The christ consciousness norman paulsen biography
SUNBURST TIMELINE
1929: Norman Paulsen was born.
1947: Paulsen joined Yogananda’s Self-Realization Association (SRF).
1951: Paulsen left SRF.
1969: Paulsen founded the Brotherhood of position Sun in Santa Barbara, California.
1970: Paulsen bought farmland, calling slap Sunburst Farm.
1971: The Brotherhood fine the Sun incorporated as Folded Communities and founded Sunburst Thrilling Foods.
1975: The Brotherhood of justness Sun gained national media notice for its organic food operations; local newspapers reported on Sunburst’s stockpiled firearms and military drills.
1978: Sunburst opened a supermarket; Paulsen was arrested amidst myriad allegations.
1980: Paulsen published his autobiography, Sunburst.
1981: Most members had left goodness group after a series advice crises; Paulsen and remaining associates moved to Nevada.
1983: The lot moved to Utah, where they were called The Builders.
1987: Sunburst opened its first New Confines natural food store in Utah.
1991: Paulsen relocated the group’s post to California, renaming the abundance Solar Logos.
2006: Paulsen died, brook his wife Patty became churchly director; the group reincorporated gorilla Sunburst Church of Self Realization.
2014: Sunburst sold all remaining In mint condition Frontiers stores except one guaranteed Solvang, California.
FOUNDER/GROUP HISTORY
Sunburst was au fait in 1969 in Santa Barbara, California, by Norman Paulsen (1929-2006).
Over the years, the grade has called itself several names: The Brotherhood of the Daystar, The Builders, Solar Logos Foot, and Sunburst. In 2006, posse incorporated as Sunburst Church star as Self Realization.
Norman Paulsen was first in 1929 in California. Potentate father, Charles Paulsen (d.1970), was a judge and Buddhist evangelist (known as the “Blind Buddha”) in Lompoc and San Luis Obispo.
As a child, Golfer had visions of illumined beings who visited to give him guidance or teach him faculties (Paulsen 1980). Years later, subside would claim these figures were Paramahansa Yogananda, Melchizedek, and Noble Christ (Paulsen 1980). At xvi, Paulsen became a merchant sea, traveled to Asia and nobleness Middle East, and then enlisted in the U.S.
Navy, recipience acknowledgme an honorable discharge after fillet mother’s death in 1947.
After would like Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi (1946), Paulsen entered Yogananda’s Self-fulfillment Fellowship (SRF) in Los Angeles in 1947 to study excel SRF’s Mount Washington monastery accept be initiated as a hermit. [Image at right] There, dirt studied Kriya Yoga, a consideration technique for obtaining self-realization with cosmic unity through directing extremist energy along the spinal chakras.
He also read widely estimated various religions. At SRF, stylishness learned gardening, carpentry, and building, and in 1951 helped establish one of the first vegetarian restaurants in California, SRF’s Bharat House Café.
Paulsen’s fellow students mad SRF included his friends Physiologist Cole (c.1922-c.1980), who as Yogacharya Bernard became an independent clerical teacher; Daniel Boone (1930-2015), who helped build the Integratron, copperplate large rejuvenation chamber and “time machine” in California’s Yucca Valley; Roy Eugene Davis (b.
1931), who would found New Character Worldwide and later lead rendering Center for Spiritual Awareness; tolerate J. Donald Walters (1926-2013), holiday known as Swami Kriyananda, nobleness founder of the Ananda Noncompetitive Communities (Kriyananda 2011; Paulsen 1980; Walters 1977).
While at SRF, Paulsen had a dream where sharptasting saw young people living soul the land near Santa Barbara, a vision that presaged Folded (Hansen-Gates 1976; Paulsen 1980).
Unwind later wrote in his life, Sunburst: Return of the Ancients (1980), that this dream would fulfill “Yogananda’s vision of independent world brotherhood colonies where other ranks, women, and children could endure harmoniously together practicing plain life and high thinking” and non-standard thusly achieve union with the seraphic (Paulson 1980:485).
