BootsnAll Travel Community

Oldhippy must have too much time on his hands.
So...he has started this column where you can ask oldhippy anything.

Nothing shall be considered too "far out man"...or would blow him away, simply by asking.

If the answer exists in this universe...or in cyberspace, oldhippy will root it out!

You can leave your questions here on this board...or send them to oldhippy direct.

By asking oldhippy a question however...you allow it to be posted on this site.

If it is of a personal nature, oldhippy will be glad to keep your identity a secret...from all but your self!

So let the games begin!


...oldhippy was asked??????

Q. Oldhippy, were you a real hippie?

... and if you were, what was it really like back then?


A. Back in the 60's was a wonderfull time to be growing up.

Traditional American life was changing fast.

For example...prior to hippie backpackers it was mostly just upper class Americans who went to Europe.

Prior to the 60's... girls lived stictly at home or in a dorm. or sorority house until they got married.

Boys went into their fathers profession or majored in what their "parents wanted them to".

So..I would say the 60's brought on a new era of freedom...and I was on the front line for that!

The hippies came out of the beat movement.

Along with their Beatnik or bohemian ways, came a new "up the establishment" type mentality.

Discontented with the rigid old ways of traditional "closed or fixed minded"society, these new "rebels" rode down the new highways of freedom...[with bugs in their teeth!]

I remember finding my freedom in 1965. I lived in a suburb of LA and wanted to go to the beach 18 miles away.

A friend said his Mom would take us..but after waiting an entire hour for them to arrive, I called, only to find out she had flaked out and left me high and dry...without a damn ride to the beach!

I was pissed!!!!
Normally you couldn't do a thing bout it. I was way too young to drive myself.

I was really mad and fed up at having to rely on "parents", to be able "to do my thing"

So...I headed out the door, still pissed off.
But this time was different

This time...and for the first time in my life, I hitch-hiked all the way to the beach...by myself!

"That is is all she wrote", as the saying goes...I was hooked! I found my freedom by being fed up, and taking a chance, and it payed off big time! I was free to go where I wanted...when I wanted ...and it was glorious!

Soon... there was ton's of us like that, on the highways and byways. You could tell us from the "other straight people" by our look.

We looked happy!!!!! [with bugs in our teeth!]

I remeber scenes like this...A bus pulls up on the Sunset strip in LA, and a "long hair" rolls down his window and says.."Hey, I'm going to San Francisco. Anybody here want to go for the ride?"

..and 2 or 3 folks jump in and off we go! that is what it was like...spontanious freedom...and of course someone had some good smoke for the ride!

...and once you got there, all you had to do is ask..."Do you know where I can crash tonight?"

Or, ask for whatever else you needed..and just by asking any fellow "freak", [as we were called back then], your needs were answered and administered to.

Simply because... thats the way we treated one another back then!

With love and happiness!

Sounds kinda like heaven..don't it????

Jesus could have walked amonst us back then...and you never would have known it!

We all looked like him!

Peace and Love..and thanks for asking!



...in our next column, oldhppy is asked...

Q. Oldhippy...You ever talk to God????

...in our next column, oldhppy is asked:

Q. Oldhippy...You ever talk to God????

A. Why, yes I have...but I am not the only one who has. In fact a book was written about it called Cosmic Consciousness by Alan Watts.

Years ago we used to do a lot of experimentaion in "conciousness raising."

Sometimes as many times as 3 times a week!

Being a true seeker, I was intense with my search, and directed my intent to the "wisdom of the ages."

By being/acting as an open vessel to the "unlimted energy of the universe", I would invite this energy, [whose name is many],to enter and fill me with its light.

On two occassions, the feedback was absolutely incredible!

This is the first part of that story...let me know if I should continue with more;

OldHippy,

Have you ever been hypnotized?

Have you ever had a psychic experience?

What to you think of past life regressions?

Have you tried ayahuasca? or ?

Have you ever met true evil? true goodness?

Is that a good start?

