Fall, 2011

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HHeeaarrtt CCoonnsscciioouussnneessss CChhuurrcchh

RReettrreeaattss,, AArrttiicclleess,, WWoorrkksshhooppss

Welcome ...

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Just outside the Hot Pool grotto, where the 113° volcanicwaters cool to autumn steaminess in the Warm Pool, a spiderwas weaving her web among the yellow fig leaves overhead.Dew drops caught the morning sun and made her websparkle with tiny crystaline rainbows. It was so beautiful, Iwondered if bugs willingly sacrifice themselves on her altar.

Webs - when you live in a community such as Harbin, you areaware of webs, of loving the people you don’t even reallyknow, because you see their part in the web. Our guests,too, have that relationship with us. Many have been cominghere for years and are as intricately woven into our web as ifthey lived here. And beyond this little community, we arewoven inextricably into the larger fabric of our world.

So while things continue to be beautiful, magical, and abun-dant here - while we have the peace to sit and watch a spider

from the luxuriant waters of the Warm Pool, and while we try to weave sustainable webs in ourgardens and our lives - we understand that what we do affects many outside of Harbin whoseabundance may be more elusive.

A case in point is the Post Office: The Quarterly Magazine is cutting back its mailinglist! This issue is being sent to at least 10,000 fewer people, allowing us to save a lot ofpaper. That means only active members will be receiving it by mail. By Spring, 2012, we willbe doing no mailing at all! Fortunately, we mail from the Petaluma Bulk Mail Center, so our lit-tle town’s postal workers will not be feeling a direct impact. Phew! And if you are right nowmourning the loss of your mailed Quarterly, it is available on that other web to which we arenow all connected, at www.harbin.org, where you’ll have to look for “Harbin Magazine”. (Forour advertisers, the total print will decline from 40,000 to 30,000 copies for the time being,but now your ad will be included in our on-line version.)

I went back today to see if the little spider was still there - it wasn’t. Going rapidly werethe yellow fig leaves and even - thanks to the clean-up crew - the ones that had been floatingin the pool. But the pool is still there, and for the moment, the sun.

Some things pass and some things remain. We hope you will be OK with the passing ofyour mailed Quarterly. Meanwhile, the web of Harbin remains - come on up and be part of it!

HARBIN’S ANNUAL

ART IN THE GARDEN

OCTOBER 8&9

Contents ...

HHARBINARBIN HHOTOT SSPRINGSPRINGS

QQUARTERLYUARTERLY

Fall, 2011Volume 27, Number 4

Publishing Staff: Ann Prehn, EditorCarol Thompson

Cover Photo: Carol Thompson

Contributors:Vimlan Prem, Arpita, Ditte, Eric,

Ishvara, Lynne Osmundsen

The Harbin Catalog is published season-ally at the equinoxes and solstices by HeartConsciousness Church, a non-profit corpo-ration, and is mailed and circulated to30,000 people.

HCC membership dues are $30 per yearand include the right to visit Harbin HotSprings and bring guests.

Advertising Rates:full page $1000; half page $600; quarterpage $350. (Half price for residents on

quarter page only.) Deadlines are April 30, July 31, October 31 & January 31.

Please submit camera-ready hard copy (no half-tones) or pdf file.

Call Publishing: (707) 987-0477

(for address changes & reservations,call Reception: 1-800-622-2477)

Distributed by:Reliable Distribution (415) 640-1766

info@reliabledistribution.com

Harbin Springs PublishingP.O. Box 1132, Middletown, CA 95461

pubs@harbin.org

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Things to Know

Rates

Poetry Winners

Two Spirits Soaring

Arpita Brings Acupuncture

Harbin Art Shows

Mental Illness (satire)

We Bought the Bar X

Getting Away

Tales of Old Harbin

Fall Workshops

Finding Us

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Save with this Season’s

MIDWEEKSPECIALS!

Room PackageIncludes basic room for 1,

massage or watsu¨, & breakfast.Starts at $130 plus tax.

Happy Camping Packageincludes camping,

massage or watsu¨, & breakfastfor only $95.

Available Mon-Wed only,Jan 3 thru Feb 29, 2012 except Holidays.

A Great G

ift!

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o Harbin is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. o Campers are required to arrive and set up before dark.o You will need a towel, flashlight, sandals, and footwear

appropriate for rocky terrain.o Our pools are our sanctuary and we maintain a

meditative quiet in the pool area.o The pool area is clothing-optional, and the dressing

facilities are co-ed.o Alcohol, drugs and pets are not permitted.

