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Commonweal Established as a nonprofit in 1976, on land leased from Point Reyes National Seashore in Bolinas, Ca

Founded in 1976, Commonweal conducts programs that contribute to human and ecosystem health—to a safer world for people and for all life—through a program focus in four areas:

HEALTH & HEALING
Beyond Conventional Cancer Therapies
Cancer Help Program
The Center for Healing and Liberation
COVIDStrategies
Foundation for Embodied Medicine
Healing Circles
Healing Circles Bay Area
Healing Circles Global
Healing Circles Houston
Healing Circles Langley
Healing Yoga Foundation
Natura Institute | Commonweal Garden

EDUCATION & THE ARTS
Center for Creative Community
Power of Hope Youth Camp
Taproot
The Courage & Renewal Network of Northern California
Gift of Compassion
Integrative Law Institute
The New School
Regenerative Design Institute
Visual Thinking Strategies

ENVIRONMENT & JUSTICE
Biomonitoring Resource Center
Collaborative on Health & the Environment (CHE)
Juvenile Justice Program
Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies
The Resilience Project
SafetyNEST Science

The Commonweal Retreat Center is an integral part of Commonweal’s work. The Retreat Center, which houses up to 22 people, is available for personal or professional retreats, conferences, and workshops when not in use for Commonweal programs.

09/29/2026

Do you ever ask yourself the question, "What does it all mean?" Our day-to-day lives happen in the context of a much larger universe that can feel impersonal and difficult to understand. Are there ways for us to better grasp the bigger picture in a way that enriches everyday experiences?

Join us now for the podcast premiere and explore these questions with Cultural Historian and Astrologer Richard Tarnas in conversation with Host Michael Lerner.

Find the YouTube premiere of "Astrology, the Deep Psyche, and the Participatory Universe" in our linktree in bio. Don't forget to like and follow to be notified when new podcast episodes are released.

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What do you imagine when you think about the future of science? Are there new ways to conceptualize advancement? What do...
09/29/2026

What do you imagine when you think about the future of science? Are there new ways to conceptualize advancement? What do you think science would look like if we centered care, belonging, kinship, and respectful intimacy with the natural world and each other?

Commonweal New School's fall Visiting Scholar Melissa K. Nelson is asking similar questions. As an Anishinaabe ecologist and transdisciplinary scholar-activist, she is working to find ways to return to and revitalize the Indigenous and feminist roots of science.

Join Host Jaune Evans for a conversation with Melissa, and then participate in an experiential process around Melissa's new work. Details below.

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The Rematriation of Science: Restoring Balance through Indigenous Knowledges
with Melissa K. Nelson and Host Jaune Evans

* Tuesday, September 29 | 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm PDT
Join us in Gallery Commonweal and on Zoom

$15 suggested, no one turned away

Register to attend (required) by following the linktree in bio. Look under "Events."

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Art credit: Catalina Cortes

09/27/2026

Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D., one of the most beloved voices of Commonweal, was a pioneer and influential leader in the field of healing and integrative medicine. She was co-founder and medical director of the Commonweal Cancer Help Program, which she helped build alongside Commonweal co-founder Michael Lerner. Her Healer’s Art program has reshaped how generations of physicians understand their calling, and her best-selling books reflect her storytelling ability as well as her gift for listening to patients, students, and other humans navigating their journey.

This Saturday, October 3, we invite you to join us in celebrating the life of Rachel Naomi Remen, whose legacy of healing we trust will continue for generations to come. Details below.

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Celebration of Life: Rachel Naomi Remen
Saturday, October 3 | 2 pm – 4 pm PDT
In-person seats are filled; sign up for the waitlist or join us online

Learn more and register to attend (required) by following the linktree in bio. Look under "Rachel Naomi Remen" or "Events."

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Video: New School Podcast episode "Can We All Become Healers?"—a conversation with Rachel Naomi Remen and former US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy.

"I really feel that we live in a meaning-saturated universe in which a highly sophisticated symbolic language is availab...
09/24/2026

"I really feel that we live in a meaning-saturated universe in which a highly sophisticated symbolic language is available to us for a better understanding of ourselves, our archetypal complexes that are deep in our depths, but also understanding of the collective psyche, of history, of music and the arts….there is no area of human experience that can’t be illuminated through this lens."

—Richard Tarnas, Cultural Historian and Astrologer

Join us this Saturday at 9 am Pacific for the podcast premiere. Richard Tarnas is back with Host Michael Lerner for a conversation about Astrology, the Deep Psyche, and the Participatory Universe.

Find the YouTube premiere in our linktree in bio and set the alarm bell to remind you.

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The spiral of the seasons is turning again, and next week we're excited to welcome our fall Visiting Scholar Melissa K. ...
09/23/2026

The spiral of the seasons is turning again, and next week we're excited to welcome our fall Visiting Scholar Melissa K. Nelson to Commonweal New School. Melissa is an Anishinaabe ecologist and transdisciplinary scholar-activist working to find ways to return to and revitalize the Indigenous and feminist roots of science by highlighting ways of knowing that are based on epistemologies of care, belonging, kinship, and respectful intimacy with the natural world and each other.