Back in the 60's, I had what Alan Watts would call a 'cosmic experience.' This is an experience when for a brief moment in time, you are one with the universe. You are a part of, rather than apart from the Universe.....You are One with God! Now I don't claim to be the only one who has had one of these experiences. After all, he wrote a book about it! I will tell you this...mine was a very personal experience! It was unlike any other experience that I've ever had! To say the least, it has had a remarkable affect, as well as effect on my life. At first I only shared this experience with very close and trusted friends. Most folks I found would mistake my sharing this with them! To them it was unbelievable! They would relate to me the same way that you might relate to someone who said they have been visited by the aliens!

So I learned to keep this to myself. I knew that this was one of the most real, and at the same time, surreal experiences of my life. I didn't need to have others validate it for me.It was real to me, and that's what counted.

I tried to push this memory from my conscious mind, but there was always something that would bring it back to the surface. It was almost like... what ever I wanted, this experience had a mind of its own, it was bigger than me! It would not let me forget that fateful night. It was like a cosmic poke in the ribs..."Remember....It is your job to tell the story!" it would tell me. "It is your job!"...Give me a break!!!!

So...after 30+ years of attempting to suppress it, I find that this is no longer possible. I know that my life would be easier, if only I could forget about it!
But nooooo! There can be no peace, I found out, until I tell you what happened to me on that fateful night...and all the strange events that led up to this moment in time!

Chapter one: Believe It or Not!

Everything I tell you here is true.
I know.......That, is really up to you to decide! ...Good!
I would not want to have it any other way. In fact it would be easier for me, if you simply look at what I have to say as fiction.Look at it as one mans folly or... I made the whole thing up, or I'm doing it, just to get attention.

All I ask is...please don't judge this until you have all the facts. If it seems too incredible to believe...great! Go with that! It is not my intention to change your beliefs. It is only my intention to tell this story...so maybe just once,I can find some peace! Believe what you will...but this is what happened to me....

It was winter in early 1970. I was living in Berkeley in Northern California.
I had taken a room in a place called The "Telegraph Hilton". It was a nick name for a rooming house, above a book store, on the main drag, just a few blocks down, from the UC Berkeley campus.

The atmosphere in Berkeley had been 'charged up' as of lately. It seemed like there was 2 to 3 student protests, [for one thing or another], each week.

The local police had dealing with these 'street protestesters' down. They would simply cruise down the main drag, blowing tear gas out from under their patrol cars. This would cause all the folks on the street to attempt to find refuge in one of the buildings up and down the street. Our building had a steel door, that been kicked in so many times, you didn't even need a key to enter any more. You just needed to know where to kick it!

So up from the street they would run...with the tear gas lofting up, not far behind.This was like playing cat and mouse for them...but for me , I lived there, and there was no place for me to go to get away from all this crap!

After 2 or 3 of these a week, I was getting a little pived! I had had enough...but where could I go?

...It was early afternoon, on a Friday as I came down the stairs to the street below, to start my day. I was on musician time...which ment I seldom hit the street until well after noon.
There was a tension in the air that day. You could feel it! Another protest was scheduled for later that afternoon and I knew I just didn't want to have to deal with it! But where could I go? What could I do? I had no idea!

The neat thing about living on Telegraph Av. was there was always a crowd on the street.You could humor yourself by simply sitting on a stoop and watch the people going by.

There was no reason in the world, why I should have noticed this one gal in the throngs of folks parading by my door that day, but something about her caught my attention.

Now... I was not in the habit of picking up girls by 'chatting them up' as they passed...but for some reason I was drawn to this one gal in the crowd. There was nothing special about how she looked or what she wore, but I did notice she was carrying sheet music...and it was this, that I commented on, as I caught up with her as she passed by.

"What kind of music do you have there?" I asked, as I got into step with her.

...Now, mind you...I was a musician, a drummer, but there was no reason in the world for me to ask her that question, as... I don't even read sheet music!
She was a kind soul and seemed amused with my encounter. She was nice enough, as she answered with ...something...I don't even recall.

If this seems strange to you, that a stranger could approach another stranger on the street and get a civil response, you only need to remember, it was a sign of the times. That kind of behavior was acceptable, and not even considered strange by 60's street standards back then. After all...we were all 'brothers and sisters'...and flower power ruled the day!

I asked her where she was heading, and she mentioned she was going to meet up with her friend Herk, and then they were going to hitchhike back to the woods of Mendocino county where they lived.

"Please, I pleaded...Take me with you!"
I explained... how I didn't want to go through one more protest and I didn't have a clue as to where to go, to get away from it all!

