Psychonauts and Seekers: West German Entanglements in the Spiritual Turn of the Global 1960s and 1970s
Contemporary European History May 4, 2022 Isabel Richter 1 citation
Spirituality as practices and beliefs seeking a closer connection with the divine experienced a multifaceted renaissance in the countercultures of West Germany during the long 1960s. Contemporary explorations in the expansion of consciousness and increasing interest in meditation were pivotal practices. The essay reflects the international exchange of knowledge about body-mind practices from Amazonia and Mexico to the United States, India, and West Germany, showing how actors were influenced by international and national connections. Practitioners found spirituality not in Christian contemplative traditions or Jewish versions, but in various forms of what seekers received and practised as Hinduism or Buddhism, which gave followers a means of connecting to higher truths—to God—without God.