Steven Harper leads wilderness hiking workshops at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California; Tassajara Zen Center in the Santa Lucia Mountains; and Green Gulch Zen Center north of San Fancisco. These programs explore the inner and outer reaches of wilderness through ecopsychology, contemporary awareness practices, and wisdom traditions that encourage aliveness.
Fire on the Mountain: Big Sur Basin Fire
All of my 2008 workshops will still go forward. As you may know parts of Big Sur have burned in the recent fire. The threat to Big Sur has passed. Highway 1 is open from the north to south and Esalen is opeing July 18th. Many of my favorite places to hike did not burn.Thanks for the many emails and calls. Your care, thoughts, and prayers are deeply appreciated. Here Is a link to more links about the fire: Big Sur Fire
Welcome
I invite you to join me on a journey and let yourself be touched by the healing beauty of wild nature. This site shows a schedule of the public workshops I lead, descriptions about these courses, as well as a workshop journal and photos from previous workshops. Most of the workshops are offered through Esalen, with the exception of two at Tassajara, and two at Green Gulch.
If you would like to learn more about the natural history of Big Sur and the central coast of California or the field of ecopsychology take a look at my published writings. Please take a moment to bookmark this site so you can return to see the latest updates. Thanks!
2008 Workshops and Retreats with Steven Harper
This year brings a variety of workshops and hiking adventures through Esalen that take advantage of the seasons, the awe inspiring Big Sur coast, and a diverse range of co-leaders. Programs range from new hiking workshops to old favorites like Mountains and Waves, which I have taught with my sister, Susan, for over 20 years.
For those of you who have taken numerous programs with me at Esalen and are ready to try something different, I recommend Wild Mind Zen Mind or the Nature of Zen at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. Tassajara is deep in the Santa Lucia Mountains just east of Big Sur and is the oldest Zen Buddhist monastery outside of Asia. I am offering two weekend programs there this year. They are unique programs in an extraordinary environment that I highly recommend.
For those of you close to the San Francisco Bay Area I am offering single day events, The Art of Pilgrimage, at Green Gulch Zen Center just north of San Francisco neat Muir Beach.
Most questions about the workshops can be answered by reading the description and looking at the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page. Please feel free to contact me should you find yourself with specific questions about any of the programs.
If you are not able to make a program this year please let a friend know who might be interested. Word of mouth is how I get most of the participants in my workshops. I appreciate all who have sent friends and family to my programs.
Many workshop book full early. I encourage you to book soon if you are interested in attending a workshop this year.
Other News
My other work life is currently in non-wilderness environments teaching, facilitating, and designing collaborative change processes for corporate, non-profit, and public organizations. You can find more information about this part of my work at: Steven Harper Associates.
I continue to be inspired to create and will have at least one public show of my recent oil paintings. More of my art work can be found at: Bear Creek Studios, Big Sur.
The rest of my time is actively engaged between family, writing, work on my land, and the stuff of living.
Gratitude
I am extremely grateful to all of you who have taken workshops and gone on hikes these last years. The time I have spent with you in wilderness has been profoundly rich and meaningful. I hope to see you again.
Prayers for the planet… may you have a happy and peaceful year.
Steven (Steve) Harper