The Social Geography of New Age Spirituality In
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THE SOCIAL GEOGRAPHY OF NEW AGE SPIRITUALITY IN VANCOUVER By COLIN IVOR MILLS B.A., The University of British Columbia, 1990. A THESIS SUBMITThD IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Department of Geography) We accept this thesis as conforming requ andard THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA January, 1994. © Cohn Ivor Mills, 1994. ___ ___ In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the head of my department or by his or her representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. (Signature) Department of / The University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada Date 2- DE-6 (2/88) 11 ABSTRACT - The Social Geography of New Ae Spirituality in Vancouver It was expected that by the end of the twentieth-century, due to human achievement and technology, religion would be a mere fading memory in the minds and the history books of modernized western people. This has been expressed through the secularization thesis, which describes a “disenchantment” of western culture. Over the last ten years, however, there has been a growing movement seeking to re-enchant this culture by exploring and reconsidering religion, myth and spirituality. One of the most powerful expressions of this is popularly referred to as the New Age Movement. This thesis looks at the relationship between New Age and secularization theory, examining the reasons for an apparent turn away from secularization. By using Jacques Ellul’s interpretation of the history of the sacred, this thesis proposes that far from being a time of secularization, modernism ushered in an era where the sacred canopy of Christianity was replaced by a new sacred expression in the form of science and technology. In recent years, however, the perceived failure of modernism has generated a search for a new set of sacred expressions in western society. New Age and postmodernism are vehicles which people are using to initiate this search. Currently both phenomena are looking to three sources in order to recover meaning and control over life: the past and the distant, nature and the self. The theoretical challenge New Age and postmodernism represents to the secularization thesis is made concrete in the geography of the New Age Movement. This thesis makes a physical connection between the New Age and areas of gentrification, which contradicts the assumptions of the secularization thesis by proving that an area which should be highly secularized is in fact a place of spiritual exploration. 111 Table of Contents Abstract ii Table of Contents iii Table of Figures v Acknowledgements vii Chapter One - Introduction 1 General Introduction 1 Methodology 3 Introduction to Participants 11 Chapter Two - An Introduction to the New Age Movement 30 Defining the New Age Movement 30 The Prevalence of the New Age Movement 39 Describing the New Age Movement: New Age Beliefs 56 Conclusion 72 Chapter Three - Cultural Preparation for the New Age 73 Introduction 73 Jacques Ellul: The New Demons 75 Enlightenment to Modernism 82 Questioning Modernism 94 From Modernism to Postmodernism 100 Conclusion 101 Chapter Four - Living the Postmodern 103 Introduction 103 Role of Narratives and Meta-narratives 104 The Recovery of Meaning: The Distant and the Past 107 The Recovery of Meaning: Nature 114 The Recovery of Meaning: Self 119 Jean Baudrillard and Shirley MacLame: Image and Reality 121 Conclusion 127 Chapter Five-Modernism, Postmodernism and New Age:A Common Purpose 129 Modernism and Modernization 129 The Characteristics of Modernism 130 The Common Thread: Control 136 New Age and Science: Proving the Connection 163 Conclusion 175 iv Chapter Six - The 1960s Counterculture and the New Age Movement 177 The 1960’s Counterculture 177 Countercultures in Vancouver 207 Conclusion 214 Chapter Seven - Common Ground: A Voice for New Age in Vancouver 215 Introduction 215 Measuring the Growth 221 Some General Observations 225 New Age Finds Common Ground: Themes and. Trends 229 Conclusion 253 Chapter Eight - The Geography of New Age in Vancouver 255 Gentrification 255 Gentrification, Kitsilano and the New Age Movement 261 Lifestyle, Kisitlano and Spiritual Geography of New Age 271 Conclusion 294 Chapter Nine - Conclusion 297 References 306 V Table of Figures Figure 1.1 - Base Map of Vancouver and Surrounding Districts 7 Figure 4.1 - Dominant Modem World View and Deep Ecology 118 Figure 4.2 - Mobius Strip 124 Figure 4.3 - T’ai-Chi 124 Figure 4.4 - Figure from The Aquarian Conspiracy 125 Figure 5.1 - Number of Listings in the categories “Events” and “Ongoing Events” 148 Figure 5.2 - Natural Law Party Theory of Universal Governance 170 Figure 6.1 - Age Distribution in Kitsilano and