Erin Sawyer Soper (A Candle In The Wind)

Posted on May 2, 2022 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 transformation. The rising smoke mingled with the pine-scented air and surpassed the finest incense that is burned in the world’s greatest cathedrals.

We read excerpts from the great Naturalists, sang folk songs, told jokes and funny stories, but also shared reflections of revelations discovered during our days in the wilderness. Erin was shy and I noticed that she sat pensively not participating in the jubilant chatter. I wondered what she was thinking but respected her apparent need for privacy.

All of that changed on our final Yosemite campfire. They had slept under the stars the previous night on top of Half Dome and were basking in a spiritual afterglow. However, when there was a lull in the chatter, she timidly offered, “I like pinecones.” The three words hung in the chilled air and no one seemed to be sure how to process them. My first thought was an attempt at humor, but then I recalled, “still waters run deep.” Erin had a gentle spirit and I suspected that she was experiencing, not only a sensory overload, but channeling John Muir’s frustration when he wrote, “No amount of word-making will ever make a single soul to know these mountains.”

The news of Erin’s transcendence was shocking and reminded me of another of Muir’s aphorisms, only this one conjured up a comment from the Reverend Billy Graham: “Show me a marriage where there are no arguments and I will show you a marriage where one person is not necessary.” During my 60 years of walking and talking with John Muir, we have only had one argument and it involved Muir’s soliloquy on death:

“On no subject are our ideas more warped and pitiable than on death. Instead of sympathy, the friendly union of life and death so apparent in Nature, we are taught that death is an accident, a deplorable punishment for the oldest sin, the archenemy of life, etc. Town children, especially, are steeped in this death-orthodoxy, for the natural beauties of death are seldom seen or taught in towns … But let the children walk with Nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star, and they will learn that death is stingless indeed, and as beautiful as life, and the grave has no victory, for it never fights. All is divine harmony.“

Although I fully understand the ecological importance of the circle of life and death, at the personal level, Muir’s philosophy is a total failure. Was he not heartbroken when his beloved Louie Wanda transcended before he did? Did he not experience the same devastation that the eminent scholar, CS Lewis described after the loss of his wife, in his classic book, A Grief Observed.

During our time together, Erin blessed me with the supreme gifts of camping on top of Yosemite’s world-famous Half Dome (when it was still legal) and sharing two nights at Phantom Ranch at the bottom of Grand Canyon. These experiences created the Shakespearean bond; “One touch of Nature and all men are kin.”

Photo: Erin at Irish Pub. Provided by Family.

She was one of the sweetest, most delightful students I have ever encountered. She wore a permanent smile and was not capable of uttering an unkind word. She possessed angelic qualities and will be sorely missed by her family, loved ones and students.

Therefore, I reluctantly bid farewell to Erin, but only for a while. I am looking forward to the Great Biodesign reunion in heaven where:

^“God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Rev. 21:4

Lowell H. Young
Author: Biodesign Out For A Walk

From John Muir To Social Injustice

Posted on December 3, 2017 Leave a Comment

In 1976, naturalist T. H. Watkins published, John Muir’s America. He must have felt that he knew Muir’s soul so well that he composed three imaginary conversations with the venerable old mountain man. The first dialogue began on the veranda of Muir’s home in Martinez, Ca. The two men discussed many ecological topics as they wandered up to Muir’s “scribble den.” After discussing some of his inventions, Muir rocked back in his chair and closed his eyes until Watkins innocently wandered into the controversial role that Thomas Huxley played in popularizing Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

“The old man exploded out of his silence, thrusted forward in his chair and slapped the flat of his palm on the desk top.”

‘Huxley—that bloodless coof! That fool! He and his kind took the work of Darwin and twisted it to fit their vision of the world. And damme, what a cold and heartless world they would have had it be. They called it survival of the fittest, but no matter what they might have called it, was a damnable theory, a dark and chilly reasoning that chance and competition accounted for all things. Oh it was a useful theory—that I canna deny. It justified all manner of cruelty just as my father’s piety excused all manner of cruelty to his children. Should a man be inspired to destroy his best friend in the marketplace, why, he could shrug it off as the natural consequence of living in the great soulless machine of the cosmos. But it was a damnable theory because it ignored the one real truth of the world, the truth that lives in every rock, flower, leaf, tree and animal—including man: it was all created by a loving God, and His love covers all the earth as the sky covers it, and fills it in every pore.’