(No pets may be left in vehicles.) o Fire Ban: Open fires, lanterns, candles, incense, and camp

stoves are strictly forbidden. o Smoking is restricted to an area by the parking lot. o Pool maintenance often happens the first Tuesday

of each month. (Cold plunge becomes hot; heartpool becomes warm; swimming pool is cold.)

o Children may stay in the campgrounds and quietly use the Heart Pool and swimming pool during daylighthours (till 8pm in summer) beginning at 10am. Babies underthree must wear plastic pants in the pools and children threeto five must wear swim suits. Children must be accompaniedby an adult at all times.

o Food: The Harbin Restaurant serves breakfast, and dinner. There’s a market, a guest kitchen (vegetarianonly), a seasonal outdoor café, and a coffee shop as wellas Middletown stores and restaurants four miles away.

o No Cameras.o No Cell Phones. Exceptions: Inside cars at Lower Parking Lot

and far end of Dome Parking Lot only.

ReservationsRoom reservations are highly recommended, especially on

weekends. Reservations must be guaranteed with a credit cardor advance payment; cancellations must be made by 1pm twodays before your scheduled arrival date to avoid charges. Weaccept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover cardsor Harbin Cash/Gift Cards. A minimum two-night reservationon weekends and holidays is required.

(707) 987-2477, 1(800) 622-2477Harbin Cash/Gift Cards now available at the Front Desk.

Scheduling a MassageOur practitioners are specially selected for their gifts in the

art of healing. We offer a wide variety of massage styles includ-ing a relaxing full-body Swedish-influenced massage andHarbin's own Watsu® (water shiatsu). Depending on what dayyou will be visiting, other services that may be offered are:cranio-sacral, shiatsu, chi nei tsang, lymphatic, energy work,and reflexology. Rates are slightly higher for specialties such asDeep Tissue Massage, Wassertanzen (WaterDance), Hot StoneMassage, and Spa Treatments.

Rates:1/2 hour $43-501 hour $75-851-1/2 hours $105-120

Appointments can be scheduled from 9am to 7pm dailythrough the Health Services Office. To make a reservation orinquire further about the services we offer, please call: (800) 884-3117, (707) 987-0422, (707) 987-2994x130, or visit the massage section of Harbin's web page atwww.harbin.org. For reservations by phone, please call withyour Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover cardnumber ready.

Massage gift certificates available upon request.

The Harbin DomesThe Harbin Domes - the otherworldly spheres perched on

the side of Harbin Mountain - now feature eleven uniquerooms that are available for guests. The location featuresshared restrooms, shower facilities, with common indoor andoutdoor areas. One of the center's magical pools will beavailable to guests of the Domes for late night soaks underthe stars. Room rates range from $70 to $190 per night. Forcomplete rates and information, call our reservationists at(707) 987-2477, or check our website: www.harbin.org.

Things to Know ...

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Retreat RatesMembership: One person in your party must have or purchase a current membership. Trial (one month): $10 One Year: $30 Lifetime: $300

Visit Rates(per person):

Mon-Thu Fri-Sun-Hol. Weekly6-hour Visit $20 $25

Child (under 18) $15 $2024-hour Visit $25 $35 $185

Child (under 18) $20 $30 $150Tent Cabin (1person) $50 $65

(2 persons) $75 $95

Campers should arrive before dark. We do not supply equipment for camping.

Room Rates: Check-in time is 3:00pm; check-out atnoon. Basic rooms, domes, and dorms use shared bath-rooms. Bring your own bedding and towels for dorms. 2-night stay on week-ends & holidays required. Add 5%room tax.

Mon-Thu Fri-Sun-HolDormitory per person $35 $50Basic Room 1 person $60 $95

2 persons $90 $1401/2 Bath 1 person $75 $120

2 persons $105 $165Full Bath $130 $190Manzanita $170 $230Jasmine $170 $230Cedar $190 $260

additional adult in room +$30 +$45Domes range from $70-190

Room Reservations are highly recommended.Reservations must be guaranteed with a Discover, Visa,Amex, MasterCard or advance payment. A 2-night mini-mum stay is required on weekends & holidays. 48-hrcancellation policy: cancel or change your reservation by1pm two days before your date of arrival to avoidcharges.

Holiday Rates will be in effect November 23 & 24,and December 19 - 29.

Rates are subject to change.