We hope you'll join us to explore the possibilities—first with Melissa in conversation with Host Jaune Evans, and then in an experiential process around her new work. Details below.

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The Rematriation of Science: Restoring Balance through Indigenous Knowledges
with Melissa K. Nelson and Host Jaune Evans

* Tuesday, September 29 | 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm PDT
Join us in Gallery Commonweal and on Zoom

$15 suggested, no one turned away

Register to attend (required) by following the linktree in bio. Look under "Events."

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Art credit: Catalina Cortes

The wisdom of community has deep roots here at Commonweal, and it's a gift to hear your thoughtful comments on our posts...
09/22/2026

The wisdom of community has deep roots here at Commonweal, and it's a gift to hear your thoughtful comments on our posts and podcasts.

Today we'd like to uplift a YouTube comment on the Commonweal New School podcast episode "How to Think Impossibly."

John Vervaeke says:
"thanks for turning me on to jeff's writings, Michael. you help humanize jeff's writings thru your conversations with us. have fun kid. keep rolling Michael. 'The imaginal is not a hallucination or a projection. It's the space where your mind and the world meet in a mutually disclosing relationship. It's where relevance comes alive. And when you enter that space, you don't just see more - you become someone who can see more.' ..."

John commented on episode 11 of the Secret Body podcast series, which follows Host Michael Lerner as he explores the works of author Jeffrey J. Kripal. Watch or listen to this podcast episode (or catch up on the series) by following the linktree in bio. Look for "How to Think Impossibly" under "Podcasts."

Look for new podcast releases on Saturdays, just in time for your weekend listening.

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Photo: Jeffrey J Kripal with Michael Lerner at Rice University. Credit: Susan Grelock Yusem

“A painting opens a window into the world. Music brings us together. A play takes us on a journey. Art, whether through ...
09/20/2026

“A painting opens a window into the world. Music brings us together. A play takes us on a journey. Art, whether through making or experiencing, allows our soul and humanity to come together, and come through. It’s a gateway to healing, culture, protest, and love.”
—Oren Slozberg, Commonweal Executive Director

Read the full article, "At the Threshold of Meaning: How Creativity Brings Wholeness and Healing," and learn how art and creativity have been woven into the heart of Commonweal for 50 years—and counting. Follow the linktree in bio, and look under "Articles."

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Background photo credit: Susan Grelock Yusem

"We are at a crossroads in medicine. Clinicians are looking for better ways to practise. Clinicians need to listen deepl...
09/19/2026

"We are at a crossroads in medicine. Clinicians are looking for better ways to practise. Clinicians need to listen deeply to communities, patients, and families, but communities also need opportunities to listen to clinicians as people. We all move in and out of roles of healer, helper, witness, patient, carer, and loved one. Acknowledging this shared humanity opens the possibility of dialogue and healing." —Dr. Catherine Olweny, from Quiet Reflection in Community: My Residency at Commonweal

Commonweal New School was honored to host Dr. Catherine Olweny in July as our summer Visiting Scholar. This weekend, we invite you to continue the learning journey with her in a new self-paced course now available from the New School.

This free course features 4 hours of reading and podcasts stemming from Catherine's time at Commonweal, and explores the challenges of remaining empathetic and whole-person focused in today’s healthcare system. Catherine illuminates narrative therapy techniques and practices like hypnosis, Visual Thinking Strategies, Dadirri and Yarning, and more, which may help clinicians and patients alike to navigate the healing journey with more ease.

Begin your journey now by following the linktree in bio.

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Art credit: AdobeStock

Do you want to be of service? This question greeted the earliest people who came to work at Commonweal. For 50 years, Co...
09/18/2026

Do you want to be of service? This question greeted the earliest people who came to work at Commonweal. For 50 years, Commonweal has followed that calling and developed organically, more like an ecosystem than an institution.

In honor of Commonweal's 50th year, this exhibit featuring visionary artwork by Jon Marro looks at the wild and unexpected growth of our work, the mycelium beneath the surface, and the tools and values that have naturally developed in our community.

It shares a small selection of the interconnected programs and projects that have unfolded alongside the values that have naturally emerged and grounded us. As we all navigate these turbulent times, we find courage and hope in looking back at what we have created and looking ahead to reimagine the future.

On display Oct 1, 2026 - Jan 24, 2027. Find out more by following the linktree in bio. Look under "Events."

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"How do younger eyes experience some of the news that we talk about daily? What is their understanding? How do they inte...
09/15/2026

"How do younger eyes experience some of the news that we talk about daily? What is their understanding? How do they integrate the conversations about climate change? Democracy? Money? Immigration? These are hard concepts even for some of us that are older (some a lot older, like me) to grasp." —Oren Slozberg, Commonweal Executive Director

Read the full letter by following the linktree in bio. Look for "Finding Meaning Through the Arts" under "Articles."

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Photo: From the Commonweal Archives - July 2015 Power of Hope camp at Commonweal.

Address

451 Mesa Road
Bolinas, CA
94924

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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+14158680970

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