"Sure!" was her reply..."The more the merrier!" as we continued on to meet up with her friend Herk.

Herk turned out to be another good soul, and had no problem at all, after my plight was revealed to him. "Glad to have you along!" was his comment.

The three of us, with thumbs out, were standing on the corner of Telegraph, [where Telegraph turned from a one way, into a two way street]. We were there for only a couple of minutes when a VW van pulled up to give us all a ride.[Once again...Getting a ride that quick was a sign of the times!] Just as we were about to shut the doors, another fellow we had not seen before, jumped in too, asking...Room for one more?

Closing the doors behind him, he thanked us for making room for him as well
Riding along for a minute or so the new guy asks..."Do any of you guys do acid?"

Now before you get your feathers in a bunch...Here is my disclaimer on drug use during the 60's.

"We used them!"

I am not going to lie to you and tell you.."I never inhaled"...or lie to you again and say..."But all we did was smoke pot!"

Back in the 60's, we experimented with drugs! But not like most folks seem to do today! Our intent back then seemed a little more noble than getting high... just to get high.

We took drugs more to experiment with the conciousness raising of the species.

Today I no longer partake. I stopped doing them many years ago! I found I just didn't seem to get anything, from them anymore!

Now, today..if you were to ask me about acid, I'd tell you that it is a very unpredictable drug.

If you ignored this "heads up", and still persisted in wanting to try it...I'd tell you...you better do your homework first, and you better have someone along, who understands it enough to help you through your experience. [a guide]

I'd also tell you it may have the power to do great good,but at the same time it has the potential to do great harm, {Where do you think the term "bummer" came from?} It's pretty much is a crap shoot! I can neither recommend it, or support it, outside of in a clinically controlled, supervised situation...and the gov't. has pretty much outlawed this kind of research!

OK...with that said....getting back to the story..."Do any of you do acid?" The new guy asked after a couple of minutes. "I have some that is absolutely incredible." he added. "Sorry man, I replied. "You just can't trust the stuff on the street any more", I told him. "But this stuff I have is excellent!" he volleyed. "Sorry man, What can you do? There is just too many rip offs on the streets these days." I told him with finality.
Seeing that no one was up for his challenge, he takes out these little blue pills and starts handing them out...one to each of us."Here he says...I'll prove it to you...If you like these, I'll be in front of the Med cafe on next Wed. evening. If you like it, and you will, meet me there! ....This is where I get out he told the driver. "

And as suddenly he appeared, he is gone... leaving behind one small blue pill in each of our hand.

"What do you make of that guy" someone asks, as we pulled back out into the stream of traffic. "Do you think this stuff is any good," someone else asks?

Now I had ment what I had said, about not trusting unproven street drugs. Times had changed enough from the mid 60's where you could no longer trust the quality of street drugs. You may be paying for only a sugar pill or poor quality LSD, that would be anything but the experience you were seeking.

The whole thing was rather bizarre if you think about it. The guy appears out of no where and then leaves just as fast...could you trust someone like that?

"I think this might be good stuff" I said after milling the whole thing over.If he was a rip off, he would be defeating himself to just give the stuff away.And the fact that he told us where to run into him again, if we wanted more...that says to me, he stands behind its quality enough, that he was willing to put his money where his mouth is. [by giving us each a free sample]. He figured we would confirm it, and be back! "I personally think it has to be good!" Nothing else makes any sense, I said. "I'd take it" I said, putting it in my pocket, to save it for later.

I did not know it at that time, but this bizarre chance encounter was about to change my life, forever! [Kinda sounds like Jack and the magic bean...doesn't it?]

Well after only 3 rides we are up in the Mendocino woods off of Hywy 101. My new found friends lived in an old cottage stye motel complex, that once was on the main hywy., but now was left in the dirt as the new interstate highwy bypassed it it by a mile or so. Since It was now in the middle of nowhere, only hippies lived there because the rent was so cheap.

Looking up at all the tall trees, I breathed in that musty woodsy pine tree smell,as I reveled in the incredible change of enviroment!
I then thanked God for looking out for me, and for getting me out of the city.

It was just turning dark as we entered the main cabin.

Marie asks...

