We are pleased to announce the opening of our new office on Maui! We are offering full service architecture, landscaping and interior design through this island branch of Templehome. We have also opened a construction branch to serve the Maui community. We look forward to bringing our expertise and design abilities to this most beautiful land and community.

A REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE

I’m not used to asking for help.  For the last 30 years I’ve managed to create an amazing life with a wide array of resources at my disposal. All of a sudden, I find myself building something that is bigger than me in every way. I’m a player in a cosmic game, following my inner guidance moment to moment.

Manifesting from this place is essential. With every fiber of my being I believe that it’s the only way this project will come into being. What is being created truly comes from pure intention and from the deepest reservoir of love imaginable. “Moment to moment” is the only way it can be done so that my ego mind does not get in the way.

In the past, I’ve tried to be there for others to support them on their leg of the journey. I realize that this was not purely altruistic as it was also serving me in a big way. Having the proverbial shoe on the other foot and needing to ask for something is not a feeling I’m used to.

So in addition to sharing my journey I’m writing to ask each and every one of you if you can think of anyone you know who might be interested in supporting our vision and becoming a partner in this transformational property that we’re creating. I’ve trusted thus far and spent most of my own money buying and renovating the property.

There’s still more work to be done before completion. I’m looking for an investor (or a group of investors) to raise the balance of the funds that I need. I’ll happily provide specific details to any qualified parties who contact me directly. I’ve already spent $5 million and was hoping that my home would sell before I needed to secure additional capital.

You read that last part correctly; in order to make this happen, I’ve put the Sowden House on the market.

This is unfamiliar territory for me. In a way, I’m convinced that my soul intended for it to turn out this way to allow me to experience a level of vulnerability unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.  At the same time, so many amazing people are showing up; from healers and teachers to shamans and Hawaiian elders. They’re offering incredible blessings for all that I am doing. It humbles me and energizes this process in ways I never thought possible.

If you or anyone you know might be interested in discussing this opportunity further please contact me at xorin@templehome.net. Either way, I am truly grateful for your time in reading this letter and deeply appreciate the authentic moments and genuine love we have shared thus far.

When we open later this year I hope that you’ll come to visit and tell your friends and family about us. It will be a place where you’ll be welcomed as family to reconnect with Mother Earth and the beauty that lives within you. At Nalu Ola you’ll experience a vacation through the soul through the environment we’ll create and the service we’ll provide.

I extend heartfelt blessings to each of you on your journey.

Until we meet again.

With love,

Xorin

This article originally appear in the Huffington Post.

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My Dearest Friends and Associates,

I’m writing to share some incredible news.  As a select group of you already know (and many of you are just learning about for the first time) I am in the process of relocating to Maui. Not only is my company TempleHome opening a satellite office on the island, but we are a part of creating a truly remarkable new development. I will be heading up our new Maui office and overseeing the vision of this project.

After 30 years of living in Los Angeles the time has come for me to move on and pursue the next leg of my life’s journey, dream and mission.  I now see that the past 30 years have been a deep training period for what it is that I am about to step into. My experiences in this city have been remarkable. They have fulfilled an incredible part of my dreams and aspirations thus far.

If I never told you personally, I am so grateful for every experience we ever shared no matter how deep our connection was or is. Every individual I’ve encountered here left an indelible mark on me; a psychic imprint. These are memories that I will carry with me on the next leg of this journey called life.

The past 3 decades have prepared me for what is being made manifest in Maui. I am creating a wellness institute. A place to renew and restore. An institute for higher education and awareness through various entry points where some can take classes and others can pursue teacher certification in a host of different modalities.

We found the most extraordinary property to carry out this vision. Originally built in 1909, its purpose at the time was as a convalescent center for the infirm and elderly. In a way, we’re honoring that primary objective but transforming it into a convalescent center for the soul. We’re calling it Nalu Ola (the Wave of Life).

When this property became available I knew that my life was about to change in the most profound way imaginable.

Think of it as an alternative type of vacation destination; a place for those who want to “check in” as opposed to “check out” or retreat. There will be a host of options to explore the island with Kapunas and spiritual teachers in order to truly take in the natural wonders that abound in the lush and tropical locale.

