The soul impulses of Warrior, Priest, Wizard, and Thief manifest not only among individual souls, but also manifest as generational influences within humanity.  Each one of these archetypes cycles in and out of manifestation in accordance with a 127 month (10 year, 7 month) period for each one, for a full cycle of approximately 42 years.  The occurrence of each Wizard cycle always has to do with breaking bonds that limit individual expression or creative action.  In the 1880's, the Wizard cycle brought in the Spiritualist movement, with the rise of the great Wizard Lodge "Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn."  The next wizard cycle, occurring during the 1920's, saw a great rise in artistic expression (note the Art Deco movement with its emphasis on geometry and shape), and emphasized individual expression over the group or society.  For the first time, women had the right to vote, and hair length and skirt lines shortened considerably for women; both having much symbology with earlier masculine repression of feminine energy.  When women grew their hair long again, it would be because of their own desires, not because of masculine societal pressure.  Individuals in America were denied the right to choose whether or not to drink with the 18th amendment (the Volstead Act; i.e., "Prohibition,") and it would take the entire Wizard cycle to break down the restrictive rule, although it eventually also manifested in one of the worst economic depressions ever seen in the World. 

In December 1960, once again, the Wizard came into predominance in its new cycle.  John Kennedy, a wizard Soul, had just been elected President of the United States, and a war was waging on the other side of the globe, brought about by the vagarities of the last Priest cycle (1950-1960), to which we were sacrificing our youth, much as the Grecians sacrificed their youth to a far-off monster, the Minotaur, on the Isle of Crete.  To truly understand what occurred during this Wizard cycle, one must first step back two cycles to the previous Warrior cycle (1939-1950).  This was the cycle that saw World War II, or the War to close the door where Evil dwells.  During this was, the atom, the building block of creation, was split, and the first atomic bomb was detonated underground in 1943.  For most individuals in persona form, this act unleashed one of the greatest horrors to threaten our civilization and existence.  In the greater scheme of the Universe, it was nothing short of a miracle.  The forces wrought by that first atomic explosion helped to bring about an initiation for the Mineral Kingdom, and because its vibratory energies were increased, this "bumped up" all other kingdoms in nature 1 full step (octave) in vibratory energy: the plant kingdom, the animal kingdom, and the kingdom of humanity (human souls).  This action, this detonation of an instrument of destruction, actually helped to bring about the needed energy to propel us into the New Age and thus avert the termination of the world.

After this detonation, it was believed at that time that the Earth and Humanity were starting up the cycle of Termination; the grand finale, the "End of all Things."  Souls began pouring back into incarnation at an unprecedented rate; each trying to clear up past karma in preparation for "going home."  In the physical plane, this was the event known as the "Baby Boom."  The population of the Earth doubled within the space of 30 years, and is now more than double what it was in the 1930's.  These "Children of the Bomb," those who came into incarnation in 1943 and thereafter, inherently possessed an increased awareness of the utter reality of the Universe and ability to alter the future path of Earth's destiny.  The first of these beings came "of age," that is, 18 years old, at the beginning of the Wizard cycle of the 1960's. Their service would not begin for another three years, when the Wizard John Kennedy, whose bloodline traced back to the ancient celtic druids of Ireland, undertook the ordeal of the "Sacred King" sacrifice in the city of Dallas, Texas in November, 1963.  Much of modern American history has been focussed upon this event, trying to determine who was behind Kennedy's assassination and why it occurred. 

I truly believe that we will probably never know the true story as to who killed John Kennedy.  I also believe that it's not really important that we know who killed him, as it is that we understand why he was killed, or sacrificed, actually.  The sacrifice of the Sacred King is an ancient ritual in which the blood of the King would be shed in order for the land to be renewed and reborn.  There was a great horror facing humanity at this time; that of the sacrifice of youth to the machine of war.  It was not just the Vietnam war; other wars around the globe threatened the lives of our youth and the survival of our race.  In allowing the sacrifice to take place (and there is evidence that Kennedy was aware that the sacrifice would occur), he averted the horrors of a greater war that would have wiped out most of the population of Earth.  It doesn't really matter who pulled the trigger that killed Kennedy, or whether or not he was liked as a persona  The important thing is that Kennedy was successful in his service as a soul, and he is greatly honored for what he gave to humanity and the rest of the world. 