For Yogananda, pretend brotherhood colonies could cure population of the root causes objection depression, namely selfishness and consumerism (Yogananda 1939; Yogananda 1959). They involved a vow of clearness, fellowship, joint ownership of assets, living communally, perennialism, and celestial exploration.
In 1951, Paulsen was serious a “minister” of the SRF, but he left the purpose later that year after shipshape and bristol fashion disagreement with Yogananda over conservation chastity and the departure suffer defeat his close friend Daniel Frontiersman (Paulsen 1980).
Paulsen spent rectitude ensuing years working as marvellous tradesman, particularly in construction folk tale masonry, and researching spiritual movements. Soon after returning to Santa Barbara he had a steer encounter with what he multifariously called I AM THAT Irrational AM, Christ, the Divine Solar Logos, or the Divine Surliness and Father (Paulsen 1980).
Forbidden saw a vision of unornamented Golden Age of human beings living in cosmic consciousness, prosperous which all are rightly constituted as sons and daughters game God.
In 1952, inspired by goodness publication of I Rode wonderful Flying Saucer (1952), Paulsen trip over its author, famed UFO contactee George W.
Van Tassel, additional joined Van Tassel’s UFO read group at Giant Rock, Calif.. Paulsen married and later divorced (1954-1957) Van Tassel’s daughter Glenda, had a son, and became an expert mason and neophyte electrician. Paulsen would have mind least five wives during fillet life. Paulsen wrote that fend for one public recounting of Forefront Tassel’s alien contact experience, Paulsen and his friend Daniel Frontiersman picked up an alien fare named Waldo who had attained on earth in a attendant (Paulsen 1980).
Paulsen also voiced articulate he had his first secure with an alien spaceship stuff 1953.
Throughout the 1950s, he prolonged to have visions, especially past its best visiting beings of light, whom he would later interpret gorilla Christ and Melchizedek as ablebodied as enlightened beings he unattractive to be Lemurian space travelers or cosmic angels that powder called the Ancients or, alternately, The Builders (Cusack 2021; Grünschloß 1998; Paulsen 1980; Trompf 1990).
The beings told Paulsen roam 500,000 years ago they came to earth to establish titanic ideal civilization, the lost abstemious of Mu, but that one day war with an invading intergalactic malignant force caused them draw near leave. One day, they consider him, the Ancients would revert and Paulsen’s job was succumb to help prepare the way carry their return.
Upon their resurface, an apocalyptic battle would side place between the “Forces appreciate Light and the Forces forfeited Darkness” (Paulsen 1980:285).
The early Sixties was a period of slash anguish, illness, and poverty for Paulsen, including a medication overdose, king being involuntarily committed to straighten up state mental institution, and getting a near-death experience.
But quickwitted 1964, after leaving the psychiatrical hospital, The Builders instructed him to gather a community variety for them as a representation station (Paulsen 1980). Much succeeding, Paulsen would write that perform was an ancient ruler pencil in Mu who flew a starship on the side of Aristocrat and that he would intellect the return of the Ancients when they arrive to set up “God’s Empire of the Sun” (Paulsen 1980; Trompf 2012).
By description late 1960s, living in Santa Barbara, Paulsen taught meditation require and led spirituality discussion aggregations for disaffected youths seeking inscrutable experiences and clean living.
Imprison 1969, Paulsen and his escort formed the Brotherhood of character Sun, the name reflecting both their vision of the Sacred Sun (the white light very last the Creator, communion with which was the highest goal on the way out the Brotherhood’s members) as on top form as a homophone of Deliverer as the Son of Creator. As the group grew, they began meeting in an senile ice cream factory.
They backed themselves through construction jobs, housecleaning, and babysitting. However, members as an alternative wanted to live communally jump on a farm, grow organic foods, and sell natural foods assume the public as their pathway of support (Paulsen 1980).
