Missy Collier: It Takes a Village

Missy Collier is a rarity at Sunburst. Among all of the present Sunburst residents, only she and Heiko Wirtz grew up in the community. As the parent, with Jake Collier, of two grown children who were also raised at Sunburst, she has brought a beautiful cycle to completion.

Arriving in 1973 at age 11 for two weeks of summer camp at Sunburst’s Cuyama Valley apple orchard, Missy immediately felt at home in the community and remembers thinking to herself, “This is the family I was supposed to have.” Upon deciding to stay indefinitely and then gradually becoming a full-fledged member of Sunburst, she was taught about the Eight-Fold Path, the Twelve Virtues, and Kriya meditation. Looking back now, she recalls, “The teachings and lifestyle felt so right and so natural, I was never interested in anything else. I grew up with that simple, straightforward framework. The teachings were my guidepost.”

Growing Up in Community

Missy attended the Sunburst School for sixth through twelfth grades along with many other kids. She describes the little school as having a classroom environment with desks, a chalkboard, a structured curriculum, and accredited teachers, but also having an atmosphere in which individual instruction was common. “We got a lot of classes in real-life skills,” Missy remembers, “and had a ton of fun learning carpentry, animal husbandry, gardening, and other cool stuff.” Not many 11-year-old girls learn how to operate a tractor, for instance. Her grandfather also didn’t believe that Missy knew how to work a drill press until she showed him, impressing him mightily.

“I thought I was the luckiest person in the world growing up,” she told me during our talk. At 13, she sailed aboard Sunburst’s wooden square-rigger The Gallilee, and during summers worked in the community’s restaurant The Farmer & the Fisherman as a bus girl. She also became very fast at putting “noodles”—the wet plastic seals that shrink when they dry—on the Sunburst apple juice bottles as they were processed during the harvest season.

One of Missy’s favorite responsibilities as a Sunburst kid was caring for and milking the community’s dairy cows. She calls the cows “a huge part” of her childhood, and learned how to milk them at age 12. She fondly remembers Sunburst’s first dairy cow, named Betsy.

Along with the hard work and responsibility, there was always time to relax. “We had so much fun it was ridiculous,” she says, recounting playing hide-and-seek with her friends, exploring river and creek beds, making forts, and doing crafts, reading, and chatting in the evening.

Missy and Betsy

The Teachings Bring Peace and Order

After some time in the community, a strong sense of dread and fear that had occasionally plagued Missy since early childhood had largely disappeared. Although she mentions that, as an 11 year old, she “wasn’t consciously searching” for a spiritual path when she came to Sunburst, the teachings calmed her mind and banished the fear and worry.

She and the other Sunburst children also learned “how to behave, how to treat others. The Eightfold Path and Twelve Virtues gave us a reference point so that we were able to step back and see with a new, larger perspective.” Years later, Missy is profoundly grateful for “stumbling upon a spiritual path that is mine completely, that I live and breathe everyday.”

Now and into the Future

These days Missy works professionally at New Frontiers Natural Marketplace as its assistant marketing manager and graphics coordinator. Meanwhile, her work at Sunburst centers on directing the community’s graphics and marketing. In other words, she gets to use her wide-ranging artistic talent to support both Sunburst and New Frontiers, and deals with anything that’s presented visually, including advertisements, posters, flyers, websites, banners, and forms. With her trademark sharp wit and driven nature, she always keeps things moving forward.

When asked about her vision for the future of Sunburst, Missy says she wants to see the community grow, thrive, and prosper—both physically and spiritually. “I’d love for it to be a place where people can live if they want to join our mission,” which she defines as “gaining Self Realization and meeting God face-to-face” through the use of Kriya meditation and the teachings of Sunburst founder Norm Paulsen and his teacher, Paramahansa Yogananda.

Missy expresses profound gratitude for her life in the community and the lifestyle it offers, calling these elements “a side-dish to the main course, the Kriya,” making clear her belief that living in community is “not a requirement for enlightenment.” She also looks forward to Sunburst returning to being more family-oriented so more kids can have the wonderful experience she did growing up.

A Legendary Entertainer

“God created us so he could enjoy life through us,” Missy wholeheartedly believes. Indeed, over the years she’s earned a reputation as an entertainer par excellence. Whether whipping up a gorgeous, bakery-perfect confection at the last minute for Sunday brunch or setting out homemade dip and snacks at her famous annual Superbowl Bash, her talents are in evidence all over Sunburst.

