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LOHAS

LOHAS AND THE INDIGO DOLLAR: GROWING THE SPIRITUAL

ECONOMY

(revised January 2010)

 ABSTRACT: It is well documented that alternative spiritualities can e

commercialised and commodi!ied" #y aim in this paper is to e$tend

this !urther y identi!yin% how LOHAS (Li!estyles o! Health and

Sustainaility)& which descries a multi'illion dollar maretplace in the

nited States& sees to consciously %row the spiritual economy to

unprecedented levels" I then provide an e$ample o! how thisconsumer'!ocused lo%ic is e$pressed y inte%ral theorist *en +iler&

resultin% in what mi%ht e called the ,indi%o dollar-"

Keywords: LOHAS, spirituality, late capitalism, integral theory, Ken

il!er 

"t is well documented that alternati#e spiritualities can !e commercialised and

commodi$ied %Aldred &''', Carrette and King &''(, )**y &''+, Heelas ---,

.ossamai &''/, Rind$leish &''(, Roo$ ---, aldron &''(01 2y aim in this

paper is to e3tend this $urther !y identi$ying how LOHAS %Li$estyles o$ Health

and Sustaina!ility0, which descri!es a multi4!illion dollar mar5etplace in the

6nited States, see5s to consciously grow the spiritual economy to

unprecedented le#els1 "t does this !oth !y selling spiritual products and, more

importantly, !y co4opting spirituality into its 7#alues8 to $urther generate

re#enue, resulting in increased acceptance o$ the transparent

commercialisation o$ the spiritual1 " then pro#ide an e3ample o$ how this

increased acceptance mani$ests in the wor5 o$ integral theorist Ken il!er,

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who sells a range o$ spiritual products and ser#ices resulting in what might !e

called the 7indigo dollar81 2y aim here is not to !elittle the spiritual

e3periences sought in the LOHAS mar5etplace, rather, $ollowing 9eremy

Carrette and Richard Kings 2ar3ist analysis o$ the spiritual mar5etplace, to

7challenge constructions o$ spirituality that promote the su!suming o$ the

ethical and religious in terms o$ an o#erriding economic agenda8 %;01

 Ac5nowledging that 7spiritual materialism is not the same as spirituality8

%<ould &''+0, the concern is precisely $or those in the LOHAS mar5etplace

who are, =uite literally, in danger o$ !eing sold a $alse idea: that growing the

spiritual economy is the same as spiritual growth1

LOHAS and the Spiritual .conomy 

LOHAS is an acronym $or Li!estyles o! Health and Sustainaility 1 The term

was coined !y <aiam %>asda=: <A"A0, a highly success$ul media company

5nown $or producing yoga ?@?s1 The LOHAS mar5etplace comprises $i#e 5ey

segments: sustaina!le economy, healthy li$estyles, alternati#e healthcare,

personal de#elopment, and ecological li$estyles,& and is inspired !y the

$indings o$ .aul H1 Rays %&'''0 !oo5, /he ultural reatives How 0 #illion

3eople are han%in% the +orld 1 Ray identi$ied Cultural Creati#es as

constituting around &( o$ the population in the 6nited States1 Their main

concern, as the la!el suggests, is creating a new culture !ased on #alues

re$lecting ecological sustaina!ility, authenticity in personal and pu!lic li$e,

womens issues, loo5ing at the !igger picture, and spirituality1 Ray argued that

Cultural Creati#es were an in$luential !ut largely in#isi!le demographic,

&

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spanning the $ull spectrum o$ age, race and income1 LOHAS made the

Cultural Creati#es #isi!le1

Spirituality is a core part o$ LOHAS and $alls within its mar5et segment o$

7personal de#elopment81 The term 7spirituality8 is su!ect to a !road array o$

interpretations, o$ten o$$set against the more dogmatic constructions o$

7religion81 Ser#ing, $or e3ample, as a relati#ely speci$ic contemporary

de$inition, Ro!ert ormans %&'';0 7grassroots spirituality8 see5s to !e as

inclusi#e as possi!le o$ many spiritual constituencies on their own terms, and

suggests it, 7in#ol#es a #aguely pantheistic ultimate that is indwelling,

sometimes !odily, as the deepest sel$ and accessed through not4strictly4

rational means o$ sel$ trans$ormation and group process that !ecomes the

holistic organi*ation $or all li$e8 %(01 Howe#er, the 7#aguely pantheistic

ultimate8 is too speci$ic $or the LOHAS demographic, who are part o$ the

7spirituality re#olution8 de$ined !y a !road spectrum o$ alternati#e spiritualities

largely $ocused on the 7su!ecti#e turn8 away $rom transcendent sources o$

signi$icance and authority towards the internal %Heelas D oodhead &''(: +01

"n this conte3t, %alternati#e0 spirituality is !est understood as !eing concerned

with Sandra Schneiders %-E-0 7hori*on o$ ultimate #alue8 %+E;01

 

76ltimate #alues8 $unction as shorthand $or spirituality and is implied #ia

interpretations o$ 7#alues8, 7sustaina!ility8, 7ethics8, 7well4!eing8 and so $orth1

