The Age of Separation, the Age of Reunion, and the convergence of crises that is birthing the transition

All Hallow's Eve

Once upon our time, our distant ancestors were animists who believed in the innate divinity of all things. Spirit was a property of matter, and all things possessed it: not just plants and animals but also rocks, clouds, lakes, wind, places, and every natural thing and process. I said all things possessed spirit, but that isn't quite what the original animists believed. Spirit was not something separate from matter, to be possessed or not. Matter was inherently spiritual. MORE...

A State of Belief is a State of Being

(From the Fall 2005 issue of The Journal of Scientific Exploration. I no longer teach at Penn State.) For several years I have conducted a rather unusual activity in my classroom at Penn State. I ask my class—approximately 45 students representing a broad cross-section of the student body—to bring in a story that "doesn't fit into scientific reality." I tell them it could be anything—a ghost story, something with alternative medicine, a UFO sighting, a dream that came true, an experience with a fortune teller or ouija board. . . anything. "If you've never had such an experience," I say, "ask your friends and relatives." The justification I give them beforehand is that by considering what our culture categorizes as "unscientific", we will shed light on what the adjective "scientific" means as well.

When they begin sharing their stories in turn, I unleash a little surprise.READ MORE

The Testicular Age

And the shift from the Yin feminine to the Yang feminine. READ MORE

Who Will Collect the Garbage?

I had a conversation today about the beautiful world that I believe will be born out of the converging crises of our age. One characteristic of this world will be that each person will have recovered a very basic, simple birthright: to wake up in the morning excited and happy about their work for the day. We will be in love with what we do; in other words, we will all be artists. READ MORE

The Ubiquitous Matrix of Lies

Let's begin with beer. Every day I drive past a billboard for Coors Light with the slogan, "Coors rocks Harrisburg." Now, does anybody actually believe that Coors does in fact "rock Harrisburg"? No. Does the Coors corporation itself believe it? No. Does anyone believe that Coors believes it? No. It is a lie, everyone knows it is a lie, and no one cares. Everyone automatically writes it off as an ad slogan, an image campaign.

The next sign advertises Miller Beer with the phrase, "Fresh beer tastes better." Does anyone actually think Miller is any fresher than Budweiser, Coors, or Pabst? No. Does anyone at Miller Brewing think that? No. It is another obvious and unremarkable lie, beneath the threshold of most people's awareness. But it contributes to a feeling of living in a phony world where words don't matter and nothing is real. READ MORE

The New Epidemics

Did you know that right now, we are in the midst of a disease epidemic that is already at least 100 times more prevalent than the feared polio epidemic of the 1950s? Most people don't know it. Their ignorance testifies to the novel character of this disease, the lowered expectations we have for human health, and the atomization of community that has rendered sickness into a private affair. READ MORE

You're Bad!

(And what environmentalism would look like if you weren't)

I had a conversation with my brother yesterday about Thom Hartmann's Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight. John is a farmer with sophisticated literary tastes and a refreshingly unconventional, earthy perspective on the issues of our time. Since he doesn't use the Internet or read newspapers or magazines, the echo chamber of public discourse cannot distort his powers of discernment. He is one of my main allies reminding me that I am not, in fact, crazy. READ MORE

A 28-year Lie: The Wrong Lesson

The New York Times reports today that M.I.T. admissions dean Marilee Jones has resigned after admitting she fabricated her educational resume. Apparently, she did not even have an undergraduate degree. M.I.T. is, according to Chancellor Philip Clay, "taking a big lesson from this experience," in which it made little effort to check her credentials. Hmm. There is a big lesson here all right, but I think it is almost the opposite of what Dr. Clay thinks it is. READ MORE