Its been half a century since San Francisco hosted the so-called Summer of Love, a months-long confab of mostly young people inspired by the mantra of turn on, tune in, drop out. The time was ripe, it seemed, for this eclectic group of music loving, war opposing flower children to band together in a joint affirmation of peace, love, and spiritual enlightenment.

Harmony and understanding / Sympathy and trust abounding, sang the tie-dye clad cast of the psychedelic rock musical Hair, whose co-authors had spent the early part of that same year in San Francisco. No more falsehoods or derisions / Golden living dreams of visions / Mystic crystal revelation / And the minds true liberation / Aquarius, Aquarius.

However, as pleasant and as promising as this all sounds, the lingering notion that casual sex and hallucinogenic drugs two of the musicals and that summers prominent themes might somehow play a role in someone achieving true enlightenment deserves further scrutiny.

Why now?

Apparently the last 50 years have done little to diminish the appeal of what were once considered pretty far out ideas. In fact, quite the opposite has happened. LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA or Ecstasy once banned by the FDA after they were embraced and often abused by those intent on using them for pleasure are now being touted as a great way to connect with your inner self, albeit under medically supervised conditions. As for casual sex, what used to be thought of as a largely recreational or, occasionally, procreational activity is being pitched as a vehicle for couples to experience a sense of spiritual connection.

One cant help but wonder, then, based on what weve seen over the last 50 years, the degree to which such potentially self-indulgent avenues to acquiring spiritual wisdom have proven to be either lasting or genuine.

Call me old-fashioned, but judging from my own experience, Id say the best way to achieve real and enduring enlightenment is through prayer, that deeply humble, indescribably peaceful bonding with God, divine Mind, that results without the aid (or potential interference) of any intermediary physical, chemical, or otherwise. Heres my instruction, writes St. Paul (Gal. 5:15 ESV), walk in the Spirit, and let the Spirit bring order to your life. If you do, you will never give in to your selfish cravings.

Granted, there are as many definitions of prayer as there are people in the world. But most would probably agree that prayer is something that not only has the capacity to inspire and enable us to do good to others, but also to better understand the all-knowing, always present source of such goodness.

True prayer is not asking God for love; it is learning to love, and to include all mankind in one affection, writes Mary Baker Eddy. Prayer is the utilization of the love wherewith He loves us.

What I like most about such a path to enlightenment is that its not the least bit self-indulgent. On the contrary, it can be a catalyst for engaging with others completely unselfishly, for mutual rather than merely personal benefit. Even better, its something that Ive found time and again, in and of itself, leads to mental and physical healing.

But it goes further than that.

Over and above whatever mental or physical regeneration I might experience, prayer continues to provide me with that kind of moral and spiritual grounding that, at least to my sense, can only be achieved through consistent communion with the Divine. It may not be as alluring as either drugs or sex (and thats a good thing), but nothing can compare to the immediate and completely satisfying impact it can have on our ability to connect with our inherently spiritual selves.

Regardless of whether the proverbial Age of Aquarius has come or gone, the desire to discover the decidedly and exclusively divine source of good in our lives remains forever.

Eric Nelson writes about the connection between consciousness and health from his perspective as a practitioner of Christian Science. He also serves as the spokesperson for Christian Science in Northern California. Connect with him on About.Me/NorCalCS.

Continued here:

Rethinking remnants from the 'Summer of Love' - SFGate (blog)