Howe#er, while these allusions can !e #ague, the spirituality message

communicates clearly enough: when pro$iled in 4ewswee , $or e3ample,

LOHAS consumers were descri!ed as 7&st

 Century >ew Agers8 %aldman

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and Reiss &''+01 Spirituality is certainly pre#alent among the consumer

maga*ines in which LOHAS Journal  suggests producers ad#ertise: Alternati#e

2edicineF Body D SoulF )3perience Li$eF Healing Li$estyles and SpasF

@egetarian TimesF Optimum ellnessF ?elicious Li#ingF Better >utritionF

@eg>ewsF Goga 9ournalF Gogi TimesF .lentyF Organic Li$estylesF SunsetF

Spirituality and HealthF 2other 9onesF OdeF 6tne1/ ?epending on how strict

one is in de$ining spirituality, one could pro!a!ly e3pect to $ind regular spiritual

articles in the maority o$ these titlesF indeed one could argue that spirituality,

along with $ood are the prime common denominators1

The LOHAS employment o$ the spiritual is intended to re$lect consumers

desire to !ear witness to their spiritual #alues while ma5ing purchasing

decisions1 Howe#er, the importance o$ spirituality within the LOHAS

mar5etplace can also !e #iewed #ia a more worldly lens1 irst, spiritual

products are simply another mar5et that can !e e3panded and e3ploited1

Second, a co4option o$ spirituality !y LOHAS as part o$ its 7#alues8 lends

credi!ility to its o#erall mission to ma5e money, which might otherwise !e

loo5ed upon un$a#oura!ly !y some consumers1 The point o$ LOHAS; is to

learn how to 7communicate with8( %i1e1 7sell to80 consumers who $it the LOHAS

demographic1 LOHAS !usiness argues that it ser#es a 7triple !ottom line8

%)l5ington --E0 o$ 7people, planet and pro$it8 which measures a !usiness or

organisations success not ust !y its $inancial per$ormance, !ut also its

en#ironmental and social per$ormance1 Allusions to spirituality lend more

emphasis to people and planet in this $ormula1 Howe#er, the LOHAS

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mar5etplace is clearly $ocused on pro$it, demonstrated !y the $ollowing outline

o$ LOHAS !usiness #alues1

LOHAS Journal s $undamental premises $or #alues4dri#en !usiness are higher

producti#ity and pro$ita!ility among employees who wor5 in a company they

7!elie#e in8, and loyalty and $orgi#eness $rom customers who appreciate a

companys dedication to !oth their product and community1+ The result o$

these #alues is the 7sustaina!ility8 o$ !usiness %the insured longe#ity o$

pro$ita!ility01 The use o$ the word 7sustaina!le8 when actually meaning

7continually pro$ita!le8 is an e3plicit e3ample o$ LOHAS co4opting language to

ser#e its own $inancial ends1 Certainly, all three aspects o$ the triple !ottom

line are re$erred to in these #alues, !ut pro$it remains the chie$ $ocus1 "n much

the same way, when discussing clean technology, LOHAS Journal  is less

interested in what this means $or the planet and more $ocused on 7a

compelling in#estment opportunity81E

 A clear $ormula can !e identi$ied in the presentation o$ LOHAS #alues4dri#en

!usiness, $raming !usiness opportunities $irst !y 7people and planet8 and then

!y 7pro$it81 or e3ample, LOHAS Journal  highlights Organic Bou=uet, a green

alterati#e in the 7I- !illion dollar 6S $loral trade81- This producer partners

with charita!le organisations li5e Amnesty "nternational and in doing so trades

upon what can !e descri!ed as their 7credi!ility asset81 O$ this partnership,

 Amnestys )3ecuti#e ?irector claims !oth 7share the goal o$ impro#ing the

li#es o$ and securing ustice $or people throughout the worldJ1 But the Organic

Bou=uet pro$ile concludes with what we can only assume is the 7!ottom triple

(

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!ottom line8, noting the company has 7created the mar5et $or organic $resh cut

$lowers81 2a5ing such purchases then !ecomes the method !y which

consumers are encouraged to play their part in sol#ing the worlds pro!lems:

!uying on certain credit cards can !e a 7$orce $or change1 $or you and $or

the planet81' So much emphasis is gi#en to 7people and planet8 that it

!ecomes easy to $orget the 7pro$it8 altogether, resulting in parado3es which

ena!le LOHAS Journal , with its $ocus on selling possessions, to =uote the

?alai Lamas criticism that 7"n our increasing materialistic world, we are dri#en

!y a seemingly insatia!le desire $or power and possessions81 This =uote

demonstrates !oth how pro$it is o!scured within LOHAS, and how spirituality

%in this case personi$ied !y the ?alai Lama0 is employed in this process1

LOHAS attempts to consolidate these 7#alues8 !y surrounding them in a #eil

o$ 7authenticity81& LOHAS does not o$$er much conte3t $or what it actually

means !y authenticity1 Howe#er, the dri#e toward authenticity is typically seen

as a response to the three core malaises o$ modern society: 7The $irst $ear is

a!out what we might call the loss o$ meaning, the $ading o$ moral hori*ons1

The second concerns the eclipse o$ ends, in $ace o$ rampant instrumental

reason1 And the third is a!out a loss o$ $reedom8 %Taylor --&: '01 By

alluding to authenticity, LOHAS appeals to an intuiti#e desire to mitigate this

societal malaise, de$lecting attention $rom its core $inancial !usiness to one o$

ultimate concerns1 At the same time, securing its morally pri#ileged position o$

incorporating such ultimate concerns, LOHAS criticises those who appear to

ha#e no authenticity: "denti$ying the recent e3plosion o$ LOHAS awareness in

9apan, LOHAS Journal  worries that 9apanese consumers are 7!eing

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showered with $lashy in$ormation and ad#ertising gimmic5s that lac5 any

authenticity and instead prey on the pure popularity o$ the term81/ or

LOHAS, authenticity is #ested with a certain capital that its mem!er

organisations can trade upon, e#en i$ those mem!ers do not immediately

appear to !e in the !usiness o$ mitigating societal malaise: the &'' LOHAS

con$erence literature re$ers to mem!ers such as ord, 6nile#er, Boeing,

Toyota, >estle and almart1;

ollowing this theme o$ authenticity, .aul Rays company, "ntegral

.artnerships, which de#elops his theories a!out the Cultural Creati#es,

descri!es what he calls 7authentic power8, which !uilds upon spiritual

awareness and is part o$ 7an emerging wisdom culture81( This concept has

gathered some momentum and Ray is now one o$ the 7mystics without

monasteries8 at isdom 6ni#ersity where he ser#es as ?irector o$ the

"nstitute $or the )merging isdom Culture1+ The =uestion is, why is the

7authentic8 commercial co4option o$ the spiritual accepted so uncritically within

