A scientist, educator, activist, and author of many bestsellers including The Tao of Physics, Fritjof Capra has helped to connect conceptual changes in science with broader changes in society. His most recent book, The Systems View of Life, integrates the biological, cognitive, social, and ecological dimensions of life into one unified vision. He will be returning to Esalen to teach the week of July 22.
Esalen News: Was there a pivotal moment that led you to your calling?
Yes. It occurred in the summer of 1969 on a beach in Santa Cruz, when I had a vision of the cosmic dance of subatomic particles and its portrayal as the dance of Shiva Nataraja in the art and literature of India. This led to an exploration of the parallels between Eastern mysticism and modern physics in my first book, The Tao of Physics. My further research and writing followed on from there.
Esalen News: This year marks the fourth annual R.D. Laing Esalen workshop. Can you explain Laing’s continuing relevance?
R.D. Laing was, arguably, the most controversial psychoanalyst since Freud. His impassioned plea for a more humane treatment of those in society who are most vulnerable established him firmly at the vanguard of an intellectual and cultural debate about the nature of sanity and madness, inspiring a generation of psychology students, intellectuals, and artists. But Laing was also a philosopher, social critic, author, jazz pianist, poet, and shaman. He was a systemic thinker whose radical ideas transcended academic disciplines, and this is something that is very much needed today.
Esalen News: Why does this annual gathering convene at Esalen?
Esalen was in the vanguard of bringing Laing’s ideas to the public in 1968 in a summer-long seminar organized by Michael Murphy and Dick Price and titled Alternatives to Psychosis. This laid the groundwork for pioneering alternatives to treating psychosis in the Bay Area. This year marks the 50th anniversary of that important seminar.
Esalen News: What do you and your co-leaders hope participants will take away from your workshop?
We want to give a new sense of how very common extreme suffering really is, and why conventional psychiatric treatment often misses the human element in healing extreme states.
Esalen News: How would you describe Esalen in just one word?
Magical.
Learn more about Fritjof Capra's upcoming workshop, R.D. Laing in the Twenty-First Century: What is Love?
“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?
A scientist, educator, activist, and author of many bestsellers including The Tao of Physics, Fritjof Capra has helped to connect conceptual changes in science with broader changes in society. His most recent book, The Systems View of Life, integrates the biological, cognitive, social, and ecological dimensions of life into one unified vision. He will be returning to Esalen to teach the week of July 22.
Esalen News: Was there a pivotal moment that led you to your calling?
Yes. It occurred in the summer of 1969 on a beach in Santa Cruz, when I had a vision of the cosmic dance of subatomic particles and its portrayal as the dance of Shiva Nataraja in the art and literature of India. This led to an exploration of the parallels between Eastern mysticism and modern physics in my first book, The Tao of Physics. My further research and writing followed on from there.
Esalen News: This year marks the fourth annual R.D. Laing Esalen workshop. Can you explain Laing’s continuing relevance?
R.D. Laing was, arguably, the most controversial psychoanalyst since Freud. His impassioned plea for a more humane treatment of those in society who are most vulnerable established him firmly at the vanguard of an intellectual and cultural debate about the nature of sanity and madness, inspiring a generation of psychology students, intellectuals, and artists. But Laing was also a philosopher, social critic, author, jazz pianist, poet, and shaman. He was a systemic thinker whose radical ideas transcended academic disciplines, and this is something that is very much needed today.
Esalen News: Why does this annual gathering convene at Esalen?
Esalen was in the vanguard of bringing Laing’s ideas to the public in 1968 in a summer-long seminar organized by Michael Murphy and Dick Price and titled Alternatives to Psychosis. This laid the groundwork for pioneering alternatives to treating psychosis in the Bay Area. This year marks the 50th anniversary of that important seminar.
Esalen News: What do you and your co-leaders hope participants will take away from your workshop?
We want to give a new sense of how very common extreme suffering really is, and why conventional psychiatric treatment often misses the human element in healing extreme states.
Esalen News: How would you describe Esalen in just one word?
Magical.
Learn more about Fritjof Capra's upcoming workshop, R.D. Laing in the Twenty-First Century: What is Love?
“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?
A scientist, educator, activist, and author of many bestsellers including The Tao of Physics, Fritjof Capra has helped to connect conceptual changes in science with broader changes in society. His most recent book, The Systems View of Life, integrates the biological, cognitive, social, and ecological dimensions of life into one unified vision. He will be returning to Esalen to teach the week of July 22.
Esalen News: Was there a pivotal moment that led you to your calling?
Yes. It occurred in the summer of 1969 on a beach in Santa Cruz, when I had a vision of the cosmic dance of subatomic particles and its portrayal as the dance of Shiva Nataraja in the art and literature of India. This led to an exploration of the parallels between Eastern mysticism and modern physics in my first book, The Tao of Physics. My further research and writing followed on from there.
Esalen News: This year marks the fourth annual R.D. Laing Esalen workshop. Can you explain Laing’s continuing relevance?
R.D. Laing was, arguably, the most controversial psychoanalyst since Freud. His impassioned plea for a more humane treatment of those in society who are most vulnerable established him firmly at the vanguard of an intellectual and cultural debate about the nature of sanity and madness, inspiring a generation of psychology students, intellectuals, and artists. But Laing was also a philosopher, social critic, author, jazz pianist, poet, and shaman. He was a systemic thinker whose radical ideas transcended academic disciplines, and this is something that is very much needed today.
Esalen News: Why does this annual gathering convene at Esalen?
Esalen was in the vanguard of bringing Laing’s ideas to the public in 1968 in a summer-long seminar organized by Michael Murphy and Dick Price and titled Alternatives to Psychosis. This laid the groundwork for pioneering alternatives to treating psychosis in the Bay Area. This year marks the 50th anniversary of that important seminar.
Esalen News: What do you and your co-leaders hope participants will take away from your workshop?
We want to give a new sense of how very common extreme suffering really is, and why conventional psychiatric treatment often misses the human element in healing extreme states.
Esalen News: How would you describe Esalen in just one word?
Magical.
Learn more about Fritjof Capra's upcoming workshop, R.D. Laing in the Twenty-First Century: What is Love?
“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?
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info@esalen.org