OldHippy,

Have you ever been hypnotized?....A. No... not that I know of, but I have been to a couple of hypnotist shows.

Have you ever had a psychic experience?...A. Yes a couple of times, but I feel a lot of the new age stuff is the same as that which already came thru society in the late 1800's-early 1900.

Houdini disproved it as hokkum then, as Amazing Randi has disproved it as hokkum today.

The moto of this is: If you have to pay for it...beware!

What to you think of past life regressions?...A. I believe in reincarnation, but I take regression with a grain of salt...Why do almost all folks who are regressed, feel they were someone famous???

Have you tried ayahuasca? or ?...A. What is ayahuasca???...and yes to the ? part!

Have you ever met true evil? true goodness?...A. These are terms within "the duality" of life, and need a forum of their own...for neither could exist without the other, but to understand this fully lets discuss it if you are interested.

I can tell you I have experienced the highest high and the lowest low..but would not define it as either good or evil,

However...Can peoplekind perform in either a good or evil role? You bet ya!

Here is another version...This is what Shakespear had to say ..."There is no such thing as right or wrong, for thinking makes it so"

Dear Oldhippy

I see some remnants of the hippy generation everyday as I hitch-hike around the cities in the NorthEast States and Canada. Driving beemers, wearing suits and rushing off to pick up the undergrad kids from college. Are there specific spots in North America that are enclaves or concentrated with/for hippies out of the 60's that have stayed closer to their earthy, free-spirited roots?

Coyote, you just didnt go far enough north. I can name a few towns with 4 hours from my home in Anchorage. Girdwood is a ski bum community about 40 miles south. Very large 'greenie' community and you cant cut any trees there. Also, there is Homer which is the end of the road. Its about 4 hours south of Anchorage. Both places are unspoiled thanks to the very anti-development citizens that live there.

When I went to college in 70s, we would drive up to Santa Cruz and see hippies. I doubt there are any left there cuz its so expensive.

When I lived on Vancouver Island I remember going to the "hippy islands" of Denman and Hornby. It was really neat - they had craft shows, great beaches... we camped there as a school trip for a week and I've never had a better class trip. We did tie-dying, visited their recycling centre, hiked the trails... an awesome place. Very laid back.

Coyote...Yes there are still concentrated areas that folks did not yupp out...meaning, didn't sell out to chase the buck instead.

Heading north from SF...The Russian River area in Sonoma County, [look west of Santa Rosa]

Continuing north on Hywy 101 from Willits to Garberville, in Mendocino County

From the Mendocino/Humboldt Co. border, north to Eureka and Arcata in Humboldt County

The Mt Shasta area, off I-5 in the Sierras

The Eugene area in Oregon...which hosts an annual Hippy Fair:

http://www.oregoncountryfair.org/Photos/photos.html

Plus the Grand daddy of annual free hippy gatherings, The Rainbow family Gathering, which comes together on Federal land each year:

http://www.rickross.com/groups/rainbow.html

Whooops, I forgot one...

http://www.burningman.com/

ahhh,,, wheres the end of the story?! =)

Well thank you indsk for asking! I didn't want to bore anyone with it...but since you asked...look for the next instllment of it soon...to be posted right here!

I thought hippies wouldn't be so narcistic to open a special column just on themselves....

www.aresthetics.ch/trav
My personal travel website

eladi...When someone makes a derogitory or inflamatory comment like you did, I always first personalise it, and consider it for what it is...and then if it doesn't have any bearing in actual truth, I then reconsider it in the light that it was written.

If in your ignorance you spout off without checking facts...well there you have it...ignorance means "not knowing"

But somehow there just may be a redeeming quaility to you...for even though you are in a place right now, where you are:
"the most important thing in the universe"...something seems to be nagging at you, or you wouldn't be over here "kicking tires".

So...if you are simply rude out of ignorance...we'll let this one go...but if you don't learn that you can have your say here, without needing to belittle others...than keep out and off of this board...for as the original keeper of the keys, and moderator of this board, I could have had your remarks and screen name wiped off the face of it... simply for making inflamatory remarks.

Any more inflamatory comments and your true intent here shall be noted.