LOHAS, a demographic identi$ied, dri#en and including many #ery intelligent

and spiritually sincere people ust li5e .aul Ray >umerous persuasi#e

arguments claim that alternati#e and spiritualities $unction $reely in a conte3t

o$ late capitalismMcharacterised !y a shi$t $rom production to consumer

capitalismM%Carrette and King &''(, )**y &''+, Heelas ---, .ossamai

&''/, Roo$ ---, aldron &''(0, so in this sense LOHAS is ust perpetuating

the norm1 Carrette and King argue that the 7consumer world o$ N>ew Age

spirituality mar5ets Nreal, Npure or Nauthentic spiritual e3periences, !ut these

are manu$actured worlds that see5 to escape the Nimpure political reality o$

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spirituality8 %E/01 " want to add an e3tra dimension to these arguments in

relation to LOHAS, one that comes unwittingly $rom Ray himsel$ in his report

/he 4ew 3olitical ompass1 

The su!title o$ Rays report gi#es an immediate indicator o$ why LOHAS

remains largely politically unchallenged: /he 4ew 3ro%ressives are In'5ront&

6eep 7reen& and 8eyond Le!t vs" 9i%ht 1 Rays political compass shows,

pointing west, ( o$ #oters who are 7standing pat on the le$t modernist

li!erals81 .ointing south are - o$ #oters who are 7pro$its o#er planet and

people !usiness conser#ati#es81 .ointing east are & o$ #oters who are

7longing $or the old ways cultural conser#ati#es81 .ointing north are a runaway

;( o$ #oters who are 7in $ront on !ig, emerging issues: cultural creati#es,

new progressi#es81 Ray !egins his report with the =uestion many want

answered, 7How can progressi#es actually win in the $ace o$ the right wing

political uggernaut, composed o$ !ig money, !ig media and religious right

shoc5 troops8 E Ray then notes that while the maority o$ #oters are $acing

north progressi#es, 7E/ percent o$ them reect any identi$ication with the le$t81

To engage these #oters %and, presuma!ly, consumers0, Ray argues $or the

need to mo#e !eyond concepts o$ 7le$t8 and 7right81

Ray de$ines 7the le$t8 #ariously as 7con#entional le$t politics!ig go#ernment

paradigm8, ha#ing a 7tight $ocus on programmatic ideas8 and ha#ing once

pro#ided the $orum o$ progressi#e issues1- >o dou!t Carrette and Kings

%&''(0 criti=ue o$ the o#erriding economic agenda o$ contemporary spirituality

Mwhich underpins the present analysisMwould also $all into Rays de$inition

E

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o$ the le$t1 Howe#er, those %old0 le$tist progressi#e #alues do not disappear on

Rays compass1 "t is now the new progressi#es who 7own8 #alues such as,

7ecological sustaina!ility, womens issues, consciousness issues, national

health care, national education, and an emerging concern $or the planet and

the $uture o$ our children and grandchildren8,&' !ut identi$ying with the le$t is

ne#ertheless unaccepta!le to them, !eing reminiscent o$ an 7impure political

reality81 hether or not one agrees with Rays argument that the alternati#es

!etween le$t and right are less meaning$ul now than e#er !e$ore, " suggest

that in order $or LOHAS to appeal to the new progressi#es with their suspicion

o$ the le$t, it has ettisoned one o$ the most e3plicit characteristics o$ the le$t:

its economicPclass analysis1

"deally, this a!andonment o$ a le$tist economicPclass analysis would !e

replaced !y something appropriate to the percei#ed #alues o$ the new

progressi#es, howe#er this is not the case1 As a result, the LOHAS consumer

can identi$y with those standard li!eral #alues !ut without any o$ the economic

awareness a!out what is needed to mani$est them1 This lac5 o$ awareness is

$illed with the only alternati#e le$t on the ta!le: the late capitalist status =uo1

Some residual le$tist understanding is ali#e in LOHAS, thus the need to

re!rand late capitalism to something less unsa#oury: conscious capitalismF

triple !ottom lineF social pro$it1 2onica )merich %&''+0 writes a!out a

per$ormance at a LOHAS con$erence !y 9oan Bae*, during which she loo5ed

rather !emused1 7e are a greed society and the rich are going to ha#e to

gi#e to the poor1 " !elie#e you are here to address this8 %/0, Bae* tells the

attendees1 Bae* should indeed loo5 !emused, !ecause !ehind what was no

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dou!t a completely sincere statement was pro!a!ly the realisation that the