Reservations & Information:1-800-622-2477

Outside California call (707) 987-2477Workshop Information: (707) 987-0379

Massage Reservations:(707) 987-0422 or 1-800-884-3117

http:/ /www.harbin.org

Regular & Special EventsThere is usually something going on at no extra charge at

Harbin, though donations and offerings are often appropriate.Full Moons are honored in the Warm Pool and also honoredby a sacred Pipe Ceremony in the Garden. Essene PriestessHeather celebrates the New Moon in the Temple. Duringthe rainy season, Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed Sweatshappen monthly - call Lorindra at (707) 987-2260 to get onthe call-back list. The Unconditional Dance is on Tuesdayand Thursday nights. A Community Drum Circle happensthe first Wednesday of each month, drums provided.Laughter Club meets on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays. ELYSE-UM Writers’ Wordshop meets on Sundays. Live musicalevents happen every Saturday night, and Open Mic is onthe last Saturday of each month. Start your Sunday morningswith Harbin Kirtan Band. CompassionateCommunication (training in non-violent communication),and Sound Healing with live music are also offered everySunday. Osho Meditation happens on Mondays. ReikiHealing is on Wednesdays and Fridays, Feldenkrais is onTuesdays and Thursdays. Meditation, Mysticism, &Mindful Living is on Fridays. Any ‘A’ 12-Step is onWednesdays and Saturdays. All are subject to change.

Please check our website at www.Harbin.org/events forspecial events & classes such as Quantum Light Breath,Shamanic Circle, Kundalini Dance, Dances ofUniversal Peace, Qigong, Free Your Spirit Breathwork,Prayer Circles and Satsangs, as well as special concerts,theatrical presentations, and holiday happenings.

Yoga in the TempleThree free yoga classes are offered daily at 8am (intermedi-

ate), 10am (beginners) and 5pm (mixed). Harbin yoga nurturesthe heart and spirit as well as the body and is accessible to alllevels. X Yoga and Saturday Chakra Intensives are offeredonce a month for $30-$35 - check website for schedule.

Interested inBecoming a Resident?

Harbin Hot Springs is operated and maintained by more than150 dedicated residents. To receive information about joiningour resident program, visit the Human Resources office duringyour next stay. To receive information by mail, make yourrequest including your snailmail address to Sanna & David at(707) 987-2994 ext 128, hr@harbin.org, or Human Resources,Harbin Hot Springs, P.O. Box 782, Middletown, CA95461. Forms may be downloaded at harbin.org/resident.htm.

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Grand prize to Calie Candia

Water;You cradle me in your folds,

Releasing me from the weightof the Earth.

You are my thinking place,Held between the canopy

of skies,and your greatest depths.

I can let my mind roam freely,without bounds.

You are the space between the landslike the poets pause

between words.My body is strengthened in your wave

of liquid touch,Floating freely and unfettered by that

which cannot be grasped,yet each droplet an aqueous melody

of the infinite.

Runner Up - Apollo

Healing Waters (short version)

I look around and seeevidence of love everywhere

The People. The Trees. The Animals. The Breeze. I even felt it in the air

If paradise was half as nice, I would be overcome with bliss

I tilted my face towards the light and the sun gave my soul a kiss

I enter the healing watersand my body begins to melt

When the universe came into being,this is how God must have felt

Source explosion, body imploding, and I am ready to expand Human touch.

Eyes of Love. Galaxies between our hands

A realization is the power that lies within my breath

My ego is ready to die to give birth to my inner self

The universe is inside of you, below, and above

When you remove all distractions, the only thing that's left is love

CCoonnggrraattuullaattiioonnss !!!! Our PoetryContestWinners

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Congratulations !! OOuurr PPooeettrryyCCoonntteessttWWiinnnneerrssRunner Up - Arianna Helen

Silently Flow Between

falling trickling through fig rootsinto pool rock and streambelow bridge and buildingshonoring a sacred place

a meditationa prayer of gratitude to the waters

warm hot cold

from skyfrom deep earthit finds itself and unites

we seek it

hot cold

collect it into poolsheld by one and then another, we silently flow between worshiping of self-all

a swima misty fall rain touching our faces

hot cold

from mineralsfrom hot steamsoften, cleanse, expand, contract

we find ourselves

balanced

cozy pillowed tiersdarkened evening entertainmentrelaxed deep and sleepily connecting hands falling melting through dream

The readers of our e-newsletterwere invited to participate in aHarbin poetry contest. Thankyou to everyone for the hugeresponse and great poems –it was a difficult decision!

If any of you poets will be here forArt in the Garden (Oct. 8-9), weinvite you to sign up to read atour Writers Grove. To get our e-newsletter, go towww.harbin.org/subscribe.

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[My first] visit to Harbin was for 10 days, camping up on the hillway above the pools in that flat area before the long ascent onthe Tea House trail. Even though I had spent all those unusuallyrich and varied years in the ashram back east, I had never expe-rienced such a profound effect on my being in such a short peri-od of time during my visit at Harbin.

To be specific, I found a couple of simple questions coming upall the time that always brought clarity and contentment. Onequestion, "What do I have?" lead me to view what was aroundme in its objective beauty. That passive question was balancedby the active, "What do I have ... to do?" which shifted the focuson me and what I needed or wanted to attend to at any time.

