1983 - NEW AGE gainesville - Issue #2 - September

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)

Light Streams and Amrit and LIBRE, Oh my!

In 1982, when hardly anyone owned an intimidating computer, Paul Hoffman borrowed a Radio Shack TRS-80 from Dottie Zavada and joyfully launched our first alternative directory, Light Streams, Gainesville DNA (Directory New Age). 

Leslie Rigg added her Osborne computer and before long they published the New Age Calendar. Were we surprised to discover that much more was happening here than we had ever imagined!

I couldn't be happier. Finally a new age directory of our very own! I just read on  Paul Hoffman's website that he intends to write about DNA-Gainesville  himself  so I'll leave that in his capable hands. Paul has been a world traveler, ending up in Gainesville before heading for California. He's been in the Berkeley area for quite a few years now. He is probably best known as the guy who makes and distributes  EarthSeals, stickers of the famous Apollo 17 shot of the whole earth from space. He has sold over 13 million of them in the last 20 years--by donation. Paul is so multi-talented he defies description. Check out his Facebook page to see what he's been up to. He's listed as Paul C. Hoffman.
His website is http://earthseals.com/ .

Another well-known person is our ForeverFriend, Walter Busby. He and my Gordon were friends and fellow professors in the College of Education at the University of Florida until they retired--Walter a Humanistic Psychologist and Gordon a Behaviorist. Walter had tremendous foresight when he introduced Gordon and me in 1979, and for that we will be forever grateful. I met Walter at the Temple of the Universe. He was there during the early days when Yogi Amrit Desai (Gurudev) spoke at the Temple. Phil Kairalla had encouraged me to go hear this very special guru, so I did, though I could never have anticipated what an impact it would have on my life. I was instantly blissed out by Gurudev's loving energy and all that shakti! I had never felt that kind of unconditional love before, except from my father who had made his transition into the Light in 1966. Fortunately for me, Walter was there to explain that what was happening to me was perfectly normal!

Walter has always hosted the most extraordinary parties that attracted an eclectic assortment of fascinating people. In the early '80s, his Renaissance Parties became famous for food, fun and finding spiritual friends. They lasted for years and everyone was welcome. There were about 200 people at the last one I remember. Walter also founded the Institute for Holistic Education and later organized United Spiritual Gainesville.

Around this time, Mother Earth’s only store at 521 NW 13th Street had a popular bulletin board informing us about places to go and people to see. It was becoming obvious--we were not alone in our expanding awareness.

The University hosted meetings on campus for the Friends of Whales, Advocates for the Moral Reevaluation of Animal Experimentation (AMRAE), and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Amnesty International met at the UF Law School. Holly Jensen was key in keeping us informed of the activities of all these groups.

Reality Kitchen opened downtown at 6 NE 1st Avenue. Their ad said "24 hours every day- Food -Music - Good Vibes." Jim Evangelist billed it as an art cooperative, phone messenger service, post office box, restaurant, coffeehouse, and community forum. Many of our musician friends played there--David Beede, Mark Madson, the Flash Silvermoon Band, and so many more. In 1984, The Archer Road Band had a one-night-only reunion gig featuring Bruce Shepard, Chaz Scales, Melvin Bunk, Kenny Shore, and Gary Gordon. (Thanks, Gary, for reminding me of this.)

Alternative schools flourished: Lotus Land School in Archer (Jeff Davis), Dayspring Waldorf School (Rolf Hummel) at 921 SW Depot Avenue, Loblolly Learning Community at 3315 NW 5th Avenue, and Flowers Montessori School at 3111 NW 31st Avenue.

The People to People Educational Network organized free, non-authoritarian classes without the stress of grades. The 1983 schedule included former Gainesvillians, UF Physics lecturer, Joe Rosenshien and Commissioner and entertainer, Gary Gordon.

Dottie Zavada launched the LIBRE/Mother Earth Center at 604 NW 13th Street, the old Mother Earth location. LIBRE stood for Life in Balance Research and Education. We heard talks there on dowsing by Neil Kaber, Traditional Chinese Medicine by David Bole, rebirthing by Dennis and Beverly (now called Baila) Scott, and meditation by Udaya Pherigo (Biff), Director of the Siddha Meditation Center at 1000 SW 9th Street. Dottie's been in the Mt. Shasta area for a long time but I'm happy to say we are still in touch. I'd love for her to write about LIBRE herself...

 
Back then we could get Rolfed by Marilyn Thursby, learn about nutrition from Renee Hoffinger Shuman (who was also a matchmaker), and be Rebirthed by Claudio Belfort. Marguerite Romeis had ongoing classes in psychic awareness (which she still has) and began hosting spiritual healers from outside of Gainesville. Jackie Tatum led a Course in Miracles group at Unity, back when they were at 1240 NW 21st Avenue. Dr. Robert Glazer, Director of the S. E. Center for Bioenergetic Analysis, and Dr. Dave Suchman, gestalt therapist, led a men’s group.



The multi-talented Ramesh Patel owned the Mandeer Restaurant at 808 W. University Avenue, where we could get amazing Indian vegetarian dinners. The Vegetarian Society met there for awhile. The Full Moon Buying Club, a food co-op, was very active and met monthly. Betty (later called Bahira) Sugarman and Paul Campbell led Arica Institute trainings. Bill Payne’s classes in Silva Mind Control were popular and Donald Pratt was the doing hypnosis long before it became popular.



The Florida School of Massage, with Lee Joseph, Director, moved from 1115 North Main Street to its then new location at 5408 NW 13th Street. Today they are at 6421 SW 13th Street.

Next blog: 1983 - The Celebration on the Downtown Plaza