In the horror and grief of a nation that had lost its leader, the youth, already restless and angry at the needless carnage occurring in the East, fought a war that no one had dreamed would ever occur:  a war between rival generations; generations separated by a dimensional shift in thought and the way they perceived reality.  It was at this time that the active wizards in manifestation stationed the first of what was to be known as the "new energies," and this "war" was between the energies of the New and the Old. 

In the Old energies, one did not question authority.  Blind obedience was expected and rewarded, and innovative or revolutionary thought was squelched in general.  The Old energies emphasized the needs of the lesser whole (society) over the needs of the greater Whole (the One Life, or Humanity).  In the Old Energies, duties to one's society came first, one's God, one's Nation, and one's family, with the needs of the individual placed at the end.  If one was trapped in an abusive or dysfunctional relationship or family situation, well, so be it.  Anyone who sought to remove themselves from such a situation faced dire consequences and stigmas from society.  In the Old energies, there was little if any room for individual expression outside of the societal norm.  Women, in particular, were stigmatized and denigrated, treated as chattel by some societies.  It is hard to realize that it has been less than 80 years since women earned the right to vote in America, England, and other world leader civilizations.  (Women's suffrage, by the way, was won during the Wizard Cycle of 1918-1929). 

The New energies, which began to stream into the consciousness of Humanity in the year 1957 and thereafter, emphasized the Whole of Humanity rather than the needs of the persona-based society.  Because Humanity is comprised of individuals, the New energies signify the need for individual expression within the greater Whole.  In the New energies, no one individual need stand for abuse at the hands of an institution, be it marriage, familial, or societal.  Because of the actions of those who stationed the New Energies during the last wizard cycle, many of the outworn barriers of the Old energy were swept away, such as the stigma on divorce, barriers against women's rights, and barriers against the advancement of minority ethnic groups. 

It was a hard-won fight, if one can consider it to be truly "won."  Indeed, the battle still goes on in many parts of our society, and many believe that the struggle between the New and the Old energies will only be resolved at the time of Ascension, when the Old energies finally die out forever. 

During the time when the New Energies first made their appearance, those who sought to bring them into manifestation were alienated by those adherents of the Old energies.  Thus the two warring factions were divided into the camps of the Old Energy adherents, known as the "Establishment," and the New Energy advocates, known first as the "Beat" generation and, later, as the "Hippies."  It will not be surprising to know that the bulk of those souls manifesting as Hippies were the Wizard souls, many of them coming back into incarnation for the first time after many centuries of discarnate existence.  The battle, at first, was fought peaceably enough; it was only in the later passage of the Wizard cycle that it turned to violence and bloodshed.  Many leaders involved in this "war between the Energies" fell as sacrifices, including John and Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcom "X". 

Much of the impetus behind the movement of the "New" Energies was brought in by the musical group "The Beatles."  This group consisted of four band members during its heyday of the 1960's: John Lennon (a Wizard), Paul McCartney (a Thief), George Harrison (a Priest), and Ringo Starr (a Warrior).  All four soul groups were represented in this band, and the alchemy between them was so potent, that it influenced an entire generation of people; the generation of the New Energy.  The band, obviously, was much reviled by the Old-energy "Establishment," and off-hand remarks made by some of the band members regarding their popularity among youth, along with reputed connections of the band members with the drug culture and "psychedelics" in general, created much fervor in the Old society, with demonstrations against the Beatles, record-burnings, and other such censorship tactics.  Notwithstanding, the popularity of the Beatles continued to increase, and millions of people, both young and old, followed in their wake.  The magical potency of the band was so great that it eventually burned itself out and the members drifted apart, but they served their purpose phenomenally. 

During the 1960's, the Western world began to awaken to and become influenced by Eastern mystical and philosophical thought.  Buddhism in particular was much explored by the curious "wizard" youth, their interest inspired greatly by the Priest member of the Beatles, George Harrison, and others of his ilk.  Along with the renewed interest in Buddhism, mysticism, and metaphysics came the exploration into psychotropic drugs such as the hallucinogenic LSD, psillocybins, heroin, methamphetamine, barbituates, mescaline "peyote" commonly used in some Native American ritual ceremonies, and marijuana (Cannabis Sativa), otherwise known as "pot" or "hash" (Cannabis Indica).  The use of all of these drugs was frowned upon greatly by the Establishment, although, strangely enough, it was marijuana that came under the greatest attack; possibly because it was either so prevalent or so easy to "catch" in possession on a person.  Marijuana became the "poster child" in the Establishment's war on the drug culture, when far more dangerous drugs were existing upon which they could have concentrated. 

