Tag archives: Sunburst Sanctuary
Among the spiritual centers choosing to close at least through the end of the month is Sunburst Sanctuary and Retreat Center, although the Lompoc center’s spiritual director and office staff are available by phone and email at (805) 736-6528 or contactus@sunburst.org for those seeking support. Meanwhile, Unity of Santa Barbara’s Sunday services have migrated to […]
If a weekend seems like too big of a commitment, by the way, visitors are always welcome at Sunburst’s weekly meditation that take place every Sunday morning at the sanctuary that exists as a community of practice dedicated to personal and planetary awakening. No experience necessary, and beginners are welcome. You don’t have to do […]
Over the last few years, the Dive into Silence weekend retreat at Sunburst Sanctuary has provided respite for all sorts of seekers, including at least one Montecito resident who wanted to find some solace after all the nervous-system challenges of the Thomas Fire and debris flows in the winter of 2017-18. Others have attended as […]
While decades ago, meditation and mindfulness might have been considered a New Age distraction for woo-woo Californians, the practices have clearly been adopted as mainstream by individuals, businesses, families and other organizations. The medical, emotional, and spiritual benefits are palpable, but perhaps still somewhat difficult to grasp. Integrating those two has been a two-decade-plus passion […]
FireTenders is a self-sustaining community of responsible men who are committed to wakeful living and are willing to support other men in the process of self-discovery, true masculine embodiment, and open-hearted relational engagement in the world. Normally the meetings are in closed, ongoing groups that are formed following a weekend or other immersive training. Now, […]
Mindfulness as a valuable human practice has been popular in the west at least since Ram Dass penned “Be Here Now” in 1971 and the Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh wrote his series of teachings of the subject. In recent years, scientific studies at Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, and elsewhere have proven that a consistent mindfulness […]
Laguna Beach native Baba Bhagavan Das – the master kirtan wallah and orator, bhakti yogi and shakta tantra adept – first traveled to India back in 1963 to find his gur, and became the first American to live in the jungle of the Himalayas as a hermit-sadhu. Bhagavan Das was given the Holy Name of […]
Sunburst Sanctuary’s silent retreats are not like typical ones where there is truly no vocalizing of any kind and as little interaction as possible over an extended period of time. While it’s definitely nothing approaching a gab fest, the morning and evening programs of Sunburst’s three-day-and-night weekend retreat are programmed, with yoga or stretching or […]
Back in February, I had promised I would write about my experiences at my first-ever silent retreat early that month at Sunburst Sanctuary. But at first, trying to put into words what was almost exclusively a sensory and spiritual experience felt profoundly unsatisfying, perhaps alsmost profane. Then time goes by, life resumes, challenges arise, columns […]
Sunburst Sanctuary scheduled its popular annual silent meditation retreat long before the flames and flood afflicted Montecito and environs. And while our chatter-filled minds make it seem like staying quiet for a weekend could be cause for anxiety, perhaps quiet contemplation in the community is the perfect elixir for these challenging circumstances. Whatever the impetus, […]
