John Lennon's Born-Again Phase

[sparhawk]

Perhaps he should have kept hold on his one good habit of consulting the Yi...

His life was out of his control. He worried about his health and his eyesight, about making the right investments with his money, about his personal safety. The only way out, as far as he could see, was to pay for the services of people who claimed to see into the future. But then, which ones could he trust? If the advice of the tarot card reader contradicted that of the astrologer, which should he follow? Instead of the freedom he wanted when he broke away from the Beatles, he was now completely enslaved. He couldn't travel anywhere without advice from a directionalist, do deals with anyone without knowing their star sign, or make plans for the future without consulting the I Ching. (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/januaryweb-only/001-22.0.html)

[listener]

interesting article.

Divination - of any sort- to the extreme seems to be dis-empowering.

i remember Bob Dylan's born-again album, but since then he has not been vocal (no pun intended) about where he stands on christianity. I wonder does he still have the same views or if he has softened over time.

[hilary]

Definitely an interesting article, in all kinds of ways its author probably didn't intend. :mischief:

I actually know someone who consults his regular tarot reader, an astrologer or two and his favourite I Ching consultant (:)) before taking all the big decisions, and it certainly doesn't seem to slow him down.

I suppose it's the same old dilemma. Are you divining to connect with truth, to hone and strengthen your inner awareness, or to avoid it?

[bruce_g]

I suppose it's the same old dilemma. Are you divining to connect with truth, to hone and strengthen your inner awareness, or to avoid it?

Yes indeedy. And this applies not only to divination but to John’s experience with the Christ. You search for food when you’re hungry. Question is, what are you hungering for?

Interesting article, and not at all surprising. Christ or Yijing, for many, is a way to overcome what they’ve become, and begin becoming something new. If it lives in them, the burden is light; but if they carry it as if it were an institution, they become the institution. For John, it seemed a rite of passage. To and fro goes the way.