Earth, Sand & Fire

By Benjamin Marcus

Abundance. Some say "Zuma" is a Chumash word for "abundance," which might be right, as this 1.8-mile, 150-acre stretch of beach has an abundance of sand, swell, wind, sun, sunsets, visitors, sky, sealife, waves, surfers, parking spaces, bathrooms, stories, and history, dating back 11,000 years.

Many abundances over the centuries but more recently, that abundance of earth, sand, and fire has inspired an abundance of good music over the years.

In 1975 Neil Young and Crazy Horse recorded an album called Zuma, and they sang beachy, ocean-inspired songs, for example, Through My Sails:

"New things I'm knowing I'm standing on the shoreline It's so fine out there Leaving with the wind blowing But love takes care."

And this, from Cortez, the Killer, sounds a little Malibu-inspired. Neil could have been singing about the Chumash, and Cabrillo fatefully showing up in 1542 like that epic final scene of Mel Gibson's Apocalypto:

"He came dancing across the water With his galleons and guns Looking for the new world And that palace in the sun."

A few years later, in 1978, Mick Jagger sang about women chasing his abundance and name-dropped this strand of sand in Some Girls:

"So give me all your money Give me all your gold I'll buy you a house back in Zuma Beach And give you half of what I own."

In 2008, Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani named their child Zuma.

And in 2014, U2 name-dropped the 1.8 miles of sandy beauty in California (There Is No End to Love)

“California Then we sail into the shiny sea The weight that drags your heart down Well, that's what took me where I need to be Which is here, out on Zuma.”

If those Zuma-centric songs by Neil Young, the Stones, and U2 carry notes of heartache, beauty, and loss, maybe they were catching the historical vibe and felt from the transition of this beach from Chumash to Conquistadors, Spain to Mexico, Rindge to Los Angeles County, private Idaho to the public domain.

It's easy to rhapsodize about Chumash life before the Spanish Apocalyptoed Alta California with their ships, guns, horses, greed, and diseases beginning in 1542. If you're going to be a native American, the

Eleven Thousand Years of Zuma Beach Abundance

coastal strip from Humaliwu to Zuma and beyond was the place to be: Almost perfect weather most of the year — marred by those pesky winds and the firestorms. Abundant food by land, sea, and air. Game, birds, acorns, seeds. At sea, from the tidepools out to the Channel Islands, a "Malibuillabaise" of seals, sea otters, lobster, abalone, tuna, swordfish, shark, and salmonids from the creeks, mussels, and clams from the tide pools.

An excellent diet. An abundance of food and sunshine.

When the Spanish showed up in 1542, the transition from Chumash to hard cash was glacial over the next two centuries, as the land showed its abundance for raising cattle, growing oysters, and farming lima beans, citrus, and other produce under Jose Bartolome Tapia from 1802 to 1848. Then from Frenchman Leon Victor Prudhomme from 1848 to 1857, Irishmen Don Matteo and Henry Keller from 1857 to 1891, and Frederick and May Rindge from 1891 to the 1940s.

Mrs. Rindge's struggle to keep the Rancho Malibu private is well documented in The King and Queen of Malibu, but oddly, a search for the word "Zuma" comes up with zero hits. The transition of Zuma Beach from private to public is explained in a Los Angeles County Beach History put together by LA County: "In December 1940, the entire Malibu Rindge property went up for sale under the pressure of tax assessments, legal bills, and the collapse of the ranch with the Great Depression. May Rindge died two months later, in February 1941. Within six years, over 80 percent of the Rindge holdings had been sold. Also, in 1941, the Marblehead Land Company that May Rindge had created to lease and sell her land defaulted on Los Angeles County taxes due on Zuma Beach property. The County foreclosed on the property demolished the few beach homes that were there and created a vast public parking lot. Popular Zuma Beach was born."

The popularity of Zuma Beach inspired LA County to establish a lifeguard service as far back as the mid-1940s. Longtime Malibu resident Cal Porter (1924 - 2019), who was a surfer/lifeguard/waterman, wrote The Zuma Beach Story sidebar for a book called Our Lifeguard Family, Honoring Your Service, The First 100 Years, by Richard Mark, "When Marblehead defaulted on property taxes owed to the County of Los Angeles on Zuma Beach, the county stepped in, foreclosed, and began taking over the land. There were six private beach homes on Zuma and three more on the sand at Westward Beach, most owned and lived in by Hollywood personalities and musicians. There was also a large frame building at the edge of the lagoon where Zuma Creek meets the beach. It was a lodge or gun club that hunters used in order to shoot ducks and other animal life." 

