Son Richard Greenwood did the cover art for Issue #2 which highlighted his brother Joseph Greenwood's article on the Mysteries of the Tarot II: The Celtic Cross. Richard continued as Art Editor for the life of this publication. The Art Staff for this issue included Gurelle Marquis, Marge Neufer, and Kimberli Wilson. Gurelle did the centerfold drawing, "A Coloring Page for Children of All Ages," illustrating a poem by Lonnie Lockett.
If you were in Gainesville in 1983, you no doubt remember our extraordinary holistic physician, Joel Friedman. I quoted him in my editorial for Issue #2 of NEW AGE gainesville. His words have stayed with me and guided me through a lot of life's challenges. How new the "new age" still was in Gainesville in 1983! It was no longer embryonic, having survived the '70s. I was awestruck by each discovery of a new way of looking at life and spirituality and wanted to experience them all.
Here's my old editorial sixteen years later:
NETWORKING - THE NEW AGE IS EVERYWHERE
My friend and doctor, Joel Friedman, recently told me, "Everything we do, we do for ourselves. Even when we are serving, we are doing it because it makes us feel good."
For those of you who asked me why I decided to do this publication, I just want to say that I thought it would make me feel good to do it. I was right. I really enjoy the process and the people who plug in along the way. It's "ecstatic joy" as Paul Hoffman would say.
One person told me she had been waiting for years for someone to put out another new age paper. So had I.
I'm a new age periodicals addict. I collect directories, newsletters, and magazines from everywhere. I still have copies of The List, published by Astra's Garden years ago. That paper helped me find my way to what I use to call Gainesville's "spiritual underground" when this was all new to me. Then Andy Lopez left Gainesville and The List was no more. I hope you find the listings of Centers and Groups in this issue helpful.
In Crescent Beach, former Gainesville resident and dear friend, Irene Wilson, updated us on the groups she is aware of, from full-moon meditations on Vilano Beach, to spiritual art classes at Life Forces Research Foundation, the dome-shaped new age center on A1A in Beverly Beach, two miles north of Flagler Beach.
In Ormond Beach, we found the Gladstar Bookshop on US 1. It's a metaphysical book store where classes are held, a newsletter is published, and a need exists already for a larger meeting room.
We didn't get to Orlando, but when we do, we stop at Spiral Circle and the New Age Centre to catch up on happenings there. Same goes for Tampa, where Ram Dass spoke, thanks to the Suncoast Center for Attitudinal Healing.
Our friends in Maui, Bonnie Lou and Rick Golden, sent a care package including Common Ground, a publication designed to "encourage positive growth and transformation" in Hawaii. What an extensive network!
Then Melody, Larry, and Shan Coffey visited and reported that the new age is alive and well in New Orleans where, among all the action, they attend a Buddhist circle.
We flew to Phoenix on the way to the Grand Canyon and picked up a copy of Omega: New Age Directory, which took us to places and people we might never have found without it. The movement is escalating in Arizona. You could go to a different transformational group every night for months. There were signs of people opening up everywhere, sharing their processes - and their love. It was like that in Phoenix and Tucson, Scottsdale, and Sedona.
Sedona is red rock country, and if you haven't experienced it, you deserve to take yourself there. It is indescribably enchanting. The energy vortex which Dick Sutphen described in Past Lives, Future Loves is there, and thought to be over the site of an ancient Lemurian city. The vibrations are intensely powerful.
In Nogales, Mexico, where Yoga Teachers are not listed in the yellow pages, we wondered if the shifting paradigms stopped at the border. Then a wonderful thing happened. Friends in San Miguel somehow got a copy of NEW AGE gainesville and asked if they could publish it in Spanish, adding some of their local new thought news. New Age San Miguel. Far out! As Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz, "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
Love and Light,
Patti Normandy
Dottie Zavada's LIBRE Center at 604 NW 13th Street had a full calendar of programs in September, 1983.
Jill Cook taught several classes in metaphysics. Frankie Z. Avery did trance sessions channeling Oma. David Saltzman gave a talk called "The Hundreth Monkey and Other Things." Neil Kaber shared information about dowsing. Nadja Ribeiro told us about Shiatsu and the 5 Elements. Dr. Hanock Talmor's informative session was on Cancer Self-Help Education.
