The next "edge"
<p>These days, as the retreat prepares to observe its 50th anniversary next month, people are still making pilgrimages here, drawn by Esalen’s focus on healing, melding of traditions and mantra of “spiritual but not religious.” Guests and workers still perform emotional “check-ins” in group “weather reports” during their stays, which can extend from a weekend to months, depending, an Esalen spokesman said, “on how far down the rabbit hole you go.” Esalen’s leaders say they are tweaking the institute’s balance between the personal and<b> the social with an emphasis on the latter so they can present the next “edge” to America.</b>
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“In my life, Big Sur and Esalen have been a through line for me,” said Mr. Barry, who was sitting at the back of the yurt with his wife, Sharon. He added that <b>a “Mayan shaman talking about 2012 and the return of Kukulkan” was a “good example” of how Esalen had remained on American culture’s cutting edge.</b>
 
“We’ve always said we’re about personal and social transformation,” he said. <b>“If anything, we’ve stepped up the social.</b> The world is more demanding now. <b>The call of the world is more urgent</b>. And we looked at each other and said we have to step it up.”</p>