Porter remembered the County bought that frame building where Zuma Creek met the beach and stationed "the first and only lifeguard there." Then in October of 1945, they purchased one of the beach houses and turned it into the official lifeguard headquarters for Zuma Beach and eventually bought all nine homes along the beach, "The captain lived in one, the maintenance foreman lived in another, and when I transferred to Zuma beach as a lifeguard in 1949, my family and I were soon living in a fine, fivebedroom beach home for which I paid the County of Los Angeles twenty-five dollars per month." The lifeguard crew expanded from one guard to a full crew by 1947, and in looser times, they were allowed to live and sleep in the headquarters for the summer, "The beach crowds in the 40s were not what they are today at Zuma," Porter remembered. "But there were plenty of rescues in the rough surf and lots of action for the crew whose numbers were only a fraction of the number there today."

Porter was amazed by the changes along Zuma Beach since he started working there in the mid-40s, "Today, all the houses have been removed and replaced with parking lots. The headquarters house was demolished and replaced by a modern building. Where we had one emergency car that couldn't be driven in the sand, there now must be close to a dozen all-terrain vehicles. The original four lifeguard towers have grown to around fifteen…Today across the Highway from Zuma Beach, the hillsides are covered with mansions and swimming pools. When I moved to Zuma in the 1940s, there was nothing but tomato and lima bean farming going on there."

Porter is amazed but wonders what the Chumash would think if they could time travel across millennia, "If the Chumash who were here a thousand years ago were here today, they would be amazed. But if they stood on the beach and only looked seaward, they would find that nothing has changed. The white sand under their feet and the same beautiful ocean with its crystal clear, cold water is there. The powerful white

cal porter (1924-2019) Legendary lifeguard and iconic California waterman water breakers are still rolling in unchanged for thousands of years and probably thousands to come. The Chumash Indians would feel completely at home in their Zuma, their land of abundance."

Time travel across the decades from the mid-1940s to the mid-1970s, Neil Young also remembered his time at Zuma Beach in his autobiography Waging Heavy Peace. Mr. Young remembers an arc from Bob Dylan to Rick Rubin as he provided some flavor into the many flavors of the Malibu music scene in the mid-1970s.

In Chapter 54, Young travels from Chicago to Nashville for personal and creative reasons, then gets back to the beach, "When I got to LA, I was soon in the Malibu groove. Briggs

and I were up to our old tricks, having a lot of fun in the bars at night and lying around in the sun all day. I had rented a house on Broad Beach Road. Nanu became a regular on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). Ben had driven the car out from Nashville and brought it to LA. Nanu was the scene of many good times. There was a bar named the Crazy Horse Saloon in Malibu that we frequented. Poncho had a house on the PCH, and we hung out there, too. There were lots of girls, and we were living the dream. I kept writing, and when I wrote "Cortez the Killer" and 'Hitchhiker.'

I called for the Horse to come and record. We decided on Briggs's Point Dume house with the Green Board as the ideal location. I lived a few miles north near Zuma Beach. Malibu, with the Crazy Horse Saloon, was a few miles south. It was a perfect situation for good times.

The album Zuma is the first album we made with Crazy Horse after Poncho joined the band. It's one of my favorites."

Cal Porter and Neil Young's memories are just two stories from an abundance of history going back 11,000 years to the Chumash when wild, exotic animals roamed the beach and all the way to the present — when wild exotic animals roamed the beach. Most recently, Zuma made national headlines when it became a blood-red-skies surreal sanctuary for dogs, llamas, horses, ponies, and other animals foreign and domestic, all escaping the heat and smoke of the Woolsey Fire.

In addition, the many fire engines both in and out of town stationed and stationary along Zuma Beach, which also raised eyebrows among some Malibu citizens, who wondered why all those men and machines weren't deployed to save houses.

Abundance. Zuma. The next time you are jogging the beach or riding your EBike on the path, walking your dog, sailboarding, surfing, standup paddling, playing your guitar, watching the sunset, making out, or daydreaming about going beyond the horizon. Or living in one of those palaces in the sun up high in the hills, close your eyes and look around with your ears and feel all that Zuma music—from Chumash chants to Spanish Canciones to Mick and Neil and Bono. Music is in the air—some of it happy, some of it sad, but all in abundance.

