Tobias Churton

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Spiritual Meaning Of The Sixties

No decade in modern history has generated more controversy and divisiveness than the tumultuous 1960s. For some, the '60s were an era of free love, drugs and social revolution. For others, the Sixties were an ungodly rejection of all that was good and holy. Embarking on a profound search for the spiritual meaning behind the massive social upheavals of the 1960s, Tobias Churton turns a kaleidoscopic lens on religious and esoteric history, industry, science, philosophy, art and social revolution to identify the meaning behind all these diverse movements. Engaging with views of mainstream historians, some of whom write off this pivotal decade as heralding an overall decline in moral values and respect for tradition, Churton examines the intricate network of spiritual forces at play in the era. He reveals spiritual principles that united the free love movement, the civil rights and anti-war movements, the hippies' rejection of materialist culture and the eventual rise of feminism, gay rights and environmentalism. He traces influences from mediaeval troubadours, Gnosticism, Hindu philosophy, Renaissance hermetic magic and the occult doctrines of Aleister Crowley. He, also, examines the psychedelic revolution, the genesis of popular interest in UFOs and the psychological consequences of the Bomb and the assassinations of the Kennedys and Martin Luther King. In addition, Churton investigates the huge shifts in consciousness reflected in the movies, music, art and literature of the era - from Frank Sinatra to the Beatles, from I Love Lucy to Star Trek, from John Wayne to Midnight Cowboy - much of which still resonates with the youth of today.