Welcome to a place of reflection, dialogue and celebration.
The Sequoia land has been held sacred since 1949 -- it is a place where love has been experienced, where pain has been transcended, and where hope has been born.
The Sequoia is a place where the deepest meaning of life may be explored in an atmosphere of quiet and beauty.
Our hope is that your stay here enriches your life, and the life of our earth that is our place in the universe.
May you add to the spirit of love that builds and nourishes this sacred place, and return to your daily life renewed. The history of Sequoia is a history of seasons, beauty, spirit, and truth.
This can never be communicated by facts or descriptions; it must be experienced first-hand.
We look forward to your visit.
We are Diane and Scott Myers-Lipton. As the current stewards of this very special place we look forward to welcoming you here.
Our history is intertwined with the original Sequoia Seminar. We met at a Beyond War table in 1987 and had our marriage retreat on the grounds in 1991 with Pixie and Bob Hammond. To honor Pixie and the support she offered many couples as they entered into commitment, we offer "Pixie's Garden" a wedding celebration circle next to Las Alas Lodge.
History of the Site
The origins of this place trace back more than eighty years to a search for unity of the disciplines of science and religion in the belief that each sought universal truths about reality. The Jesus as Teacher studies were brought to the west in the 1930's by Dr. Harry Rathbun of Stanford University and his wife Emilia.
Seminars were held at Asilomar and other locations. By the 1940's it was clear that a permanent facility was needed. Early meetings were held in a cottage and participants stayed in tents during the two and three week summer seminars. *[Harry's Last Lecture: click here]
Sequoia Seminar was incorporated in 1949 and the building of the lodges and cabins you will find here today began. The first lodge was built on land at the Quaker Center in Ben Lomond. Here the tradition of working together was begun and the goal of blending buildings with the land was met in "Casa de Luz", House of Light. This first lodge was given to the Quaker Center in 1973.
Our lodge, Las Alas de Las Aguilas, Wings of the Eagle, was completed in 1973. And thus the grounds as Learning Center was enlarged to include very special programs. Las Alas Lodge was literally built as a "barn raising" by 100's of people. We recently learned that each stone in the fire place was signed by the person who placed the stone - a community built this beautiful building.
In 1982, Beyond War was initiated as a movement to promote peace and unity among peoples of the world.
Scott participated in many Beyond War seminars held on the grounds. Beyond War's legacy is gift we hold dear. [Read more here.]
In the fall of 1993, men and women from Armenia and Azerbaijan attended a week-long meeting to explore ways to end their war over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Two years earlier, leading Israelis and Palestinians held a week-long seminar which produced a working document for peace. The document, Framework for a Public Peace Process: Toward a Peaceful Israeli-Palestinian Relationship, was distributed widely among the negotiating parties.
SO WHAT ABOUT THESE AMAZING TREES??
Sequoia sempervirens is also known as Coast Redwood and California Redwood. It is an evergreen, long-lived, monoecious tree living 1,200–2,500 years or more. Gaia, the oldest living Sequoia, may be 3,000 years old. These are the tallest trees on earth.
Sequoia sempervirens grow in a very narrow strip along the coast of California from the extreme southwestern corner of Oregon to 150 miles south of San Francisco at Big Sur. This area is about 500 miles long and rarely more than 20 or 30 miles wide.
State Symbol of: California
Sequoia -- from the Cherokee Indian language Sequoyah
Sempervirens -- from the Latin meaning "always green" or "everlasting"
Learn more our Coast Redwoods which are the tallest living species on Earth [TED: click here]