Forty years later, Watkins’ words have become a fulfilled prophecy. On July 1, 2015, an undocumented immigrant discharged an illegally obtained handgun that resulted in the death of a young woman who was out for a walk in San Francisco. The trial was recently concluded with the jury rendering a verdict of not guilty.

Contrary to all the blather from media pundits, politicians and lawyers, the jury’s acquittal of the alleged criminal had less to do with ethnicity, immigration status or birth-origin, and more to do with socio-cultural, regressive de-evolution in an increasingly soulless society.

The positive proof of this emerged from the fact that in spite of the perpetrator admitting (KGO TV interview) that he pulled the trigger of the lethal weapon, the jury agreed with a scenario that the defense team presented as they “twisted it to fit their vision of the world.”

Tragically, events like these are going to become more common. In the name of “political correctness,” our public el-hi schools, colleges and universities are systematically sanitizing curricula, removing all references to spirituality. This will doubtlessly produce generations of morally bankrupt adults who are proponents of the Godless religion known as “situational ethics.”

Some of the fruits from this evil tree were recently borne for all to see in the San Francisco courthouse.

Of all the countless millions of words generated by this tragedy, two lines stand out. The day after the verdict was announced, the headline of a SF Chronicle editorial:

“Justice was not served.”

And one of the jurors anonymously commented; “I need to spend some time collecting my thoughts.”

Indeed, don’t we all?

In his classic book, Religions, Values and Peak Experiences, psychologist Abraham Maslow expressed concern for an increasingly spiritless US society. He suggested that the subject of “human spirituality” could be added to a suitably enlarged biology curriculum without breaching the wall that separates Church and State.

Lowell H. Young
Author: Biodesign Out For A Walk

young.lowell@gmail.com

A CHRISTMAS GIFT FROM e.e. cummings

Posted on December 19, 2016 Leave a Comment

Watching the increasingly commercial emphasis during the Christmas Season, it is little wonder Albert Schweitzer described a kind of naïveté where people are unaware of the silent, spiritual battles within. Although blatant commercialism was far less intense during the time Henry Thoreau wrote “Walden,” (1850) it probably contributed to his efforts to strive to avoid reaching the end of his life and realize that he “blew it” and would not get a second chance.

Advent can be a special time of the year when, along with preparing to celebrate the birth of Christ, people can look forward to the beginning of a new year of spiritual growth and renewal.

As a wonderful example of this, after much contemplation, e.e. cummings resolved that he was a “Little Church,” and offered his opinion of what that meant.

i am a little church(no great cathedral)
far from the splendor and squalor of hurrying cities
-i do not worry if briefer days grow briefest,
i am not sorry when sun and rain make april

my life is the life of the reaper and the sower;
my prayers are prayers of earth’s own clumsily striving
(finding and losing and laughing and crying)children
whose any sadness or joy is my grief or my gladness

around me surges a miracle of unceasing
birth and glory and death and resurrection:
over my sleeping self float flaming symbols
of hope,and i wake to a perfect patience of mountains

i am a little church(far from the frantic
world with its rapture and anguish)at peace with nature
-i do not worry if longer nights grow longest;
i am not sorry when silence becomes singing

winter by spring,i lift my diminutive spire to
merciful Him Whose only now is forever:
standing erect in the deathless truth of His presence
(welcoming humbly His light and proudly His darkness)

Perhaps Cummings is offering a common man’s interpretation of the bold proclamation that St. Paul made to the Corinthians over 2,000 years ago.

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;”

Whether approaching the Christmas Story from an anthropological, historical or religious perspective, it is without a doubt the greatest human story ever told. It is childlike, welcoming and inclusive and offers every living human the challenge of accepting that they are living, breathing sacred events.

Volumes have been written about the story of the Magi carrying precious gifts to Bethlehem:

“And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and they presented to Him gifts of gold, and frankincense and myrrh.” Mattthew 2.

The Bible (and other corroborating stories) indicates that the Magi returned to their respective homes, however, little has been written about how the event changed their lives. In fact, if they did create the original “Epiphany,” perhaps they discovered that spiritual awareness is the quintessential essence of being human.

The great irony here is that they presented gifts to the Christ child but, in return, received the unspeakably perfect gift of the Holy Spirit and the realization that they too were made in the image of God. If so, there is little doubt that their journey home was filled with joy, merriment and laughter and they rejoiced and were exceedingly glad.