The experience of ease I felt at Harbin is similar to what I haveheard other visitors to Harbin say and is a reflection of valueshere that have created a safe place to be our natural selves andto permit and respect that in others.

How, you might ask, is Harbin similar to the ashram? Both arechurches and are oriented to the simple life. The principle dif-ference is between the focus being directed toward a person(the guru in the ashram) and to the natural waters at Harbin. Itis like night and day with none of the convoluted politics thatsurround a guru and all of the peace that the feminine watersprovide.

This experience at Harbin reminds me of what Meshulam Zusyaof Hanipoli (d. 1800) said: "In the world to come they will notask me, `Why were you not Moses [or some other exaltedbeing]?' They will ask me, `Why were you not Zusya?'" By theway, Zusya was a wandering ascetic of whom many folk legendshave been told which show him as a simple, modest, andbenevolent person who, despite his meager knowledge of Torah,attained merit because of his innocence and personal creed.

With those profound words, I can't say that Harbin will be theplace where I will gain merit as an ascetic like Zusya, but it cer-tainly is where I can uncover myself (no pun intended) and beme. Welcome to Harbin ... and us.

~Tom Bradley, Winter 2003 Harbin Quarterly

Two

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Spirits Soaring

On the surface, they did not seem like kindred

spirits. Tom had a sort of “the meek shall inherit the

earth” gentleness, while Nirakar was tall and hand-

some with a tough Germanic charm. On the Health

Services staff, he had star quality, and the magic he did with his massage and

“De-Hypnotherapy” was famous - Nirakar was a healer, a teacher, and the

stuff of legends. Meanwhile, Tom stayed in the background, quietly tending

the pools.

It was not long after Tom arrived in the year 2000 that stories of his

quirky side began to make the rounds. Besides knocking on his neighbors’ win-

dows in the middle of the night to tell a joke, or going out of his way to say

hello to a cat, he was soon seen riding around on a Segway. Then he compe-

tently rebuilt the engine of his Mini-Cooper from scratch. Meanwhile,

Nirakar had become enamored of gliders at nearby Crazy Creek Soaring.

Here is where any dissimilarities end.

Both men were born in the mid-1940’s under the sign Aquarius and

both men spent time living in ashrams before coming to live at Harbin. Each,

in his different way, carried an inner light that touched other people and made

them take notice. With Tom, you didn’t really know you were taking notice -

you just walked away from this elfen man with a sense of wonder that some-

thing had just happened, but you weren’t sure what. With Nirakar, you defi-

nitely noticed. And both men had a way of showing up with angelic presence

when someone was sick or needing help.

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It was over flying that the two men connected and became friends. Nirakar

had become an aerobatics pilot and was working for his commercial pilot’s license.

And Tom had quietly, persistently, acquired a pilot’s license of his own. So it was

natural, perhaps fated, that when Tom bought a little single-engine Zenith Stohl

CH701 sport utility plane, Nirakar regularly occupied one of the two seats. Shortly

ago, Harbin acquired an airstrip and now the little plane was used to take Harbin

residents aloft in the company of one of the two pilots. So dearly did Nirakar love

flying, that when a tragic accident left two Middletown flyers dead, Nirakar

remarked, “But what a way to go!” He likely spoke for Tom as well.

It was in the spring of this year that Tom had the stroke that destroyed his

car and left him in the hospital. When he was released a few days later, he was

told he was grounded till his periferal vision returned. Now Tom, grateful and

fearful that a stroke had almost disabled him, put all his affairs in order - the

moment he had the doctor’s OK, he and Nirakar flew to Southern Oregon.

News of their crash ripped through Harbin’s heart like a dagger - both men

died on impact. But as we gathered to share our stories and remembrances, a sub-

tle joy also began to permeate. They had died strangely ready, and doing what they

loved to do most. And they - two kindred spirits - had died together.

Those of us who are left behind are pretty sure they are flying still. As we

bless them for the profound gifts they left us, we wish them wings on their journey

and God speed ahead.

Two Spirits Soaring, cont’d

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Anand Nirakar (Formless Bliss)Nirakar lived the last 17 years at Harbin Hot Springs,

where he touched many peoples lives with his IntegratedBody Work (DeHypnotherapy and Massage). He always spokeof the body/mind/personality in 3rd person, as a constantreminder about our true self - the witness, whose inherentnature is bliss. His whole life was dedicated to becoming con-scious about our true self.

In his bio he writes:"This life has been lived in uncompromising and fierce

determination to find answers to the questions that arose atage 14. Witnessing the "death" of my brother, I decided touse my life to enquire about my Self and life. Who was he?Who am I? What happened to him? What is life about? Whatis death?

