Santa Cruz

At Pergs today, a Chinese man leans over to Terry and says: “I’m going to tell you the secret of eternal youth ..save you much money on make-up and plastic surgery” She goes “OK, I’m in” He says “Still your mind and you will not age as quickly as people whose minds are constantly struggling to hold their personalities together.”

Santa Cruz

I’m sitting drinking tea at Merrill and chatting with some of Terry’s classmates. They seem exceptionally well informed and receptive. Certainly not the way I remember myself back then. I’m impressed. They express a keen interest in what’s going on at Esalen and ask me if there’s a revival of sixties radicalism (!?) Wayne, a poli sci student, has pretty detailed knowledge of events going back to the Vietnam era. This feels erringly familiar. I ask him if he’s ever heard of the Iran-Contra affair.

“Yeah, that had something to do with selling guns to Iran ..in exchange for hostages.”
“That’s right. Anything else ..? “
Yeah, they used the money they made to fund the Contras.”
“And you believe that ..?”
 “Well now wait a minute, I do remember something about a conspiracy to sell drugs to support the Contras ..(?)”

Now I definitely feel like the last to know. I go for a walk through the woods and find a place where I can sit and watch the sunset over Monterey Bay. I shake my head. I’m happy to see our system of higher education is working well. They’re teaching conspiracy theories that are way more advanced than mine. These kids are getting out of here with a mind as sharp as Occam's razor.

Santa Cruz

After Mary’s workshop, I blow-off the weekend workshop ..and turn it into a personal retreat for the next couple of days. Nice. I arrive in Santa Cruz on Monday. Now I’m on the campus of UC Santa Cruz, which is such an amazing place. It’s in the redwood forests overlooking Monterey Bay. I take a hike through the woods, processing the workshop, which still resonates ..as I go. I follow a wooded trail to the Uni library, go online and post some of my workshop experiences, from a first-person, ego-centric point of view. If you’re interested, follow the link ~>[link].  I sit and stare out the window at the redwood trees. They’re massive ..and very wise I believe. They’re the oldest living beings on the planet. I remember when I could sit by an open window and spit sunflower seeds at them. Not no more. The windows won’t open(!?) Could they be afraid someone may try to head for the woods without going down the stairs and leaving by the front door ..? Hmm, not even at the height of my psilocybin days ..