Deborah Eden Tull is a leading Buddhist and EcoDharma teacher whose wisdom has touched countless lives. Recently, Eden and her husband, Mark, faced a life-altering tragedy when Hurricane Helene swept through Western North Carolina, destroying their home as well as all their belongings, and very nearly claiming their lives.

Eden has long been a powerful voice urging humanity to face the climate crisis with clarity and courage, and her teachings feel especially poignant in light of this personal loss. In this conversation, we explore her reflections on resilience, interconnection, and how we can meet these challenging times with open hearts.

Here's the link to Eden's gripping 10-minute video that captures the aftermath of Hurricane Helene:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAtjmAEy8eR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

YouTube: https://youtu.be/jH32y0ooVYQ?si=zFeZj74REz9GFCNJ

Please consider donating to Eden's GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/fccff9a1

You can also visit their GoFund Me by simply searching for "GoFund Me Deborah Eden Tull."

Deborah Eden Tull's website: deborahedentull.com

Mark D'Aquila's website: essencealchemy.com

Link to Mark’s Stress relief Flower Essence’s blend :

https://www.essencealchemy.com/blogs/floweressences/stress-relief-blend-november-2024-essence-of-the-month

Dr. Victor Santiago Pineda is a globally recognized scholar, disability rights advocate, social impact entrepreneur, and international consultant on accessibility and inclusion. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Dr. Pineda was diagnosed with a form of muscular dystrophy as a child, a challenge that inspired his lifelong commitment to advancing the rights and dignity of people with disabilities. He became the youngest delegate involved in drafting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a groundbreaking treaty that has impacted millions around the world.

Dr. Pineda holds degrees in political economy, business administration, city and regional planning, and a PhD in urban planning from UCLA, where his research on disability rights and urban development garnered international acclaim. As the founder of the Pineda Foundation and World Enabled, he has spearheaded initiatives that have brought global attention to the inclusion of disabled youth in education, employment, and policy-making. His innovative projects, such as "It's Our Story," an oral history project documenting the lived experiences of people with disabilities, and "It's About Ability," an educational program for children, have been translated into multiple languages and received international awards.

Beyond his scholarly and advocacy work, Dr. Pineda is also a filmmaker, author, and thought leader whose work spans the fields of urban planning, human rights, and social innovation. He has advised organizations like UNICEF, UNESCO, the World Bank, and national governments on creating inclusive policies and practices. Dr. Pineda’s visionary leadership continues to redefine how societies view accessibility, equality, and the potential of all individuals, regardless of their abilities. On this episode of Voices of Esalen, we delve into his remarkable journey, groundbreaking initiatives, and powerful vision for a more inclusive world.

See Dr. Pineda's documentary trailer: https://vimeo.com/683584121/d3a028d293

Josef London has been a cornerstone of the Esalen community for more than 30 years. In our conversation Josef shares about the leap of faith that brought him to Esalen from Rio de Janeiro in search of healing, transformation, and a place to call home. Today, guests know him from the Gate; he is one of the first people they meet upon arriving at Esalen. He has a delightful smile, but what they may not know is that Josef is steeped in the philosophy of Gestalt, and that he is decidedly not conflict averse - rather, he believes that conflict is where the truth comes out. Yet that at the same time, Josef believes fun is mandatory. He is a lover, with a huge heart, and in this conversation he speaks lovingly and at length about the love he lost, his wife Montgomery. You'll be touched by this conversation with one of Esalen's memorable characters. "Thank you so much."

Photo by Kate Kondratieva

Chandra Easton is a senior Dharma teacher, author, and translator of Tibetan Buddhist texts. She is well renowned for her efforts to elevate the empowered feminine in Buddhism. Chandra has a deep lineage of study under the guidance of prominent Tibetan and Western Buddhist teachers, beginning her journey in Buddhist practice at the age of four. She’s spent decades bridging traditional Tibetan teachings with a modern approach, making profound wisdom practices accessible and relevant for today’s world. We spoke together live at Esalen this fall where we explored her latest book, "Embodying Tara: Twenty-One Manifestations to Awaken Your Innate Wisdom", diving deep into themes of ego, suffering, and the transformative practice known as 'Feed Your Demons.'