economic4political territory she was used to inha!iting was not ust di$$erent at

the LOHAS con$erence, !ut a!sent1 The con$erence had no interest in Bae*s

7le$tist8 #alues, rather a desire to trade upon her 7authenticity81

*en +iler and the Indi%o 6ollar 

" want now to pro#ide an e3ample o$ what spirituality can !egin to loo5 li5e in

the a!sence o$ a suita!le economic analysis, and once sincere spiritual

see5ers ha#e !ecome desensitised to the co4option o$ spirituality !y late

capitalist tendencies, whether conscious or otherwise1 The e3ample is the

recent traectory o$ Ken il!ers 7integral spirituality81

il!ers %&'''0 aim is to construct 7a world philosophy1 one that would

!elie#a!ly wea#e together the many pluralistic conte3ts o$ science, morals,

aesthetics, )astern as well as estern philosophy, and the worlds great

wisdom traditions8 %3ii01 He hopes to achie#e this tas5 !y identi$ying the

de#elopmental nature o$ human e#olution1 il!er categorises e#olution in

#arious ways which echo those o$ Swiss philosopher, 9ean <e!ser %-E(0,

who suggested e#olution un$olded #ia the $ollowing stages: 7the archaic,

magical, mythical, mental, and integral8 %;&01 il!er de#elops other models

including the 7<reat >est o$ Being8 $ollowing: matterPphysics, !iologyPli$e,

psychologyPmind, theologyPsoul, mysticismPspirit %&''' ;;;0 and also the

stages o$ egocentric, ethnocentric and worldcentric %&''+ +01 il!er argues

each le#el o$ e#olution 7transcends and includes8 the pre#ious le#el, thus

honouring the partial truth claims re#ealed within them rather than negating

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them1 il!er also !uilds on the #isually attracti#e colour stages o$ spiral

dynamics de#eloped !y ?on )dward Bec5 and Christopher C1 Cowan %--+0,

which he has recently adapted to his altitude colour chart1& This chart,

pegged to <e!sers categories $or e3ample, has the archaic as in$rared,

magical as red, mythical as am!er, mental as orange, and integral as indigo1

Spiritual de#elopment, $or il!er, in#ol#es rising in altitude up the colour

chart, transcending and including the lower le#els, until reaching the $ully

integral %nondual0 awareness o$ indigo1 A persons de#elopmental progress

can !e charted on the integral map which is called AQAL, an acronym $or 7all

=uadrants, all le#els81 The =uadrants show 7the inside and the outside o$ the

indi#idual and the collecti#e, and the point is that all ; =uadrants need to !e

included i$ we want to !e as integral as possi!le8 %&''+ &/01 AQAL is !asically

a highly de#eloped schematic $or what we generally understand as 7holistic81

hile .aul Ray employs the term 7integral culture8 in regard to the Cultural

Creati#es, he does not mean =uite the same thing as il!er1 hile all

integralists are Cultural Creati#es, all Cultural Creati#es are not integralists1

il!er argues that Rays identi$ication o$ some &( o$ the American

population !eing Cultural Creati#es is actually a measure o$ green altitude,

not integral1&& il!er claims green altitude, typi$ied !y the academy and

political correctness, actually resists the integral !ecause its radical pluralism

and pho!ia o$ hierarchies are incompati!le with the integral ran5ing o$

transcending and including1 Howe#er, !ecause altitude is de#elopmental, all

people must progress through green !e$ore they can !ecome integral

%culminating with indigo01 According to il!er only & o$ the population is

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integral, which represents a!out ' o$ the multi4!illion LOHAS mar5etplace1

or much o$ his career il!er resisted the typical glories o$ the spiritual guru,

opting instead to remain largely secluded in his writing1 But in recent years he

has come out o$ his shell to mar5et a #ariety o$ products and ser#ices

designed to $acilitate the de#elopmental ourney to indigo, and in the process

has created an elite su!4segment o$ the LOHAS mar5et: the indigo dollar1&/

The indigo dollar started rolling in --E, with the $ounding o$ il!ers Inte%ral

Institute %"4"0, intended to promote his #ision o$ an integral world#iew1 "4"s

history claims that "nternet entrepreneur 9oe irmage 7announced that Nthere

is nothing anywhere in the world that is doing what "ntegral "nstitute is doing,

and then promptly donated a million dollars in cash81&; >o dou!t il!er

genuinely considered the $unding o$ the institute as a wonder$ul opportunity to

share his integral #ision, !ut in a $ew shorts years il!ers dry, pseudo4

academic writings had !een repac5aged $or a consumer mar5et1 e will not

5now until either il!er or one o$ his inner circle pu!lishes a $ull account o$

the de#elopment o$ "4" whether the centralising o$ the indigo dollar was a

conscious shi$t on !ehal$ o$ il!er, ha#ing had a taste o$ 7a million dollars8, or

whether it was down to the !usiness ad#isors that almost ine#ita!ly came

attached to such a donation1 hiche#er way, the "4" and related we!sites are

now a store$ront $or the integral consumer1

)#en a cursory e3amination o$ the "4" we!site can identi$y how much it

!orrows $rom !usiness in its presentation o$ a spiritual world#iew1 "4" is a

!randing machine, underpinned !y its 7"ntegral Certi$ication8: 73owered y

&

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 A:AL1&(1 Li5e any commercial operation, "4" has !uilt a proprietary wall around

its spiritual products1 >umerous phrases are trademar5ed on the "4" Inte%ral

Li!e 3ractice Starter *it we!site: Big 2indF /4Body or5outF /4&4

Shadow or5 .rocessF AQALF a product that comes at a mere I&;-1&+ 

>or is the term 7spiritual products8 one proected on to il!er $rom an

interpreti#ecritical perspecti#e1 At the time o$ writing, il!ers most recent

email newsletter carried the su!ect line 7Kens >ewest .roduct 4 >ow

Shipping8,& which announced the launch o$ .ssential Inte%ral , again priced at

I&;-1&E

Other mar5eting strategies play into the hands o$ instant demand

consumerism1 il!ers integral practices are pac5aged li5e con#enience $ood

to appeal to the !usy consumer with scala!le li$e practices whittled down to

74minute modules81&- il!ers !oo5, Inte%ral Spirituality  reads suspiciously

li5e a catalogue $or "4" products and ser#ices, which are re$erred to on

numerous occasions in the te3t, including #arious 6RLs to "4" we!sites and a

whole chapter on Inte%ral Li!e 3ractice1 This is e3actly the type o$

commodi$ication Carrette and King write o$, identi$ying the selling o$$ o$ 7ideas

