Goldberg and the Guru

It is hard to image today’s $27 billion yoga industry without Paramahansa Yogananda. Nearly a century after his arrival in the United States, and 65 years since his death, Yogananda remains the best-known and most-beloved of all the Indian spiritual teachers who came to the West. Yogananda’s influence remains vast, through his teachings and the institutions he created or inspired, including more than 600 centers worldwide; 200 in the U.S. alone – perhaps even more so because of his landmark memoir Autobiography of a Yogi.

The text has sold millions of copies since its publication in 1946, but although he spent more than half of his 59 years in America, that period takes up less than 10 percent of the book. Huge chunks of his life – including challenges, controversies, relationships, and formative experiences – remain unknown to even his most ardent devotees.

The gap remains because, while there have been many books written about Yogananda, all are tributes penned by disciples. But now, Philip Goldberg – author or co-author of 25 books (including 2010’s award-winning American Veda), and a workshop leader, spiritual counselor, and co-host of the popular podcast Spirit Matters (great name!) – has published The Life of Yogananda: The Story of the Yogi Who Became the First Modern Guru. The comprehensive bona-fide biography finally provides readers with a complete and compelling account of the yogi’s remarkable life in all its detail, nuance, and complex humanity.

Goldberg is coming to The Sacred Space in Summerland this Sunday, August 12, for an illustrated presentation at which he will discuss lessons from Yogananda’s life that everyone can apply to their own spiritual paths, as well as will photographs, some of which have seldom been seen. Admission to the 4 to 5:30 pm event is limited to 45 people and costs $27. Advance registration is strongly advised. Call (805) 565-5535 or visit www.TheSacredSpace.com.

Animated Nights

Stephen Aizenstat, Ph.D., the chancellor and founding president of Pacifica Graduate Institute in Carpinteria, is a professor of depth psychology, a licensed marriage and family therapist, and a credentialed public schools teacher and counselor. Dr. Aizenstat has explored the potential of dreams through depth psychology, and he has developed Dream Tending methodologies that extend traditional dreamwork to the vision of an animated world where the living images in dreams are experienced as embodied and originating in the psyche of nature, as well as that of persons.

Aizenstat’s annual Summer Dream Tending Workshop, which he has offered for more than three decades, sold out for the full July weekend last month. So, he has decided to step up and offer a one-day version titled “The Craft of Dream Tending” this Saturday, August 11, at the 249 Lambert Road campus. Participants in the 10 am to 4 pm gathering will work with tools and methods from Dream Tending to learn how to access the power and potential alive in dreams. The goal is to discover how to engage untapped creativity and deep intelligence that comes awake when our eyes are closed. Attendees will discover ways of transforming nightmare images to serve a more constructive purpose, and within the exploration into the healing potential of dreams, specific approaches are offered that support psychological and physical well-being. Among the benefits are learning the skills to remember and sustain relationships with dreams, perspectives that assist in attending to various compulsions and addictions, and an exploration of the dimensions of psyche.

The $45 fee includes a mostly organic catered lunch and snack. Call (805) 969-3626 or visit www.pacifica.edu/pacifica.edu.

Write on

A two-hour version of Montecito author-poet-memoirist Diana Raab‘s Writing for Bliss: Telling Your Story and Transforming Your Life workshop is among five options at WriteSB, part of the Summer Reading Program at Santa Barbara Public Library. “Writing for Bliss” is about being mindful of the messages of your heart and tapping into your authentic voice. The workshop is an introduction to healing and transformative writing, using journaling, memoir, and poetry, and participants will be gently guided in a safe environment down a path of self-discovery that cultivates your personal path to bliss.

Other local writers, poets, authors, and experts will offer sessions simultaneously during the event, which takes place 4:45 to 7 pm on Saturday, August 11, at the Central Library, 40 E. Anapamu St. At Simon Kiefer’s “Creative Correspondence Corner”, attendees will be encouraged to come up with their own idea for a letter, using a provided restored vintage typewriter, with such suggested subjects as letters to family or friends, or of gratitude or grief or praise, or to the past, current, or future self. During “Live in Readiness: Poetry Writing”, Enid Osborn, the current poet laureate of Santa Barbara and author of When The Big Wind Comes, will share insights about inviting the muse in a workshop that includes Qigong, guided breath exercise, and short “organic writing” sessions in response to stimuli.

E. Bonnie Lewis and Ken Gilbert, the co-artistic directors of DramaDogs, are joined by frequent company playwright Jinny Webber, professor emerita in English from SBCC, for “The Play’s the Thing”, in which participants will work within a small group to write a script, rehearse, and perform it. Each writer will create a character who wants something different from the others, causing dramatic conflict. In “The Power and Healing of Writing”, former massage therapist Cynthia Waring, who found her voice and her calling through writing her memoir, Bodies Unbound, will guide writers who were affected by trauma, grief, and loss this year via the Thomas Fire, the Montecito debris flow, politics, or personal experiences, to turn loss or tragedy into art in order to help the process of integrating and release.

Admission is free and advance registration is recommended. The only problem is deciding which one to take. Call (805) 564-5641 or visit www.SBPLibrary.org.

Astral Projections

Sunburst Sanctuary’s Summer Star Party Spectacular takes place this Saturday, August 11, from 7 to 10:30 pm. The rural location of the sanctuary’s 4,000-acre spread outside of Lompoc – which was founded by a direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda – offers a perfect wide-open expanse and extremely dark conditions for viewing the night sky. Learn about astronomy through interactive presentations and activities with Sunburst’s lifelong astronomy enthusiast Moksha Badarayan, and get a high-contrast view of the Perseid meteor shower after sunset as the new moon (no visible moon) that night will result in a dark sky. School-aged children are welcome with adult. Bring a flashlight, pillows, and blankets, and dress in layers for the changing conditions. For additional stargazing, register to stay overnight in the cabins or campground surrounded by the oak-dotted rolling hills, and enjoy the meditative environs of Sunburst in the morning. Suggestion donation of $5 to $15. Registration by Thursday, August 9, preferred.

Sunburst’s ongoing Sunday Meditation Gathering begins every week at 10:30 am, when all are invited to join in a no-cost peaceful, joyous meditation service featuring live music and song, an inspirational talk, and silent meditation, followed by homemade brunch and guided hike. Visitors are free to explore the outdoor labyrinth and gardens, and families are welcome, with a special children’s service offered for ages 4 and up. Upcoming themes include Developing Devotion & Desire for Spirit (Sunday, August 12), AUM – Listening for Spirit’s Voice (August 19), and Controlling the Power of Habit (August 26).

Sunburst Sanctuary is located at 7200 S. Highway 1, Lompoc. Call (805) 736-6528 or visit www.sunburst.org.