John Marks is the founder of Search for Common Ground, an international NGO whose purpose is to end violent conflict around the world. In 2018, Search was nominated for a Nobel Peace prize. Over the years some of their notable work has included helping to avert genocide in Burundi, supporting free elections in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and creating training in the Democratic Republic of Congo to curb sexual assault. Marks is the author of the new book From Vision to Action, Remaking the world through Social Entrepreneurship. Together, we spoke about how Esalen helped to launch his work and what he’s learned in over 40 years of track 2, or citizen diplomacy.

BIO:

John Marks had an unconventional path to peacemaking, starting as a critic of the CIA and becoming a renowned social entrepreneur. Marks resigned from the State Department in 1970 to protest the United States' invasion of Cambodia. He co-authored a bestselling book, The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence, which exposed abuses committed by the CIA. His second book, which won a major award for investigative reporting, also focused on CIA abuses.

In 1982, Marks founded Search for Common Ground (Search), an organization dedicated to conflict resolution and peacebuilding. Marks's journey showcases a remarkable shift from a career focused on exposing wrongdoing to a life dedicated to building common ground and fostering peace. Marks and his colleagues at Search were known as "Searchers," highlighting their dedication to seeking solutions and common ground in conflict situations.

Justin Michael Williams is an author, activist, meditation teacher and musician. His book Stay Woke established him as a pioneering millennial voice for diversity and inclusion in wellness. His work has been featured by The Wall Street Journal, Grammy.com, Yoga Journal, Billboard, Wanderlust, and South by Southwest. Justin was the artist in residence at Esalen during the month of July. He shared his thoughts with us on racism, healing, virtue signaling, men's eating disorders, Eckhart Tolle, the decolonization of wellness practices, and more.

Adam Bramlage is Founder and /CEO of Flow State Micro, a functional mushroom company and microdosing education platform. Adam has helped hundreds of people, from professional athletes to people suffering from addiction and depression, achieve results through microdosing in his private practice. This interview gives the basics of microdosing; it's a great primer for anyone just at the beginning of their journey.

Adam will be hosting a webinar with psychedelic pioneer and the father of modern microdosing Dr. James Fadiman, PhD, live from Esalen on January 14th. It's called Microdosing: The Safe, Surprising and Emerging Psychedelic Frontier. To sign up go to

https://www.esalen.org/learn/esalen-digital-microdosing-the-safe-surprising-and-emerging-psychedelic-frontier-011423

I highly recommend it, as you’ll see from this interview, Adam is very skilled at delivering information designed to make any microdosing experience smart, secure and safe. And Dr. James Fadiman is simply an Esalen treasure. He’s been a guest on this show before, a couple years back, in an episode called "A Psychedelic History Lesson." Dr. Fadiman was also one of the very first workshop leaders at Esalen - he helped lead a workshop in 1962 entitled "Drug Induced Mysticism" and he’s been a meaningful figure at Esalen ever since.

Louie Schwartzberg is the filmmaker behind "Fantastic Fungi" - he's back now with a follow up film: "Gratitude Revealed." Louie has created and worked on a score of films in his life, including his own features like Mysteries of the Unseen World and Wings of Life, as well as the Netflix series Moving Art. Over the process of his career, it's fair to say that he’s revolutionized the field of time-lapse photography. Louie has also been a contributing cinematographer or visual effects artist to many idiosyncratic Hollywood movies, including Men in Black 2, Erin Brockovich, Vice Versa, The Heavenly Kid, Xanadu, Altered States, and the 1982 masterpiece Koyanisqatsi. His inventive TED talks have garnered more than 60 million views. Together we talked about how he balances a love of documentary footage shot in the wild with his continuing dedication to time-lapse footage that's shot in studio, how he sees making work as a spiritual practice, how social justice photography gave him his start in film, what Los Angeles was like in the early 1970’s, why he split town after graduation from UCLA and moved to a tiny town in Northern California, where he started retrofitting 35mm movie cameras to enable them to take high-resolution time-lapse photos. Louie also talks about how he lent his own take on psychedelic iconography to the film Altered States in the early stages of a film career that has always existed in a fiercely independent realm. And I couldn't let him leave without talking a bit about how Esalen continues to inspire a sense of wonder in him.