It's been an absolutely amazing adventure!" Nirakar was a passionate pilot and always dreamed of

departing this way. Even though it was an accident, he some-how felt that his time might be over soon. He was already indeep bliss and inner silence the last months and shared thathe had reached everything possible in this life and that hewas ready to leave any moment.

The gift of his life is his surrender to the endless dimen-sions of awakening and liberation. Everyone who knows himclosely feels that he continues to expand into the whole of

existence. ~ Vimlan PremHis website: http://home.earthlink.net/~Nirakar/

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Quarterly: Congratulations on your new practice! You’ve beenat Harbin a long time, doing bodywork and yoga and leadingKirtan. What made you decide to go to Acupuncture School?

Arpita: I became a foster parent of teenagers, and discoveredthat teenagers are expensive! I decided that it was time tofinally look into going to Acupuncture school, so I could makemore money than a massage therapist, to be able to afford tobe a foster mom.

Quarterly: Let’s back up - How did you happen to move to Harbin?

Arpita: My first visit was when I helped my friend and her toddler age son move here fromWisconsin, and I thought she was crazy, leaving 5 acres of land and a beautiful house she builtherself, to move into a trailer in the RV park! But she kept on trying to get me to move heretoo, and one winter night, when the temperature had been 25 below zero for two weeks, withwind chills of 50 to 100 below, I had an epiphany, that human beings were not really meant tolive in weather like that. Plus, my friend changed tactics, telling me we'd go to Kauai together,but that I should come to Harbin first because plane tickets were cheaper from California thanfrom Wisconsin - 16 years later and I still haven’t been to Kauai! So, basically I was manipulat-ed into moving here... But I'm grateful!

Quarterly: What did you do when you got here?

Arpita: Well, I started doing acupressure in 1993 when I was living in Wisconsin, and came toBerkeley for the course. I came back in 1994 to do a specialization course in EmotionalBalancing, and visited Harbin for the first time. The next year, I started doing acupressure, shi-atsu, and massage on Harbin’s Health Services staff while, at The School of Shiatsu andMassage, I studied Lymphatic Massage which I added to my practice. I also did the ministerialtraining at Harbin, became a minister, and started leading the Quarter and Cross-Quarter holidayrituals. Soon after that, Bhagavan Das – he’s somewhat famous from Ram Das’ book, “Be HereNow”, - moved to Harbin and I was living next door to him. Bhagavan introduced me to Kirtandevotional chanting and Indian spirituality - he also took me to meet Amma. When BhagavanDas left Harbin, he asked me to keep the Kirtan going, and I started leading weekly Kirtan chanti-ng.

Quarterly: Now, it’s hard to imagine Harbin without Kirtan – it’s become such a part of whoHarbin is. What other devotional or ministerial activities have you done?

Arpita: After awhile I stopped leading the Quarter and Cross-Quarter holiday rituals, as it felt toobusy. Somewhere in there, it was the first season of the women's sweat lodge and I was a fire

Arpita Brings

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keeper, and did vision quests and was learning the pipe and water pouring from Lorindra. I didyoga teacher training at Harbin and started teaching, maybe in 1997 or 1998.

Quarterly: So tell us about Acupuncture school.

Arpita: I had started looking into schools, thinking that when my foster son turned 18, I'd go toschool, then he ran away right at the beginning of the fall semester. I thought, "Huh. Maybe I'dbetter just do it, before I get another kid!" I called The Acupuncture and Integrative MedicineCollege of Berkeley and they told me to fill out an application and bring it tomorrow. So I filledit out, packed, and drove to Berkeley that night. Three and a half years of full time grad school,commuting from Harbin to Berkeley, and still doing massage and teaching yoga and leadingKirtan - exhausting and stressful! Especially since I found out that I'm a perfectionist in this set-ting, I really liked getting 100% on exams, or at least an A!

As part of the training, I did an internship in Neurology in China at Number 1 TeachingHospital at Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which is featured in the documen-tary "9000 Needles". They are internationally renowned for post stroke treatment. This was veryinspirational to me, to see a whole hospital that is Traditional Chinese Medicine. The doctorsthere are treating so many patients per day! I thought, people could come to Harbin to get treat-ed with acupuncture, what a great environment! They could get acupuncture every day, like inChina, plus soak in the pools and get massaged and be in this beautiful healing environment!

I graduated Summa Cum Laude (with highest honors) from The Acupuncture andIntegrative Medicine College of Berkeley in December of 2010 and passed the CA AcupunctureLicensing Exam with flying colors in February 2011. I like doing Acupuncture treatments, it's abeautiful thing to help someone with pain, digestive problems, menstrual problems, sinus con-gestion, menopause, or healing from injuries and surgeries. But, being a Harbinite, I also loveworking with emotional stuff, and all the trippy things like chakra balanc-ing, past life recall, spiritual evolvement, heart opening... I want to say thatthey didn't teach that stuff in school! That was my extra-curricular study-ing. (My version of being naughty -- reading books that are NOT on thebooklist!) There's so much heart disease out there, it's important to helppeople open their hearts! More open hearts, less open heart surgery!