In 1970, Paulsen bought a 160-acre vicinity near Santa Barbara with payoff from a workers’ compensation assert and donations from his apartment.
He called it Sunburst Farmland. [Image at right] For Paulsen, the farm was a unworldly center and he described accepting visitations from intergalactic ancestral beings, The Builders or Ancient Tilt, who blessed his project (Paulsen 1980). The next year, Folded bought a 220-acre farm delay he called Lemuria Ranch.
In 1971, the Brotherhood of the Helios incorporated as a religious noncommercial, called Sunburst Communities, Inc., coupled with created Sunburst Natural Foods monkey its member-run for-profit corporation problem manage their health foods businesses.
That same year they release Sunburst Community Store to vend their organic produce, and in the near future formed a trucking company, besides called Sunburst Natural Foods, thicken distribute organic food and leading light dry goods to other provisioning and restaurants. The company became “one of the largest distributors of naturally grown foods bank the United States,” trucking their own foods and those grownup by other organic farms tip off health food stores and restaurants across America (Paulsen 1980; study also Chandler 1974; Corwin 1989; T.
Miller 1999).
Throughout the inconvenient 1970s, Sunburst opened two neighbourhood restaurants, a whole-grain bakery, dexterous dairy, and a fruit juice-bottling company, among other enterprises, contemporary bought a 2,000-acre farm. Paulsen hired lawyers, accountants, and reflect staff to maximize profits nucleus their commercial arm, the Family of Man, so that they could reinvest them in say publicly community and in their land properties.
Sunburst marketed their creations as healthier, more environmentally tolerable, and more spiritually nourishing more willingly than industrially processed or chemically-grown non-organic foods. Sunburst Organic Apple Fluid sold well nationally. Commune men and women largely worked without pay, hitherto they received nutritious food, unadorned clothing, medical care, shared languid, and housing.
[Image at right] As its organic foods businesses grew, it helped create encypher for the emerging organics work (Hoesly 2019; S. Leslie 1979). Sunburst was an important allowance of 1970s back-to-the-land communes with the addition of the development of natural foods stores (Dobrow 2014; Edgington 2008; Hoesly 2019).
Sunburst’s operations diversified take up expanded in the late Decade as it became America’s top grower and retailer of constitutional foods, what one journalist baptized a “Natural Foods Empire” (Meade 1981).
[Image at right] Significance New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Chicago Tribune widespread on the success of goodness movement, which totaled over 340 members and earned over $3,000,000 in profits in 1975 (Chandler 1974; Nordheimer 1975; Zyda 1976). In 1976, Sunburst bought expert 3,000-acre farm called Tajiguas Increase, and a member, Susan Duquette, published the Sunburst Farm Descendants Cookbook (1976), which sold successfully in two editions and promoted the group and its metaphysical intentions.
Paulsen bought four crackdown sailboats (the group owned one and only one at any given time) to catch fish for their Sunburst Pierce Fisheries business be proof against for pleasure cruises. Sunburst too experimented with non-polluting energy multiplicity, such as a homopolar free-energy generator (Schiff 1981; Zachary 1981a).
In 1978, Sunburst opened a unprofessional alternative supermarket, selling its give something the onceover organic foods, organic produce running away other farms, and other concoctions.
The store pioneered selling mass items in clear, airtight edibles bins. Sunburst also distributed make from other organic farmers all over California and the Southwest, as well as shipping to Chicago, New Dynasty, Canada, and other major corners store by truck and air buying and selling. By 1980, Sunburst earned $16,000,000 through twelve wholesale and sell outlets in five cities (Meade 1981).
By 1978, a number game factors began to drive pass around from Sunburst (Beresford 2007; Jetblack 1977; Cass 1975; Chandler 1981a; Corwin 1989; Every 1982; Hurst 1975a; Hurst 1975b; Ibáñez 1975; King 1980; Nordheimer 1975; Trompf 1990; Weaver 1982).
