In the l970s Marilyn Ferguson was the publisher of Brain/Mind Bulletin, a forerunner and the most widely read newsletter on the topics of brain research and consciousness. She was publisher as well of The Leading Edge, a newsletter dealing with the frontiers of social transformation. From these positions Ferguson observed what she interpreted as a significant shift in consciousness, society and human potential. This led her to write her classic opus: The Aquarian Conspiracy: Person and Social Transformation in the 1980s (J. P. Tarcher, Inc., 1980).

Twenty-five years later Marilyn Ferguson examined society once more and consequently, wrote a new book: Aquarius Now: Radical Common Sense and Reclaiming our Personal Sovereignty (Weiser Books, 2005). We shall examine, compare and contrast these two works in this month’s Book Talk.

Quite clearly, The Aquarian Conspiracy is indeed a classic work and one of my personal favorite books. It is almost encyclopedic in its range of the transformations that took place in the late 20th century. The title word “Conspiracy” may seem strange, but Ferguson tends to use words creatively. In this book she calls the informal network of transformational teachers, groups and activities, a conspiracy because it was “without a political doctrine.”

In her 1980s book Ferguson relates a great collection of new movements, changes in perspective and scientific research. She is an immaculate researcher and includes references to hundreds of sources. Among the many topics in The Aquarian Conspiracy are the following: paradigm shift, global communications, consciousness studies, brain/mind research, conscious evolution, Transcendentalism, right brain/left brain studies, holographic theories, politics, health care developments, meditation, stress studies, transpersonal education, business and economics and the search for life’s meaning. It is clear from this list that is by no means complete, that Ferguson will provide any reader of this book an education in late 20th century developments.

The Aquarian Conspiracy is a “must-read” book. In fact, shortly following its publication the book “became a text book in a variety of college courses. It was published in French, German, Dutch, Swedish, Japanese, Spanish and Portuguese. In her “Introduction to the 1987 Edition,“ Ferguson reported on the vast number of people who believed that “a dramatic cultural shift” would probably take place by 2000 A.D. Ferguson herself said she “felt less than 58 percent sure” of that. But ever optimistic, she discusses in that introduction events and patterns of events in the 1980s that were promising, including new problem-solving processes, the rise of the Pacific Culture, popular interest in the metaphysical, training programs to develop human potential, educational programs on prime-time television and the discovery of bodymind and the rediscovery of intuition. One interesting point she makes is the need for “personal responsibility.” I mention this in particular because it becomes an important component of her newest book.

I would highly recommend The Aquarian Conspiracy to all readers. If you have never read it, it will provide a broad, yet highly readable, understanding of many contemporary subjects. If you read it 25 years ago, it is well worth reading it again. It is richly informative and insightful.

I always like to include some of the wisdom or insights from works that we discuss. In relation to paradigm shift, Ferguson notes: “The problem is that you can’t embrace the new paradigm unless you let go of the old.” In reference to her book, Ferguson says “it is a book of evidence pointing unmistakably to deep personal and cultural change.” Within her discussion of the transformation of consciousness, she calls it “awareness of awareness.” To begin personal transformation, “We only have to pay attention to the flow of attention itself.” (Note: this theme will reoccur in her current book.) Page after page provide not only the finest insights from the world of science, literature, philosophy and history, but also clear, insightful conclusions from the author.

I especially enjoy the parallel charts that Ferguson creates in various chapters. Readers will find these comparative charts in the chapters about power and politics, health care and medicine, education and economics. In each case the author sets up parallel columns, one presenting the “assumptions of the old paradigm” and the other, the “assumptions of the new paradigm” for each of the above subjects and various subtopics and issues of those subject areas. (In case you need a reminder definition, a “paradigm” is a “framework of thought,” the whole scheme by which any of us understand and explain aspects of reality. It is culturally transmitted to us via our families, schools, peers, society, etc.) What is so helpful about Ferguson’s parallel charts is that they allow readers to perceive options and thereby to clarify their own “paradigm.”

Ferguson also provides an exemplary index, both by names and subjects. One also finds a valuable bibliography for each chapter as well as a list of resources, such as organizations, networks and periodicals.

A question might be, “Why did Marilyn Ferguson write a follow-up book?” After all, The Aquarian Conspiracy was often called “the handbook for the New Age” and 2.5 million copies were published. Clearly, much that she foresaw in 1980 has taken place. We are now a globally connected world with instant internet and television communication.
Science, especially quantum physics and biochemistry have taken great leaps and added miraculous information into our data banks each year. Medicine has shifted to accept, at least somewhat, integrative and alternative methods of healing and health. Bookstores and other media provide a wide range of books and information on every possible new subject from metaphysics to transpersonal psychology and self-help in every possible area. Most communities now have organic supermarkets; physicians, psychologists and spiritual teachers encourage meditation and innovative organizations are popping up in all areas of life.

Yet there is much missing from our potential transformation. We still see religious conflicts, wars to achieve peace, economic prosperity causing pollution, a world ecology at risk and growing concerns from natural disasters, extreme famines and a growing AIDS problem. So, what happened?

Clearly, Marilyn Ferguson felt a need to respond with Aquarium Now: Radical Common Sense and Reclaiming Our Personal Sovereignty. In her earlier book Ferguson asserted that the world was ready for a transformation and identified what she expected to happen. But she didn’t discuss how that change would take place. At the time, in 1980, there was only that “conspiracy,” that informal, here and there movement to affect transformational changes.