Merry Christmas

Lowell H. Young
Author: Biodesign Out For A Walk

young.lowell@gmail.com

Heaven and Earth

Posted on November 16, 2016 Leave a Comment

“I used to envy the father of our race, dwelling as he did in contact with the new-made fields and plants of Eden; but I so no more, because I have discovered that I also live in ‘creation’s dawn.’ The morning stars still sing together, and the world, not yet half made, becomes more beautiful every day.” John Muir

Like so many of Muir’s power-packed-paragraphs, there is a cartload of wisdom in this one. In two simple declarative sentences, he is acknowledging, thanking and communing with God. Furthermore, he is tacitly suggesting that the words “evolution” and “creation” are one and the same.

Darwin’s, “The Origin of Species,” was published in 1859. Muir was 21, but after 50 years of researching his works, I have not found one reference to Darwin. I suspect that he would have regarded the so-called “great debate” of Creation vs. the theory of evolution a superfluous waste of time.

I find it intriguing that often, when John Muir lovers discover that he carried a pocket version of “The New Testament and Psalms” with him on his excursions, they become vexed, even defiant. I suspect, that in an effort to conform to “political correctness,” even USPS “interpretive naturalists” religiously ignore Muir’s depth of Christian spirituality (pun intended). Perhaps they do not know (or care) that, as a mechanical engineer, Muir regarded Yosemite as nothing less than one of God’s most “glorious” creations.

Unlike me ;o), Muir knew all of the Psalms by heart and I cannot help but think that he was the superb embodiment of Psalm 8. I know of no other naturalist who approached this level of perfection and therefore it is not surprising that many consider him the world’s greatest naturalist.

To that point, watching the ecological destruction of Planet Earth, if Muir were alive today, I am not so sure he would still think:

“The morning stars still sing together, and the world, not yet half made, becomes more beautiful every day.”

Lowell H. Young
Author: Biodesign Out For A Walk

young.lowell@gmail.com

100 GLORIOUS YEARS OF US NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Posted on August 22, 2016 1 Comment

Thursday, 8-25-16 marks the 100^th anniversary of the US National Park Service. The NPS has often been described as, “America’s Greatest Idea,” and if this is so, John Muir may arguably be considered “America’s greatest naturalist.”

It is impossible to imagine how the Park Service would have evolved without his vision, passion and dedication. After camping in Yosemite with Muir, Teddy Roosevelt was so profoundly moved that after he returned to Washington, D.C. he set aside an astounding 230 million acres, which became the beginning of the National Forest Service and National Parks Service. Annual visits to all NPS facilities are approaching 300 million, with nearly $30 billion being generated from recreation and “ecotourism.”

In the fall of 1973, under the guidance of principal Dr. William Noble, St. Helena High School initiated a revolutionary advanced biology curriculum that included examining the life, wisdom and spirituality of the legendary Muir. The new class considered contemporary biological and ecological concepts, and following Muir’s lead, students were invited to consider the possibility of their own spirituality.

Not surprisingly, the new class called, “Biodesign,” became a lightning rod, not only drawing criticism from non-believers, but surprisingly from some local Christian clerics. In an ironic disconnect, critics were generally in favor of National Parks, however some of them vehemently objected to references to Muir’s spiritual invocations in a public school. They were not persuaded by the fact that he became widely known as the, “Father of the National Park Service,” a sobriquet not lacking in spiritual overtones.

The Biodesign Class lasted 24 years and involved 63 wilderness adventures including trips to Yosemite, Grand Canyon and the Mendocino coast. Following Muir’s guidance, many students exulted in spiritual awakenings that were not necessarily associated with any particular religion.

Several years after I retired, I decided to follow John Muir’s model and attempted the impossible; describing nature-induced epiphanies. The process resulted in a book whose title reflects the essence of Muir: Biodesign Out For A Walk.

After the book was released, I fully expected to be challenged from aforementioned critics, including secular scientists. After all, suggesting that Carl Sagan’s explanation of the origin of life was purely science fiction was tantamount to challenging the humanist’s god. Surprisingly, all of the reviews and comments I have received have been positive except for one.

The lone critic was an ex-student who informed me that Henry Thoreau was historically far more important than John Muir because of his intellectual superiority and writing style. These are legitimate, arguable issues, however, he went on to describe Muir as lacking an “inquisitive mind.”

Every man’s opinion is his sacred privilege, however, I was intrigued that anyone who had studied John Muir could possibly arrive at that conclusion.

Both men became literary giants who agreed that nature was a pathway for human transcendence. Both engendered thoughts and deeds that influenced world history. Muir emerged from the wilderness like a bearded prophet proclaiming the healing power of Nature.