and claims to authenticity in ser#ice to indi#idualPcorporate pro$it and the

promotion o$ a particular world#iew and mode o$ li$e, namely corporate

capitalism8 %(01

"4" terminology ma5es those o$ a !usiness and corporate orientation $eel

com$orta!le, thus ma5ing them more li5ely to purchase integral products and

attempt integral de#elopment1 "ntegral Sustaina!ility Training is clearly

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orientated towards sustaina!le pro$its, resulting in 7increased mar5et share,

superior retention, higher pro$ita!ility, less ris5, mitigated uncertainty in

planning, and deeper traction $or organi*ational strategy81/' This echoes

another o$ Carrette and Kings o!ser#ations that these supposedly

trans$ormati#e spiritualities !ring a!out little in personal trans$ormation, e3cept

perhaps increased e$$iciency and producti#ity at wor5 %(4+01 Con$irming this, in

an "ntegral >a5ed %"4"s media out$it0 podcast, 7The uture o$ Business is

"ntegral8/ 9ohn 2ac5ey, Chairman and C)O o$ hole oods 2ar5et tells

il!er that integral !usiness 7is going to grow at an e3tremely rapid rate111 and

that it will out4compete anything else out there81 il!er agrees, claiming that

integral people $unction ten times more e$$iciently than those at a lower

de#elopmental le#el1 "n another "ntegral >a5ed podcast, 7The Higher Reaches

o$ Success8/& moti#ational !usiness guru Tony Ro!!ins continues the process

o$ normali*ing large sums o$ money, in$orming il!er that he sees no

7separation !etween !uilding a !illion4dollar a year !usiness and the spiritual

dri#e to contri!ute81 il!er %&''+0 continues his courting o$ corporations:

re$erring to his AQAL model in a !usiness conte3t, he writes, 7the =uadrants

gi#e the ; Nen#ironments or Nmar5ets in which a product must sur#i#e, and

the le#els gi#e the types o$ #alues that will !e !oth producing and !uying the

product8 %&-01 So it should come at no surprise that il!ers wor5 has !een

pic5ed up !y numerous indi#iduals in regard to wor5, !usiness and

managementPleadership %Barrett &''+, Cacioppe &'''a D &'''!, Cacioppe

and )dwards &''(a D &''(!, )dwards &''(, KUpers &''(, Landrum and

<ardner &''(, Locander et al &''&, Lund &'';, .auchant &''(, .aulson

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&''&, .ielstic5 &''(, Reams &''(, Steingard &''(, @an 2arrewi5 &''/, @an

2arrewi5 and Hardono &''/, @olc5mann &''(, arne5a &''+01

il!er goes $urther than simply tal5ing in a corporate4$riendly language: he

also see5s to enclose the integral & o$ the population within an elite wealthy

community1 One o$ the "ntegral >a5ed podcasts is called 7)ntrepreneurial

"dealism and the "ntegral 2odel8// with Brian 9ohnson, certi$ied 7integral

$riend8 and $ounder o$ the social networ5ing site Vaad* which $ocuses on

7conscious capitalism81/; The podcast introduction states, 7Li5e "ntegral

"nstitute, Vaad* is a gated community 1 But wait 4 isnt that marginali*ing,

discriminatory, and elitist ell, not really1 "$ you oin a country clu!, there

are certain rules that you agree to $ollow81 Here "4" li5ens itsel$ to !oth a gated

community and a country clu!, simultaneously suggesting two things: $irst,

that !elonging to "4" is to !e sa$ely tuc5ed away in an economically pri#ileged

communityF second, that "4" is =uite happy to articulate it as such, ignoring the

economic realities that ena!le the e3istence o$ gated communities and

country clu!s1

il!er and "4" ha#e cra$ted di$$erent le#els at which indi#iduals can part with

their money and oin the integral country clu!: 7Gou can donate to the

"nstitutes mission at any le#el o$ gi#ing, !ut $or those donors who see5 to gi#e

through a $ormal program the "nstitute o$$ers the Society o$ ellows and the

Society o$ "ntegrals81 Costs are I,'''W annual donation $or the ellows

Society and I','''W annual donation $or the "ntegral Society1 "4" is

7assem!ling a new Board o$ Trustees drawn $rom our largest donors8, so it

(

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appears possi!le to purchase a go#erning position at the e#olutionary edge o$

