These fascinating essays on a variety of New Age concerns reveal how a higher state of consciousness can be explained in spiritual and scientific terms. A leader in the quest for higher human development, John White has long sought to awaken us to our potential for growth in body, mind, and spirit. Here he tackles the age-old conflict between the rationalist and religious worldviews to show how an understanding of their complementary natures can clarify our view of Ultimate Reality and usher in a New Age.
The author begins by drawing on the research of leading neuro-scientists and transpersonal psychologists to depict a realistic view of the mind/brain relationship, then critiques a wide range of paranormal phenomena including yoga, firewalking, holistic medicine, UFOs, and reincarnation, describing both their dangers and benefits for self-transcendence. He then goes on to examine the quest for enlightenment from a spiritual view with intriguing discussions of, among other topics, channeling's role in higher development, the martial arts, the JudeoChristian tradition, and the Second Coming. White's arguments are punctuated throughout with the perennial wisdom of the spiritual giants of history: Sri Aurobindo, Gopi Krishna, Gautama the Buddha, Lao Tzu, and Jesus of Nazareth whom White describes as the model for the New Age.
The result is a provocative and positive look at the future of humanity. In his downto-earth style, White also acknowledges the dark side of the New Age and debunks much of the faddishness, media hype, and gross commercialism currently posing as enlightenment. Yet he eloquently presents the genuine and valuable core of the movement, as well as our emerging global culture, as evidence for his astonishing theory that man is continuing to evolve spiritually and psychically into a higher form of humanity: homo noeticus.
For anyone interested in the sciences of consciousness, or anyone simply seeking confirmation that the New Age movement can offer true enlightenment, The Meeting of Science and Spirit presents an insightful and inspiring guide to spiritual growth.
