Tom Hillman

"Everyone is ready for the end of the day, ten-minute group meditation. The meditation is like the iciest beer you have ever
had after a hard day’s work."

"There are so many wild animals on the property. It makes the ashram Noah’s Arkish. All the wildlife is intact; watching the animals adds to the safety and rescue aspects of the ashram. The ashram’s pristine environment along with
its celibacy policy and abundance of food is like a Garden of Eden. Like starting over! You forget about sex and spending your whole paycheck on organic apples."

"In the rose garden, the flowers are maneuvering toward the winter sunshine and the alluring sound of the koi pond’s waterfall makes you think it has a crush on you. You offer no resistance—you are done (at least temporarily) with the regular world."

"(there is no pepper on the table; evidently pepper perks the libido),"

"Various large trees— willowy peppers and especially the pines—seem to be reaching down to hold your hand."

"That noise you are hearing, drowning out
the blows of life, is the wind touching the fronds of the thirty or so eighty-foot-tall palm trees encircling the centrally located swimming pool. You have fun thinking this sound might be the Holy Spirit."

"The contemplative clinking and methodical chewing are a little weird, but it is proof that souls are housed
inside the physical body."