Friends,   

Wow!! Can you believe it's almost Summer Solstice?  I pray, those of you in the Northern Hemisphere are enjoying longer days, the heat of summer, and finding the cooling breezes under a nearby tree.  I hope you are planting trees whenever you can. In my time in North and South Carolina, and in Big Sur, the large, old trees caught my attention; a sense of reverence overtook me.  In Bali, sitting across the Sayan Ridge, one can see the crowns of a circle, a cathedral if you will, of Banyan trees.  I ventured across the Ayung River, climbed up the Ridge to visit this gathering of Banyans. Revered for centuries by the Balinese as a sacred site for prayer and ceremony, visitors are silently welcomed. May we each and all find reverence in the keeping of our old trees, and the planting of new ones.  A Ho!

Aside from enticing you to join me at Esalen in July and September, in Charleston in July, and early August, in Miami in mid August, or in Japan in late August!!

I want to share my continued enthusiasm for Mimpi-Menjangan, Pemuteran, Bali, Indonesia.  The founder of Mimpi, an Indonesian pharmacologist, while studying in Germany in the 1960's, was struck with a vision to create Mimpi; he returned home, found the land with hot springs, and began manifesting his vision. A huge undertaking on this remote end of a then remote island in Indonesia, Pak Wira, remained committed, and in 1999, Mimpi opened.  His untimely death in 2000, left family members frightened and confused about how to proceed; building of the Spa and second restaurant was halted. The bombings and Tsunami, between 2002 and 2006, caused further concern over the viability of operating Mimpi in it's remote location. I arrived as a guest in 2008, and was struck with completing the vision of Pak Wira.  Mimpi's visionary general manager, I Ketut Astawa, and I began talking, I met the family, and after three years, we are well on the way to having a retreat center, with organic gardens, an Eco Spa that uses local ingredients and products.  We are now able to initiate work scholar programs, offer longer term trainings at affordable prices, in a retreat sanctuary by the sea, complete with a PADI dive and snorkel center.

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100 hour Certification Training in Esalen® Massage & Essential Touch in Bali

A great opportunity for YOU to certify in Esalen® Massage & Essential Touch while having a 'once in a lifetime' experience in Bali.

 All My Relations: 5Rhythms® and Native American Shamanism  

Ellen Watson, Tihikpas

July 10-15, 2011 · Esalen® Institute, Big Sur, CA 

The 5Rhythms & Native American Shamanism, with Ellen and TiHikPas, Ellen Watson and Tihikpas invite you to join them at the height of the summer season, during this week of the full moon, to experience and embody the time-honored wisdom practices of the Native Americans and the 5Rhythm dance meditation practice.