Vancouver, 1951 - 1986 211 Figure 6.2 - Membership for all Protestant Churches, Kitsilano, 1951 - 1986 212 Figure 7.1 - Number of Copies of Common Ground Printed Per Issue 222 Figure 7.2 - Number of Pages Per Issue of Common Ground 223 Figure 7.3 - Advertisements in Common Ground: Number in Resource Directory 224 Figure 7.4 - Advertisements in Common Ground: Number of Independent Advertisements 224 Figure 7.5 - Advertisements in Common Ground: Total Number of Advertisement Per Issue 225 Figure 7.6 - Number of Health, Psychology and Spirituality Listings 246 Figure 7.7 - Percentage of Advertising in Health, Psychology and Spirituality 246 Figure 8.1 - Social Status in Kitsilano: 1950 - 1980 263 Figure 8.2 - Percentage of Kitsilano Population with a University Education 264 Figure 8.3 - Location of Advertisers from: “Health, Healing & Bodywork”, Psychology Therapy & Counselling” and “Spiritual Practices” in 1983 265 vi Figure 8.4 - Location of Advertisers from: “Health, Healing & Bodywork”, Psychology Therapy & Counselling” and “Spiritual Practices” in 1987 265 Figure 8.5 - Location of Advertisers from: “Health, Healing & Bodywork”, Psychology Therapy & Counselling” and “Spiritual Practices” in 1993 266 Figure 8.6 - Changes in Advertising from: “Health, Healing & Bodywork”, Psychology Therapy & Counselling” and “Spiritual Practices” from 1983 to 1987 267 Figure 8.7 - Changes in Advertising from: “Health, Healing & Bodywork”, Psychology Therapy & Counselling” and “Spiritual Practices” from 1983 to 1987 268 Figure 8.8 - Change in Number of Specifically New Age Advertisers from all Resource Categories, 1983 - 1987 269 Figure 8.9 - Change in Number of Specifically New Age Advertisers from all Resource Categories, 1987 - 1993 269 Figure 8.10 - Absolute Numbers of Specifically New Age Advertisers in Common Ground, 1983 270 Figure 8.11 - Absolute Numbers of Specifically New Age Advertisers in Common Ground, 1987 270 Figure 8.12 -Absolute Numbers of Specifically New Age Advertisers in Common Ground, 1993 271 Figure 8.13 - Distribution of Participants 272 Figure 8.14 - Base Map of Generalized Districts 273 Figure 8.15 - Average Number of Years Participants have been Operating Current Business 274 Figure 8.16-Percentage of Votes for Natural Law Party, by District 276 vii Acknowledgments I must begin my acknowledgments by recognizing the unparalleled support which was freely given to me by Letty, who was with me at the beginning of this project as my girlfriend and was with me as my wife when I completed it. I could not have completed this without her love along with her emotional, spiritual and financial support. This thesis exists because she believed I could do it. I must also extend gratitude to my senior advisor Dr. David Ley. His gentle correcting, seemingly endless well of insight, constant encouragement and patience were invaluable. Also I would like to thank Dr. Craig Gay who taught me about secularization and was willing to take on the task of being the second reader of this thesis. Of course I must also extend my thanks to the members of my family. To my parents, thank- you for your support and faith in my abilities. To my brother, sister and brother-in- law thank-you for your proof reading and support. I would like to thank my parents-in-law, Lorette Woolsey and Ralph Hakstian who graciously and generously gave me unrestricted access to their computer equipment on which 1 did all my printing. I would like to thank Stephen Buckley who was a constant friend and support throughout this project. I thank him for his proof reading and for being a ready ear for my many ideas. Our many late-night discussions were most fruitful. Similarly I would like to thank Andrew Jinks and Frank Wallace who also did proof reading. I am perhaps most indebted to the thirty interview participants who offered their time and life stories for my thesis. Thank-you all for being so generous, gracious and forthcoming. Finally I am anxious to thank the Lord God who granted me the talents and gifts to be able to create this work. It is my hope and prayer that in the future God will use this work towards His own glory. 1 Chapter One - INTRODUCTION GENERAL INTRODUCTION Almost everybody has heard about it, yet it seems that few people can define it. Everyone knows someone who they would consider to be part of it, yet few claim to be part of it themselves. Many people know it is here, however, few seem to know where it has come from. Associated with Hollywood and Southern California as a whole, the New Age Movement and its philosophies appear in movies, television shows, books and newspaper articles. Almost passé is the omni-present image of Shirley MacLame which is presented visually and conjured-up mentally whenever the topic is raised in the media or in everyday conversation.