Quarterly: What’s next?

Arpita: Next? Well, I also studied Medical Qi Gong in school, and I'mteaching classes at Harbin once a week, but I'm not offering Medical QiGong treatments at Harbin yet. Soon! It's very magical stuff!

Wow, that turned out long, guess I've been busy!

Acupuncture to Harbin

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“Mental Illness”

[Eric writes, produces and directs shows forHarbin residents that poke fun at all things Harbinand New Agey. "I see Harbin-land as my acupunc-ture patient. I insert needles gently and somekind of energy comes out. My shows have no realhealing value - until you realize maybe they do,maybe... I don't know." Disclaimer: The opinionsand comments stated in the story below do notnecessarily reflect the thoughts and opinions ofHarbin Hot Springs, Heart Consciousness Church,or the author. All rights reserved.

Doctor: You must be Charles Farley, please havea seat.

Charles: Thank you for seeing me Doctor, it canbe hard to find a good therapist, let alone onsuch short notice. You came highly recommended.

Doctor: I see, well, you sounded pretty distressedover the phone, why don’t we get right to it. Icome from the school of full frontal honesty and Ilike to go straight at the problem.

Charles: I like that. Well ok, to put it simply, I’mkinda having an existential crisis. Everything Iknow about myself, my world, my relationships iscoming undone. All the qualities I used to loveabout my life now seem jaded and soured. Andthe thoughts I most cared about all seem mean-ingless.

Doctor: What thoughts did you most care about?

Charles: My core thoughts, you know, my beliefs.

Doctor: Oh, I see, your beliefs. Charles, I think Iunderstand the problem. You see you havebeliefs, but beliefs don’t really exist. Believing ina belief is actually a form of mental illness. It’s

If you missed Harbin’s annual Art in theGarden on October 8 & 9, you might be pleasedto know that the Harbin Restaurant has ongoingart shows. The show in September and October is“Self-Portraits”. Then, for November andDecember, "Recent Plein-Air Watercolors" will bean exhibition of paintings by artist Ditte Jensen(Ditte rhymes with Cheetah). Many visitors toHarbin have already admired her striking work,displayed in various places around the grounds.There is a beautiful example hanging at the mas-sage office, titled "Lightbathing"; the watercolordepicts a rocky, light-drappled creek bank thatpractically invites the viewer to wade in.

Harbin has played an important role in Ditte'sartistic development. "The soft flowing femininefeel of Harbin is a natural for watercolors" shesays, although she is equally skilled in oil paint-ing. Ditte has studied at the Akademie of FineArts Minerva in Holland and the Art StudentsLeague in New York. Now back after 10 yearsaway, she teaches painting in the Harbin area andat her studio in Sebastopol. There will be printsand originals for sale at the exhibition.

Find out more at dittejensen.com.

HHaarrbbiinn AArrtt SShhoowwss ~~

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called ‘Certainty’. Lots of people have it. So itsounds like you got a little bit of that going on.

Charles: Wow, that’s a lot to take in. Well, whatabout my art. Ever since my thoughts have gonesouth, it’s affected all aspects of my art. There’sbeen a tidal shift in the way that I think aboutmy art and--

Doctor: Charles, if there was ever a poster boyfor mental illness, it would be art. Art is a men-tal illness.

Charles: What you talking about, there are thou-sands of artists who --

Doctor: who can’t express in a clear and presentway what is going on inside of them. So theymake strings from the guts of cats and strapthem to a wooden box and strum them and singsongs about their lives? Crazy! Charles, art isjust life, frustrated. If somebody says to youthey’re an artist, well, they’re gonzo.

Charles: But that goes against the center of myspirituality.

Doctor: Spirituality...or mental illness. Spiritualityis one of the most pervasive forms of mental ill-ness on the planet, Charles. Almost everyonehas some form of it. Basically spirituality is story-making - we make up a story of how life is sup-posed to be because we are scared of life. Thatstory, no matter how beautiful it is, is nothingmore than a form of art. And art, as you know,is a mental illness, Charles. Get used to it.

Charles: But you’re not hearing what I’m sayingto you. You’re twisting my words, you're playingwith my language.

Doctor: Charles, here is the biggest one of them

all. Language is a mentalillness. Think about this.You make sounds that comeout of your mouth “blah blahblah” and you attribute meaning to thosesounds. But there’s no way that anybody elsemakes the same connection to those words asyou do. You know that crazy guy on the streetcorner talking to himself. That’s you, exceptyou’re directing your words at me.