spirituality1/( The irony is traditional late capitalism, on which gated

communities and country clu!s are !ased, consciously $eeds upon the la!our

o$ those outside the clu!1 By ignoring this, "4" and Vaad* are actually

e3emplars o$ unconscious capitalism, a result, as mentioned a!o#e, o$ ha#ing

no appropriate economic analysis within the allegedly 7new progressi#e8

politics1

il!er discusses the topic o$ money and spirituality at some length in an

essay entitled, 9i%ht 8ucs1/+ He ma5es se#eral =uestiona!le turns in this

essay, which is essentially a theological usti$ication o$ cash1 irst he notes

how money was demonised !y Buddhists, 7without e3ception these early

?harma traditions, )ast and est, were %and still are0 stamped with a disdain

o$ money, o$ $ood, o$ se3, and o$ women81/ "mmediately, il!er sets up an

ostensi!ly li!eratory proect, three4=uarters o$ which %$ood, se3, women0

sounds per$ectly reasona!le: he wants us to !elie#e the li!eration o$ money

and women are compara!le1 He then appeals to the 7>ondual re#olution,

introduced in the est !y the !rilliant .lotinus and in the )ast !y the

remar5a!le >agaruna81/E Here we are told that the nondual tradition

em!raced the mani$est as an e3pression o$ spirit rather than reecting it as

e#il1 e are now !eing led to !elie#e money %mani$est0 is an e3pression o$

spirit1 il!er argues, 7this nondual orientation in#ol#ed a pro$ound re4

e#aluation o$ the Nsin$ul nature o$ money, $ood se3 %and women08/-F the

nondual is not anti4money, it is in $a#our o$ 7appropriate money, appropriate

!uc5s81;'

 il!er continues to tal5 at some length a!out the li!eration o$

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women, as i$ insepara!le $rom the li!eration o$ money, consistently ignoring

the $act that $ood, se3 and women are o$ a natural order whereas money is

not: money is merely a social or go#ernment $iat1 "$ we can put aside this

dishonest correlation !etween money and women,; we are le$t with the idea

o$ 7right !uc5s8: money is o5, as long as it is treated appropriately1 Again, this

sounds =uite reasona!le, as long as some agreement can !e made a!out

what is appropriate1 "s the gated community and country clu! appropriate

il!ers connection o$ women and money in this essay is an interesting one,

and o$$ers some insight into the appropriateness o$ il!ers economic

analysis1 )lsewhere, il!er %&'''0 o$$ers a highly pro!lematic presentation o$

women #ia a #ery selecti#e reading o$ $eminist scholars, which results in a

gender parity o$ +'P;' %maleP$emale0 as well as an essentialised

understanding o$ gender and the depoliticisation o$ patriarchy %<el$er &''-

'/4(01 "t is up to the indi#idual to decide i$ il!ers idea o$ appropriate

!uc5s is compara!le to appropriate gender parity1 "n 9i%ht 8ucs the only

sensi!le monetary =uestion that remains $or il!er is how to share the

?harma with those who cannot a$$ord it, and he claims to !e $ond o$ charges

!eing pegged to a sliding scale1 Howe#er, he notes, 7un$ortunately it is rather

hard to apply to seminars and retreats and other ?harma e#ents, !ecause the

!oo5wor5ing is so comple381;& Certainly, there are no sliding scales $or any o$

the products and ser#ices a#aila!le on the "4" we!site, e3cept those relating to

how much one is willing to donate to "4"1;/ il!er has anticipated such criticism

with his creation o$ the 7mean green meme8, which would say that green

consciousness, which has yet to reach integral, will see5 to pull down integral

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e$$orts $or trans$ormation, in this case lac5ing the de#elopmental a!ilities to

appreciate and realise the nature o$ 7right !uc5s81 Clearly, indigo

consciousness is also prophetic1

Summary and onclusion

LOHAS represents a multi4!illion mar5etplace in the 6nited States $ocusing

on $i#e 5ey segments: sustaina!le economy, healthy li$estyles, alternati#e

healthcare, personal de#elopment, and ecological li$estyles1 LOHAS !usiness

argues that it ser#es a 7triple !ottom line8 o$ 7people, planet and pro$it8 and in

doing so is !ased on 7#alues81 Spirituality plays a signi$icant role in the

LOHAS mar5etplace, accounting $or much o$ the 7personal de#elopment8

segment1 LOHAS see5s to grow the spiritual economy !y selling spiritual

products and ser#ices1 But LOHAS also engages with spirituality at a deeper,

more distur!ing le#el1 By co4opting spirituality into its #alues, LOHAS trades

upon the 7authenticity8 o$ the spiritual in order to ser#e its 7!ottom triple

!ottom line8 o$ pro$it1 "n this way spirituality then grows the LOHAS economy1

Because this operates in a transparent and unapologetic $ashion, and

!ecause its ostensi!le #alues o$ 7sustaina!ility8 appear reasona!le, the

connection !etween the commercial and the spiritual !ecomes normalised1

Once this connection has !ecome $ully normalised, spiritual consumers come

to e3pect spiritual products to !e sold to them, and their e3pectations are met1

Once such e3ample are the products and ser#ices promoted !y Ken il!er

and "ntegral "nstitute, which constitutes an su!4segment o$ the LOHAS

mar5etplace $ocusing on higher, indigo consciousness and, conse=uently, the

E

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7indigo dollar81 ollowing LOHAS with its proli$eration o$ !oo5s, ?@?s and

wor5shops, "4" pac5ages and sells spiritual products and ser#ices in a way

that appeals to people who operate within a commercial en#ironment1 "ndeed

these products and ser#ices see5 to aid the consumers operations within a

commercial en#ironment !y generating increased e$$iciency and !etter

strategies in the wor5place1 il!er also see5s to normalise the connection

!etween the commercial and the spiritual !y pro#iding a theological

 usti$ication $or money in his essay 9i%ht 8ucs1

 A 5ey similarity !etween LOHAS and integral products is the perception o$ the

political domain, and the resulting economic criti=ues that $lows $rom it %or

not01 hile a num!er o$ LOHAS #alues are traditionally located on Rays

de$inition o$ the le$t, it see5s to appeal to consumers who do not identi$y with

the le$t, and in doing so a!andons one o$ its most identi$ia!le $eatures: its

economic analysis1 il!ers integral theory per$orms a similar turn: while Ray

#iews Cultural Creati#es as 7!eyond le$t #s right8, il!ers nomenclature

would 7transcend and include8 le$t and right1 il!ers assumption is that all the

analysis and criti=ue o$ the old le$t has !een $ully engaged, dealt with, and

transcended1 Howe#er, this is a pro!lematic assumption1

 As ?ouglas )**y %&''+0 notes in his analysis o$ the alternati#e spirituality

segment o$ witchcra$t, 7Consumerist indi#idualism does not operate !y

arguing against !roader social, political or religious issues1 "t simply ignores

them1 As the consumerist sel$ !ecomes $ocused on itsel$, these !roader social

and communal issues simply do not $eature in the concerns o$ the

-

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consumerist indi#idual8 %&01 hile integralists would not see themsel#es as