It will be somewhere where visitors can bathe in the beauty of architecture and design, eat from our organic gardens and work with healers and practitioners that have studied and practiced for over 20 years.  Gathering these healers and giving them a place to teach and share their knowledge in a setting whose beauty matches the essence of their souls is one of the most important things I will have ever accomplished in my life. Like me, they are all truly committed serving others.

My fondest memories and most unforgettable Los Angeles experiences took place in my home. For the past 10 years I’ve been blessed to have lived in Sowden House, originally built by architect Lloyd Wright in 1926. Every day, I got the chance to bathe in the beauty of this place. The one thing I always loved to do was share it with others.

Anyone who ever visited could attest to a profound and peaceful energy in my home. It was fun for me to be an observer as I gathered friends and the larger human family at events and parties.  The space always held everyone in such a beautiful way and I loved watching as strangers came together to experience new connections.

Now I get to do the same thing in Maui, in a much bigger way. I do it with an intention to be of service. I do it to offer others a place in which they can rest, restore and remember who they truly are. This will be where they can connect to the deepest part of themselves through beauty, high quality service and the specialty offerings that my team and I are putting together.

Our “restoration center” sits on 6 acres of land. We’ll be turning 2 of those acres into an edible garden to create a definitive farm-to-table culinary experience.  So many of us are too far removed from where our food source originates that I wanted to ensure we were reconnecting with the land in a profound way.  Mother Earth holds so much healing power for us and we’ve shown her a lack of respect for far too long.

The land our property sits on in particular has an amazing energy. We’ve been doing blessings with Hawaiian Kapunas (spiritual masters) as we restore the land and the buildings.  We also understand that through the intention of restoration and love this energy will be felt by all who come to stay and experience at this beautiful sanctuary.

We have ocean views from all the rooms and we are only 2.5 miles from the best beaches and water sports on the island.  We’ll be offering yoga studies, metaphysical studies and water sports training programs in addition to basic room and board in a luxury environment.

I feel so honored and blessed to find myself in the midst of this transition, helping to manifest such a glorious project.

“Transformation is sustained change, and it is achieved through practice.” B.K.S. Iyengar

I’ve been working on my handstands in my yoga practice, and am just beginning to appreciate this challenging and rewarding pose.  Finally, I can feel the grace and ease when my body is truly in alignment. I used to try so hard to get my handstands “right,” and they always eluded me.  Then I learned how to trust my wrists…trust my arms…trust my shoulders…and the rest of my body naturally eased into place.

Things can be easy when we let them be.  It is an adjustment to get used to flowing with the current when we are used to struggling.  Handstand reminds me that when I am in alignment with my daily actions, every endeavor feels more graceful and effortless…

The more time I spend on Maui, the more I encounter people who take farm-to-table very seriously.  This has been impacting the way I understand and experience the meals that I eat; enjoying pure, local food has become a big priority for me. What we eat is an extension of our consciousness—and my consciousness has been expanded and opened by the fresh, wild beauty on my dinner plate.

How lucky I am to be living in a place where guava and passion fruit bloom at the side of the road!

From Dwell.com, a slideshow exploring the home built by 2012Architects in the Netherlands; full of light and space, it was created with recycled local material, from broken billboards to an old elevator.  Impressive!

It’s that time of year again, when galleries, curators, artists and voyeurs gather in New York City for The Armory Show.  March 3-6, Piers 92 & 94.  This year’s theme is by artist Gabriel Kuri, known for his “sculptures and collages made from the remains of everyday purchases and found objects.”

I have been thinking lately about noise and silence.  We all have so many questions, but the answers others can offer us are filled with limitations.  The experts can help and guide us—to a point.  Then it is up to us.

Today I realized that the answers are all inside of me.  What I need is less worrying and more meditating.  Fewer questions… and more listening…

A bit of verse to contemplate today:

Oh soul,
you worry too much.
You have seen your own strength.
You have seen your own beauty.
You have seen your golden wings.
Of anything less,
why do you worry?
You are in truth
the soul, of the soul, of the soul.

–Rumi

The Economist has an eye-opening piece on the ways that shipping containers are being used as living spaces.   In the Sudan, the lack of readily available building materials means that residents and hoteliers take containers, add thatched roofs, some curtains, and AC, turning them into habitable shelters.