Thoreau emerged from Walden Pond and described the importance of “civil disobedience” as a way to avoid the “galling harness of society.”

Muir’s legacy led to raising worldwide recognition of the importance of conservation and “eco-spirituality.”

Thoreau inspired millions, and prompted Mahatma Gandhi to lead the ousting of the British Raj government in India and later encouraged Dr. Martin Luther King to peacefully protest the cruel injustice of racism in the US.

However, in terms of an “inquisitive mind”?

After moving to the US, at age eleven, Muir would go to bed at 9:00 PM, sleep until 1:00 AM and get up to carve various inventions. Then he would work from dawn to dusk on the family farm. He attended the University of Wisconsin without graduating, but became a self-taught mechanical engineer. Eventually, he invented over 50 mechanical tools, devices and machines that improved the efficiency in woodworking mills. Interestingly, he refused to take out any patents believing that all of his inventions; “were inspired by God and therefore belonged to all mankind.”

When he nearly blinded one of his eyes, he vowed to “stop studying the works of man and begin to study the works of God.” He began with a 1,000 mile-walk to Florida and planned to follow Baron Von Humboldt’s studies in South America. Unfortunately (or maybe not) he contracted malaria and his doctor advised him to move to the dryer climate of California. His discoveries and descriptions of Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada Mts. became legendary and were widely distributed around the US and even abroad.

Muir founded the Sierra Club, which became a powerful voice in California conservation and was primarily responsible for saving the remaining 5% of the virgin redwood forest. However, his greatest contribution was his vision of the US National Park Service. Today there are over 400 National Parks, reserves and monuments, nearly 7000 state parks in the US and his thesis that parks are necessary for spiritual renewal has gone global.

However, one of his greatest acts of being inquisitive came near the end of his life. At the age of 72, he began a 40,000-mile, 7-month exploration. When he got to Buenos Aires, Argentina, he took a 1200-mile, round-trip train ride into the Andes Mountains, simply for the privilege of sleeping under an araucaria (monkey-puzzle) tree. He knew that the araucarias were among the oldest seed-bearing plants on Earth and communing with them had been a lifelong dream.

He combined sailing and walking from New York to South America, across the Atlantic Ocean to the Canary Islands; circumnavigated Africa with many stops for exploring; sailed through the Red and Mediterranean Seas and back to New York.

Muir literally and figuratively walked around the world several times, exploring five continents in response to his lifelong quest for knowledge.

Poets claim that “everything is ironic” and in this case, if I had not selected John Muir as a primary mentor, the Biodesign Class and Biodesign Out For A Walk would not have happened and my critic would not have been in a position to question the efficacy of my choice of Muir as the most “inquisitive” and proficient wilderness guide.

Happy 100th Anniversary National Parks.

Lowell H. Young
Author: Biodesign Out For A Walk

This article originally appeared on NapaValleyRegister. Your comments are welcome at young.lowell@gmail.com or connect with me on Facebook.

“I CONQUERED YOSEMITE’S HALF DOME!”

Posted on July 11, 2016 Leave a Comment

“Loren Eiseley is less concerned about man conquering nature than nature, in the form of God, conquering the human heart.” Time Magazine.

AFTER nearly 75 years, I have concluded that life is mostly (if not totally) a journey into mystery. E.g. how could I have possibly guessed that a simple, innocent question from a student would eventually guide me to climb Yosemite’s Half Dome over 30 times? Each visit was unique and not unlike meeting a long-lost friend with lots of catching up to do. Intriguingly, most of my trips were with students and seeing Half Dome through their eyes provided some of the most glorious moments of my life.

“I Conquered Half Dome” was the title of a Biodesigner’s post-Yosemite essay, and why not? Tom described the “emotional blood,” sweat and near-blisters that were required for him to hike the 10 miles from Yosemite Stables to the top of Half Dome in one grueling day. The altitude gain was nearly 5,000 ft. and YNPS listed the trail as “extremely strenuous” (and that is without a backpack.) It is a safe bet that his 50-lb. backpack made the trek at least twice as difficult.

Tom meticulously recorded the events of the day including moments of inspiration, and frustration; stops for snacks, water and lunch. He also described the logistical demands of stopping to filter water and apply “Mole Skin” to hotspots before they became debilitating blisters. He noted the high level of camaraderie and playful banter that helped ease the fatigue induced by the steep switchbacks. He marveled at how everyone worked together with the stronger hikers quietly taking sleeping bags or tents from classmates who were struggling excessively.

