Hidden Connections

This afternoon, being in a desultory mood, I decided to search for information about a subject that I'd read about in pre-Internet days: mutual hypnosis. The article that I'd read back in the day described a technique that the hypnotist used whereby two subjects hypnotise each other, sequentially, but then repeat the process again and again. I eventually tracked the person who had pioneered this technique and it turned out to be a certain Dr. Charles T. Tart who is still alive (he was born in 1937) and has been prolific in his research over the intervening years. This is a link to his website.

As I skimmed over the fruits of his labours, I could see he had devoted much energy to investigating phenomena such as:

• Parapsychology
• Transpersonal Psychology & Spirituality
• Out-of-the-Body Experiences (OBEs)
• Hypnosis
• Spiritual/Inspirational
• Altered States of Consciousness
• Dreams
• Near-Death Experiences
• Death and Possible Survival

However, I found his intellectual approach to these matters dry and empty. Despite rejecting materialism, he was very much limited by what he saw as the scientific method. I realised that many of the issues he had been investigating had been comprehensively addressed by Meher Baba in his writings. That's when coincidence struck. In a list of books that he recommended reading, I found Golden Thread: Meher Baba – Chapel Hill – 1967 by Barbara Scott (ISBN: 8188224049, Amazon.com).

At first, I thought he was a Baba Lover but I was quickly disabused of that notion when I read what he had written:

The Golden Thread is a moving story of young people at the University of North Carolina (my alma mater) in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in the late 1960s, experimenting with psychedelic drugs but wanting a deeper and more reliable spiritual path. It has just published by my sister-in-law, Barbara Scott. I thought The Golden Thread might be of personal interest, since I had been acquainted with a few of the people, but not of general interest. The more I read, though, the more I realised this was both a fascinating history of the times and an excellent teaching story of the evolution of spirit. The particular solution Barbara and her friends took (and still take 30+ years later), following the Indian holy man Meher Baba, is not one that ever appealed to me personally, but I have the greatest admiration for anyone who follows teachings of love and compassion. I am also very impressed with my sister-in-law’s ability to tell a complex story in a clear and impressive way.

The book was published in 2001. She's written or co-written two other books. One is LOVE BADE ME WELCOME - THE LIFE OF PHYLLIS OTT (2006, published by Behler Publications, 253 pages).This book was co-written with Phyllis Ott and some contents of the book are disputed by Phyllis. The other is THE EMPTY CHAIR - MEHER BABA'S 1969 DARSHAN (2011, published by Sheriar Foundation, 364 pages). Here is a video of Barbara talking about her 2011 book:

So Barbara Scott is Dr. Tart's sister-in-law and so via an indirect route I was lead, in my afternoon Internet wanderings, back to Baba. Jai Baba!