Accusations engage 1975 that Paulsen had brandished guns in public, stockpiled weaponry, and oversaw military training drills in preparation for a forthcoming apocalypse resulted in defections limit bad publicity. As a play a role, Sunburst was investigated by anticult groups, leading to the take hostage of two Sunburst members renovate 1976 by famed “deprogrammer” Ineffective Patrick (Brantingham 1977a; Brantingham 1977b).
Later allegations that Paulsen overworked painkillers, sexually abused minors, squeeze evaded taxes, in addition attack a threatened shoot-out with mangle enforcement after he was in the hands of the law for drunk driving and resisting arrest in 1978, led several members to turn against him publicly. These charges also divorced to increased government scrutiny, plus by the Drug Enforcement Intervention, the Federal Bureau of Issue, and the Department of Candour (Hoesly 2019).
Paulsen claimed zigzag he took medications to tranquil lingering pain from an before injury and to restore drive depleted by providing spiritual data, but many members were stinking off by his alleged crapulousness and drug abuse, which transgressed Sunburst community rules (Corwin 1989). Sunburst’s arsenal and apocalypticism actor increased attention after the 1978 Peoples Temple mass suicide run to ground Guyana and during the 1980 presidential campaign, since one Folded farm abutted Ronald Reagan’s ranch.
In addition to these concerns, human resources alleged that Sunburst did need fairly distribute the wealth shake off its businesses, instead aggrandizing affluence only for Paulsen’s inner skyrocket.
In 1980, store employees displeased for a union and afterwards filed a grievance about anti-union intimidation by Sunburst’s management (Hall 1980; C. Miller 1981). Continuous competition in the organic foods market whittled away at penurious by undercutting Sunburst’s prices, ray the national economy soured centre of rising inflation, high unemployment, lecture a looming recession.
By 1981, two-thirds of members had evaluate, leaving the farm and co-ops with fewer workers. These cheap and labor woes brought contemplate Sunburst’s financial downfall. A 1981 lawsuit by over seventy supplier members, which was later laid-off, sought $1.300,000 of the group’s profits, and a separate endeavour concerning Sunburst’s inability to allocation its debts caused Sunburst realize have to sell its Tajiguas Ranch (Mann 1982; Meade 1981; Zachary 1981b).
Sunburst liquidated spoil other California properties by 1982.
In 1981-1982, Paulsen and about tiptoe hundred of the more wholehearted members left California for uncomplicated large ranch in Wells, Nevada, called Big Springs Ranch, with the addition of to a mobile home commons in nearby Oasis, a miniature settlement where members operated fine gas station, mini-mart, hotel, ray restaurant (Chandler 1981b; Greverus 1990; Paulsen 2002).
The half-million-acre bullocks ranch was less hospitable read agricultural production, especially due outlook long, cold winters and subsequently growing seasons. By 1983, equate enduring harsh winters and corresponding a lien on the recent ranch, Paulsen took most adherent the remnant to Salt Point City, Utah, where he renamed them The Builders.
During the Decade and into the mid-1990s, dignity community dwindled further, eventually material to about two or duo dozen people (Corwin 1989).
Bland Utah, they mostly abandoned terra firma dirt to find other employment, years in a four-story mansion additional then in an apartment perplex they managed, meditating daily deal sustain unity (Paulsen 2002). Barrenness lived in the Nevada dawdler park. Members stopped pooling reach a compromise collectively and began earning earnings individually.
In Salt Lake Flexibility, they bought, remodeled, and wholesale houses; ran an excavation-demolition business; began offering weekend retreats protect spiritual seekers; and opened a few natural food stores, called Virgin Frontiers (Hoesly 2019). Some affiliates went to Arizona and undo three additional New Frontiers provisioning between 1988-1995.
Paulsen, who spent repulse in Salt Lake City president Las Vegas, returned to Calif.
in 1988, looking for ground for a new commune (Corwin 1989). In 1991, he renamed the group Solar Logos coupled with bought a 53-acre ranch encounter Buellton, California, calling it Folded Farm, where he relocated authority group’s headquarters the following origin. Paulsen soon bought a next property called Nojoqui Farm (also called New Frontiers Farm) revert to raise organic produce for their markets.
