In a
grassy meadow at the 7500-foot elevation in the Jemez mountains
of northern New Mexico, a thousand young Americans (most of them between the ages
of 20 and 25) gathered for ten days of spiritual exercises at the time of the
summer solstice in June, 1973. They arise at four a.m. every day and assemble before sunrise (wrapped in blankets
against the morning frost) to sit on the ground in rows in front of an outdoor
stage. Together, they begin the day with a mantra in Punjabi (a Sanskritic
language) in order to "tune in" to the spiritual practices that are
to follow.
First there are several hours of kundalini yoga a
series of strenuous physical exercises, chanting, and meditation aimed at
acquiring conscious control of body and mind processes and preparing one for
"God realization." Then there is the ceremony of the raising of two
flags: the American flag and the "flag of the Aquarian nation" — this
"nation" being the peaceful people of the "Aquarian Age" or
millenium for which this cult is preparing — accompanied by the singing of
"God Bless America" and a prayer for the American nation. After a
vegetarian meal (typical of almost all the new cults) and lectures on spiritual
and practical subjects, all prepare for a long session of tantric yoga.
Tantric yoga has been little heard of and almost
never practiced in the West up to now. All authorities agree that it is an
extremely dangerous exercise, practiced always by male and female together,
that evokes a very powerful psychic energy, requiring close supervision and
control. Supposedly, there is only one master of tantric yoga living on the
earth at any one time; the exercises at "Solstice" in New Mexico were led by the "Great Tantric" of our days,
Yogi Bhajan.
All, dressed identically in white, sit down in
long, straight lines, men opposite women, packed shoulder-to-shoulder down the
lines and back-to-back with the next line. About ten double lines stretch out
from the stage, each 75 feet long; assistants make sure the lines are perfectly
straight to assure the proper "flow" of the yogi "magnetic
field."
The chanting of mantras begins, with special
chants invoking a departed guru who is Yogi Bhajan's "special
protector." The Yogi himself, an impressive man — six feet four inches
tall with a great black beard, dressed in white robe and turban — appears and
begins to speak of his dream for "a new beautiful creative nation" of
America which can be built by the spiritual preparation of people today; the
tantric exercises, which are a key in this preparation, transform people from
their usual "individual consciousness" to "group
consciousness" and finally to "universal consciousness."
The exercises begin. They are extremely difficult,
involving strong physical effort and pain and evoking strong emotions of fear,
anger, love, etc. Everyone must do exactly the same thing at the same time;
difficult positions are held motionlessly for long periods; complicated mantras
and exercises must be executed in precise coordination with one's partner and
with everyone in one's own row; each separate exercise may take from 31 to 61
minutes. Individual awareness disappears in the intense group activity, and
strong after-effects are felt — physical exhaustion and sometimes temporary
paralysis, emotional exhaustion or elation. Further, since no one at
"Solstice" is allowed to converse with anyone else, there is no
opportunity to make rational sense of the experience by sharing it with others;
the aim is to effect a radical change in oneself.
Following afternoon classes in such subjects as
Oriental arts of self-defense, practical medicine and nutrition, and the
running of an ashram, there is an evening session (after another meal) of
"spiritual singing:" Sanskrit mantras are sung to current folk and
"rock" music, "rock festival" and "joyful
worship" in a foreign tongue are joined together — part of Yogi Bhajan's
effort to make his religion "native American."
The religion described above is a modern
adaptation of the Sikh religion of northern India, joined to several practices of yoga. Called the
"3HO" (Healthy Happy-Holy Organization), it was founded in 1969 in
Los Angeles by Yogi Bhajan, who originally came to America to take up a
teaching position and only incidentally became a religious leader when he
discovered that his courses in yoga appealed to the "hippies" of
southern California. Combining the "spiritual" search of the
"hippies" with his own knowledge of Indian religions, he formed an
"American" religion that differs from most Eastern religions by its
emphasis on a this-worldly practical life (like the Sikhs in India, who are
mostly a merchant class); marriage and a stable home life, responsible
employment, and social service are required of all members.
Since its foundation in 1969, "3HO" has
expanded to over 100 ashrams (communities which serve as gathering-places for
non-resident participants) in American cities, as well as a few in Europe and Japan. Although externally it is quite distinct from the other
new Eastern cults (full members of the cult formally become Sikhs and
thereafter wear the characteristic Sikh turban and white clothing),
"3HO" is one with them in appealing to ex-"hippies," making
an "expanded" (or "universal" or
"transcendental") consciousness its central aim, and in seeing itself
as a spiritual "avant-garde" that will bring about a new millenial
age (which most groups see in astrological terms as the "Aquarian
Age").
As a cult that advocates a relatively normal life
in society, "3HO" is still just as much a "sign of the
times" as the Hindu cults that promote an obvious "escapism;" it
is preparing for a "healthy, happy and holy" America totally without reference to Christ. When convinced and
"happy" Americans speak calmly about God and their religious duties
without mention of Christ, one can no longer doubt that the "post
Christian" age has come in earnest.
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