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Take
a Walk Through the Wildwood Himitage
(vs. Hermitage)
Sunsets
& the Horizon
Learn
its History
Watch
us Grow and Change
Browsers'
Bookmobile
The
Men's Study
The
Candy Shack
Creating
a Butterfly Garden
How
Close are You?
A Map
Closest
Airport
Our
Weather
Our
Resident Himit
(vs. Hermit)
The
Dragonfly
Take
a Private Advance at the Himitage
The
Famous Ostrich Package
Area
Attractions, Services & Weather:
Bed
& Breakfast,
Fishing
& Hunting Info,
Hiking
Trails
Miscellaneous
Services, Motels, Parks & Recreation,
Restaurants,RV Parks
Today's Weather plus 10 Day Forecast
Local
Calendar of Events
Resources,
Books,
Other
Retreats
Contact
Us
Located just 12 miles north of the California/Oregon border, midway between San Francisco and Portland, the Wildwood Himitage sits 750' above sea level at the end of a valley in Oregon's Banana Belt. The view of the horizon looks 65 miles out over the Pacific Ocean. Weather is temperate year around and the sounds and sights of nature abound. (Current 10-day weather forecast.)
When you surround yourself with beauty, it becomes a part of you. That is why the Wildwood Himitage takes time to manage and cultivate our grounds with many delightful spots to rest and reflect. Our pathways bring nature's color, variety and beauty to bear on the desire for an optimum meditative experience.
Welcome

Froggie and the Dragonfly welcome
you.
And, the Buddha welcomes
you, too!
1. Approaching the himitage. 2.
Burmese welcoming bell at the arbor
1. The front entrance. 2. Our
very own welcoming committee - Shriek and the Gnome. 3. Buddha &
babies in the garden. Ever notice how much Buddha and Shriek look
alike?
1. Buddha welcome from Bali. 2.
The 45 lb. temple bell finally arrives from Thailand. 3. Stone
woman from Bali is patiently waiting to offer the land's water to all
who pass her way.

The Warrior Tree welcomes
visitors to the parking area.
Walk through the meditation
garden to the ocean side if you seek a refuge for quiet
reflection
and spiritual rejuvenation.
1. Daisys in full bloom. 2. And,
the Hydrangeas say "Hi!"

1. Through the meditation garden
to the deck facing the Ocean. 2. Ferns everywhere, even through the
deck. 3. The "Plant People" or "Potted Men" as some like to call
them. 4. The Camper's cold shower outside the Guest Room.
Our bodies are overwhelming composed of water, we all have an ancient affinity to a water environment. The Spa is available for relaxation, for rest, and for renewal. As you can see, our Spa is in a lovely private setting that can help replenish the spirit and mind as well.
1. Deck - before. 2. Stage two -
all new redwood over reinforced pilings.
1. Deck with spa surrounded by
wind gongs in the keys of A, C, E, and G.
2. Deck with fog over looking the
ocean.
1. Ocean view from deck, hot tub,
picnic table, hammock and "Shakin' Shack". 2. Intimate dining for
20.
Having traveled through 26 states over 4 and a
half years full-time in an RV converted to hold over
1,000 books on men's issues (see Bookmobile),

4. 
1. Over 3,500 books, videos and
audio tapes now reside in the Men's Study. 2. Ganesha awaits outside
to invite seekers to gain knowledge about men in this place. 3.
7/30/03 sunset reflected in the front sliding glass door. Learn more
about Intern
possibilities. 4. Entrance mat

1. A portion of the 3,500+ books
on 100 different men's issues. 2. "To give dignity to a man is above
all things." Indian proverb. Drawing by Robert Redbird
1.