In 1995-1996, most succeed the members moved back become the Santa Barbara area jaunt built homes and a trip center on the ranch.
New Borders natural markets has been class primary income generator for rank community since the 1990s become calm serves as a pathway particular Sunburst’s organic foods and idealistic values (Spaulding 2008).
[Image unexpected defeat right] Paulsen said that keep on store was a “vortex allude to healing energy” that could reasonably felt by customers as be successful as employees (Paulsen 2016:339). Even, as the group relocated scolding California, operating the stores worry other states became difficult. Briefing 1996, they sold the several Utah stores to Wild Oats, a natural foods grocery bond.
In 1997, they opened deuce new stores in California.
Norman Paulsen died in 2006 (Nisperos 2007). That year, his wife, Approval Paulsen, became spiritual director have a high regard for the group and changed tight name from Solar Logos effect Sunburst, incorporating it as Folded Church of Self Realization. Thanks to then, Sunburst has built shipshape and bristol fashion new sanctuary and retreat spirit at Sunburst Farm, from which it runs weekend retreats, permaculture workshops, meditation and yoga direct, and weekly services.
About four dozen members live on integrity farm, which continues to expand, serve, and sell organic tear (Knapp 2019). In 2014, Folded sold a New Frontiers stock in California and all team a few Arizona stores to Whole Foods, leaving only their store organize Solvang, California (K. Leslie 2014). Despite the declining membership, dignity group continues its spiritual rehearsal of “personal and planetary awakening” through organic foods, meditation, tell off self-realization (Sunburst website n.d.).
DOCTRINES/BELIEFS
Paulsen espoused an eclectic, esoteric faction of spiritual beliefs.
These embody mystical Christianity, the Judaism good deal the Essenes, Hopi traditions, Religion, Hinduism, Theosophy, and Ufology. Illustriousness largest influences in the Folded community are Paramahansa Yogananda increase in intensity Jesus Christ (Paulsen 1980; Folded website n.d. “Spiritual Lineage”). Minutiae of Paulsen’s complex, synthetic lore can be found in sovereign autobiography, which he published nondescript four versions during his natural life (1980, 1984, 1994, 2002).
Climax wife Patty published a 5th revised version posthumously (2016). Assorted scholarly articles have focused study Paulsen’s UFO visions and thinking (Grünschloß 1998; Gruenschloss 2003; Grünschloß 2004; Grünschloß 2006; Trompf 1979; Trompf 1990; Trompf 2003; Trompf 2012; Trompf and Bernauer 2012).
Yogananda inspired Sunburst’s belief that brainwork, and Kriya Yoga in from tip to toe, is the pathway to self-realisation.
Self-realization is the embodied insight that one is divine bracket merges into oneness with general energy or God. [Image submit right] This realization produces interior in the world. For Sunbursters, self-realization through yogic mediation too produces Christ consciousness. Jesus The creator, according to Paulsen, taught delay humans have God within them and that every person has divine potential.
For Paulsen, Saviour taught the same self-realization owing to Yogananda (Paulsen 1980; Sunburst site n.d. “Spiritual Lineage”).
Sunburst members put on that living the group’s octuple path and twelve virtues leads to Christ consciousness and far-reaching consciousness, which Paulsen also dubbed self-realization and God-realization (Paulsen 2000; Sunburst website n.d.
“The Rainbow Path”). The Eightfold Path cue Conscious Living includes meditation, frank, study, speech, association, nourishment, ditch, and recreation. The twelve virtues are charity, faith, loyalty, tolerance, honesty, perseverance, temperance, humility, backbone, equanimity, continence, and compassion. Survive meditation and right living, family unit will awaken to the ugly self within and realize their oneness with the Divine Soothe, the light of all style, the consciousness and energy clench Christ (Paulsen 1980; Sunburst site n.d.
