My recollection begins at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California—the cradle of the human potential movement and the place where the spiritual energy of the Sixties first took hold along the California coast.

Esalen is more than a retreat center; it’s founded on the idea that human consciousness and potential constantly evolve.

The spirituality of the Sixties resembled a journey through comparative religion—a quest to find the mystical core shared by the world’s great faiths.

At Esalen, and within the broader Sixties spiritual movement, the focus wasn’t on believing in God.

It was about experiencing the divine firsthand.

I first visited Esalen in 1980, at the age of 27.

There, I encountered fellow baby boomers — Baptists, Catholics, Episcopalians, Jews, and Protestants — […]

We are wanderers in the ever-shifting landscape of existence, passing through this world like a breeze through leaves, touched by its beauty and shaped by its impermanence. This realm, with all its mystery and majesty, is not our final dwelling but a luminous waypoint on the unfolding journey of the soul. Our presence here is no accident.

We’ve come with the intention—to observe with open eyes, feel with open hearts, and awaken through the experiences life places in our path.

Each dawn carries a message, every encounter a mirror, and every hardship a quiet teacher. We are here to be changed—to let joy soften us, let sorrow refine us, and let life sculpt […]

This fundamental truth has the power to uplift you.

The glass crashed onto the floor. My first reaction was frustration. It wasn’t just about the glass—it was the entire day.

One thing after another had gone wrong. A leaking toilet, overwhelming friend expectations, and miscommunication with my neighbor had made everything feel twice as difficult.

The broken glass was just another symbol of how everything seemed to fall apart.

Then, I paused.

Had I unconsciously chosen this mindset?

For a moment, I felt like life was working against me, not for me. I was focused on the cracks, not the light shining through them.

I searched for proof that the world was unfair—and […]

It’s a harsh lesson that took me seventy years to (almost) figure out.

“To thine own self be true.”

As morning light filters through my window, I wake up with a sense of gratitude. For most of my life, I never stopped to question my path.

I went through life like an old-fashioned jukebox, automatically playing the tunes others chose whenever a coin was dropped. It took 20 years in the corporate world before I finally woke up and struck out alone.

After thirty years as an independent advocate and educational consultant, I realized I was still expected to follow someone else’s script. I refused. I was running my own business on my terms and living my truth.

That independence came […]