possessing the same world#iew as witchcra$t %$irmly relegated to primiti#e

consciousness !y integral standards0, there is a good chance consumerist

indi#idualism is still operational: in other words, they do not transcend and

include the le$t #s right dichotomy, rather they ignore it1 The net e$$ect o$ this

process is that !oth LOHAS and integralists ha#e no $unctional political

economic analysis and adopt the only wor5ing economic model at hand: late

capitalism, which !ecomes 7spiritualised8 and authenticated into 7conscious

capitalism8, thus consolidating the connection !etween the commercial and

the spiritual1 il!er $urther silences a criti=ue o$ capitalism !y denying that

there is e#en an alternati#e position to inha!it: one article is titled, 7Li5e it or

>ot, Goure a Capitalist1 But Are Gou a Conscious One8;;

hile it is !oth con#enient and reasona!le to argue that alternati#e

spiritualities adopt a late capitalist position with their consumer $ocus, there

are always degrees to which this happens1 Returning again to )**y, we see

that e#en within a $ocused constituency such as witchcra$t, there can !e

#arying positions: old4style icca is $ocused more on 5nowledge and gi$ts,

whereas contemporary witchcra$t has a greater reliance on the e3change o$

commodities within the consumer mar5et %cited in .ossomai &''/: ;01 hile,

then, some alternati#e spiritualities may !e de$ined !y a certain am!i#alence

towards the consumerism o$ late capitalism, the LOHAS position is e3plicit:

not only a consumerism that co4opts spirituality, !ut a consumer4$ocused

spirituality in itsel$1

&'

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il!er ta5es the position o$ LOHAS $urther to a $orm o$ hyper4consumerism

#ia the employment o$ corporate language, $urther spiritualised products and

ser#ices, and the creation o$ an integral elite dwelling in ideological

communities resem!ling spiritual country clu!s1 il!er e#en steps down $rom

his own indigo altitude to promote the products o$ those less de#elopmentally

ad#anced1 The Q4Lin5, $or e3ample, is a stylish pendant a!out which il!er

states, 7This technology has !een scienti$ically demonstrated to enhance the

!odys a!ility to protect itsel$ $rom harm$ul en#ironmental radiation, and thus it

helps to remo#e harm$ul in$luences on the organisms health and well !eing1

This technology there$ore remo#es some o$ the !loc5s to inner trans$ormation

to higher and healthier states o$ !eingJ1;( 6n$ortunately, the Q4Lin5s

trans$ormational technology is only a#aila!le to those with I--1-( to spare $or

the !asic pendant, or I-- $or the gold model %Q4Bling0, and another

I(-1-( $or .et4Lin5, a pendant $or animals1;+ Anyone can parta5e in Q4Lin5

!usiness as the company 7o$$erXsY a #ariety o$ easy start !usiness

opportunities including A$$iliate, Reseller D Licensing programs81; Assuming

the Q4Lin5 does indeed aid trans$ormation to higher states o$ !eing, it remains

a sad e3ample o$ !oth LOHAS and il!ers commodi$ication o$ spirituality:

pac5aged, a#aila!le to only those who can a$$ord it, encased in gold, and an

7easy start !usiness opportunity81

9e!erences

 Adams, <eorge1 7A theistic perspecti#e on Ken il!ers transpersonal

psychology18 9ournal o$ Contemporary Religion 1& %&''&0: +(4-1

&

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 Aldred, Lisa1 J.lastic Shamans and Astrotur$ Sundances: >ew Age

Commerciali*ation o$ >ati#e American Spirituality1J American "ndian

Quarterly &;1/ %&'''0: /&-4(&1

Barrett, Richard1 Building a @alues4?ri#en Organi*ation: A hole System

 Approach to Cultural Trans$ormation1 Boston: Butterworth4Heinemann,

&''+1

Bec5, ?on )dward, and Christopher C1 Cowan1 Spiral ?ynamics: 2astering

@alues, Leadership, and Change: )3ploring the >ew Science o$

2emetics1 Cam!ridge, 2A: Blac5well Business, --+1

Cacioppe, Ron1 JCreating Spirit at or5: Re4@isioning Organi*ation

?e#elopment and Leadership .art "1J Leadership D Organi*ation

?e#elopment 9ournal &1 %&'''a0: ;E4(;1

4441 JCreating Spirit at or5: Re4@isioning Organi*ation ?e#elopment and

Leadership .art ""1J Leadership D Organi*ation ?e#elopment 9ournal

&1& %&'''!0: '4-1

Cacioppe, Ron, and 2ar5 <1 )dwards1 JAdusting Blurred @isions: A Typology

o$ "ntegral Approaches to Organisations1J 9ournal o$ Organi*ational

Change 2anagement E1/ %&''(a0: &/'4;+1

4441 JSee5ing the Holy <rail o$ Organisational ?e#elopment: A Synthesis o$

"ntegral Theory, Spiral ?ynamics, Corporate Trans$ormation and Action

"n=uiry1J Leadership D Organi*ation ?e#elopment 9ournal &+1&

%&''(!0: E+4'(1

Carrette, 9eremy R, and Richard King1 Selling Spirituality: The Silent

Ta5eo#er o$ Religion1 London: Routledge, &''(1

&&

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Carroll, Lee, and 9an To!er1 The "ndigo Children: The >ew Kids Ha#e Arri#ed1