Knitting, baking, sewing, cooking, photography, and crafts are among Missy’s chief skills, although this is by no means a complete list. My son and I each have beautiful shawls she made to keep us cozy, and many residents and guests wear Missy-made knitted caps, scarves, and shawls to meditation on chilly days.

As hard as she works, Missy also finds time to indulge in some of her favorite pastimes, which include drinking coffee with friends, hosting hilarious game nights, running at the ranch, and lifting weights.

Her son Ryan, 27, and daughter Alex, 22, are “the loves of my life,” according to their proud mom, who has been married to their father Jake for 30 years. She and Jake met at Sunburst as friends, and she now counts herself “grateful for every day with him.” She loves how Jake makes her laugh with his understated sense of humor, saying they’re a “good balance for each other.”

Missy Collier’s endearing humor, loving nature, and willingness to look at herself first comprise an inspiring endorsement of the power of the Sunburst teachings to bring about a life well-lived.

Photography Credits for adult Missy: Kara Block at Om Imagery; young Missy: Mehosh Photography

John Henry McCaughey: On Trust, God, Heavy Equipment, and Other Matters of Interest

Although he would never admit it because of his native modesty, John Henry McCaughey is something of a local legend. This stems not only from his decades-long dedication to Sunburst’s land and people, but also because he’s so profoundly cool. I use that word in the most respectful sense, to connote an unshakeable groundedness in himself that causes others, in the most natural way, to look to him for leadership and guidance. He’s a man who gets things done. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s a wizard at driving really big earth-moving machines.

A man of few words, John Henry nevertheless manages to crack people up at regular intervals. His understated, slightly rebellious humor shows in his eyes and ready smile, while his rugged, somewhat crusty demeanor guards a very tender and open heart. John’s mission is to steadfastly protect and uphold Sunburst founder Norm Paulsen’s legacy and ideals.

As a young man living in Del Mar, California, John Henry discovered meditation in the early 70s through the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), where Paramahansa Yogananda once lived and taught. Norman Paulsen, who had been a direct disciple of Yogananda in the late 40s and early 50s, founded the Sunburst Community in 1969.

Having brought many of his friends to SRF to introduce them to meditation, John Henry watched as many of them left the Del Mar area to go to Norm’s new community on the Central Coast. He recalls, “I was happy for them because they seemed to be doing really well [at Sunburst], but I was set in my world and everything was going along just fine for me.” With his trademark candor, he explains, “I wasn’t the usual hippie guy. I was really rooted and stable. I loved what I was doing and wanted to keep doing it.” His work at that time was at the University of California San Diego’s High-Altitude Research Lab, using his education and training as an aerospace and mechanical engineer.

Something soon happened that severely upset John Henry’s equilibrium, however. An elderly couple in the early stages of dementia that he had been helping out suddenly and unjustly questioned his honesty, shaking the then-24 year old to his roots. He had been so sure of his mission to “help society,” but this effort seemed to have failed miserably. Sad, angry, and hurt, he walked to a nearby creek to collect himself after the incident. He decided to meditate for a few minutes to find the calm that his practice usually brought. Some time later, John Henry looked up and was astonished to find the words “Sunburst Farm” spelled out in purple letters in the sky. Without any hesitation, he stood up and went into his workplace, where he called information to get Sunburst’s phone number to say he was coming for a visit.

John hitched a ride with a friend to the community, arriving there on his twenty-fifth birthday in 1973. Although he felt strongly that he had been guided to Sunburst, John Henry was also somewhat leery. “I had leapt before I looked a year earlier and got burned,” he told me, “so I approached Sunburst with caution and intended to spend just a week there to check it out.” The community quickly worked its magic on the gifted engineer, however, and by the end of his first day he was already helping people fix things and get broken vehicles moving again. He also met Norm that day, but dispels the notion that the two had an instant bond, saying only, “He was a big guy. Big beard.” They shook hands by way of introduction and that was that.

Meanwhile, John became very impressed with how people treated each other at Sunburst and realized that he “had never seen people interacting that way before. Everyone was very friendly and sincere.” After sitting with the rest of the community that night for evening meditation, he was sold. “That’s when I knew for sure,” he told me during our interview.

A few days later, as John Henry was walking down a path at Sunburst Farm, he heard a man’s voice behind him call out, “Jonathan.” Thinking it was odd, since no one ever called him that, he turned around to see Norm following him. The two men began a conversation that yielded remembrances of past lives working together toward common goals in an intense manner that John characterizes as “do or die.” From then on, they were close friends and in ensuing years Norm relied increasingly on the younger man to manage a variety of community responsibilities.

