Customer Reviews

The Aquarian Conspiracy: Personal and Social Transformation in the 1980's

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1 star:		(4)

 

 

How ironic, that the Christian fundamentalist reviewers here have taken the title of this book so LITERALLY, as referring to some kind of sinster plot. Then again, fundamentalists take everything literally, so what's new? The "conspiracy" is a metaphor: As Marilyn Ferguson herself explains in the book, the word "conspire" literally means "to breath together" (con="with" as in "congregate," + "spire" as in "respiration") which is more like a reference to yoga than to some secret cabal.

As for the silly claim that the "satanic" number 666 is somehow encoded in the logo on the cover, it takes a big stretch of the imagination to see it. (I should clarify that, as a Jew, I don't even believe in the 666 stuff, which comes out of Christianity, but, for the sake of discussion, I address it here.) What the logo reminds ME of is a triple Moebius strip -- that's a single-sided surface that every mathematician is familiar with. The strange thing about a Moebius strip is that you can start drawing a line on what you think is one of two sides, only to find out that your line meets itself without ever lifting your pencil from the paper. This -- not 666 -- is the symbol for what Ferguson was talking about. The "conspiracy" is a shift to a more holistic worldview, where "us and them" is replaced by groups of humanity working and "breathing" together.

Now granted, much of the book is outdated (it was published over 20 years ago) but there are many areas where Ferguson was right on target. Workplaces have shifted away from the hierarchical "boss" mode to group teamwork. Holistic views of health care are now accepted by the general public and some branches of the medical profession. (Very lucky for me, since my chiropractor has literally kept me out of a wheelchair). "Whole brain learning" -- using both the left and right halves of the brain -- has greatly enriched the curriculum. Intercultural understanding has increased, so that "white Christian Europe" is no longer seen as the only way for a human being to be "civilized." And most religions -- with perhaps the exception of the fundamentalists noted above -- have recognized that people need inner spirituality as well as outward ritual forms.

Whether this is really a "new age" or simply a re-discovery of old principles is debatable. Native American tribes were working in circular groups and thinking "nonlinear" long before Ferguson suggested the idea. My own religion, Judaism, has had a mystical side for thousands of years. The Chinese were using acupuncture and herbal medicine when the Europeans were still in the Dark Ages. Perhaps the real "conspiracy" has been the sharing of all this knowledge, made possible for the first time through global communications such as the Internet, where you are now reading this review. In my opinion, all this sharing has benefited humanity -- and if that's "satanic," I'll eat my yarmulke.

A quick word about the effects of the title to this fine book before the review. As can be seen by a few negative reviews amongst the mostly glowing ones, the title is misleading and there is no "conspiracy" within the pages of this most uplifting and informing book.

For those folks preoccupied with discovering where the devil lurks instead of seeking knowledge of God and truth, you will be disappointed because the devil ain't here. You would be well informed to ignore the title and dive in to the content.

If your concern for life is such that you seek answers to some of the most confounding problems facing humanity, however, you will be delighted. No offense to Ms Ferguson or her publisher, but the title was poorly chosen and does not fit the beautiful content, but that's water under the bridge now. The assessment of the human condition along with the positive answers for unification of the human family with the rest of life is inspiring!

That said, this beautiful book exploded on the scene in 1980 and described where humanity was at in it's perception of reality, social structure, economics, politics and environment. It also clearly delineated where we should be headed for a more inclusive, rewarding and healthy future and almost every chapter concludes with a comparison list to show where a "Paradigm Shift" or change, is needed in our collective perception of reality on a broad range of topics.

The information and resources are as relevant today as when the book was first published- only more urgent because a good number of the changes needed then have not occurred and time marches on waiting for no one. Written as a "Why" and "How-to" guide for personal and societal transformation, it has an appendix full of network groups that offer guidance for change- all that list needs now is e-mail and website updates not available in 1980.

To point out the relevancy of this work in today's world, we can take a look at a subject heading: "The Way Of Avoidance" (p 74). Consider all of the big ticket issues that are intentionally being swept aside and ignored by society and government alike such as global warming, population pressure, pollution, disparity of wealth, etc., and we have:

"At the level of ordinary consciousness, we deny pain and paradox. We doctor them with Valium, dull them with alcohol, or distract them with television. Denial is a way of life. More accurately, it is a way of diminishing life, of making it seem more manageable. Denial is the alternative to transformation."

"Personal denial, mutual denial, collective denial. Denial of facts and feelings. Denial of experience, a deliberate forgetting what we see and hear. Denial of our capacities. Politicians deny problems, parents deny their vulnerability, teachers deny their biases, children deny their intentions. Most of all, we deny what we know in our bones."

"We are caught between two different evolutionary mechanisms: denial and transformation." And this is the essence of this fine book: to point out the current states of denial and to offer realistic, immediate alternatives for a positive transformation to an existence that we would rather have and can obtain with a little effort.

This book is a predecessor and now a fine companion to Duane Elgin's books, "Awakening Earth" "Voluntary Simplicity" and "Promise Ahead" where the need for "Paradigm Shifts" in thinking and relating to our world are expertly and thoroughly expounded upon. I also recommend Theodore Roszak's, "The Voice of the Earth". These are potent books with immediate, practical answers to uplift humanity.

