Entering Your Creative Universe

Entering Your Creative Universe is a five-day creative workshop at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, led by the painter and teacher Paul Heussenstamm. It is a mandala and sacred art painting retreat for anyone who wants to explore their creative spirit, whether they paint regularly or have never picked up a brush.

What to Expect

The workshop begins with colored pencils, a gentle way to open the heart and let creativity move without pressure. From there, participants work in acrylic paint on a personal mandala (an integrated image of wholeness), a Sri Yantra (a mystical diagram used in Hinduism that represents the union of the masculine and feminine divine energies), or a design of their own choosing. By the end, each person leaves with a finished piece of art.

Painting is treated here as both a healing and a meditative practice. The time together is meant to deepen connection with nature and with your inner self, and to lay a foundation for painting as a sacred art. It also introduces participants to their possibilities as an artist and to the artist's path, which Paul describes as one paved with joy, insight, and awareness.

The week follows a steady rhythm. On Monday there is an orientation, "How to Drop into Esalen," at 5:00 pm, followed by a welcome and opening session in the evening. Tuesday through Thursday each have a morning painting session from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm and afternoon studio work from 4:00 pm into the early evening. On Friday there is a final studio session to complete your work, then a closing circle from 11:00 to 11:45 am.

About Paul Heussenstamm

Paul Heussenstamm is a painter and teacher from Laguna Beach, California. His vibrant sacred art draws on principles from many religious traditions, among them Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity. For him, mandalas open the doorway into the symbolic language of the soul. That perspective shapes this workshop, which looks at mandala and Sri Yantra symbolism across traditions.

The Setting

Esalen Institute sits on the Big Sur coast, and the workshop is a full immersion in that setting. Guests can stay on-site, with a choice of room types ranging from shared sleeping bag space and bunk rooms to private rooms, yurts with ocean views, and the Price House Suite, the former home of Esalen co-founder Dick Price. Off-site and day-pass options also exist. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served, along with coffee, tea, and snacks.

Getting to Big Sur has its own considerations. A travel advisory has been in effect for Highway 1, with access to Esalen and northern Big Sur by twice-daily Caltrans convoys at 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. These are the only times to travel in and out, so plan your arrival and departure around them and check current conditions before you go.

Before You Go

No painting experience is required. The workshop welcomes experienced artists and beginners alike.

Included with on-site lodging are workshop instruction with Paul Heussenstamm, housing, all meals, coffee, tea, and snacks, access to the Esalen hot springs and other campus features, and the classes on Esalen's open schedule. Healing arts sessions such as Esalen Massage or holistic services, specialty coffee, tea, or alcohol from the bar, and bookstore purchases are not included. Scholarships are available by application.