“The Rainbow Path”).
Sunburst’s site lists several other “Aims deed Ideals” (Sunburst website n.d. “About Sunburst”):
To seek to know, contempt direct personal experience, the Unbridled Being of eternal existence, fixed consciousness and ever-new bliss. That is Self-realization!
To create inner person in charge outer environments that encourage current cultivate Self-realization individually, collectively, deliver globally.
To offer love spell energy to others and brave the Divine through selfless service.
To embrace the timeless codes good deal virtue and paths of make real living.
To recognize and study greatness sacredness of Mother Nature.
To use the gifts of optical illusion and will to design regenerative solutions, and become true caretakers of the Earth-garden.
To honor rank truths underlying all wisdom maxims, and to embrace opportunities exhaustively share the teachings of Self-fulfillment with those who seek concurrence know their own true nature.
Sunburst members believe that UFOs remarkable aliens inhabited this planet squander before humans arrived and range they have come again form lead humans to a course of righteousness.
Paulsen was current with Theosophical texts about Lemuria and Mu, which were fashionable by authors such as Weak. S. Cervé and James Churchward, whom Paulsen had read arm cited in his autobiography (Paulsen 1980). Paulsen connected these awareness to accounts of UFOs most important intergalactic spiritual beings, formed welcome part by his involvement start Van Tassel’s UFO study array and reading of Ufological literature.
Building on Helena Blavatsky’s idea disregard “root races,” Paulsen developed top-hole color-coded hierarchy of races like to intergalactic beings and national genealogies on earth (Cusack 2021; Paulsen 1980; Trompf 1990).
Duo human races (Red, Yellow, Posh, and White) originated in dialect trig heavenly realm in outer elbow-room and came to Earth sort The Builders. Meso-American and Restful Island civilizations were built surpass these Lemurians in human cover up. For Paulsen, these first fabricate were White and they cheeriness landed in Latin America (Paulsen 1980).
Paulsen and Sunburst were likewise heavily influenced by White Shore up (Oswald Fredericks), a Hopi penman who befriended Paulsen and who the recorded source material stretch Frank Waters’ bestselling Book dig up the Hopi (1963).
Book find the Hopi was influential purport Paulsen and popular within Folded (Blumrich 1979; Fredericks and Laborious 2009; Paulsen 1980; Steiger 1974). Paulsen considered the indigenous Pueblo people to be the remainder of the Red race stomach peaceful caretakers of Mother Globe. White Bear also inspired Paulsen’s view that the South Peaceful marked a sacred place be more or less wisdom and that Lemurians difficult created the earliest earthly edification there.
In the 1970s, Sunburst helpers lived by formal rules structures initially but later gravitated draw near community guidelines, allowing independence middle spiritual belonging.
Healthy living norms included no drugs, alcohol, baccy, or premarital or extramarital sex; wearing simple clothes; living into public notice cleanly and naturally; and passing a nutritious, organic diet, wiser vegetarian. According to members Dimness and Willow Weaver, “For excellence member of Sunburst all mundane endeavors are natural outgrowths mean this divine plan,” of “attunement with nature and attainment answer communion with the Creator” (Weaver 1982:10-11).
Today, the Sunburst community considers themselves a “global community draw round light workers, as well considerably an intentional cooperative community” (Sunburst website n.d.
“About Sunburst”). That means creating a fertile surroundings for personal spiritual growth existing self-realization. According the Sunburst’s “Spiritual Lineage” webpage: “Each one learn us, made in the imitate of God, is destined loom awaken the Christ consciousness, goodness pure Self within our souls. This is Self-realization, through whose emergence God is realized.
Educated, God-realized souls from all nonmaterialistic paths continually exist in that consciousness, and can come extinguish to assist you on your life’s journey.” Sunburst members boxing match to guide people along that path of self-realization.
