Over a decade ago, I used to hang with the Rainbow serpent crew (Green Ant) with their earlier parties and was a bit of a groupy/trance travelling tripper. I was also massively into the new age, meditation and shamanic practices and I saw the connect between the two movements back then. That whole psy trance psychedelic movement was just delightful to be a pioneer of. That scene has now become massively popular where I thought it would die off. Amazing. Also amazing that it has stayed true to its roots.

I got out of partying in this scene becuase I was going a little mad. And the drugs were shifting from psychedelics to pills and speed and even drinking etc. Very hard on the body and mind with the late nights etc.

I got out of the new age movement not long after raving, and after trying to heal myself from drug abuse through new age systems. After a while, I felt it was far too diluted and I started to begin to lose trust in a few of the practitioners I saw. Too much fluff, not enough substance. So I swore to myself that I would knuckle down and become an ordinary Aussie Bloke, who goes out to the pub, who has a regular blokes job and functions in normal tick tock society. Doesn’t trip out, doesn’t have the highs and lows, doesn’t think too much about things. Just gets on with it. It was quite a concious decision at the time.

I have to say after a decade long journey through that mission, I think the average aussie bloke isn’t really that satisfied, fulfilled or really all that happy. Or maybe it’s me, I’ve seen too much and just can’t settle for anything less.

I think the first chance I had to get back into it with some sense of faith was when I discovered you Jost, randomly at a new age expo here in Melb some yrs back. Your ideas pretty much got my ass off drugs within a year (and I didn’t follow everything you taught either, simply the knowledge of what they were doing to my inner systems was enough to start my journey away from drugs permanently).

Now years later I am happy to find this site and even happier that your systems are developing and evolving. This is a great thing. thanks.

Ant

There must be a purpose behind the immense popularity and consumption of recreational drugs, and I hope to hear more from you regarding this issue.

Have you read ‘Breaking Open The Head’ - by Daniel Pinchbeck?

Regarding the commercialisation of the New Age - I think this has been a very subtle and effective ’snuffing out’ of the revolutionary potential that this movement once had, by the ever-pervasive workings of the capitalist machine. What better way to reduce the threat of something than by effectively ‘purchasing’ it, and selling it back to people, albeit in a very watered-down version?

People’s desire for new spiritual potentials has created a huge demand for New Age products, but also left some of them wide open to exploitation - people led by their hearts who have been sold a less than ‘authentic’ (Zenophobia) product/experience.

One has to wonder, can ‘authenticity’ be purchased?

I do believe in a socially responsible/responsive form of capitalism, but it would take a new vision for this to become a reality - perhaps that is part of the work that this current generation of drug-users will be called upon for…..

New age media and magazines are so full of flighty ideas, and article-authors trying to do the same thing, pursue their life purpose and re-write the same article in different words about the path of surrendering the ego and being in the NOW.

So now that’s been over done, what’s next?

Maybe we should start a new, new age. Called the Authentic age. Where people are encouraged to break out of all the boxes and cliches and explore their own infinite possiblities by looking within, and not subscribing to other people’s ideas about how to live.

Come on people, society is becoming so over regulated, distracted, complacent and hypnotised! Let’s be real!