Charles: But you seem to be understanding me.

Doctor: I’m trained to make it feel that way. Butyou’re really just all alone talking to yourself.We all are.

Charles: But why are you talking to me?

Doctor: I’m still working on my own issues.

Charles: So beliefs are a mental illness and artis a mental illness and spirituality is a mental ill-ness and language is a mental illness. How dowe get away from mental illnesses?

Doctor: That’s the cool part. You get to indulgethem. Just keep pushing through the doors andwalking down the halls until you see that theyall lead to--

Charles: mental health!

Doctor: My god no! Mental health is like someinvisible trophy everybody is trying to win--

Charles: But aren't you trying to convince meyour ideas are true? Aren't you yourself tryingto win the Mental Health Award right now?!

Doctor: Nonsense, Charles, I've already won thetrophy. Now I just need people like you to helpme polish it.

By our Resident Comic Skit Writer, Eric Richardson

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We came across a very beautiful ranchestate for sale at a good price, and bought it for

four million dollars. Itis 1,600 acres andincludes an incredibleestate home, a twostory house, and sev-eral farm buildings. Itis about a mile northof Middletown on

Highway 29, and has a river and a lake. Thewhite structure you see by the Highway isjust one of the barns. It, Harbin, and theranch property we bought last year, form asort of triangle, as you can see on the map(see next page). As far as highway access,Bar X is between them. There are beautifulpictures and some description if you Google“bar x ranch ca.”

We have renamed last year’s Diamond JRanch purchase the Oneness Institute, and wewill be holding classes, events, and workshopsthere. My idea is to call Bar X the OnenessInstitute - Lake Campus, and Diamond Jthe Oneness Institute - River Campus. Anyfeedback on that idea would be appreciat-

ed by me; we have had trouble

We Have Bought We Have Bought

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with names. The website, which isnot yet developed, is onenesss-insti-tute.org.

Our near term plan is to useBar X as guest housing until the cab-ins by the Harbin meadow are fin-ished. Then we shall see whether weshall continue to use it as housing

or add it to the Oneness Institute as part ofour New Age University.

The purchase, at this writing, is sched-uled to take place August 23, 2011. After weown it, you can stay there as part of visitingHarbin; it will be a completely different expe-rience, more spacious and pastoral. The livingareas are more flat than Harbin, with beauti-ful lawns and hills. We expect to have horsesand cows. The pools, restaurant, programsand everything else at Harbin will still beavailable as part of your stay.

As a New Age Center, we want to offer awide a variety of ambiences and activities, andwe hope you will enjoy this addition.

Love to you all, Ishvara.

The Bar-X Ranch The Bar-X Ranch

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When I came to live at Harbin almost 25 years ago, I wasgetting away from a broken romance and a business that justplain wore me out. I didn’t really know what I was getting into,I just knew what I was getting out of. Beyond knowing therewere friends, a job, some nudity, and a roof over my head, I knewnothing.

Something I didn’t expect was the silence. Talking in theWarm and Hot Pools was discouraged, and on the mountaintrails, there was a vast silence of wind sighing in the trees with-out a humanly produced sound to be heard. Silence does notmean quiet – during the day, bees buzzed and deer crashedthrough the underbrush at my approach, and in the evening,doves cooed to each other and the entire valley would ring with

the haunting song of coyotes.

During this time, I had no telephone. I called my friends and family from the pay phone, and tried toexplain that they wouldn’t be able to get hold of me at will, that we would have to make a schedule when I wouldcall them, or – imagine! – write long and thoughtful letters. At first they didn’t get it, and called the office con-stantly, trying to reassure themselves that I had not landed in some kind of cult. Of course, my unavailability onlyconvinced them that, indeed, I was being held against my will.

I have to say how grateful I am that, against their better judgment, they didn’t try to kidnap and deprogramme. And I also am surprisingly grateful for the time spent incommunicado. As it turned out, Harbin was chang-ing me in ways they could never have understood, that I couldn’t understand myself – I needed the time away todigest and put into words what was precious and ineffable. But then came cell phones.

The changes that happen at Harbin are profound. Even were I just visiting for a day or two, I would needtime to absorb it before all the assumptions of who I am to people-who-think-they-know-me should vaporize theexperience. Like second-hand smoke, just hearing someone else on a phone is disturbing.

A few years ago, one of the cell phone companies tried to obtain a permit to put a cell tower on a nearbyhill, and thus bring cell phone service to our deprived rural backwater. Harbin was having none of it. Not only didHarbin dissuade them in county hearings, but also bought the hill where the tower had been proposed! SinceHarbin espouses a belief in subtle energies accessible through meditation and silence, the issue involves far morethan annoyance. That, and the effect of those kinds of radio waves on physical health has not been determined.Cell phones seem altogether a bad fit for a healing retreat center.

