The American Soul Rush: Esalen and the Rise of Spiritual Privilege

220 Pages·2012·5.051 MB·English

by  Marion Goldman

The American Soul Rush
QUALITATIVE STUDIES IN RELIGION
General Editor: Janet Jacobs
The Qualitative Studies in Religion series was founded to make a place for
careful, sustained, engaged reflection on the link between the kinds of quali-
tative methods being used and the resulting shape, tone, and substance of
our empirical work on religion. We seek to showcase a wide range of quali-
tative methodologies including ethnography; analysis of religious texts, dis-
courses, rituals, and daily practices; in-depth interviews and life histories;
and narrative analyses. We present empirical studies from diverse disci-
plines that address a particular problem or argument in the study of religion.
We welcome a variety of approaches, including those drawing on multiple
qualitative methods or combining qualitative and quantitative methods. We
believe that excellent empirical studies can best further a critical discussion
of the link between methods, epistemology, and social scientific theory and
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ing of religion and society.
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Julie Ingersoll
Every Time I Feel the Spirit: Religious Experience and Ritual in an African
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Timothy J. Nelson
The Virgin of El Barrio: Marian Apparitions, Catholic Evangelizing, and
Mexican American Activism
Kristy Nabhan-Warren
Words upon the Word: An Ethnography of Evangelical Group Bible Study
James S. Bielo
The American Soul Rush: Esalen and the Rise of Spiritual Privilege
Marion Goldman
The American Soul Rush
Esalen and the Rise of Spiritual Privilege
Marion Goldman
a
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
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NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
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© 2012 by New York University
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Goldman, Marion S.
The American soul rush : Esalen and the rise of spiritual privilege /
Marion Goldman.
p. cm. — (Qualitative studies in religion)
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 978–0–8147–3287–8 (cl)
ISBN 978–0–8147–3290–8 (ebook)
ISBN 978–0–8147–3338–7 (ebook)
1. Esalen Institute—History. 2. United States—Religion—1960–
3. Religion and sociology—United States—History—20th century.
4. Religion and sociology—United States—History—21st century.
I. Title.
BL2525.G65 2011
204'.350979476—dc23 2011031463
New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper,
and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability.
We strive to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials
to the greatest extent possible in publishing our books.
Manufactured in the United States of America
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For my family
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Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction: Esalen, the Soul Rush, and Spiritual Privilege 1
1 Esalen’s Wellspring: Foundational Doctrines 25
2 Esalen’s Reach: A Brief History 48
3 Spiritual Privilege and Personal Transformation 72
4 Living Privilege: Four Esalen Men 92
5 Gender at Esalen 120
6. Esalen’s Legacies 139
Conclusion: New Beginnings 161
Appendix 1: Experiential Exercises: When Words Fail 173
Appendix 2: The Walter Truett Anderson Collection 181
References 185
Index 197
About the Author 207
| vii
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List of Illustrations
1 A View from Esalen 3
2 An Early Esalen Workshop 15
3 Charlotte Selver and the Bode Gymnastik 16
4 Michael Murphy and Richard Price 54
5 The Hot Springs and Massage Area 62
6 Buddha on the Esalen Grounds 69
7 Aldous Huxley 75
8 Babatunde’s Friends with Aleksander Price 111
9 Fritz Perls 127
10 Joan Baez and David Price 142
11 The InnerLight Bookstore at the California Institute 151
of Integral Studies
12 Signs Everywhere at CIIS Support Spiritual Privilege 151
13 Pet Massage 179
| ix