Rafi Lounge NFT MEMBERSHIP

Health, Wellness, and Workspace

By Nic Mattson

The sparkling Pacific Ocean and big blue sky meet in the coastal backdrop of Rafi Lounge, an oasis of health and wellness overlooking the sand and surf of Malibu. Rafi Anteby’s health and wellness lounge will add to its one-of-akind experience this October with an exclusive NFT membership in a limited run.

At this point, you may be asking what’s an NFT, why is it limited, and what makes it exclusive? The answers to these questions are presented in an unfolding experience of the mind, body, and spirit which takes place in the heart of Malibu in the rooftop esplanade known as Rafi Lounge.

An NFT is short for the digital asset known as a “nonfungible token.” In practice it acts as a key or a deed which proves ownership for the holder and can relate to anything from real estate, to physical or digital items. At Rafi Lounge, it means access.

From PCH, a look up at Rafi Lounge presents a scene of tents and umbrellas, with members soaking in the sun, sounds, and science of the health club. But from the deck of the lounge, with an encompassing view of the Ocean, members refresh, exercise, and stimulate the mind, body, and spirit, a new model of health and wellness emerges.

With the first-of-its-kind NFT drop at Rafi Lounge, an exclusive asset class will be born to grant owners lifetime access to all that Rafi Lounge has to offer.

RAFI

a level of self defense and discipline which led him to train in kung fu. After serving four years in the Israeli army, he practiced two years of kung fu in monastery condition in Hong Kong then taught kung fu in South Africa, and won the World Title Shaolin world tournament in China.

His experiences brought him close to natural healing and spiritual healing, which came in handy when he was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration, and told he was going to go blind. His teachers recommended him to take acupuncture, and to study medical qigong in China. After which, Rafi was invited to study at the Wudang Taoist Monastery where he became a monk trained in qigong, tai chi, and taoism.

“All those things brought me to this lifestyle that I carry with me all my life that shape really who I am today,” Rafi said in an interview with Axel Arzola.

In his journey, it was art that guided his travels. His curious mind and engaging spirit embraced new experiences as he healed from his past.

“I love nature, and would travel by myself to different places,” Rafi said, “I practice art as well as an escape and a way to focus. I couldn’t focus unless I paint.”

Prior to the pandemic, Rafi created “gifting lounges” for celebrities during award ceremonies, and was also intrigued by the emergence of the “digital nomad” who could work from anywhere. On return from a trip abroad in 2020 at the outbreak of the pandemic, he decided to bring his lifetime of exploration and exercise to one place as an opportunity for others who have not had the chance to experience things he had.

On August 23, 2020, he opened Rafi Lounge on the 6,000 square foot balcony. His vision to create a safe haven of his experiences and merge them together into one thing where health and wellness can permeate its members and bring healing into relationships and financial matters was born.

“Everybody can have healing experiences, and all kinds of wellness modalities from the ancient warriors and ancient healers,” Rafi said, “and at the same time uplift them with futuristic modalities of health and financial wellness so they can really grow into the ‘next world.’”

RAFI LOUNGE

Rafi Lounge is a new age of health and wellness hybrid where members can work and meet productively, then shift to engage and exercise with like-minded people overlooking Malibu landmarks including Carbon Beach and Malibu Pier.

Members of Rafi Lounge enjoy access to work and study spaces, refreshments, wellness and workout classes, networking opportunities with creatives, and educational classes.

Classes and experiences include yoga, guided meditation, soundbaths, cycling, boxing, martial arts, dancing, Reiki, Tai Chi, master classes with gurus, and a long list of additional options. Rafi merges ancient wisdom and practice with the future of tech, including educational Web3 evenings to gather those interested in the future of the internet.

These experiences from the Malibu rooftop provide guided personal exercise and networking to advance personal and professional growth in a space curated by Rafi for optimum increase and engagement.

RAFI LOUNGE NFT

“What I realized is that the world on some level is turning upside down, in the most beautiful way,” Rafi said. “More and more we see kids teaching their parents to be social in new ways and make money in new ways.”

As a former taoist monk, Rafi is immersed in the I Ching — the “Book of Changes.”

“Everything is changeable,” Rafi said. “In the beginning of the pandemic, I said to all my students from around the world that this is the time they will learn how to pivot. So they better understand that everything they practice in pivoting in martial arts … this is the time.”