This hike occurred in the early years of the Biodesign program when the trip was only four days. It involved a 4:00 AM departure and 5-hour drive to Yosemite Valley; one very demanding day to hike to the top of Half Dome to spend the night; one very long day to return to The Valley and the 5-hour return trip home. Due to the very demanding 4-day journey, it was quite reasonable for Tom to feel that he had indeed conquered Half Dome. However, the latter part of his essay took on a very different tone.

He wrote:

“I had never been so exhausted but I could not sleep due to the thousands of rapid-fire mental images of our long hike. Earlier in the evening, we huddled in a circle as you read John Muir’s story about his adventure with the ‘wee little dog Stickeen.’ Muir described their near-death experience in a storm on an Alaskan glacier. The ordeal lasted 18 hours and, although they were cold, wet and exhausted, they were happy to make it back to camp.

Muir wrote:

“We reached camp about ten o’clock, and found a big fire and a big supper. A party of Hoona Indians had visited Mr. Young, bringing a gift of porpoise meat and wild strawberries, and Hunter Joe had brought in a wild goat. But we lay down, too tired to eat much, and soon fell into a troubled sleep. The man who said, ‘The harder the toil, the sweeter the rest,’ never was profoundly tired.”

He continued:

“Before the trip we discussed the geology of Half Dome and I was now aware that I was trying to sleep on rock that was over 100 million years old and was there when dinosaurs roamed the earth and perhaps some bird-like forms flew over Yosemite Valley.

I finally gave up trying to sleep and grabbed my flashlight and down jacket. I moseyed out to the “Eye Brow” and carefully dangled my legs over the edge. Interestingly, due to the darkness, the 5,000-foot drop was not as scary as in the daylight. I remembered you saying that Native Americans and “mountain men” could tell time using the “handle” of “The Big Dipper.” I was facing north and looked up to see the giant cosmic-hour-hand above me. And then, IT HAPPENED! A massive surge of adrenaline super-activated every nerve in my body. I was ecstatic, but it was not sublime. I was paradoxically exhilarated, but terrified and quickly began to suffer a panic attack. I could not move! I thought, ‘This is not a good place to be in the middle of the night.’ The panic seemed interminable, but either God or my “reptilian brain” took over and I noticed my hands and thighs slowly begin to inch my body back from the edge. When I stood, I was badly shaken and, with wobbly knees, returned to my sleeping bag.

If I live to be 100 years old, I will never feel the same degree of warmth, safety and comfort that my sleeping bag provided. And then the second major epiphany occurred! What a fool I was to think that I had “conquered” Half Dome! God, Mother Nature or karma allowed me to ascend Half Dome, however; there is still enough mystery and intrigue to last another 100 million years.”

At the youthful age of 17, Tom discovered that he was being conquered and not the conqueror, something more and more people will live and die without discovering.

I don’t think it is elitist for people who have climbed to the top of Half Dome to recalibrate their personal biography into “Pre-H-D” and “Post-H-D.” I don’t think it is possible to climb Half Dome and not have a life-changing experience, however, as John Muir noted about spiritual revelations, there are no earthly words to define them.

Lowell H. Young
Author: Biodesign Out For A Walk

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FROM DIATOMS TO LIVING TEMPLES

Posted on May 23, 2016 4 Comments

Photo credit: kuraev.ru — Photo credit:
kuraev.ru

INTELLIGENT MEN DECIPHERING “INTELLIGENT DESIGNS”:

“For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.” Hebrews,” 3.

“All of Nature is but a metaphor of the human mind.” Emerson

It is illogical to assume that physical, mental and spiritual designs can be more complex than the artist/creator of the designs.

Living Designs

In the early 17th century, natural “philosophers,” using the light microscope, began to see things that could not be seen with the naked eye. Englishman Robert Hooke observed pockets of air within cork, which he called “cells;” Dutch scientist Anton van Leeuwenhoek saw “wee cavorting beasties” in samples of pond water. I strongly suspect that he also saw images like this array of desmids and diatoms in a drop of pond water.

The origin of words has always fascinated me. In biology, many of the structures are self-explanatory; that is if you know Latin or Greek. The word “ecology” is a good example. The word is derived from the Greek words “oikos”= house and “logos,”= the study of: ergo ecology is the study of “houses.” Whoever coined the word fully comprehended the fact that every living thing lives in a “house” and the study of the interactions of all living “houses” emerged as ecology. John Muir was an “ecologist” before the term was coined.