Then as now, Sunburst residents were required to have a job so they could contribute by paying for their room and board. But when John Henry moved in, work in the community was scarce. Sunburst was running two natural food stores and a trucking company, but all the jobs were filled. Finally, he asked his friends Steve, Mehosh, and Tomas, who worked with the trucks, if they could find him any kind of work at all. They came up with two weeks’ worth of mechanical maintenance that needed to be done. During that time, as John was moving vehicles around to work on them, the other men noticed his natural dexterity and skill with the machines. It wasn’t long before he was promoted to driver for the Sunburst stores, and soon he was the community’s main tractor-trailer operator.

In May 1974 (John has an uncanny memory for exact dates, by the way), Sunburst bought a warehouse in Goleta where he worked on the truck engines and from which he drove back and forth to Los Angeles twice a week with deliveries. Norm had also asked John to restore the neglected and malfunctioning old juicing equipment in the Sunburst apple orchard so the community could start making apple and grape juice for its stores. (It was in the orchard, in fact, where John Henry met Barbara, who would one day be his wife and the mother of their three children.) By this point, he had been given full charge of the entire Sunburst fleet of vehicles. Lack of employment was long a thing of the past; now there were barely enough hours in the day to attend to all of his responsibilities.

Norm’s teachings anchored John Henry during these long but rewarding years of developing and growing the community. When asked how the teachings have affected his life, he answers, “When I moved here, they became my life. I’m an all-in kind of guy. Life here is the teachings.” Likewise, John’s strong bond with Norm became a source of strength and resolve as well. A devout Catholic in his youth, John remembers having doubts about the religion and wondering, “How is this going to teach me to live like Jesus?” It was not until he experienced being around Norm, whom he considers “an illumined being,” that John Henry understood what he needed to do to walk that path. “Norm didn’t pull any punches, but he was here to help you grow. I’ve changed dramatically from the kid I was,” he says, “and it’s all because of the teachings.”

As the years went by and his reputation for hard work and high quality spread, John Henry gradually developed his own building and contracting business. His dark-green heavy equipment is still frequently seen around the ranch with “J.H. & Co.” handsomely lettered on the sides. Having handed off many of his Sunburst duties to others who needed work, he was doing well for himself in 2006 when he learned that Norm was very ill.

This marked another huge shift for John, as Norm—perhaps sensing that he would soon leave his body—suddenly asked his old friend to return to full-time work at the ranch to begin a long list of large projects he wanted to see completed as soon as possible. Although concerned for his mentor and shocked by the sudden shift, John Henry obliged, despite having to drop some in-progress work for which he had signed contracts. His friendship with Norm and support of Sunburst trumped all business concerns. During this period the men also formed the daily habit of meeting at Norm and Patty’s house at Nojoqui Farm for brief work updates, although sometimes they just sat or watched the news together. John Henry’s quiet, reassuring presence was a comfort to Norm, both in the moment and as he looked into the future.

Norm passed away shortly thereafter, leaving John in charge as ranch manager. Five years later, on any given day, John Henry can be seen running huge tractors and digging equipment as he builds and repairs the ranch roads and installs new landscaping at the ranch. He runs a crew of men collectively known as “The Guys,” who do everything from building fences and repairing water pipes to planting trees and branding cattle. While he never appears to be in a hurry, he also seems to be everywhere at once.

As anyone who knows him can attest, John Henry has a strong vision for the future of Sunburst. This vision is based on Norm’s original quest, and his assignment from Yogananda: to pioneer a new way of life for humanity in which we live lightly on the land and return to our roots as stewards of the Earth. John would like to see the world, and Sunburst in particular, increasingly attuned to the rhythms of nature.

John Henry’s pastimes reflect his lifelong commitment to the land as well. His love of archery has led to the ruination of many targets, and it’s rumored that he plays electric guitar and keeps an industrial-grade leather-sewing machine at his house. The beautiful gardens, trees, and other landscaping he and Barbara have done are very popular with the local deer despite his best efforts to persuade them otherwise. (These do not include archery as of this writing). He calls his children, who are now grown, “the best people in the world.”

Guardian, warrior, and stalwart friend, John Henry McCaughey does not suffer fools gladly. He’s also one of the kindest and funniest men many of us will ever know. It’s an honor to live in this community with him.

Photo credits: Kara Block at Om Imagery