The very nature of the "Hippie" was anathema to the Establishment.  Because the hippie sought to express himself/herself individually within the greater whole, the Establishment (Old energy) greatly feared the consequences of that individual expression upon the control it held upon society and over individuals within that society.  Obviously, not every action taken by the hippie culture was a positive one, and as time went on, the peace-loving hippie became the radical, demonstrating "Yippie".  However, the Establishment sought to concentrate only on the so-called "negative" aspect of the hippie; that of the lack of personal hygiene, sexual promiscuity, drug usage, and, strangely of all, the hippie's hair. 

Why this preoccupation with hair?  Why would the length or quality of a person's hair be of an offensive nature?  As recently as the 1910's, long hair on men was neither considered effeminate nor anti-establishment; neither was facial hair.  Many of the founding fathers of this country maintained long hair, tied in ponytails or curled on top their heads; those who didn't have such hair purchased wigs.  The thing to remember is that hair length was determined by the societal trend.  It was perfectly fine to have long hair if present society determined that was the "norm."  The problem was, the "Old Energy" society of the 1960's demanded extremely short hair for men; crew cuts bordering on military cuts.  The reason for this, of course, was because of the active military stance the Establishment had maintained since the 1940's.  America in particular had been in and out of wars since World War II; wars that had little if anything to do with domestic security and much to do with the government's imperialistic fervor and anti-communistic paranoia.  The emphasis on short hair was the subtle programming of society upon the individual to accept the need for self-sacrifice in a war. 

The military has long determined that shearing one's hair is the first step in denuding one's personal "power" of expression.  The ancients believed that hair was the outward sign of individual power of an extremely magical and spiritual nature.  The act of shaving one's head was done only to slaves (thralls) in ancient European society; thus shorn, the thrall was considered to have lost his personal power of expression and therefore had to submit to his masters.  What better analogy for the way a war-oriented society viewed its individuals, especially those of the male (fighting) population?  Old archetypes die hard, as they say. 

The wizard "hippies" realized this, being much closer to their root consciousness than those who had divorced themselves far from it, and made it a point to wear the hair as long as possible.  Except in extreme cases, the hair was kept clean and manageable whenever possible.  Sometimes this was not possible, as the lifestyle these youth followed sometimes ended them up on the street, with intolerant parents kicking them out of their houses.  Sometimes bathing, or even eating, to these individuals, was a rare treat.  The wizards, however, were determined not to back down.  Their individualities, and the individual expression of every being on this planet, was at stake.  The issue was less about the length of one's hair, to them, as it was about having the right to choose what length one's hair COULD be, as well as what one could do with one's life, without having to be outcast from the social community because of it. 

In addition to mind-altering drugs and hair length, there was a wholesale return to spirituality.  In addition to the Eastern mysticism (which was fast becoming a fashion statement more than a philosophical agenda), there was a wholesale return of the youth of the nation to honoring Jesus Christ as a "hero."  Jesus's life was exalted in the rock operas "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Godspell," and songs such as "Turn, Turn, Turn" by the Byrds (based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8), "Jesus is Just All Right With Me,"  and "Spirit in the Sky," to name a few, filled the airwaves with their inspirational messages to the world's youth.  Disgruntled with the materialism-based petty faith of their parents, the youth embraced Jesus' true message of peace and Love to all beings.  Many hippies claim that they were emulating Jesus with the long hair and facial hair, and being a "Jesus freak" was considered to be the ultimate in cool.  Of course, the "Establishment" hated this movement, considering the actions of the wizard "hippies" a blasphemous slur against God and the Church; for very few of the youth attended church. Church, like politics, was the stronghold of the establishment, and many of the young wizards during this age grew up in highly restrictive or even abusive religious households. 

