Sunburst (community)
 | This article contains content that is written like an advertisement. (February 2018) |
 Sunburst Sanctuary | |
| Formation | 1969[1] |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Santa Barbara, California[1] |
Director | Patricia Paulsen[1] |
Key people | Norman Paulsen[1] |
Sunburst, also known as Brotherhood of the Sun,
Early Sunburst
Norman Paulsen, who started the Sunburst community in the late 1960s as a small group, was a direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda, author of the 1946 spiritual classic, Autobiography of a Yogi. Their teachings were described as a mixture of mysticism, Christianity, and the practice of Kriya yoga. The group also incorporated Hopi symbolism into their ceremonies. The group met in a trailer in Santa Barbara to practice meditation. When they outgrew that location, they moved to an old ice cream factory.
Paulsen's book, Life, Love, God: Story of a Soul Traveler, explains his concept of Self-realization, his idea that at the core of every human being is a pure Self, a consciousness of Christ, and the realization of this Self is attained through the practice of meditation. [5]
In 1971, Sunburst bought 150 acres north of Santa Barbara on Gibraltar Road. There they began raising organic vegetables, the enterprise that would become their main source of revenue through the years. They operated a small café called Farmer and the Fisherman, a juice factory, a bakery, and a wholesale warehouse from which they shipped organic food all over the country. [4]
Also In 1971, the group bought the Ogilvy Ranch approximately 150 acres (0.61 km2) north of Santa Barbara and renamed it
In 1974, the Los Angeles Times published a feature article about the founder and his organic farming business. The Times said the following about the community, the office, a converted ice cream factory, is headquarters for a unique brotherhood and business that includes four ranches, three organic food markets, a bakery, two restaurants, a trucking service, and a 158-foot (48 m) sailing-vessel being restored at San Pedro.[7]
During their early years, they referred to themselves as the “Brotherhood of the Sun.”[6]
Sunburst members practiced a holistic lifestyle based on meditation, living from the land, organic farming, and an eightfold path. [8]
Part of this was documented by two members of the group, Dusk and Willow Weaver. The married couple's joint journal won the “Best Non-Fiction Award” at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference and was later published by AVANT Books in 1982 with the title Sunburst: A People, A Path, A Purpose.[8]
By the late 1970s, internal disagreements led to the Sunburst community losing members. This in turn caused financial constraints that led to the California property being sold, and some members moved to Big Springs Ranch in Northeastern Nevada and later Salt Lake City, where they began a natural foods businesses.[6]
In 1996, Sunburst returned to California's central coast with the purchase of Sunburst Sanctuary.[5]
References
- ^ ISSN 1874-6691.
- ^ Yogananda, Paramahansa, Autobiography of a Yogi. Third edition, 1951.
- ^ Self-Realization Fellowship (November 1995). Open Letter. Self-Realization Fellowship.
- ^ a b c Spaulding, Allie Kay (October 12, 2008), "There's a Lot of Life in Them Thar Hills," Lompoc Record
- ^ a b c Andre, Lisa, "Sunburst Sanctuary: "The Central Coast Retreat," The Lompoc Vision
- ^ a b c Beresford, Hattie (July 5, 2007), "The Way It Was: The Many Faces of Ogilvy Ranch," Montecito Journal
- ^ Russell Chandler (1974-02-03). "Sun Shines Bright on Brotherhood: 'Dream' Bears Fruit -- and Vegetables and Profits". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ ISBN 0932238165
Further reading
- Duquette, Susan. (1978), Sunburst Farm Family Cookbook, Santa Barbara, CA: Woodbridge Press Publishing Company ISBN 0912800607
- Hansen-Gates, Jan (Winter 1975-76), "Growing Outdoors: The Brotherhood of the Sun," Santa Barbara Magazine 1, no. 3:64-71.
- Paulsen, Norman (2015), Life, Love, God: Story of a Soul Traveler, Buellton, CA: Sunburst Publishing ISBN 9780941848008