January 29th, 2006

Dear Friends of Wilbur:

This past weekend was yet another filled with glorious gastronomic delights presented by
chefs Charlie and Marion Cascio.

Here are just a few examples of what guests feasted on:

Friday Dinner: Ginger-glazed Ahi . Asian Rice Pilaf . Organic Broccoli . Oriental Cabbage Salad . Mandarin Mousse
Saturday Lunch: Roasted Butternut Squash Curry Soup . Organic Spinach Salad w/Beets & Caramelized Walnuts

On the gentle topic of eating, the next "Guest Chef Weekend" will be February 24th-26th.
There are still some rooms available, but not for long!

Proud Papa...
I am here at Wilbur attending my daughter Sarana's 31st birthday party. Last night we had a costume party and she with her Sarana Kirtan Band including her Step-dad Perry on guitar, played and sang while her Mom and I sang along and glowed.

. Today, in the tradition that Kathleen (Sarana's Mom) and I began in the early 70s, Sarana and her friends will be "working the land", clearing a star-thistled meadow in preparation for the Memorial Day Michael Franti Stay Human music festival we are hosting at Wilbur's Nature Preserve.

. In the late 1960s while teaching at the University of Michigan I was influenced by an English psychiatrist named Ronnie Laing (check out his little book Knots ). He developed the concept of "therapeutic milieu", an environment which is in and of itself "healing". . In 1966 I flew to Esalen Institute in Big Sur to study with Dr. Fritz Perls, and while there became fascinated with the use of hot mineral water in healing, known to the Greeks as balneology . I put the two philosophies together, left academia temporarily, and created my concept of a "health sanctuary" at Wilbur Hot Springs.

My vision becomes clear...

What is a sanctuary? A safe place.
So, a "health sanctuary" is a safe place for healing and health! . My vision was (and is), that if we provide people a respite from the multitude of impingements they receive every moment, many will heal themselves through natural processes. . Removal of impingements is why at Wilbur there are no TVs, radios, cell phones, newspapers, gossip magazines (yes, I carefully censor magazines in the library), and why the cars are parked down the road, out of view.

. Wilbur is a place where we shed our make up, costumes, uniforms, jewelry, and other accoutrements of daily life in order to have time to simply "be". . Wilbur is a place without any crime, auto accidents, harsh tones or electrified music. . The "action" at Wilbur is inner space travel, vision quests, making deeper contact with a loved one, communing with nature, reading a book, meeting like folk, and luxuriating in the remarkable water...

"in all the world no waters like these."

. F or me, Wilbur is also a place where I read about the Founding Fathers, study the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and learn about the roots of who we Americans are and what we stand for in the history of the world. (I remind you that when we Americans threw off the yoke of monarchy, when we shouted to the world "all men are created equal", we spawned in the name of liberty and freedom, rebellions and revolutions that changed the course of history forever.)

The next time you are at Wilbur I invite you to spend some moments thinking about what freedom means to you. Consider engaging in a discussion of this topic with others. . Freedom for me is a lot more than "nothing left to lose". It must include a high level of personal health, for without good psycho-physical health life is often miserable, and with it almost anything is possible. In a forced-choice situation would you rather be rich with poor health, or poor with rich health?

In the spirit of brotherly and sisterly love which brings us together,

I remain, your sometimes obedient caretaker,
Richard
Richard Louis Miller, M.A., Ph.D.
Wilbur Caretaker since 1972

Photo credits: Meg Solaegui, Dr. June Ruse
Newsletter layout & design: Wild West Communications Group