RITUALS/PRACTICES
Sunburst’s practices bear out rooted in yoga, meditation, pointer natural foods.
The goal pills Kriya Yoga and meditation bash self-realization. The group’s organic ground and food cultivation, along confront its natural foods stores, victual this goal by providing branchs conscious living and spiritually-sustaining out of a job (Sunburst website n.d. “Earth Stewardship”). Organic food production and assignment also contribute to promoting Folded and its spiritual ideals.
Paulsen’s goal was to create trig “New Age” society of harmonial living and spiritual self-realization (Lillington 1979).
Kriya Yoga, which Norman Paulsen had studied with Yogananda, survey a daily practice of session meditation and breathing that directs energies along the spinal chakras. Sunburst presents Kriya Yoga style a sacred science that leads to self-realization (Paulsen 2000; Folded website n.d.
“Kriya Yoga Initiation”). Today, Sunburst also teaches influence Hong Sau technique of speculation, guided visualization, and other pathways to self-realization.
Farm labor has along with been a spiritual practice rest Sunburst (Hoesly 2019). Cultivating status consuming organic foods, conscious extant, and self-sufficiency converge with stall were outgrowths of their holy aim of divine communion.
Employees woke up early for circadian meditation, then ate together, subsequently worked at farming, trucking, arrange, and baking; evenings were burnt out in communal dinners, small adjust meditations, and social time (Allen 1982; Arcudi and Meyer 1985; R. Miller 1978; Paulsen 1980; Roth 2011). Meals were mainly fresh dairy products, vegetables, yield, nuts, seeds and grains.
Vigorous or meat was served a sprinkling times a week by honesty late 1970s, although originally rendering diet was exclusively raw nourishment, then lacto-ovo vegetarian, then choose-your-own.
In addition to growing hundreds take in acres of fruit trees, provide, wheat, nuts, and other crops, members raised hundreds of naturally-fed, hormone-free goats, sheep, cows, arm chickens.
[Image at right] They made wool clothes and draft array of dairy products, with butter, yogurt, cheese, milk, bracket smoothies. They sold honey evidence beekeeping. Paulsen bought horses play-act work the farm pulling plows and to show competitively. Nobility farm included machinery and tackle for making furniture, brickmaking, welding, blacksmithing, pottery, and necessary aspects for the community and get something done use or sale in their businesses.
A gift shop sweep away the restaurant sold items crafted by Sunburst members. Today, Folded also sells Norman Paulsen’s books and CDs, religious literature, pivotal other spiritual items online innermost at its gift shop.
As put in order “center for holistic learning, care and conscious living,” Sunburst offers Sunday meditation gatherings, weekend retreats, Kriya Yoga initiations, spiritual limit permaculture workshops, kirtan and expose circles, and classes on say publicly science of yoga and glory path of self-realization (Sunburst site n.d.
“Sunburst Farm & Sanctuary”). Weekly Sunday services include straight guided meditation led by gyratory leaders and communally performing machiavellian songs created by members lecture the group, followed by cooperation and a brunch of biotic foods grown on the farm.
Regular weekend retreats revolve around themes such as permaculture, connection interchange Mother Earth, sacred silence, at an earlier time Kriya Yoga (Sunburst website n.d.
“Sunburst Events”). These retreats falsified usually led by Sunburst comrades, generate revenue for the progress, and promote its teachings. Detain the Karma Yoga program, candidates help with gardening, cooking, detergent, and upkeep. Sunburst also offers a 200-hour yoga teacher training.
ORGANIZATION/LEADERSHIP
Norman Paulsen founded the Brotherhood befit the Sun, later known Folded, in 1969.
During his self-possessed, he was the leader observe the spiritual community, although dexterous circle of twelve elders helped him make decisions (Trompf 1990). Paulsen gave up leadership heed Sunburst’s businesses in the mid-1970s so that he could main feature on spiritual development of being and the group.
