Complexity in Ecology--The Esalen Garden and Farm
I love the Esalen Garden (and am fascinated by complexity theories). It was the location for much contemplation, peace, tears, and conversation. Recently, I realized that I know almost nothing about it...
Permaculture, local plants and animals? What has emerged agriculturally, socially, economically, therapeutically, spiritually?
Or, worded very differently, what's it like working in the Esalen garden and on the farm? What is grown there? How has the hot springs and local fires affected the land? (etc.)
…is that only a small (but nonetheless significant) fraction of the food used by the kitchen is actually produced on Esalen property (laying aside for the moment the complex issue of Esalen property ownership). So a substantial amount of the garden crew’s time is devoted to the initial processing of commercially purchased vegetables prior to delivery to the kitchen. This fact is not so important for dispelling illusions, as it is for re-enforcing a systems approach to understanding how any entity actually works. I was initially trained as a professional pilot, and I tend to be quite conservative in the way I look at energy and material flows in and out of an entity. And accurate descriptions of such flows are fundamental for an analytic description of a complex structure. Esalen is interesting because it is a relatively isolated dissipative structure, so the flows can be easily identified. The one system where Esalen has a degree of independence is water. The story of the Esalen water system has been very dramatic, involving both fire and death! More recently, there has been the beginnings of an equally dramatic shift away from environmentally questionable disposal of wastewater in septic tanks (which actually involved commercial outflows when emptied) toward advanced on-site processing.
Life is a dissipative structure. Awareness is the hallmark of life. Universal awareness is spirit...as far as I can tell, anyway.
Now that I think of it, I can remember watching Reb Anderson and Steve Harper dig up the rows for the Garden, back in the late seventies I think. They were digging down pretty deep, in two layers or stages. I asked Reb about it, and he said that it was called "French Double Digging." But who knows for sure...Reb was always such a kidder. One thing is for sure...they were working their butts off. My sweetheart really enjoyed watching Reb dig!
What happened to you and your sweetheart?
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Your phrase "isolated dissipative structure" got me thinking about Joseph Shumpeter's term "Creative Destruction" (which may apply more to the sociology of Esalen).
It sounds like Esalen may be agriculturally-ecologically complicated but not really complex (minimally adaptive and robust).
Is the hot springs water useful for anything other than The Baths? Is the creek water sufficient for irrigation?
It's "isolated" in the sense that it's different from, say, the SF Zen Center in the Haight. That makes it easier to think about Esalen in terms of discrete system, much as you would, say, a 747 at 30,000 ft. I think of it in terms of flows of energy and material into and out of it, much as I would a dissipative structure. In fact, it's analogous in my mind to a life-form, since I have a very plastic concept of life, anyway. If you want to think about the "creative destruction" of Esalen I guess I'd refer you to John Murphy.
I consider the entire entity "complex" because of the multiple planes of analysis you need to think about. For instance, besides simple agricultural management, there are ownership patterns that need to be considered. The farm and the garden are each owned by a separate entity, different from what I call "Esalen proper" - namely the canyon, the Big and Little House. And then there is the regulatory structure of the Coastal Commission. Although there are all kinds of different hardware and software operating at the same time, the system is "isolated" in the sense that it can be disentangled from neighboring entities in a way that can't be done in a city like San Francisco. The question is whether or not it is sufficiently isolated to wake up and be conscious. ;-)
The question of hot water is interesting, since I understand there are plans to use it for heating, when structures are added and rebuilt (like the Lodge). I'm not privy to those plans, although if I were I would be forced to think of them in terms of all the complexities above, and more. What are the implications of adding fixtures to leased land? What are the regulatory implications of using spring water to heat human habitations along the coast? Get it? Complex....
As for the sweetheart, I'm afraid that's gossip. And I' renounced gossip on the site after major tongue lashings on the Porch!
how the Murphy family{Bunny, michael, dennis and john) has navigated the phenomenon of esalen has been beyond extraordinary. and maybe the best is yet to come
...where's Dick when you need him? (All nine of him?)
let's keep on keepin' on!
How have the many Big Sur fires affected the ecology? How are the fires fought (especially in drought years)?
Steve is the only person qualified to answer this. And he is preoccupied at the moment. Anyway, he probably can't answer this in a simple blog posting.
Nonetheless, climate change immediately comes to mind. The most important thing is that extreme events, like heat waves, tornadoes, lightening strikes and fires, will increase faster than average temperature. If average temperature increases linearly, extreme events will increase exponentially. A one degree increase in average temperature will be accompanied by a noticeably larger increase in extreme events like lightening and fires. A two degree increase will mean lots more. Three degrees, lots, lots more. Etc. This came to the attention of insurance company executives a few years ago, because they realized that they will be exposed to stockholder lawsuits if they do not plan for insurance losses from extreme events incident to climate change. (You can tell this is being written by an ex-environmental attorney!)
On a related topic, it is important to notice that this will be the last generation of redwoods in Big Sur, because of climate change. Redwoods are migrating north, and Big Sur is currently at the southern border of their range. Increased fires will only hasten their departure. This is true of some other species. I believe you can see areas on the Hunter-Liggett base where fire has destroy stands of oak that will not return.
Generally speaking, the presence of human habitation in Big Sur increases fire intensity, because fire retardation increases the accumulation of fuel. There is a strange synergy working. The human species was designed to be a nomad on the plains surrounding the Great Rift Valley in Africa. Walking is actually healthy for humans! When humans settle, they have a tendency to increase fire risks around them. The Esselen Indians never settled at the current site of Esalen Institute. They used it as a foraging camp for approxiamtely six months of the year. It was a unique event in the environmental history of the site for humans to settle permanently there. (I believe that happened around 1890, with the initial Slate Hot Springs Resort. But I'm writing from memory. And Steve knows all this stuff.)