Of course, times change and there are places on property where cell phones work. We have designated twowhere they are permissible – away from other people! – and located at the far end of parking lots.

Connectivity is the buzzword of a new century and a new generation. But take it from an old-timer like me,and use your time at Harbin to connect with yourself. Deep-six the cell – you’ll be glad you did.

(Sorry, the new properties are not available for hiking yet.)

Getting Away from it All (Or Deep-six the Cell) by Ann Prehn

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An ongoing series on old Harbin -

EVERYDAY AT HARBIN IS LIKE SUNDAYON THE FARM

I'm back! I am Lynne WigginsOsmundsen, the oldest grandaughter of theMa and Pa Booth. Grandma and Grandpabought Harbin in 1910 and started theirdream of a destination resort that wouldappeal to the gentrified people of Californiaand elsewhere. Everyone that visited Harbincalled them "Ma" and "Pa" and they loved it.

Imagine that it is school break in1952 and I am 12 years old and have beendropped off at Harbin for the summer.

When one is 12 years, one is somewhere between a girl and a woman. I know the difference now but I can'tconvince my own Grandaughter that she will grow and learn more later. One of the maids, Madellaine, wasso much fun and, I thought, so pretty and nice. I think that my brother liked her. One day we all, all of themaids, my brother, and I went swimming in the Putah Creek. There were some areas where it was deepenough to swim for quite a while. Madellaine said that I was "A girl after my own heart". Wow! She thoughtthat I would grow up just like her. I was so happy and now I am thankful that I grew up just like me.

I loved swimming in the big pools, the hot ones and the big cold ones. What a perfect summer foryoung people. My Grandfather found a fawn that had been abandoned by her mother and he brought herhome to the Grandchildren. We named her "Sandy" because everyone else named their fawn "Bambi". Ofcourse, I really didn't know anyone else that had deer of their own. We kept and cared for her for most ofthe summer until she started to grow antlers, thus requiring a name change to "Bucky". Male deer canbecome quite aggresive and somewhat dangerous for the guests so my Grandfather and Uncle took Buckyinto the wild again and let him go. I prefer to think he survived and lived a long and happy life.

Fourth of July was always the highlight of the summer. Every year the same, wonderful guests wouldarrive. There would be music and parades and wonderful costumes and decorations. Lots of fun, noise andcelebration would go on for the entire week. My cousin, Gayle, and I were given sparklers by one of theguests. We made the mistake of lighting them on my grandparents porch and they ignited a basket of laun-dry and almost burned the house down. I don't even remember getting in trouble.

As the summer drew to a close and I was to begin my freshman year at Acalanes High School, mybrother drove me and some of the people working at Harbin over to Hoberg's Hot Springs for a dance.Hoberg's was a more geared to young people and nightlife than Harbin so it was very exciting. I had a newdress and felt quite grown up. I was a little uncomfortable dancing with people that I didn't know very welland was so impressed with the night life and music. I saw some young boys stealing a case of beer and Iwas shocked. The night was warm, the music was young and fun and that night was a perfect start to mynew high school adventure.

Series to be continued...

~ Lynne Osmundsen

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Celebrate the sacredin your bedroom

and your daily life.

FindingUs . . .

We’re located approximately 2 hours from San Franciscoor Sacramento on Highway 29. In Middletown, go to the stop-light at the corner of Wardlaw and Hwy 29 and turn West. Atthe end of the block, turn right onto Big Canyon Road and fol-low it 1.2 miles to the fork and bear left onto Harbin SpringsRoad. From there, it’s 2 miles to our gatehouse.

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Begin or expand your career in

the Healing Arts …

If you would like to receive your massage therapy training inthe beautiful environment of Harbin and experience the wonder-ful feeling of learning to care for others - This is the time.

WE ARE KNOWN AS "THE WORLD'S PREMIER LEARNING INSTITUTEFOR LAND AND AQUATIC BODY WORK".

*Join us this fall or look ahead to start planning for Spring of 2012...

*Experience personal growth.

You can choose from our wide variety of CE classes andbuild your career.

~ Join us for a week-end, a week, or take a series of classes. ~

~ Take advantage of this year’s lower prices..

See the Workshop Section for our Fall classes.

Please contact us or visit our website to see our entire 2012 listingsand learn about our Practitioner and Therapist programs.

www.learnwatsu.com reception@watsucenter.com800 693-3296 or 707 987-3801

School ofShiatsu & Massage

at Harbin Hot Springs

www.learnwatsu.com

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Heart Consciousness ChurchHarbin Hot SpringsP.O. Box 782Middletown, CA 95461

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