Furthering the Psychological Delusion: The Consciousness Revolution - Part 2

(Excerpted from America, The Sorcerer’s New Apprentice: The Rise of New Age Shamanism)Even the most enthusiastic promoters of the consciousness revolution admit that there are bad trips. It takes only one disaster—and there have been thousands—to contradict the basic New Age teaching that we’re tapping into a benevolent and good “Higher Self” through “altered states of consciousness.” Why, then, the evil and destructive forces that suddenly break out as though a mask has inadvertently slipped off? Why did Paramahansa Yogananda, for example, founder of the Self-Realization Society and one of the greatest Yogis of all, “fall apart” toward the end of his life?“He was taking on the evil karma of others,” was the explanation given. However, what Yogananda’s close assistant, Charya Bernard, observed disillusioned him completely.... It caused Bernard to finally admit to himself that of the 40,000 people he had counseled during his years at Yogananda’s side, only a handful had received any lasting benefit while thousands had actually been harmed by yoga.