The American Soul Rush

Front matter

AMERICAN SOUL RUSH

Esalen and the Rise of Spiritual Privilege

MARION GOLDMAN

Contents

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Esalen, the Soul Rush, and Spiritual Privilege

Index

About the Author

List of Illustrations

A View from Esalen

An Early Esalen Workshop

Charlotte Selver and the Bode Gymnastik Michael Murphy and Richard Price

The Hot Springs and Massage Area Buddha on the Esalen Grounds

Aldous Huxley

Babatunde’s Friends with Aleksander Price Fritz Perls

Joan Baez and David Price

The InnerLight Bookstore at the California Institute of Integral Studies

Signs Everywhere at CIIS Support Spiritual Privilege Pet Massage

Acknowledgments

It is impossible to fully acknowledge everyone who helped me learn and write about spiritual privilege. Individuals associated with Esalen contributed to my understanding throughout this project, and my colleagues and friends sustained me in every way.

Research funding from the Donald C. Davidson Library at the University of California at Santa Barbara and from the Summer Research Program at the University of Oregon made it possible for me to spend time in Big Sur, Palo Alto, San Francisco, and Santa Barbara. When I could not be there, Donna Lowe provided essential research assistance in California.

In the University of Oregon Department of Sociology, Jennifer Maarefi- Memar transcribed tapes and Shelley Carlson continually offered good ideas and unflagging encouragement. From start to finish, Christopher Blum solved the mysteries of Macs and made me smile.

Linda Longs knowledge about manuscript collections on alternative religions made a world of difference to this project. Gordon Melton helped me discover key themes and guided me to critical sources in the American Religion and Humanistic Psychology Collections in Special Collections at the Davidson Library at UCSB. David Gartrell, Manuscripts Curator for the Humanistic Psychology Archives and the American Religion Collection at UCSB, went out of his way to find hidden treasures that I would have missed otherwise.

Nicole Sheikh portrayed the California Institute of Integral Studies through a few extraordinary images. And Lori Lewis’s pictures of Esalen reflect her deep connection to the Institute, as well as her talent and insight.

Amy Jo Woodruff was not only a copy editor but also a source of good cheer and great ideas. Jennifer Hammer, my editor at NYU Press, was right about almost everything! She understood the idea of spiritual privilege long before I fully articulated it, and she called my attention to the differences between things like a wooly llama and a wise lama.

Despina Papazoglou Gimbel shepherded the manuscript through publication with understanding and generosity. Thanks also to the graduate stu-

| xi dents and faculty in the Religion Working Group at the University of Washington, especially to Steve Pfaff and Jim Wellman. And thanks to former Ducks, Vikas Gumbhir, and Wonderwoman Kate Ristau.

A number of other sociologists, historians, and social psychologists critiqued parts of this book and advised me to make it a jargon-free zone. Mary Romeros great sense of humor quelled my occasional desires to drown my laptop. Steve Warner’s personal understanding of Esalen made him a great resource. Glenn W. Shuck added to my knowledge about the Institute and the historical roots of new religions in America. Rod Stark listened to my ideas, provided guidance, and never once asked: “Why aren't you done yet?”

Janet Jacobs was a perceptive, generous academic editor with broad knowledge about American religion. Her empathic suggestions nourished this research from the beginning. Mary Jo Neitz offered careful critiques that reflected her extraordinary grasp of ethnography and social theory. She was never too busy to talk about Esalen, despite her many commitments.

Members of Esalen’s founding generation, including Sukie Miller and the late George Leonard, presented their personal perspectives about the Institutes history and how it changed people's lives. Brita Ostrom, Peggy Horan, and Ellen Watson taught me about the lasting impact of Esalen massage, dance, and bodywork.

The four men who are profiled in chapter 4 made this book possible. I am so grateful for their willingness to help me understand Esalen’s contributions and contradictions. Thank you, Michael Murphy, Gordon Wheeler, David Price, and Albert Wong!

And thanks to my terrific family. My sons, Michael and Henry, left for college well before I finished writing, but they were always with me. My husband, Paul, endured years of living with someone who seemed to be studying for perpetual prelim exams and he rarely complained! There is no way to fully acknowledge or described his fantastic support over the years.

xii | Acknowledgments