Spiritual Designs

With annual sales of over 100 million copies, there are estimates that over 5 billion Bibles have been printed. Regarded by many scholars as the “world’s greatest novelist,” Charles Dickens was often at odds with the “formal church” yet he opined:

“The New Testament is the very best book that ever was or ever will be known in the world.”

I suspect that if John Muir were asked, he would have agreed with Dickens. Muir carried a pocket version of the “New Testament and Psalms” with him nearly everywhere he traveled.

Religious arguments are generally a waste of time, however, there can be some areas of agreement. E.g., St. Paul’s contention that every human being is actually a “temple,” is a concept that is not incompatible with many world religions and many people who may not consider themselves as “religious,” but regard themselves as “spiritual beings.”

Understandably, modern scientists, atheists and agnostics are not equipped to deal with a spiritual parallel universe, however, St. Paul’s concept was not only clear to Dickens, it was perfectly clear to John Muir who saw Yosemite Valley as a pure reflection of the temple that he was.

It was fun to see students discover that they were “living, breathing, walking houses;” however, regardless of their religious or nonreligious background, it was thrilling to see some of them begin to regard themselves as “living, breathing, walking temples.”

As a retired, holistic-biology teacher, it is disheartening to see that, in the name of “political correctness,” our public schools and universities are being “spiritually sanitized” and millions of students are tacitly being taught that they are meaningless, soulless, random acts of chance and competition.

I have returned from Yosemite and Grand Canyon with 100s of high school seniors, nearly all of whom saw visions marvels and wonders that they could not describe in words. Regardless of whether they saw themselves as “temples” or not, nearly all of them felt renewed and spiritually invigorated with an enhanced sense of hope, purpose and meaning.

Lowell H. Young
Author: Biodesign Out For A Walk

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Soul: The Greatest Christmas Gift

Posted on December 7, 2015 Leave a Comment

Excerpt: Biodesign Out For A Walk.

On an unscripted whim, I had them close their eyes and asked  them how many of them had a soul? Every hand shot up. “Hands down,” I said. “How’d we vote?” someone asked.  I answered, “One hundred percent positive. I guess this class has a lot of soul.”

“The soul is the name for the unifying principle, power, or energy that is the center of our being. To be in touch with soul means going back to the sacred source, the site of life-releasing energy, the activating force of life, the god-grounds; to venture forth and confront the world in all its marvelous and terrifying forces, to make sacred our hours here; to learn to pay such supreme attention to the world that eternity blazes in to time with our holy longing. Soul-making this.” The Soul of the World, by Phil Cousineau and Eric Lawton.

One year, shortly after we reached the top of Yosemite’s Half Dome, a group of rock climbers were completing climbing up the face. They were surprised to be greeted by a welcoming party of excited young adults. I was setting up our camp area about 200 yards away, but voices often travel clearer and farther in the mountains.

Climber: “What are all you guys doing up here?
Student: “We are all in a high school advanced biology class.”
Climber: “You’re bullshittin’ me!”
Student laughing: “No it’s true.”
Climber: “So, your biology class just happened to wander up here?”
Student: “No, our teacher led us up here.”
Climber: “Damn! He must have big balls!

I laughed out loud, but was suddenly embarrassed by what I considered to be a crude metaphor and that I had been eavesdropping. More importantly, however, I was tempted to hurry over and tell him that it was the students who were the courageous ones. I wondered if he had read Carl Jung:

“Whenever there is a reaching down into innermost experience, into the nucleus of personality, most people are overcome by fright, and many run away…The risk of inner experience, the adventure of the spirit, is in any case, is alien to most human beings.”

Jung etal, described the spiritual journey as potentially far more scary than any physical or mental challenges. On the other hand, maybe the climber was acting out Joseph Campbell’s purpose of life; “The Soul’s High Adventure.”

Perhaps it didn’t matter. After all, The Class was not only experimental, but experiential and existential. This meant that any discoveries that students made would be their own and not of my doing. Over 24 years there were many books that I discovered that would have been very helpful, but they also would have altered the many paths of discovery that were vital to the students’ spiritual growth. The best example of this (and now one of my favorite treasures) is a small (but powerful) book, “The Soul Of The World.” Phil Cousineau paired amazing quotations with Eric Lawton’s spectacular photos into a breathtaking book. It has been a deep source of inspiration for me since it was released in 1993. Cousineau included profoundly inspiring “poems, prayers and promises” from men and women from all walks and major religions, including people who are Red—Yellow—Black—White. He paired the inspirational lines with photos of some of the most beautiful and or sacred places on planet Earth. The book proved to be a powerful validation of the collaborative journey that about 500 students had shared with me. I was able to draw freely from it for the last five years of the class.

