Edmund Bordeaux Szekely

Edmund Bordeaux Szekely (ca. 1900-1979) was a Hungarian scholar, philosopher and natural living experimenter.

Life

Edmund's mother was French and Roman Catholic and his father was a Hungarian Unitarian. Various biographies have said that Szekely earned his Ph.D. degree from the University of Paris or from the Pasteur Institute, as well as other degrees from Vienna and Leipzig Universities. He also held professorships of Philosophy and Experimental Psychology at the Babeş-Bolyai University in Kolozsvár-Cluj-Napoca and was conversant with Sanskrit, Aramaic, Greek and Latin as well as several modern languages.

In 1923, while studying at the Vatican, Szekely translated several obscure Aramaic texts which, he claimed, proved that the Essenes were vegetarians, and that vegetarianism was prescribed by Jesus. Szekely also translated portions of the Avesta, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and documents from pre-Columbian Mexico.

In 1928 he and Nobel Prize-winning novelist Romain Rolland founded the International Biogenic Society (see below) to promote and expand on his research. Szekely travelled widely — Tahiti, Africa, the Carpathians, France, Eastern Europe — but settled down somewhat when in 1939 he married Brooklyn-born Deborah Shainman, whose mother was a past vice president of the New York Vegetarian Society. In 1940 the couple opened a camp in Baja California, which they named Rancho la Puerta (see below), where they could explore and test some of their ideas. The couple had two children, Alex and Livia; meanwhile Edmund contined to lecture, travel, teach, conduct seminars in the United States and other countries, and write.

In the 1970s, Edmund and Deborah divorced and he retired from Rancho La Puerta. Edmund married Norma Nilsson, a long-time assistant, and focused on his writing and teaching. He died in 1979.

Deborah continues to operate Rancho La Puerta today (2006). From 1984 to 1990, she ran the Inter-American Foundation, which works with the poor in Latin America and the Caribbean, and she was Creative Director of Wyndham Hotels International.

Norma Nilsson Szekely took over leadership of the International Biogenic Society.

International Biogenic Society

Credo

The credo of the International Biogenic Society states the following:

*We believe that our most precious possession is Life.
*We believe we shall mobilize all the forces of Life against the forces of death.
*We believe mutual understanding leads toward mutual cooperation; that mutual cooperation leads toward Peace; and that Peace is the only way of survival for mankind.
*We believe that we shall preserve instead of waste our natural resources, which are the heritage of our children.
*We believe that we shall avoid the pollution of our air, water and soil, the basic preconditions of life.
*We believe that we shall preserve the vegetation of our planet: the humble grass which came 50 million years ago and the majestic trees which came 20 million years ago, to prepare our planet for mankind.
*We believe that we shall eat only fresh, natural, pure, whole foods, without chemicals and artificial processing.
*We believe that we shall lead a simple, natural, creative life, absorbing all the sources of energy, harmony and knowledge, in and around us.
*We believe that the improvement of life and mankind on our planet must start with individual efforts, as the whole depends on the atoms composing it.

Biogenic Living

Szekely classified foods into four categories, depending on their qualities and what they contributed to one's health:

*Biogenic: life renewing - germinated cereal seeds, nuts; sprouted baby greens.
*Bioactive: life sustaining - organic, natural vegetables, fruit.
*Biostatic: life slowing - cooked, stale foods (but legumes must be cooked after sprouting first).
*Biocidic: life destroying - processed, irradiated foods and drinks.

The daily diet should consist of 25% biogenic foods, 50% bioactive foods, and 25% biostatic. No biocidic foods should be consumed.

Biogenic living also includes meditation, simple living, and respect for the earth in all its forms.

Rancho la Puerta

In 1940, Edmund and Deborah opened a "camp" they named Rancho la Puerta in Baja California. The camp had one adobe hut, but the Szekelys started an organic garden (the first on the West Coast), bought goats and began marketing cheese, and invited like-minded people to visit for $17.50 a week. Guests (who chopped wood, milked goats, and brought their own tents) listened to Szekely's lectures on the simple rules for achieving good health, long life, and the interdependence of mind, body and spirit. Szekely was one of the few at that time to speak up against herbicides, pesticides, artificial fertilizers, the rapidly-increasing use of food processing, and the dangers of cigarettes. He emphasized the threat of pollution and man's crucial need for pure air and pure water, laid out recommendations for safe sunbathing, and talked of the dangers of cholesterol and fats in the American diet.

As the spa increased in size in the early 1950s and began to operate year-round, visitors of another sort were attracted by the weight-loss potential of Rancho la Puerta's well-balanced vegetarian diet. Low in calories, fat, salt, and cholesterol, with no refined white sugar or flour, it was far ahead of its time. Edmund and Deborah began searching for and hiring specialists in yoga and other mind/body exercise regimens, adding a fitness aspect to their offerings.

Today, Rancho La Puerta is a convert|3000|acre|km2|sing=on holistic health spa and eco-resort with a staff of nearly 400, still owned and operated by the Szekely family. The spa is situated on the slopes of Mount Kuchumaa, an area regarded as sacred by Native Americans and the first geographic feature in the U.S. to be named a National Historic Site by the Department of Interior based on spiritual significance. The spa includes, among other things, a full-size replica of the labyrinth of the Cathedral of Chartres, 32 acres of world-famous gardens, a five-acre organic vegetable, kitchen, and herb garden, 87 rooms, eleven gyms, a library, and the Szekely Art Collection -- sculpture, painting, glass, and other work primarily by Mexican and South American artists. It is also known as one of the most affordable: $2500 for an all-inclusive seven day stay.

Bibliography

Szekely is the author of over 80 books, including two autobiographies. Some of his best-known include:

*Cosmotherapy of the Essenes
*Discovery of the Essene Gospel Of Peace
*Essene Gospel Of Peace, Book 1
*Essene Gospel Of Peace, Book 2: The Unknown Book of the Essenes
*Essene Gospel of Peace, book 3: Lost Scrolls of the Essene Brotherhood
*Essene Gospel Of Peace, Book 4: The Teachings of the Elect
*Essene Origins Of Christianity: How The Great Pan Died
*Essene Way: Biogenic Living

References

* [http://www.stichtingtrinity.nl/Trinity/Britxt/B03profes.htm Biography of Edmund Bordeaux Szekely]
* [http://www.rancholapuerta.com Ranch La Puerta website]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/10/business/10flier.html?ei=5070&en=6a9c574552edf595&ex=1157515200&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1157392927-t7MmqqNftrGaCmwXXIMSSQ Interview with Deborah Szekely, age 90]

External links

* [http://www.rancholapuerta.com Rancho La Puerta website]
* [http://www.stichtingtrinity.nl/Trinity/Britxt/B03profes.htm Lengthy biography of Edmund Szekely, with photos]