During that time, Rafi studied the emergence of NFTs from both an artist and a utility perspective. What he saw is that they allowed artists to present themselves in a new way, as well as allow for a utility that presented new ways of access, and he wanted to know more.

“I hosted a few NFT nights here, bringing different speakers,” Rafi said. “And if I can say it in a humble way, it was for personal reasons — I wanted to learn. So, I was bringing different people and listening to their lectures, and was able to pick and choose my team.”

In discovering the NFT world, Rafi learned the balance that the digital asset offered, and decided to integrate it into Rafi Lounge as both art and utility.

“As an artist, I paint mandalas from sand and I always wanted to share it,” Rafi said. “It is very difficult for an artist. It takes me over 2,000 hours to create one mandala. It is grain by grain that I put down, and it is two years of my life to do it. So to sell it — it is like saying goodbye to a piece of my life.”

The NFT offered Rafi an opportunity to fractionalize his artwork and sell it without giving up the art completely, so others can still enjoy his art. The NFT offers members to attain ownership in his mandala as well as lifetime benefits at Rafi Lounge.

“We bring here the best of the best,” Rafi said, “from the Lama of Tibet to Sri Sri, the guru from India, to Gladys Knight who performed herem, to Brooke Burke who is teaching here and other amazing teachers that we have.”

The NFT gave Rafi a means to distribute an ownership stake of Rafi Lounge in both art and utility, and owners benefit from the expansion of experiences at Rafi Lounge. The value of NFT is emerging in the digital space, and their application in utility is emerging. Rafi sees his lounge — and the existing delivery of service, experience and opportunity — as a substantive asset integrated in an emerging digital reality.

“The NFT was the perfect thing,” Rafi said. “You take the NFT and distribute it to your members and they become almost like partners. They have the same goal as you — to make it go high. As the NFT world grows, I really believe that it will bring more and more utility. People want to see there is a substance behind it. I’m not a Picasso. I don’t have $10M art. My art has value, but the NFT needs utility.”

Rafi Lounge provides tangible utility for its members, and Rafi stands behind what he created.

“I have proven my utility,” Rafi said. “I have had Rafi Lounge for two years, it’s not going, it’s only growing. I opened it in the most difficult time. When everybody closed down, I opened. I was the only thing open in town and I opened it correctly. It was a health club, outdoors, and met all CDC requirements. It was a very good opportunity for me to explore it and showcase it to the world. I think it is the perfect thing at the right time.”

THE FUTURE

“I think what is happening now is a merging of two worlds that is so beautiful and that is what I wanted to bring together in Rafi Lounge,” Rafi said, “ a space to focus and work, hold meetings with like-minded people, then hop onto a cycle or into a class of boxing, tai chi, qigong, kundalini, yoga, and enjoy those things that uplift them and help them get healthy from the inside and from the outside.”

The power of the internet is in its infancy as it connects the people of the earth. The possibilities are continually emerging, merging, evolving and reproducing.

“I hope people will elevate their consciousness the same way the internet goes,” Rafi said. “The internet is something that happened, and people don’t even realize. We see so much polarity, so much left and right, but really the internet broke all borders. I’m Israeli, and I can contact a Palestinian guy and say ‘I want you to be my brother. I want you to be my friend.’ We can contact people from all parts of the world and overcome the system that tells us not to.”

Rafi envisions his lounge as a physical space that can inspire the elevation of the mind, body, and spirit of the individual and into the larger world.

“If I can do it on Rafi Lounge and bring people of like mind together, then the collective consciousness can grow on so many levels,” Rafi said. “Each one of us can do that part. I wish everyone could see that, and see the little bit that is pushed and make the difference that is so big. If you knew how little you push that makes a difference — you go on the beach and you see a plastic bag and the seagull right next to it … stop and put it in your pocket and you don’t see the butterfly effect of that action. I wish for everyone to see that and be mindful and care about what is happening next door.”

Rafi Lounge NFT membership opens in October, with perks including: • Access to all Health, Wellness & Workout Classes • Access to Collaborative Work,

Meeting & Study Spaces • Networking Opportunities with other Creatives • Educational Web3 Events • 50% Discount on all 4 Rafi

Lounge Annual Retreats • Own a portion of the

Physical “Malibu” Mandala as Fractional Art • Resell the NFT or Lease the NFT upon Vetting

RESERVE YOUR POSITION