The ultimate expression of the Wizard movement during the 1960's came during the 1967 "Summer of Love," when the youth of the nation came together to express "free love" outwardly, and esoterically, applied Love to a planet in dire need of that Love.  Those who did not understand the nature of what was occurring were horrified at what they perceived as a drunken, drugged debauchery; convinced that the nation of the United States, and the world as well, was going down the tubes.  Nothing could have been farther from the truth.  The center of this activity was in a small community east of San Francisco called Haight- Ashbury.  Here resided the Grateful Dead (another of the great influential "Wizard" bands, with the Wizard "Jerry Garcia" along with the warrior Bob Weir), among a host of thousands of other "hippies."  The scene at Haight-Ashbury continued until the early 1970's, when, due mainly to further encroachment by zealous law enforcement officials and to growing commercialism, the true "hippies" moved out and onward. 

Probably the culmination of the Wizard era occurred in 1969 at the Woodstock concert in upstate New York.  Held on a farm on a rainy summer weekend (August 15- 18), the concert was largely held in the mud, with over 30 musical acts performing, and with thousands of people in attendance, Woodstock became the icon for the Wizard generation; a statement of love, peace, happiness, and freedom. 

The wizard era of the 1960's was far from happiness and "good times," though.  These times were treasured rays of light during this massive astral war that raged between two rival generations.  Drug abuse was rampant, yet new breakthroughs in prescription drugs enabled people to live healthier, longer, and fuller lives.  Blind ignorance, bigotry, and intolerance was still very much in play during this era; yet its people were able to break through one of the greatest technological barriers ever and place men upon the surface of the Moon.  Massive inroads were made in reducing racism and sexism and toward bringing equal rights to all people, not just a select few. 

It was paid for in tears, in sweat, and in blood.  The decline of the Wizard era could be seen in the tragedy at the Altamont concert in California, a few months after the powerful culmination of Woodstock.  The Wizard era finally ended in a bang; four bangs that is, when 4 innocent students lost their lives in the riot at Kent State University in Ohio in 1971.  Once again, a nation was divided; half in horror at the senseless carnage and the loss of innocent lives, and half either apathetic to the occurrence or, even more horrible, gleeful at the demise of the "hippies."  In a few months after Kent State, the 127-month Wizard cycle came to a close, and the Thief cycle of 1971-1982 had begun. 

We stand now upon the threshold of a new Wizard cycle, due to begin in 3 years in April, 2003.  It is up to us to bear the responsibility of bringing in a kinder, gentler cycle; one in which the Wizards are loving creators instead of warriors.  Much of the current Priest cycle of the 1990's has been geared toward bringing in this Light energy.  Many metaphysicians believe that it will be during the next Wizard cycle (April 2003-October 2013) that the Ascension of Humanity into the fourth dimension will occur.  The window of opportunity, opened for us during the Harmonic Convergence during the Warrior cycle of August 1987, remains with us.  It is up to us to make the decision to go forward into the New Energy. 

The Wizard cycle of the 1960's, albeit turbulent, was one of the most powerful and beautiful movements to have come upon the World.  We saw wizards performing at their best among us during this time.  The patterns they set during that era still remain with us, through them and the people they influenced.  Even though the outer form (the fashion, etc.) of the era degenerated and faded, the power of the message and the works of that generation still remain and grow.  It can never die, and if there is anything to be learned from the end of the cycle, it is to remember that any movement, like any being, at death, rediscovers a beauty and a meaning that was lost with its birth. 

Perhaps Abbie Hoffman summed up the end result of the Wizard activity of the 1960's best in the following quote: 

"We are here to make a better world. 

No amount of rationalization or blaming can preempt the moment of choice each of us brings to our situation here on this planet. The lesson of the 60's is that people who cared enough to do right could change history. 

We didn't end racism but we ended legal segregation. 

We ended the idea that you could send half-a-million soldiers around the world to fight a war that people do not support. 

We ended the idea that women are second-class citizens. 

We made the environment an issue that couldn't be avoided. 

The big battles that we won cannot be reversed. We were young, self-righteous, reckless, hypocritical, brave, silly, headstrong and scared half to death. 

And we were right." 

Links to other Sixties-"wizard" related sites: 

• The Wild Bohemian Home Page 
• Webhippie 
• Changes:  Celebrating our growing consciousness. (A must-see). 
• Zane & Bracco's Hippie Joint.