Originally published in 1980, this tome is a celebration of new ways of thinking about vocation, spirituality, and society in general. It is similar to Roszak's "Making of a Counter- Culture" in that it takes a broadly-defined movement and claims to present its principles and possibilities. Not fluff, and full of quotes and examples, but not too dry to be interesting.

Ferguson's idea was that the children of the '60's would introduce new ways of relating to different issues, challenging the old heirarchies of work, church, and home life. This would come about as the result of a kind of accidental conspiracy - different people in different walks of life individually pursuing the same philosophies. The result would be a new age defined by 'Transpersonal philosophy' and 'holism'.

While there have indeed been many social changes in the past 20 years none of them are historically revolutionary, and the old heirarchies remain, together with some new ones! I'd also say there's been an aggressive counter - counter-cultural movement! Not a work of prophecy, maybe, but a book with its finger on the pulse of something that is still alive.

This isn't a real review, I just wanted to respond to those zany reviews below which claim the symbol on the cover is a disguised 666. Actually, if you look up an introduction to the mathematical field of "knot theory" (a branch of topology) online, you'll find that it's a picture of the simplest non-trivial knot, known as the "trefoil knot" (the only simpler knot is the trivial case of the 'unknot', which is just an unknotted loop). Do an internet search using the terms "trefoil knot" and you'll see what I'm talking about (but maybe topologists are in league with Satan too, just like evolutionary biologists, geologists, astrophysicists, and other no-goods). The mathematically-inclined artist M.C. Escher drew a nicely rendered picture of three trefoil knots in 1965, titled "Knots" (the original Dutch title was 'Knopen'); the one on the cover of Aquarian Conspiracy looks a bit like a ripoff of Escher's version (which you can see at britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/escher/knots.jpg ).

Oh yeah, and don't listen to anything Ferguson says on the subject of science, it's pretty much all nonsense. Read the book for entertainment only!

This work is not anything that you do not already you do not know. It is the way the book is assembled that will change the way you think and feel towards the world we live in today. Social tranformation must first come from an interpersonal level and then at a group level is essential for the change that is needed to bring Humanity into the next millenium and beyond. This written blueprint contains all vital information to help us to change the institutions bringing us closer to a true world harmony.

In my early 20s, this book set my mind on fire because it cleared away the doom-encrusted blindness of a prosaic protestant Christian (aka "dead spirituality") upbringing. Having read in the fields of perceptual door-cleansing for many years, I now see it as a good generalist overview with a lot of heart. I recommend it highly to anyone just starting their search.

The Aquarian Conspiracy is an excellent read! Why didn't I give it 5 stars?! Well, because I was disconcerted by the mention of LSD trips in this book. Other than that, this book is excellent learning material and a great way to expand your consciousness. I appreciate this book because it focuses on the idea of paradigm shifts and not on cults or large humanitarian movements. The Aquarian Conspiracy emphasizes that people need to shift their essential train of thought before any large social movement can be successful. In other words, if a society embarks on any given worldwide humanitarian movement but still works into the plan its old prejudices, then the movement will surely fail and the people that were supposed to be helped become the victims of that given movement.
The Aquarian Conspiracy exemplifies how a paradigm shift can be used to ease the tension that is inherent in several of our societies main institutions such as education, health care, politics, religion, careers, and marriage. The reader is warned several times that a personal paradigm shift will likely disrupt their lives. This shift may result in a major career change and a divorce. But the book also encourages the reader to move past this personal loss and realize that this pain is necessary for achieving self-actualization or better yet, SELF-LOVE!

So here we are in the age of networks, nexus, connection, tipping points, change by bifurcation--all tantalizingly pointed toward by this book. I first read it the year it came out, and it fundamentally changed my thinking as a manager and change agent.

I purchased this book as a gift for a retired college professor friend. My own copy was so worn out and marked up, I didn't feel I could lend it to a friend, and I wanted to keep my own. I consider it a wonderful interpretation and source-book of the philosophical strivings of the boom generation. It is comprehensive, well-written, and full of fascinating real-life details and stories. I wish it had contained more biographical information about its author, Marilyn Feguson, however. It seems she has read everything in the world, but knowing her academic credentials would have helped me cite her as an authority. I am sorry it is out of print.

This book was published in the early 1980s. It claimed that there was a grass roots movement that was going to change society in what I would call a very new agey liberal type way but on the other hand a few times in this book it hails "captains of industry and finance, foundation officials and university programmers, tv producers and scions of old American wealth" as being a driving force behind this "grass roots" movement. Sounds like social engineering from the highest levels of society to me.

These types that adopt many of these ideas are what the Communists called "useful idiots" The type of people that would champion this book and the ideas in it are the types that love (from their armchair or as a detached fashionable accessory of course) globalism, Obama, pseudo environmentalism, new age religions and ideas, they love the idea of multi-culturalism and the global village, but yet they are the most isolated of white people. This species is most common in the pacific northwest and California.

Reading this book made me feel like I was being talked to for hours on end by a babbling new ager. Enjoy your new world order!