& Vorsces ro Urania She had composed herself since that mornin, brushed ber long black Ianto a shining glow, and dened in are sat She was young, perhaps twenty-five, doe-eyed and beautifl in a melancholy way. She had none athe gazed look ofthe addict, but er eyes shone with an unnatural, teri biiance. I learned Helen's lat name with surprise; het hband, from whom she was separated, was a dstingushed psychologist at Bete ley: Fhnew bim slightly. “Left him,” Helen aid, "to be fc. He citer dominated me o neglected ime, He kept telling me ogo on fora doctorate, if wanted. Once, when the gave a speeh in Poland, I had to spend a week in Copenhagen alone And he loves camping. He wid to tae the bop out nto the woods ad leave me alone, if wouldn't go with them.” hardly thought these were pave crimes, but I ad, "Now you're fice?” Totaly. Fim erafing a new lie, finding my tre sl, exploring my inner mace. Tm into Goodman's Gedlt and Watt’ Japanese Zen and Reichian pilosophy.” Tistened to her talk about male chauvinism, feedom, and mysticism as the darknes ofthe night deepened. Her enthusiasm forthe iational began pale awe, sen the ste sl he ices “I'm madly in love with ——," Helen sid, naming an ol, distin ished Renaisance shor, an Austin who wat cei ving Bele. H's sitive and ata lump in his work. He needs new woman caliyen it Tm the one, dnt ou think” “Does he share your affection?” Isai, aiding the question. “He soon will He's got to get dof his old spouse just aU ida spontaneous anakening to deeper alts.” Tamme in the following das that Helens ight frm reality was hardly nique at Elen. Vitaly al ofthe people who atended my seminar were in seach of ficedom, anew sense of meaning in thet ves, and most, oignanty, love. deed, Benjamin Zablok's study of 0 communes in “America during the cs and 1970 eval thatthe communal ated “loving” above allele, as their highest valve, ‘long with twenty eer, simular to her in youth and enthusiasm and Isic loneliness, Helen faitflly attended the seminar that I and. wth ‘mich more author, Lara Husley conducted during the next week The Wife of Aldous Husle, one of the gus of Essen, Laura was a buxom Taian woman with penetrating eye, arched brows, and retntd hai She had been a muscin and a nutitonét and now wat a pacholagt, ‘She taught the group how to cope with a word of bewildering change and meetin” Her message was smplell peopl tal ines should a The Comma le ho: Eon ad “Se” “The tuk of human beings was nt to slfocate this longing but in many Alifferent ways, to expe its urgency. Laura recommended a number of techniques. We should “tansform energy” by flexing our muscles when Jang: punch of Kick tether ball when disturbed: vow off our cates Gnd dance naked step into a tub of bot water and plunge our faces inte ater; and, of coun, eat onpanically grown foods. evo, we should ‘become ou forte animal. and “make the noises (the) animal makes. Feel ait fels. ‘Tinka it thinks.” Laura demonstrated these recipes for attaining eknowledge, When ‘the mood came up ber, she would ead the group through the hil into Fels of wildflowers. Her message was consent love, exerci, eating “natal” food, feeling rather than thinking, the abarsonient frst “These eliminated all negative forces.” Preeminenty, Laura proclaimed two slogans: "Energy i eternal delight,” and “Peel, Feel othe mit" "The seminar members gushed with enthusiasm over Laura Huney’s veachings| Twas bemused by these exercises, aphorism, and bits of practical wis. dom. Probl ike mos forms of postive thinking, they da tle harm Yet having worked in prisons and mental hospital {doubted thir uli imate benefit T wondered, to, about the impact of the undedying mes ‘Sge—that one shold eck love at all ass, abandon caution, experience ‘ssa, submenge the mind, and fel, ju eel—apon national and already ‘unsettled people suc as Hiden." Like many othe facets ofthe counter cal, the eachings of sen were absabed without an ounce of hue. ‘My skepticism may have showed for onthe lst night ofthe seminar, ‘Michael Murphy pat me to what I comer a dificult est He fold me to lead the students in a group excise a the hot bats beneath salen. | Instat the sulphur baths existed, but I did nt even know the path, let alone the nature of the exerci. ‘Don't wor, youl find out,” Murphy sai, handing me a aslight He pointed out tone sticawe going down toward the sr, and ed «gang of students along the path We entered a eave bubling with ot ‘ater The seminar members, who apparently had run the couse before,