Watch Louie's new film at https://gratituderevealed.com/

Chef Elle Simone is a well-known American chef, culinary producer, test cook, and food stylist. In 2013, after realizing that women and persons of color were underrepresented among chefs, she founded SheChef, a mentoring and networking organization for women of color in the culinary field. She can be seen on PBS on America’s Test Kitchen and is the first African American woman to appear as a regular host on that show. Chef Elle is also a survivor of ovarian cancer and shows up as an activist and representative in that space.

Chef Elle is interviewed by S. Rae Peoples, Associate Director of

Diversity & Inclusion Education at Tufts University. She has over 25 years of experience serving in leadership roles that revolve around social justice in the arts, education, political, and nonprofit sectors. She advises organizations on how best to create internal conditions that allow equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice to flourish. Her opinions and writings have been featured in The Washington Post, Oakland Post, BlogHer, and YFS Magazine. S. Rae is currently rooted in motherhood, love, and community in Somerville, MA.

Today we’re sharing a conversation that took place in October, 2022, between members of the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County and the Esalen Institute.

Representing the Esselen tribe are Jana Nason and Stephen Vicente Arevalo. Jana Nason is an Esselen and Rumsen descendant, and an enrolled tribal member of the ETMC. She is the nonprofit secretary, and serves on the Tribal Council as Tribal Administrator and Secretary, Publications Chair, and Cultural Resource Committee member. She also manages the Cultural Archeological Monitoring program and serves her Tribe in that capacity. She is dedicated to educations, and protecting and preserving the cultural heritage and ancestral sacred sites.

 

Stephen Arevalo is a Esselen and Rumsen descendant. He currently serves on the ETMC Tribal Council as well on the Cultural Resource Committee. Stephen serves his Tribe on many levels and is a tribal cultural archeological monitor. He is deeply passionate about his ancestry and has started a language re-learning class for tribal members. He is an educational speaker, and an active community member.

Representing Esalen Institute is Douglas Drummond. Douglas serves as the Director for Healing Arts and Somatics and the Director of Community Alliance at Esalen Institute. He is also faculty. Douglas is originally from Aotearoa New Zealand and now makes his home in Big Sur, California in Esselen Territory, with his family.

Learn more about the Esselen Tribe at https://www.esselentribe.org/

Coming soon at Esalen:

Healing Waters: The Medicine Wheel and Embodied Motion

November 14–18, 2022

with Cari Herthel, Douglas Drummond, and guest musician Nick Ayers

Where have you come from? Where are you now? Where are you going? We are continuously challenged to find our true purpose and meaning — our ‘direction’ in life. Unconditionally, you are invited to question your direction deeply with a very special union of The Esselen Tribe of Monterey County and the Esalen Institute.Through Healing Waters, we weave the deep knowledge of the medicine wheel, led by Esselen Tribal Medicine Woman Cari Herthel, with the powerful and moving meditation practice of the 5Rhythms®, led by facilitator Douglas Drummond. This week-long exploration into sacred ritual practice and deep intentional movement explores the teachings of the Four Directions within the medicine wheel. We will embrace this knowledge and guidance through ceremony and storytelling, integrating the unique teachings through the 5Rhythms® moving meditation practice. This unification is metaphorically two rivers flowing together into a shared source.

Honoring the mana/matsa — the life force — of the healing waters flowing through the sacred land at the Esalen Institute, we will set an intention to gather in community. We will share our stories, honor our differences, and celebrate our unique directions as waypoints that center us. We will breathe life into the endless directions our journeys can lead.

In this dynamic program, we will explore:

Dance

Plant rituals

Group sharing

Sensory awareness

Leadership exercises

All levels of experience are welcome. Bring your curiosity and willingness to explore.

The Esalen Institute is deeply honored to welcome back the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County to our workshop schedule. This collaboration will be the first in over 10 years, and it will be the catalyst for future partnerships. Acknowledging the presence of the people from this land, on this land, will be a powerful offering for our week together.

https://www.esalen.org/workshops/healing-waters-the-medicine-wheel-and-embodied-motion-111422