For what it is worth...When you need to put down others, it means you are comming from a place still contained in the limited...ie. the "ego"

But it is a trap,for you only remain limited, by the limted nature of "ego"

Ego is what makes you say "I am right" and thus...everyone who does not see things the way I do then...is obviously wrong.

Ego is a trap with a false ceiling...you only can rise so high within it. It never gives you the full perspective you need to fully see the whole picture.

You only keep feeding and fueling it...to prove to yourself you have all the answers...but still there is a nagging doubt, that keeps arising from time to time...that lets you know there must be more!

The only way out is from within. Rise above it...by delving deeper into it...and if you don't know how...simply ask!

there are many paths, my friend...find the one that is right for you...but allow all others to follow their own paths as well.

That will be a sign you are getting closer to it!

Ay, carajo, IT WAS A JOKE!

Oh, and by the way, you're interpretation of ignorance is based on only the english meaning of it. It took quite a while for me to grasp the difference between the german 'Ignoranz' and the english 'ignorance'. We do not use it as 'not knowing', but as 'not choosing to know'.
And don't take this personal - it's just meant to clarify future communication....

Then - as for wiping me of the screen - hm, I thought 'every to its way'. I made the experience, that many people need to be shaken out of their cocoon, rather than led out. So aggressive/provoking speech, as long as it is not insulting, is often (I agree: not always) a good way to wake people up. Because, like you show in your post, often the people's first reaction is to defend themselves. While thinking about how to defend, they might actually find within themselves, that what I said was (partially) true - although put down a little to harsh. This often leads to some 'revelation'. That's all I want to do...and I'm actually quite successful with this on people's personal growth. Because what I 'provoke' is not based on dogmas or faith and therefore results (in my opinon) on persnal growth on a much more individual basis, than many of the 'spiritual awakenings' that I've witnessed. Because I don't want nobody to believe what I believe or think what I think. I want them to be themselves, whatever that is....

A reason why my 'sprititual growth' is strongly connected with intellecutality is, because I know quite a few 'spiritualists'/'esoterics', that are actually more confused und unsettled than before their 'spiritual revelation'. I believe it's more important to 'feel right' in this particular life, than trying to understand something much more complex (intellectually and spiritually).

Again, I'm NOT saying that mine is right and everything else is wrong. But please do the same!

Adrian

www.aresthetics.ch/trav
My personal travel website

Adrian, Good for you! when you are being civil, you are an OK dude.

Please see the encounter groups thread herein, if you are interested in how honest observations can be used constructively for helping "jump start" people into reality...but on a flat screen...with no prior frame of reference it simply comes off as derogatory, inflamatory remarks.

If your point was that even a person who gives till it hurts, still does so out of selfishness...I understand the zen...but remember...every thing you also say that does not hit the bulls eye...reflects back like a mirror on the person making the comment.

Like I said...On constructive criticism... I first personalize the comment...to see if it is true to me...If it is...I'll own it...but if not...it reflects back on you.

For example...I am clear on my intent...in fact my clarity of intent may be part of why the boots boys presented me as keeper of the keys for this board.

So when I read that you are accusing me of an ego based obsession...I already know the tricks of the egos need to feed itslf...and I'm simply not there.

Its true I've been there... growing up, it is a stage of personal growth and development...but that was decades ago!

Don't forget...I'm an oldhippy!

So...I then had to figure what was the motivation for the comment...and the only thing that singularly came to mind was...This was an emotion based comment and the emotion was simply:

[Adrian...at this point I would rather you reflect back to what you were truly feeling when you made that comment...rather than having me say what it was in a public forum.]

If you are straight up... and truly seeking growth...send me a Pvt message with your answer to the emotion left blank above, where we'll continue this thread.

Do Note: Courage and Honesty here, on your part, will pay you great dividens! What was the emotion I left blank, for you to fill in?

If you feel my intent may be a little more purer than earlier commented..I'd be glad to share with you, anything you may need or want, to assist you in your personal and spiritual growth, and into becoming the fully self actualized being you are ment, and destined to be.

My intent: simply because I honestly feel you are worth it!

not to bug ya,just checking that you didnt forget about the end of your story you were gonna post. im eager to read it

indsk...Check your private mail...click on "My Space" tab, on the tool bar... top of this screen

ohhh, yes i didnt know that existed, im new to this but yea i found it.