Fire is in the neighborhood again at Tassajara. No surprise as there is plenty of kindling left over from the 2008 fire, and we had so little rain this winter. Updates are being posted on Tassajara Zen Mountain Center’s Facebook page. Please keep Tassajara and all beings in the burn area in your protective thoughts–especially the firefighters braving the steep, dry Ventana slopes.
And…more monastic fire news… Zen Mountain Center in Idyllwild was evacuated earlier this week. Sadly, homes in the area were lost, but it appears that ZMC was successfully saved by fire crews.
Be safe out there everyone. Be kind to one another. The teachings of fire can be fierce.
Five years ago today…
Fire surrounded Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. Gratitude for all of the heart and effort that went into preserving that refuge in the wilderness!
Fundraising for a permanent Dharma Rain sprinkler system is well underway. I took this photo in May when I was down at Tassajara:
Fire on my Mind
Happy Interdependence Day, everyone! It’s July 4th, the pyromaniac’s favorite time of the year. Please be careful if you are lighting fireworks or playing with fire in any way. It’s hot and dry out there.
It’s been a quiet few months on this blog as I’ve turned my attention to other interests and writing projects, but fire season is in full, hot fervor. We need no more dark reminder than the recent deaths of 19 firefighters on the Yarnell Hill fire. I’ve been working on a written response to the disaster but have nothing that feels at all adequate to the loss. I am holding the fallen hotshot crew and their loved ones in my heart.
There’s a thoughtful New York Times opinion piece by Alan Dean Foster about why people, including the author and myself, choose to live in fire-prone landscapes.
Meanwhile, July 10 is the 5th anniversary of the Basin Complex fire’s entrance into Tassajara. David Zimmerman, one of the fire monks, wrote a stirring reflection for the occasion. You can read it here.
Fire Monks is a KWMR pledge premium
Tomorrow, KWMR Community Radio in West Marin will be airing an interview with me as part of their fall pledge drive and National Preparedness Month, from 10-11:30 am PST. And, they will give away free copies of FIRE MONKS as pledge premiums!
I am working on posting one or two more Huffington Post blogs in the next couple of weeks. After that, it will be quiet on fire-monks.com for the remaining months of the year, as I’ll be offline for three months of retreat–at Tassajara. Retreat isn’t exactly the right word for a practice period, but more on that later…
Mark your calendars: Just found out the paperback release date is June 26!
Pt. Reyes
Pt. Reyes Books owners Steve Costa and Kate Levinson with Fire Monks author Colleen Morton Busch and San Francisco Zen Center Central Abbot Steve Stucky at Pt. Reyes Community Presbyterian Church Aug 13th.
Thank you to Kate and Steve for hosting a great event. Read about Kate’s book, Emotional Currency, here.
Eventful August
July turned to August while I was in motion. Had a great event in Guerneville (thank you Susan Ryan of River Reader Bookstore!)–outside on a warm evening with redwood trees listening in.
The tour is winding down. I’ll be reading this week in Sonoma and Pt. Reyes, then early next week at the San Francisco Public Library. Possible September events are in the works for Lake Tahoe and Nevada City. Stay tuned.
Kron4 News Weekend
David Zimmerman and I will be on Kron4 News Weekend on Sunday 7/24 at 9:15am, interviewed by Henry Tenenbaum. The segment is only four minutes, so tune in on time if you want to watch!
Fire, wind, water, earth…
“We are a uniquely fire creature on a uniquely fire planet….Other animals knock over trees and dig holes; we do fire.” Fire is an “ecological signature” of who we are. “It forces us to act and to chose.”–Stephen J. Pyne
Tuesday night I had the honor of conversing with fire historian Pyne and our host Bill Deverell at the historic Los Angeles public library as part of the ALOUD program. This was the first in what promises to be an intriguing series on fire, wind, water, and earth. You can listen to the podcast here or on the player below.
Speaking of animals digging holes, one of my cats is in the hospital receiving continuous fluids, in critical condition. I held him in my lap today. He was earth, water, wind. Very little presence of fire, and yet, his illness is yet another kind of fire to meet, right there alongside the exhileration of my book tour.
[display_podcast]
On deck
Capitola Book Cafe (near Santa Cruz) tonight at 7:30pm. Tomorrow, Los Angeles central library’s Mark Taper auditorium, 7pm. Thursday I’m back in Berkeley at Mrs. Dalloway’s. Ici, the ever-popular ice cream place, is just down the street so you can cool your taste buds after hearing me read about fires in the forest and in the mind.
SFZC Launch event
Live radio show at 1pm PST/3pm CST on Wisconsin Public Radio’s Here on Earth. Click here to learn how to listen or call in. Tonight I’ll be joined by fire monks, firefighters, and fire alumni at the San Francisco Zen Center for a reading, discussion, and short film viewing.