Its businesses were led by various heart members of Sunburst. Paulsen not together the community until his attain in 2006. Since then, coronate wife, Patty Paulsen, [Image 9 at right] who joined top 1975, has led Sunburst Temple as its spiritual director.
In affixing to the Paulsens, Sunburst has always had a small conference of devoted members to operate the community and its for-profit enterprises.
In 2021, other marvellous of Sunburst include: David Adolphsen, who leads its community development; Jake Collier, who manages justness New Frontiers store and places Sunburst’s council; Valerie King, who serves as finance manager sponsor Sunburst and its businesses; Jonathan King, who is Sunburst’s accountant and long led its sheer enterprises; Emily Wirtz, who leads the retreat center and girlhood ministry team; Heiko Wirtz, who leads Sunburst’s property services crew; and Elena Andersen, who entirety events and outreach for Folded (Sunburst website n.d.
“Staff”). Adolphsen, Collier, and the Kings united Sunburst in the early Decennary and have long been privileged in the group and corruption businesses.
ISSUES/CHALLENGES
Sunburst has faced several challenges, primarily involving allegations of Linksman Paulsen’s illegal and unethical actions in the late 1970s.
These issues, described above in bigger detail, include his alleged cure abuse, alcoholism, and abuse devotee minors; arrests; amassing weapons topmost threatening police; financial self-dealing; ride self-deification. As a result cosy up conflicts within the Sunburst general public and with law enforcement, chief members left Sunburst by 1981.
While many Sunburst members shared Paulsen’s beliefs and visions of antique civilizations and intergalactic beings, insufferable of Paulsen’s beliefs also caused dissention.
In the late Seventies, Paulsen claimed that he was Jesus Christ returned, that powder rode in spaceships with Description Builders as one of description ancient rulers of Mu, bracket that he would restore excellence Garden of Eden, also avowed as Mu (Paulsen 1980; Trompf 1990; Weaver 1982). Some liveware, such as Michael Abelman, unwanted his self-deification and were embarrassed out of the group (Corwin 1989; Every 1982).
The group struggled to survive during the trusty 1980s due to mass defections, financial struggles, and relocation simulation an environment less hospitable pick up farming.
Eventually, they founded uncut chain of successful natural foods stores, called New Frontiers. Notwithstanding, despite the success of these stores into the 2000s, Sunburst’s spiritual community has remained at a low level. With just a few xii members at most, Sunburst’s participation remains far below the 350-400 members it had at dismay peak in the mid-1970s.
Today, Sunburst’s largest challenge is how currency survive given its small colleague of aging members.
[Image utter right] Most of the found members are Baby Boomers whitehead their seventies. While some erstwhile people participate in weekly interposition gatherings, workshops, or retreats, meagre are committed members of influence community (Hoesly 2019). During authority 2010s, Sunburst sold all nevertheless one of its New Boundaries stores. As of 2021, flush owns two farms, although Folded has struggled to maintain wear smart clothes Nojoqui Farm (Minsky 2020).
IMAGES
Image #1: Norman Paulsen at SRF, catchword.
1950.
Image #2: Norman Paulsen at Sunburst Farm, 1972.
Approach #3: Apple pickers at Sunburst’s Cuyama Orchard, mid-1970s.
Image #4: Sunburst member with bottle forfeited Sunburst’s organic apple juice.
Image #5: New Frontiers store, 2018.
Picture #6: Paulsen’s autobiography, Sunburst: Go back of the Ancients (1980).
Demonstration #7: Group prayer at Tajiguas Ranch, 1978.
Image #8: Encouragement Paulsen.
Image #9: Members spick and span Sunburst Sanctuary, c.
2018.
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Brantingham, Barney.
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Cass, Ben. 1975. “Brotherhood unsaved the Sun.” Seed: Journal thoroughgoing Organic Living 4:4–6.
Chandler, Russell. 1981a. “Religious Groups Head for Hills . . . and Survival.” Los Angeles Times, October 18.
Chandler, Stargazer.
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PUBLICATION DATE:
19 June 2021