Nearly 15 years after the Biodesign Class of 1979 decided to embark on a journey of the soul, Cousineau and Lawton confirmed just how spiritually aware those students were. Jung, Thoreau and John Muir were correct when they noted that many people will live their entire life without probing their own spirituality. John Muir wrote: “Most people are on the world, not in it—have no conscious sympathy or relationship to anything about them—undiffused, separate, and rigidly alone like marbles of polished stone; touching but separate.”

The rock climber demonstrated tremendous courage climbing the face of Half Dome, but I wonder if it equaled the courage that it took for each of the 700 students to follow Loren Eiseley, Carl Jung and John Muir by embracing wonder and terror and thereby discovering that “Going out For A Walk was really going in.”

Christmastime is a wonderful time to awaken us to the fact that the journey we are on is a “spiritual journey,” a journey that would not be possible without the gift of Soul.

Wishing all of you a soulful, merry Christmas.

Lowell H. Young
Author: Biodesign Out For A Walk

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Einstein Finds God (Reluctantly)

Posted on June 1, 2015 Leave a Comment

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom the emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand wrapped in awe, is as good as dead —his eyes are closed. The insight into the mystery of life, coupled though it be with fear, has also given rise to religion. To know what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty, which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their most primitive forms—this knowledge, this feeling is at the center of true religiousness.”

Each year when I presented Einstein’s view on the “Mysterious,” at least one person was offended. “Who is he?” he/she would ask, “to determine who was fit to live or not.” They had been unable to comprehend that he was referring to a “spiritual” death.

When I presented St. Augustine’s original version of “The Big Bang Theory,” the students were understandably amazed by his brilliance. They were astounded that he arrived at his theory 1200 years before Galileo and 1600 years before Edwin Hubble discovered the “Big Bang Theory.” The boys were often so thoroughly baffled that they reacted with frustration, at times even a bit anger. Anger is often a response to things that we cannot comprehend.

In 1929, based on measurements on forty different galaxies, Hubble concluded that the galaxies were expanding away from each another. Einstein favored “The Steady State Theory” and his response was, “The circumstances of an expanding universe irritate me…To admit such possibilities seems senseless.”

Although Einstein reacted angrily at first, he finally conceded to his mathematical error and the evidence for a finite, expanding universe. NASA scientist Robert Jastrow observed: “Einstein realized that if the universe was expanding away from a point, then it had a beginning at that point. If the universe had a beginning then it must have a ‘Beginner’, he surmised. This discovery disturbed Einstein so much that for a time he included an imaginary mathematical ‘cosmological constant’ to his formula. He did this to make the effect of the expanding universe go away. He later stated that this was the biggest error of his entire career.”

Eventually, Einstein grudgingly abandoned his hypothesized force and acknowledged “the necessity for a beginning and the presence of a superior reasoning power.”

However, I suspect that there was something more troubling to the guys. They had attended school for nearly 13 years and had come to rely on books and teachers to provide answers to all of their questions. When I was asked how the universe was created, I responded that I didn’t have a clue. I reminded them that they had to memorize the “law” of conservation of matter/energy, which states that matter can not be created or destroyed. Therefore, either it must have always been here or some mysterious power, being, or process created it. When I told them that, on his deathbed, Einstein smiled and said, “But I still wonder, how can something come from nothing,” they were amused but not satisfied.

The girls, on the other hand, usually found the boys’ behavior puzzling if not humorous. They not only seemed comfortable with the “ultimate enigma,” they seemed to enjoy it. I don’t know if this is due to gender-specific, intuitive or learned behavior, or the result of females being better able to integrate both sides of their cerebral hemispheres.

Perhaps because of their deeply embedded connection to Mother Nature, it was easier and more natural for them to “stand rapt in awe” and translate and communicate the lessons Mother Nature had for them.

Excerpt: BOFAW. “She replied, “Aw, come on, Tom, can’t you see that EEE-ROW-SHUN made this place? ”The girls burst out laughing, locked arms, and skipped forward. Tom looked at us a little sheepishly and said, ‘Ha-ha, that’s pretty funny; erosion did it.’”

Lowell H. Young
Author: Biodesign Out For A Walk

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In Loving Memory: Joan Ainslie Chapman

Posted on April 13, 2015 Leave a Comment

Nurse, teacher, healer, medicine woman, storyteller and child of The Great Spirit.