The primary fire vector at Esalen is the Hot Springs Creek canyon. The Lodge area, and the Vivian Murphy Trust land generally, are pretty well protected. But fire can readily move down the canyon, which places the water supply at immediate risk, and ultimately Maintenance and the Laundry.
The Big Sur fires of last July turned into a quasi-military-industrial venture, which placed the whole area at risk of destruction, and even included a strategic visit from The Governator! Steve was a crucial player because of his intimate knowledge of Big Sur. Besides being part of the on-site strategic planning, Steve actually worked in the field with fire fighting crews. So I will not say anything further, because Steve speaks from genuine first-hand expertise, and I do not.
When can we have another round of the pay pal counter. I want to put money where my mouth is. I want to donate to the upkeep of this site. Could someone help with this?
People like me use a lot of space here and enjoy all the benefits.
How do anthropologists, ethologists (et. al.) know anything about the Esselen? Did they leave much behind?
"The Big Sur fires of last July turned into a quasi-military-industrial venture, which placed the whole area at risk of destruction" Yikes! What happened, John?
Thank you for the gift of your beautiful writing--I am learning so much from this thread. I've found myself really wanting to take one of Steven's Esalen Big Sur treks.
I am suspecting that your condition which was causing you to rapidly have lots of limitations is in remission? You must be excited to think about hikes! well done~
The fires of last July had the potential of causing much greater destruction. Even though a lot of Big Sur was burned, a lot was saved by the tireless work of firefighters - for instance, the homes on Partington Ridge. What has happened is that firefighting has become an institutionalized industry in California with militaristic overtones. Many people are financially dependent upon firefighting and a lot of money is being made. Human habitation in California has not been constructed with natural processes in mind. So there is a book to be written about the ecology and economics of firefighting in California, full of drama and human folly.
As for the Esselen Indians, very little is know about them. There are no Esselens left. A few people have traced their ancestry back to possible Esselen Indians. The tribe was destroyed by the Spanish. There was intermarriage between the tribes, and then dispersal. However, Esselen camp sites have been found on the grounds. And burial remains were removed from the cliffs. By the way, Jeff Kripal's book is not a good resource for information on the Esselen, and much of the early Big Sur history in the book is questionable. Of course, overall, Jeff's book is a very worthwhile addition to the field of Esalen history.
Great if you can all get together one day. I didn't know you had Parkinsons. Sorry if you have written about it before. I don't know anything about it except for one older cousin who had it and he must have had it mildly as it never seemed to progress rapidly with him. His hands shake a lot but other than that he functions quite well. Hope your course is just as even,
Hi Michael,
This is just the kind of things I like to wonder about. Along with Bruce Neeb, we started the farm some 30 years ago (Sept 1 will be the 30th anniversary). Just two years ago I led a program in the Garden with Michael Albleman: From the Good Earth.
I am still in a very busy time and won't be able to post my thoughts on all of the above.
Running the risk of sounding like an ad... I do have a workshop that attempts to address some of the questions of this thread: Belonging to Earth
Here is what it looked like last year: Belonging to Earth 2008
Of course, if you get me going on fires, fire ecology, or fire "management" watch out... Here are a few links to fire photos from last year and this years recovery:
Hot Spring Canyon after the Fire
Also got to plug my friend Don Usner's book: The Natural History of Big Sur (while there are some changes since it has been written it is the best out there)
I wish I had more time to enter the dialogue... now it is the time of "Chop Wood, Carry Water."
Wildly,
Steven
you are an amazing artist; you have truly inspired me today. Thank you.
Where is Jenny O'C these days? and are the nine still with her?
Jenny O' -- if you read this, I say "Hi" to you and Russell and Trevor, and I hope all goes well with you.
And send you hugs......
Totally Committed
I give thanks for unknown blessings already on the way
"Along with Bruce Neeb, we started the farm some 30 years ago (Sept 1 will be the 30th anniversary)." Congratulations and thanks, Steven!
what controversy! over the mother jones feature "esalen slides off the cliff" about jenny O/the nine in charge of esalen. i can see the twinkle in mr Price's eye: "the situation is hopeless, but not serious"
Dick's, that is. Not the one about sliding down the cliffs.Especially after living at esalen during the great slides of '83, when the road north closed for a year because of the Julia Pffeiffer Burns Park slide.
Totally Committed
I give thanks for unknown blessings already on the way
Is there a good dialogue at Esalen about its future?
This is not a subject that can be safely discussed in public. Look what happened to Seymour.
Plays well with others
Considering ecological interactions among species, can human "land management" (anywhere) be good?
it is essential
I whole heartedly agree, Rob.
My naive question is "how"? I end up snared in complex "questions of value" instead of questions of ecology.
Spirit and Nature Dancing together
Victory to Spirit and Victory to Nature...
Does Nature have a goal?
Intrinsically I regard the Soul of Nature, Animals, Plants, Stars, Moons, Minerals etc. as Beauty which is another name for God. Nature it turns out is merely God vibrating a little slower (usually) aka known as Matter (but Matter is still Spirit). Is Earth a place where Humans evolve to love creatures who are important in Gods Creation. Perhaps this is a Kindergarden for brutish humans and we graduate to a bigger sandbox when we learn, evolve, change, remember. I hate the tainting of innocent cultures by our behavior...such as the perpetuation of War, take, greed, fear, weapons manufacturing, the use of Frankenstein Seeds, the clear cutting of forests etc.
The first thing to realize...