Issue #2 included these articles:
Affirmation and Visualization by Walter Busby
Hypertension by Renee Hoffinger
How Consciousness Evolves by laura Chase
Polarity, a Healing Art by Edwin Ricci
Book Review by Gordon Greenwood: Threshold to Tomorrow by Ruth Montgomery
Metamorphosis by Dottie Zavada
80's Astrology by Michael Parker
Dayspring by Kimberli Wilson
The Hundredth Monkey by Ken Keyes, Jr.
Mysteries of the Tarot II: The Celtic Cross by Joseph Greenwood
A Coloring Page for Children of All Ages. Artwork by Gurelle Marquis. Poetry by Lonnie Lockett
Dear Dolly Dass... Dolly answers your request for advice!
New Age Centers and Groups
There were about 30 New Age Centers and Groups listed in this issue along with the names of their contact people. How many do you remember?
A Course in Miracles Study Group - Jackie Tatum
Alternative University "People to People" - David Pais
Arica - Oscar Ichazo Teachings - Betty Sugarman and Paul Campbell
A.R.E. Study Group - Edgar Cayce Teachings - Bob Scott
Baha'i - Laura Newman
B'nai Or - Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi tapes. Kabbalistic mystical tradition - Renee Hoffinger
Creme, Benjamin - Reappearance of the Christ - Theresa Glaser
Eckankar - Jim, Jeff, or Guy
Feldencrais - Awareness Through Movement - Nancy Tyler
Full Moon Coop - Food buying club - Jose or Jean
Humanist Society - Joe Courter
Krishna - International Society for Krishna Consciousness
LIBRE - Wholistic Health Seminars - Dottie Zavada
Meditation Group - Mike and Lee Glancey
Meher Baba - Nancy Sencil
Peace Meditation Sunday closest to full moon - Fay Young
Psychic Awareness Group - Marge Romeis
Rajneesh - taped discourse and meditation
Sai Baba - Mike and Lee Glancey
Self-Realization Fellowship - Teachings of Yogananda - Pam DeWitt
Seth Discussion Group - Jhana
Siddha Meditation Center - Swami Muktananda's teachings
Sufi Dancing and Singing - Claudio Belfort
Summit Lighthouse - Ascended Master Teachings - Beverly or Nina
Temple of the Universe -Spiritual Community in Hague - Mickey Singer
Transcendental Meditation Program
Transformational Information Systems - New Age Information and Referral - Paul Hoffman
Unity of Gainesville - Rev. Joe Bettencourt
Vegetarian Education Association
Yoga Center of Gainesville - Amrit Desai teachings and video tapes, Kripalu Yoga teachings
The advertising manager for this issue was Ed Ricci. Advertising Representatives were Laura Chase, Michele Rippey, and Paula Zamarra. Since home computers were not yet readily available, I made a lot of the ads on an electric typewriter. Ad prices were kept as low as possible to include as many people as possible. A business card size cost $12.50 if camera-ready, with an added $5.00 preparation fee if we had to create one from scratch. The highest priced ad was for the back cover, $125.00. It was always bought by our great supporter, The Book Gallery. At that time they had two stores, one at 1150 N. Main Street and one at the Millhopper Shopping Center.
Our Distribution Manager was our long-time friend, Lonnie Lockett, without whom we couldn't have done it. We also had a Special Consultant, Ronni Gardner, who wrote a column under an assumed name which I shall not reveal without her permission. (How about it Ronni, has it been long enough?)
Looking back, I can see clearly now how publishing this paper was a necessary stepping stone to creating my future books, Wholistic Gainesville: A Body Mind Spirit Directory; Metaphysical Florida: Spiritual Traveler's Directory; and finally the New Age Directory of Planet Earth. I will be eternally grateful to all the people who participated in NEW AGE gainesville and nudged me in the direction of my dreams.
NEXT: Dayspring by Kimberli Wilson (now Kiki Carter Webb)
