After the New Age

Book excerpt: Its 1976, and Janet Tanhurst is a teenager who feels stifled by life with her strict mother, and the authoritarian church she must attend. Once out of high school, however, Janet is initiated into a fascinating new world of Astrology, Tarot cards, and Spirit Mediums. Next, she encounters the mysterious world of UFOs?a bewildering and sometimes frightening realm encompassing ancient astronauts, alien abductions, and shadowy government conspiracies. As the 1980s arrive, the Christian-dominated Piscean Age seems to be giving way to a long-anticipated Aquarian Age, with its hope for a coming revolution in higher consciousness. There are new paradigms in philosophy and science?promoting a holographic conception of the universe as engaged in a Cosmic Dance?along with the emergence of an introspective type of instrumental music known as New Age. With the help of bookstore owner Whisper Wynn, Janet investigates subjects such as reincarnation, quartz crystals, chakras and the human aura, in addition to an exciting new form of spiritual teaching called channeling. Following movement leaders including Shirley MacLaine and Marianne Williamson, studying enigmatic teachers like G.I. Gurdjieff and Carlos Castaneda, and inspired by medical doctors such as Deepak Chopra and Andrew Weil, she learns about Alternative Medicine and Holistic Health, as well as traditional health practices from China, Japan, and India. She assimilates wisdom from the ancient Celts along with rituals from contemporary Goddess worshippers, in formulating her own unique concept of the Divine that is within us all.