Fairfield 20: Picking Up Where I Left Off

 This post is the first in two years about Fairfield, Iowa, and MIU (Maharishi International University), which I visited again in November 2024. (The previous post is here.) There wasn't much to report about in the interim; I spent 99% of my time at the Raj during the intervening trips, focusing on Ayurvedic health treatments and dodging COVID-19. I entered the Golden Dome for my meditation program only once, or twice, or not at all during those visits. This trip was the reverse: it was 100% about meditating in the Dome.

The view approaching from the back.

This sunset photo shows the Maharishi Tower of Invincibility and the side of the women's Dome, the view every time I walked to the men's Dome.

The front of the Dome had a refreshed entryway. No more would ice and snow slide down on folks opening the front door in winter. (Click on any image to enlarge.)

Inside the Dome, in the lobby and shoe room, there were lots of ways to spend your money.

A small alcove exists for those who wish to perform yoga postures (asanas) before entering the meditation area.

It was satisfying to settle in at the Dome again. While the early-morning session was well attended, the late-morning 2nd session typically had only a couple dozen of us.

 

Walking from the Dome to the Argiro Student Union, this bridge and scene caught my eye.

Climbing up to the Argiro.

The miniature Vedic Observatory in front of the Argiro.

For a long time, the cafeteria in Argiro barred visitors such as myself, but now, with a decreased student population, guests may purchase a meal pass. The old paper punch-out tickets have been replaced by credit-card-sized e-cards, and the number of remaining meals is stored electronically.

In the Argiro, I reconnected with many of the folks I hadn't seen in a while, including Tom Hall, a TM instructor in Knoxville in the early 1970s -- I was instructed by his wife, Jill Hall. I also dined off-campus with Steve Nolle, another former Bell Labs employee, and Irene Murphy.

 

I paid a brief visit to the Wege Center for the Arts,

The view from the atrium; you enter from the other side.

Many of the student works had a deeper meaning, or, were perhaps whimsical?

The most significant change over the last two years was the university's financial situation. After a greater-than-expected deficit in the budget, the Dome Market & Cafe and the university store were closed as cost-cutting measures. Various staff were let go, including, perplexingly, a shrink in the Development Department (fundraising!). The president of the university, John Hagelin, was replaced by Dr. Tony Nader the month before I arrived. Uncertainty about what would happen next floated around the campus.

 

On the last day of my visit, I was fortunate enough to visit Bill Graeser, a poet, photographer, and locksmith. Here's a rough panorama of his office. The camera collection was the first thing that jumped out at me.

A closer look:

Bill is also fond of visual puns, for example:

A keyboard.

Shoehorn and mousetrap.

 

My ten-day visit was chock full, yet from what I heard and saw, I'm concerned about the university's future.

Chasing Lucy is here!

I’m pleased to announce that my memoir, Chasing Lucy, is now available on Amazon.com.

To find it, I recommend searching for “Chasing Lucy Benson Branch”, or you can just click on this link: https://tinyurl.com/mf7dbxcm. Both eBook and paperback editions are there.

What is the memoir about? I’ll copy the back-page blurb here. It’s written in a blurb-ese tone, of course:

Black market drugs – first marijuana, then psychedelics. Ben was searching for something, a deeper sense of meaning. Then he stumbles across Transcendental Meditation (TM), which enables him to quit drugs and excel in university. While living a normal life of employment and marriage, he continues on a fifty-year journey towards enlightenment, diving into Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's teachings, joining retreats, and acquiring advanced practices such as the TM-Sidhi program. While this path sustains him, the road holds potholes as well as smooth paths. He encounters both fascinating experiences and bitter disappointments. He wonders how to resolve all this into a coherent vision, as you will see in this memoir.