122 ... Gabriel Morrisof my individual spiritual process. I seemed to be moving into an
experience of life and reality that was becoming ever more interest-
ing, exciting, dynamic, and imbued with meaning, as I progressed
with this dynamic spiritual force. It was as if I were breaking down
the walls between the conscious and subconscious realms and, in the
process, revealing things that were going on “behind the scenes” so
to speak, of the visible, outer world. I was beginning to interact with
the world on various levels previously hidden to me—or at least, I
was becoming more aware of the fact that this was taking place.
I volunteered eight hours of my time at the Whole Life Expo in
exchange for free admission, plus a ticket to one workshop of my
choice. The Expo reminded me somewhat of an indoor Rainbow
Gathering, with a distinctly New Age focus. It was a great opportu-
nity for people watching and, like the gatherings, it drew a wide va-
riety of people, many of them very colorful and out of the ordinary.
Although the New Age phenomenon tends to get lumped into one
category because of a few commonly shared beliefs, there is really
a broad range of doctrines, practices, and values amidst the collec-
tion of ideas labeled as “New Age.” It includes people from, and thus
incorporates aspects of, virtually every recognized world religion, as
well as every conceivable belief system outside of organized religion.
Many of the people at these events are undoubtedly not very in
touch with what consensus calls “reality.” Conspiracy theories cer-
tainly abound, as well as belief systems that seem founded on little
other than personal belief. But many are conversely following spiritu-
al paths that are grounded in ancient practices and are also connected
in various ways with the everyday affairs of the world: promoting
alternative gardening and energy efficiency, practicing healing tech-
niques such as yoga, massage, meditation, and alternative medicine,
affecting global change through politics, law, and humanitarian ef-
forts, and simply broadening the arena of human discourse.
As with all social movements, the so-called New Age phenomenon
definitely has its polarization of both positive and negative effects on