“And while I stood there I saw more than I can tell and I understood more than I saw;for I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the spirit, and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being.” – Black Elk

He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much;
Who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children;
Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;
Who has never lacked appreciation of Earth’s beauty or failed to express it;
Who has left the world better than he found it,
Whether an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
Who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had;
Whose life was an inspiration;
Whose memory a benediction.

-Bessie Anderson Stanley

I have been involved in “education” for 67 years and I know of no other person who exemplified every line of Bessie Stanley’s poem more beautifully than Joan Ainslie Chapman. Few students attending St. Helena Unified School District between 1965 and 1982 will likely remember who the Superintendent of Schools was or even all of their teachers’ names, however, I suspect that very few will have forgotten Joan Ainslie. It is uncommon for a school nurse to have anything more than a common, medical relationship with her students; there was nothing common about “Nurse Ainslie.” The first impression she offered was her stunning beauty. Her earth-tone brown skin and curly, raven-black hair were accented by her brilliant blue eyes that flashed and danced. She would never mention it, but blue eyes were considered a sign of royalty, if not goddess-like status in her Tuscarora Indian tribe. She radiated a love of life that was contagious; was extremely proud of her First Nation heritage and was eager to share the wisdom she gained from thousands of years of tribal history.

She graduated from Syracuse University with a prestigious BS degree in nursing and continued her education with courses in audiometry, school nursing and school administration. Joan was one of those rare people who “lit up a room” when she entered. Whether at a faculty party, stuffy school board meeting, leading a class or large group discussion on various health and hygiene issues, all were handled with grace and humor. In addition, she was willing to lead educational workshops on Native American history, folklore, medicine and religion.

During her tenure, very few high school “young men” complained about having to miss class to have their eyes and ears tested by the “foxy” Nurse Ainslie.

My father once said; “If something is worth doing, it is worth doing well,” and everything Joan did, she did well. In addition to her many tasks as the SHUSD Nurse, in 1966 she was instrumental in establishing the “St. Helena Cooperative Nursery School” in the abandoned schoolhouse in Rutherford, Calif. Next year the school will mark its 50th anniversary.

Another one of her accomplishments was to make a huge contribution to the St. Helena Elementary School outdoor-education program known as “Fifth Grade Camp.” Each spring, the entire 5th grade class (100 students) was bussed to Alliance Redwoods Camp near Occidental, Ca. In addition to helping with nature walks, first-aid instruction and a myriad of camp activities, Joan erected a full-size Native American tepee where she conducted pow-wows demonstrating aspects of the Native American way of life. These meetings became a hit with the students and created memories that will last their entire lives. By the end of the week most of the campers were in love with the beautiful, enchanting “Mrs. Ainslie.” She may have created the only program in the US where students were exposed to a teacher/nurse, storyteller and fountain of wisdom. It was common for girls from K-12 to admire her as a role model and someone they aspired to be like.

In an intriguing synchronicity, in 1974, while Joan was working at St. Helena High School, I was privileged to be a part of an advanced biology class that examined many examples of Native American wisdom, philosophy, folklore, ecological knowledge and spirituality. Many, if not all, of these elements resonated deeply with many of the uncomplicated and beautiful qualities of Joan’s personhood. Having two children attending SHHS, she was well aware that in the US History book, the history of the 500 Native American tribes, living in the US, was reduced to one half of a page titled, “Cowboys and Indians.”

We never discussed it, however, I am quite sure that she would have smiled and wondered why “modern” American schools ever separated the physical, mental and spiritual components of man. Tragically, our “electronic-obsessed” schools are drifting farther and farther away from the beauty, inspiration and messages that Joan learned to appreciate as a Tuscarora child and generously shared with all who cared enough to listen.

After she left St. Helena, she went to Sacramento where she worked in the American Indian Education Office for the California Department of Education. She married Stanley Chapman and they worked together to establish a library home at Chapman University for many of the rare and important items that she used in her distinguished career in education.

After she retired, Joan remained active in American Indian issues and was instrumental in founding of the “Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the Native Americans” and was an invited guest to opening ceremonies in Washington D.C. http://www.nmai.si.edu/searchcollections/home.aspx

Joan Ainslie Chapman always looked for the best in others and gave them the best she had:

Her life was an inspiration;
and memory a benediction.

If Joan Ainslie Chapman has not transcended to her, “Happy Hunting Ground,” nothing on this planet makes any sense.

Lowell H. Young, Author: Biodesign Out For A Walk

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