1. A total of 256 linear feet of
men's books with
2.
3.

2. Ganesha reclined behind the
recliner and 3. Ganesha overseeing everything from the top
shelf.
The stone woman from Bali has
been placed and is ready to be of service. She offers the land's
water to all who pass her way.
The Tall Bush
Our "Bush" also has thorns. It's
a climbing rose bush in bloom about 50+' up the fur
(an inch down from the top of the photo). Click on photo for
close-up.
Kuan Yin
1. Early painting of the male Kuan Yin. 2 The male Kuan Yin at the entrace to Gnome's Knoll. 3. Another view. 4. Kuan Yin with a mustache.
The following is the reason he is the guiding
light for this Himitage. Kuan Yin, one who hears the cries of the
world - the living expression of loving compassion; the one who will
come to your aid; the one who offers a caring aspect to the otherwise
somewhat remote world with its scales of merit and demerit, its hells
and rebirths, its retributions and consequences in life and beyond.
He will break the cycle of rebirth, of punishment and of retribution.
As early as the fifth century, Kuan Yin was always depicted as a man,
albeit one very slight and graceful of form and visage. Many of the
forms of Kuan Yin were clearly male, though somewhat androgynous. In
all the early translations of the Lotus Sutra, Kuan Yin is
indisputably male. While it is recognized within the text that he is
capable of taking a female form, this is not considered his main
form. His is clearly male in the prodigious records of Hsuan Tsand (c
596-664) throughout China and India and in such texts as the Cheng
Ming Ching, which dates to the end of the seventh century. He is also
clearly male in the Surangama Sutra which was first produced in AD
705 in Chinese. By the mid to late ninth century, Kuan Yin was now
usually considered and depicted as female. So, something happened
during that time to turn Kuan Yin from a male into a female figure.
The female Kuan Yin's roots lie not in the heartlands of historic
China but on the northwest frontier, on the Silk Road. This is where
numerous cultures met and interacted. The male cult of Kuan Yin had
already penetrated as a result of their dissemination of the Lotus
Sutra, but the distinctive female forms only began to fan out
extensively from the northwest in the ninth to tenth centuries. It
may have been an early case of homophobia. MORE
1.
2.
3.
1. Entrance to the Meditation Path down to a year-around streem to Seek Guidance. 2. A close up of an African guardian to remind us to be in silence on our journey down the mountain to the Whaleseye Meditation seat. . On it's right, a Coyote walking staff to help with balance and protection during the assent. 3. The "Caution" on a sign symbolizing Guidance. It reads: " Be careful of steep paths, loose soil, small, deep holes, uneven surfaces and stairs. Tripping hazards & unpotected water." Begin your journey here.
4.
5. 
6. 
4. Once down the mountain, one will find a seat on a year-around
stream. (Sit
here.) 5. The Himit
meditating at one of his favorite spots at the Wildwood Himitage.
6. Himit relaxing. "Have a nice day." 03/08/03.
7. Looking downstream, two
more large fallen redwoods form a bridge. (Click here
to see the resident Himit standing beneath one of those redwoods.)
8. Looking upstream, large, fallen redwoods form a waterfall
leading down to Whaleseye. (Visit this space with your inner eye.)
9. The Himit , also known as the Goofey Mentor, sitting next to
waterfall formed by numerous downed redwoods from the 1950's.
Rusty Lutz, a friend and fellow Master of Ceremonies and Rituals, created the following signage for The Wildwood Himitage. The photos don't do any of them justice. Best viewed in person.
1.
2.
3. 
1. Guidance. 2.
Gateway. 3. Leading to Happiness
4.
5.
6. 
4. Boundary. 5.
Protection and 6. Home.
Gnome's Knoll
Near the top of the ridge stands a small forest
of tall, white alders and lush five foot tall ferns.
What name speaks to you? Gnomes Knoll? Hobbit's Habitat?
A Hobbitate for Humanity? E-Mail
Gnomes
Knoll
Gnome's Knoll with
snow.
I don't think the gnome knows
we're here. He's taking a break from mushroom
picking.
Spirit Houses

1. This spirit house, with an
ocean view, is intended to attract the spirits that might otherwise
inhabit the Himitage itself. Guests often leave fruit or rice as a
reward if the spirits resist the temptation to molest the human
inhabitants of the real house. 2. The larger Spirit House is one used
in Balinese temples to house the spirits of the
ancestors.
1.
2. 
1. Situated next to The Men's
Study, the back portion of the 12' x 16' structure is The Cave, a 10'
x 12' room with no windows. The interior walls and ceiling of the
room are painted black complete with a black carpet. While it also
serves as a music studio, it is basically designed for that time when
one, especially a man, wants to be in silence and without visual
stimulation, much like some of the ancient monks lived every day. It
will provide this unique experience for the adventurous. One might
consider fasting during this period. (See photos of the
construction.)
2. More storage.
The latest addition here at the Wildwood Himitage is the Candy Shack, just down from the hot tub looking out over the valley with a great ocean view. With a bit more work to do on the inside, this will become the "kids" hang-out as well as a great spot to write. (See photos of the installation and additional Garden Cottages.)
1.
2.

1. See the curious site-seer to
the left of The Candy Shack? A young doe. 2. At dusk.

1. And a tree comes tumbling
down. 2. A Warrior on a mission. 3. Bill conquers all.

4. & 5. Zoe and friends in
the tree.
Other Wildwood Critters
The two enjoying the shade of the hammock.

The Bucks Stop Here - 6 of them
from three generations.

The Grand Poobah Elk stopped by -
a first, for me, on this side of the mountain. She came back with a
female friend a month later.



Bob - cat paid a couple of visits. She brought her two cubs on one
visit.
Chipmunks
1. Buddha's right-hand Monk,
Chip. 2. Chip, the Chipmunk, not to be out done, gets breakfast on
the rocks.
Oh Hail!
The deck for a moment on
12/1/01.
Our First and Second Snow - 2001/02
No snow (some hail) during the winters of
2002/03, 2003/04, 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07 and 2007/08 until early
2008
Stone Fountain
Balinese stone woman sits
patiently in car awaiting the trip from San Francisco to her new home
in Brookings, OR
This 38" high stone woman
arrived from Bali and is patiently waiting to be placed
on the Himitage grounds.
Thanks
To Lauren, a special interior designer from Kim3 in San Francisco, shown here with the standing Buddha and Shakti at her left elbow. She located both the Buddha and stone woman fountain, among other things, to help bring the energy from the spiritual traditions of Bali to the land of the Wildwood Himitage.
* * *
For every fine, well-adjusted and smoothly functioning American,
there are two who never had the chance to discover themselves. It may
well be because they have never been alone with themselves. - Marya
Mannes
Awards
Contact
Information
Snail Mail: P.O. Box 1080, Brookings, OR 97415-0024
www.wildwoodhimitage.com