Therefore, still optimistic, Marilyn Ferguson now takes on the challenge as she investigates how our current world and society can make the changes necessary to create the transformation she foresaw. It now seems even more challenging, given the world situations of war, conflict, pollution, poverty and famine. Her major answer is one common to all spiritual mentors today: “If you want to change the world, you must start by changing yourself.”

Ferguson’s prescription is for people to “use your common sense.” Once again, she uses words in fresh ways. She uses the word radical in her title “in an attempt to reclaim the word from its current usage meaning “extremist.” She explains that the word radical comes from the Latin word meaning “roots.” She says, “When we get to the radical, we get to the essence – to the root of the problem.” In reference to “common sense,” this suggests a “whole-seeing, whole-feeling” or holistic multisensory perception. She describes her new book as “about how to thrive in a time of escalating change.”

What Ferguson calls “radical common sense” goes beyond “traditional strategies (such) as competition, wishful thinking, struggle, or war.” “Radical common sense says that our collective survival may depend on our ability to teach ourselves and others.” Indeed, that idea is a “radical” one for many people today who tend to think of learning as a passive activity. That is, the general public often seems to see learning as taking place only in schools and only through teachers who impart knowledge to students who “receive” it. As a teacher, I love Marilyn Ferguson’s wise point that “Beyond a certain point all education is self-education.”

Readers will start to see that Ferguson’s main point in this book revolves around responsibility for oneself. She notes, “The enemy is not so much a tyrant but rather the passivity that empowers all tyrants.” When people look outside themselves for everything: education, security, comfort, support – they are ignoring the true source of their potential strengths. Ferguson realizes that while science and technology have made great transformational strides forward, the true paradigm shifts she expected to take place cannot happen until individuals take those leaps themselves. She says, “The fruits of this revolution will be increasingly evident as ever greater numbers of people take charge of their lives and responsibility for the world.”

Ferguson’s Aquarius Now goes on to explain what we all need to do in order to support and facilitate the changes that need to take place for the evolution of humanity and its civilization. We need to become more aware and alert to societal influences that block our potential. We need new visions and then the courage to act on those goals and visions. “The capacity to see the possible and how to get there is the innate mechanism for evolution and social progress.”

One chapter encourages self-understanding. If we as humans don’t understand our self and who and what we are, how can we ever attempt to understand and relate to others? Ferguson provides a clear mini-education about how our brains work, especially in relation to the right-brain, left-brain processes. She goes on to discuss “personality (as) not the same as self.” Mistaken beliefs about oneself often create inner imbalances. Ferguson says, “Imbalances within ourselves perpetuate the misguided habits that manifest as our current world crises.” It is therefore vital that we learn more about ourselves so that we can make any necessary changes in our perceptions, beliefs, values and actions. Ferguson emphasizes, “If we find it difficult to change ourselves we can hardly expect society to change.”

Ferguson encourages us to “stretch,” and to face challenges confidently. She urges us to “study the lives of exceptional people” to learn how to overcome obstacles. She includes notable examples like that of a 50-year-old blind man who “walked the length of the Appalachian Trail, more than 2,000 miles, crossing 14 states, accompanied only by his guide dog.”

She encourages readers to “choose to be intelligent” and then explains how we can do that. “Paying attention” is a simple step, quite related to ”radical common sense.” We don’t usually think of intelligence this way. “Psychologists have pointed out that any test of intelligence should include a measure of the ability to pay attention and to use what one has learned, whereas traditional tests measure only the ability to store information.” Obviously, “stored information” and facts are largely useless unless we use them creatively.

Various chapters deal with even deeper perceptions available to us if we get acquainted with them: our feelings, emotions and intuition. She brings to our attention how our personal defenses lead us to “tune out” and how “sensational news and entertainment distract us from the sensations closer to home.” This is important to ponder because computer games and even political rhetoric “can serve as a distraction from troubling personal issues... (yet) it is precisely the inner world that might furnish us answers to our outer crises.”

Ferguson’s chapters discuss how art and science can help us gain new ways of seeing since “both are methods of discovery.” She urges us to find a cause that we resonate to and to act, pointing out as Edmund Burke said, “For evil to prevail, it’s only necessary that good men do nothing.” Recognizing the prevailing atmosphere of fear in contemporary society, Ferguson devotes a chapter to that issue, quoting Marie Curie: “Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood.”

There is so much more rich content in this new work by Marilyn Ferguson, it is impossible to even touch upon it all. This is a thoughtful and inspiring book. We’ll conclude our discussion with several of my favorite quotations from this book.

“Real power isn’t having your way. It’s in choosing your response.”

“Awakening is not a spectator sport.”

“Liberty requires that we participate.”

“The new world that’s dancing now like a vision in the night can only be realized by us personally. It can’t be designed, legislated or ordained by institutions.”

“Society is the sum total of our assumptions and behaviors. The world can only change as we change.”

NOTE: Documentation for science cited in the book, links, periodicals, brain/mind summaries and other resources can be accessed at www.aquariusnow.com and www.marilynferguson.com.

Gayl Woityra, a retired high school English and Humanities teacher, now resides in Arizona where she continues to pursue her eclectic metaphysical studies in consciousness, the Ageless Wisdom, astrology, flower essences, music, color and alternative medicine.