FMW Conference

For more information about each year’s conference and to reserve your spot for the next one, please contact doroethy@franklinmerrell-wolff.com.

History of The Franklin Merrell-Wolff Conference®

In 1930 Franklin and Sherifa Merrell-Wolff began holding what they called Convention. They would hold a meeting every August, sometimes for a week, sometimes for a weekend. I have treasured copies of their programs from the 1930s and 1940s.

When interest in Franklin’s Work became intense in the 1970s, the Conventions were well attended. Doroethy stepped in to help by taking responsibility for the Friday and Saturday programs, which were held on the Cottage lawn. Franklin would lead the Sunday programs in his living room, where he would play and discuss his taped lectures.

After Franklin died in 1985, Ron and Doroethy have continued the event. However, the term Convention seemed ambiguous, so after 1997 we changed the name to the Franklin Merrell-Wolff Seminar. The year that Doroethy became sole owner of the land, we held the Franklin Merrell-Wolff Reunion and Gathering, but from 2004 we have permanently titled the annual event The Franklin Merrell-Wolff Conference®, Doeoethy has trademarked this name.

Past programs are archived at the Great Space Center, home of Franklin Merrell-Wolff. Past speakers include:

  • Ron Leonard—PhD (philosophy); Philosophy professor; Author of The Transcendental Philosophy of Franklin Merrell-Wolff
  • Doroethy Leonard—MA (education); MC (counseling psychology); Franklin’s granddaughter; Author (See MEMOIR)
  • Joel Morwood—Founder of the Center for Sacred Science
  • Tom McFarlane—MS (physics); MA (religious studies)
  • Imants Barušs—MSc (mathematics); PhD (psychology); Professor of Psychology at King’s College, University of Western Ontario
  • Amit Goswami—PhD (physics); Professor; Contributor to IONS and “What the Bleep Do We Know?”
  • Richard Moss—MD; Transformational conference leader
  • David Long—PhD (philosophy); Philosophy professor
  • Mael Melvin—PhD (theoretical physics)
  • John Buchanan—PhD (mathematics); Student of Ouspensky
  • Richard Doyle—PhD (rhetoric)
  • Ryan Harvey—PhD (philosophy)

What Now?

As part of our ongoing mission, Doroethy and Ron continue to hold the 4-day philosophical-spiritual conference at Franklin’s home in Lone Pine, California, which is truly a ‘Great Space’. We are delighted to schedule speakers and/or announce the weekend’s topic. It is a time of study, mutual sharing, laughing together, eating together, and working on the land (such as pulling a few weeds).

Visitors, not only for the conferences, are interested in sitting in Franklin’s office, in seeing where he spent the last 20 years of his life; they enjoy sitting in his beloved garden, where he sat every afternoon.