The Thrill of Groundlessness: Flowing Through Life Without Absolutes

When the ground falls out from under us, most of us reach for whatever feels solid: a belief, a story, a relationship, an identity. This spiritual workshop at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA, asks a different question. What if the loss of our bearings is not a crisis to be solved, but a nourishing invitation to live more honestly, in rhythm with life's unpredictability?

The Thrill of Groundlessness: Flowing Through Life Without Absolutes is a five-day exploration led by Ramzi Fawaz. Together, participants look at the human habit of clinging to certainty and rigid belief, and at what might open up when we exchange fantasies of control for surrender, adaptability, and emotional ease.

If you are in a season of change, or simply tired of the constant effort of holding it all together, this gathering on the Big Sur coast offers room to meet uncertainty with curiosity rather than fear.

What to Expect

The inquiry is playful and wide-ranging, drawing on contemporary film and popular culture, ancient and modern spiritual philosophies, and holistic medicine and psychology. Among the teachers along the way are the Zen Buddhist axiom on resisting the poison of egoic attachment, Alan Watts's call to live in the present moment, psychedelic therapy's loosening of rigid thought patterns, and the identity-dissolving visual experiments of recent science fiction and fantasy films.

The days follow a clear rhythm:

- Mornings: open group discussion and embodied practices.
- Afternoons: film screenings, followed by collective dialogue about what the group has watched.

Recommended reading includes Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, Training in Compassion: Zen Teaching on the Practice of Lojong by Mark Fischer, The Wisdom of Insecurity by Alan Watts, and Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza by Gloria Anzaldúa.

Over the course of the workshop, participants consider how to find pleasure in the ongoing evolution of their identities, how to greet the natural transformation of relationships with openness rather than resistance, and how the capacity to evolve can become a source of aliveness. Many of the psychological and spiritual resources explored are already at our fingertips, though often overlooked in the daily pursuit of holding it together.

Venue & Logistics

The workshop takes place in person at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California. Registration options include a workshop with an on-site stay, a workshop with an off-site stay, and an individual day pass. Scholarships are available through Esalen's application process. The workshop carries an additional $10 material fee.

Highway 1 access around Big Sur has been affected by road closures and travel advisories, so it is wise to review Esalen's current travel advisory before planning your journey.