Two Worlds One
A Tamarac Declaration

In our culture we are often asked to make a choice between two worlds. One is called Out-there. The other is named In-here. Out-there is the realm of the physical, of the tangible, of the natural. It is an active, sound-filled place where creation, destruction and re-creation are made visible. It is the province of the human body and it is ruled by the senses: you can taste it, hear it, see it, smell it. You can Feel it. At its best, Out-there calls to us to look outside ourselves, to connect with other people, to stretch to our farthest limit, to revel in the wonder of nature. At its worst, Out-there is all appearance and façade. And, ironically, this land of the tangible can become a place without substance.

In-here is a very different world. It is the realm of the spiritual, of the emotional, of the analytical. It is a quiet, tranquil, and reflective place, where meaning is more important than motion, insight more valued than intensity. To access this land, the sixth sense of Intuition is required. At its best, In-here is a place of peace and understanding, of gratitude and joy. At its worst, In-here is an isolation that keeps our talents unused, our beliefs unlived. So which will it be, the physical world of Out-there or the spiritual world of In-here?

At Tamarac, we have come to realize that it’s a false choice. We have come to realize that, at our best, we can live effortlessly in both worlds – at the same time. We have come to realize that the choice is not either/or but both/and. What has brought us to this understanding? What has illuminated this important truth? It is the essential dualities that are seen throughout nature. There is no East without West. Spring without Fall. Earth without Air. It is always Young and Old. Night and Day. Fire and Water. So at Tamarac we will bring the inside outside and the outside inside in everything we do. We will build passageways between Out-there and In-here that link the discoveries that await us in each. We will make a connection between the two worlds that is so strong that it will be impossible to tell where one ends and the other begins. We will make the two worlds one.

So how will we do this, how will we make wellness a single, unified continuum? We will start by conceiving it as a holistic experience, not a set of related but separate services. We will employ trusted guides whose essential role is to help people always balance one world with the other. We will create as many personally rich and meaningful gatherings outside of our four walls as inside them. We will establish artnerships that enable us to provide the full set of experiences that both worlds require. And we will provide passports to our members, enabling them to be vibrant and vital citizens of both worlds and thoughtfully mark their journey toward wholeness.


We will be a place of awakening and transformation. We will be a constant reminder to everyone that no matter how successful you are, it is always time to begin again. For if you do not “renew” you will “reold.” We will adopt the Tamarac tree because it is a wonderful symbol of renewal and because its inner rings dramatically tell its outer story.


We will also be a force for community renewal because we will make sure that those not inside our building are not outside our influence. When we restore ourselves we will reach far beyond ordinary results. We will be extraordinary. We will be a destination. And when we make our physical and spiritual worlds one thing, not two, the balance we seek will take care of itself.