 25, 2020 by bofaw Leave a Comment

On the third day of complying with Napa County’s “shelter-in-place” edict, my mind drifted back to happier times at Yosemite Valley. Typically, during the Class orientation session on the meadow beneath the watchful eye of Half Dome, I shared Anne Frank’s reflection: “The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to … [Read more…]

Posted in: Reflections Tagged: Anne Frank, Coronavirus, Half Dome, Yosemite Temple

John Muir: Flying Lessons off of Half Dome

November 19, 2019 by bofaw Leave a Comment

“Come to the edge, he said. We are afraid, they said. Come to the edge, he said. They came to the edge, He pushed them and they flew. Come to the edge, Life said. They said: We are afraid. Come to the edge, Life said. They came. It pushed them… And they flew.” Christopher Logue … [Read more…]

Posted in: Reflections Tagged: Biodesign Out For A Walk, Half Dome, John Muir vision, spiritual growth, spirituality, Yosemite

John Muir—Professor Butler—Kything

October 7, 2019 by bofaw Leave a Comment

The word “kything” became more widely known in 1973 when Madeleine L’Engle published, A Wind in the Door. Evidently she was looking for a term that described soul-to-soul communion and found the word, “kythe” in an 1856 Scottish Dictionary. I was elated by the glorious synchronicity that, although I don’t recall John Muir ever using … [Read more…]

Posted in: Reflections Tagged: Half Dome, John Muir, Kything, rainbow, Yosemite Temple

John Muir: Mystic Of The Sierra Nevada

September 23, 2019 by bofaw Leave a Comment

According to Edwin Way Teal (editor: The Wilderness World of John Muir) Muir was a scientist, a poet, a mystic, a philosopher and a humorist. The mystic in him wrote: “No sane man in the hands of Nature can doubt the doubleness of his life. Soul and body receive separate nourishment and separate exercise, and … [Read more…]

Posted in: Reflections Tagged: Biodesign Out For A Walk, Half Dome, John Muir vision, Loren Eiseley, R.W. Emerson, Yosemite Valley

Ode to Biodesign ‘79:

September 9, 2019 by bofaw Leave a Comment

The first Class to fully embrace holistic biology: Body—Mind—Spirit. When Melody Petersen Floyd and Terri Raymond Penington invited Christie and me to the upcoming 40-year-class reunion, my grumpy response was, I am retired and attending reunions was not in my job description. Thankfully, Christie disagreed and said, “I think we should go.” Of course! She … [Read more…]

Posted in: Reflections Tagged: Biodesign Class '79, Class '79 Reunion, Half Dome, Melody Petersen Floyd, Terri Raymond Penington, Yosemite

John Muir—Total Lunar Eclipse Over Half Dome And Beyond

January 7, 2019 by bofaw Leave a Comment

Among perhaps the three greatest American Naturalists, John Muir was clearly the wildest. He “walked-the-walk and talked-the-talk” throughout vast areas of unspoiled wilderness. He experienced and described marvels, wonders and miracles that R.W. Emerson and H.D. Thoreau could not envision in their widest imagination. Emerson chose to write from the comfort of his office desk. … [Read more…]

Posted in: Reflections Tagged: Half Dome, John Muir, lunar eclipse, Mark Salvetrin

“One Day’s Exposure To Mountains Is Better Than A Cartload Of Books.” John Muir

September 18, 2017 by bofaw Leave a Comment

Excerpt: Biodesign Out For A Walk. “He’s freakin’ nuts if he thinks I am going to sleep up there!” Although I think the student who muttered these words was half kidding, I was in good company. 130 years ago, John Muir was often regarded as a tramp, bum, social misfit and perhaps most demeaning, “a … [Read more…]

Posted in: Reflections Tagged: Half Dome, John Muir vision, Yosemite
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