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“One of the therapists that has financially profited from the lore about archetypes is Dr Stanislav Grof, controversial for his LSD psychotherapy, and more recently, on account of his Holotropic Breathwork TM. The commercial trademark is surely indication of an investment that raises questions. Dr Grof describes in one of his books his vision of archetypes (including the anima) while under the influence of 200 milligrams of MDMA (known as ecstasy). That is not proof of archetypal significances, but rather a strong indication of confusions prevailing in alternative therapy. Archetypes are big business, whether or not they carry the credentials of LSD or Ecstasy.”

“There are currently very few writers in either East or West who demonstrate much understanding of mystical ranges, and hence the values here are largely in abeyance. The typical 'Western Mysticism,' of the modern variety, is an excuse for narcissism and banality. Its vaunted therapy is sometimes classified, appropriately enough, as Neo-Reichian. It is arguably suitable fare for an increasingly illiterate audience who are narrowing down their alternatives to one only: ignorance of real values.”

“Many people who want a worthwhile alternative to current societal attitudes will have to become much more literate in order to be able to gain a critical sense that distinguishes viable values from crippling ones. Few people read Plotinus and other temperate writers of the past, and so it is little wonder that philosophy is not understood, and that mysticism has become a con game. Most professed seekers of 'values' fall victim to the sentiments of 'New Age' psychotherapy and Western Occultism. With Aleister Crowley an advanced yogi and Wilhelm Reich a visionary genius, it is anybody's guess what further Western monstrosities will be created in illiterate climates.”

“There is the rather strange coincidence of that at Shirdi, Sakori and Meherabad, the deaths of the venerated saints were believed to change nothing for the devotees. The venerated deceased entities were somehow still alive. Rivalries between sects continued, one difference being that there was no stress on miracles at Meherabad. If one is prepred to credit in any way the relevance of Shirdi Sai, Upasni Maharaj and Meher Baba as mystics, then it is evident that their teachings differed. Their policies differed also. Such details tend to confound the issue of a 'perennial philosophy' as popularly promoted by various writers. One possible conclusion afforded is that the underlying impact of the saint/master is circumscribed by audience capacities, and shaped by some extent by their own temperament.”