Hollywood Medium’s Rare Visit

According to Tyler Henry, he first noticed his clairvoyant abilities at age 10, when he woke suddenly one night with a strong feeling his grandmother was about to die. Minutes later, his family received a call informing them of his grandmother’s passing. After this experience, Henry regularly experienced vivid dreams that frequently contained messages from his grandmother, and eventually messages from other people he did not know nor had met, which he found unnerving. But despite his fears, Henry eventually embraced his talent and eventually began honing his skills with the hopes of helping others.

‘During his high school years, Henry started giving readings to his peers and teachers. After graduating, he aspired to become a hospice nurse because he felt his gift could help his patients with their transition. He began providing readings in his hometown of Hanford, California, then provided psychic services in Fresno. As his career started to take off, he eventually began providing readings in Los Angeles. Shortly after his arrival, he developed a celebrity clientele, which led to his title “The Hollywood Medium.”

Mainstream success came when he was featured on an episode of E! Television Network’s hit series Keeping Up with the Kardashians in 2015, and landed his own show, Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry, less than two months later. With his rapid rise in popularity has come plenty of controversy, too, as several skeptical activists and others have actively attempted to counter the public perception that what Henry does reflects extra sensory powers. Critics maintain that Henry’s readings are performed using deceptive techniques, and not “psychic” powers, while others have called him a “grief vampire,” criticizing his TV show for targeting people who are grieving and vulnerable, and exploiting them for entertainment. There’s also been some controversy surrounding the 2017 death of actor Alan Thicke, as the Carpinteria resident had appeared earlier on Henry’s show.

Visitors will have the chance to check out Henry themselves when “The Hollywood Medium” appears at 8 pm on Friday and Saturday nights, August 9-10, at the Chumash Casino Resort’s Samala Showroom. Tickets cost $49-$79.

Discover the Five Wisdoms

After an early summer mostly spent traveling, Santa Barbara BodhiPath Resident Teacher Dawa Tarchin Phillips resumes his meditations and talk as the center this Thursday, August 8, with a new five-week class. Phillips, who is also President of the International Mindfulness Teachers Association, will discuss how being trapped in limiting belief, unskillful behaviors and emotional bias make the liberating wisdom of Buddha nature can seem inaccessible. Still, the alternative way of understanding the reality of our daily experience is always accessible for those who embark on the path to pay close attention, of which the course serves as one opportunity to discover and practice the transformative power of seeing things as they are. The evenings, which include meditation, teaching, and discussion, take place 7-9 pm Thursdays, August 8-September 5, via donation. Bodhi Path Santa Barbara is located at 102 West Mission Street. Call (805) 284-2704 or visit www.bodhipath.org/sb.

Find your Wild Yes

Lora Amber and Skyler Levenson – co-creators of Wild Yes, a guided backpacking program featuring experiences in nature to connect with our own wilderness – are bringing their concept indoors for a mini-workshop. Imperfect Play, which takes place 3-5 pm on Friday, August 9, at Yoga Soup and costs $15, offers an afternoon of “explorative play with your creative genius,” experiencing creativity as an integral process of being a healthy human. Touching on the many tools to access our own creativity with curiosity, participants will play their edges with songs, games, movement, and silence and respond to prompts through partner and personal art exercises – all in a container formed with clear intentions of non-judgement. Participants are invited to bring a journal, non-messy art media, and, most importantly, a desire for joy, freedom, and sincerity.

Sips at the Soup

Ongoing events at Yoga Soup include August’s Silent Tea Ceremony with Lizzie Smith, who leads the ceremonial offering at 7:30 pm on 3-5 pm on Friday, August 9, as an opportunity to cultivate stillness and acceptance of the present moment. Admission by sliding scale donation; limited to seven to ensure intimacy… Lisa Citore and Len Van Nostrand’s bi-monthly Tantra Games also arrives on Friday evening for a 7-9 pm gathering devoted to Mindful Connecting. In a Tantra-puja-style circle, participants will pair up with different partners, sharing everything from fun communication games to Tantra practices to partner yoga and improv dance to heart opening meditations and other non-verbal interactions. Admission costs $18 in advance, $25 day of… Studio owner Eddie Ellner conducts one of his periodic Ecstatic Breathing sessions at 7 pm on Saturday, August 10, when a few minutes of gentle yoga will be followed by an hour of breathing to a selection of music designed to accelerate and amplify the breath to induce “a non-ordinary state of consciousness.” Refreshments are served after the session, with time for both silence and conversation. Admission is $35.