Carls!ad, CA: Hay House, ---1

)dwards, 2ar5 <1 JThe "ntegral Holon: A Holonomic Approach to

Organisational Change and Trans$ormation1J 9ournal o$ Organi*ational

Change 2anagement E1/ %&''(0: &+-4EE1

)l5ington, 9ohn1 Canni!als with or5s: The Triple Bottom Line o$ &st Century

Business1 <a!riola "sland, BC: >ew Society .u!lishers, --E1

)merich, 2onica1 JThe Spirituality o$ Sustaina!ility: Healing the Sel$ to Heal

the orld through Healthy Li#ing 2edia1J ?iss1 6ni#ersity o$ Colorado

at Boulder, &''+1

)**y, ?ouglas1 Jhite itches and Blac5 2agic: )thics and Consumerism in

Contemporary itchcra$t1J 9ournal o$ Contemporary Religion &1

%&''+0: (4/1

orman, Ro!ert1 %&'';01 <rassroots Spirituality: hat it is, hy it is here,

here it is <oing1 Charlottes#ille, @A: "mprint Academic1

<e!ser, 9ean1 The )#er4.resent Origin1 Athens, OH: Ohio 6ni#ersity .ress,

-E(1

<el$er, 9oseph1 >umen, Old 2en: Contemporary 2asculine Spiritualities and

the .ro!lem o$ .atriarchy1 London: )=uino3 .u!lishing, &''-1

<ould, Stephen 91 JCooptation through Con$lation: Spiritual 2aterialism "s >ot

the Same as Spirituality1J Consumption, 2ar5ets and Culture -1

%&''+0: +/E1

Heelas, .aul1 J.rosperity and the >ew Age 2o#ement: The )$$icacy o$

Spiritual )conomics1J >ew Religious 2o#ements: Challenge and

&/

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Response1 )ds1 Bryan ilson and 9amie Cresswell1 London:

Routledge, ---1 (4E1

Heelas, .aul1, D oodhead, Linda1 The Spiritual Re#olution: hy Religion is

<i#ing ay to Spirituality1 O3$ord: Blac5well, &''(1

Howard, Lew1 "ntroducing Ken il!er: Concepts $or an )#ol#ing orld1

Bloomington, ">1 AuthorHouse1

KUpers, endelin1 J.henomenology and "ntegral .heno4.ractice o$ )m!odied

ell4Be%com0ing in Organisations1J Culture and Organi*ation 1/

%&''(0: &&4/&1

Landrum, >ancy )1, and Carolyn L1 <ardner1 J6sing "ntegral Theory to )$$ect

Strategic Change1J 9ournal o$ Organi*ational Change 2anagement

E1/ %&''(0: &;4(E1

Locander, illiam B1, et al1 J?e#eloping a Leadership4Rich Culture: The

2issing Lin5 to Creating a 2ar5et4ocused Organi*ation1J 9ournal o$

2ar5et4ocused 2anagement (1& %&''&0: ;-4+/1

Lund ?ean, Kathy1 JSystems Thin5ings Challenge to Research in Spirituality

and Religion at or5: An "nter#iew with "an 2itro$$1J 9ournal o$

Organi*ational Change 2anagement 1 %&'';0: 4&(1

>ash, ?ennison1 JTourism as a orm o$ "mperialism1J Hosts and <uests: The

 Anthropology o$ Tourism1 )d1 @alene L Smith1 &nd ed1 .hiladelphia:

6ni#ersity o$ .ennsyl#ania .ress, -E-1 /4(&1

.auchant, Thierry C1 J"ntegral Leadership: A Research .roposal1J 9ournal o$

Organi*ational Change 2anagement E1/ %&''(0: &4&-1

&;

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.aulson, ?aryl S1 Competiti#e Business, Caring Business: An "ntegral

Business .erspecti#e $or the &st Century1 >ew Gor5: .ara#iew .ress,

&''&1

.ielstic5, C1 ?ean1 JTeaching Spiritual Synchronicity in a Business Leadership

Class1J 9ournal o$ 2anagement )ducation &-1 %&''(0: (/4+E1

.ossamai, Adam1 JAlternati#e Spiritualities and the Cultural Logic o$ Late

Capitalism1J Culture and Religion ;1 %&''/0: /4;(1

Ray, .aul H1, and Sherry Ruth Anderson1 The Cultural Creati#es: How ('

2illion .eople Are Changing the orld1 >ew Gor5: Harmony Boo5s,

&'''1

Reams, 9onathan1 Jhats "ntegral A!out Leadership A Re$lection on

Leadership and "ntegral Theory1J "ntegral Re#iew1 %&''(0: E4/&1

Rind$leish, 9enni$er1 JConsuming the Sel$: >ew Age Spirituality as 7Social

.roduct8 in Consumer Society1J Consumption, 2ar5ets and Culture E1;

%&''(0: /;/4+'1

Roo$, ade Clar51 Spiritual 2ar5etplace: Ba!y Boomers and the Rema5ing o$

 American Religion1 .rinceton, >9: .rinceton 6ni#ersity .ress, ---1

Schlamm, Leon1 %&''01 7Ken il!ers spectrum model: "denti$ying alternati#e

soteriological perspecti#es18 Religion /1 %&''0: -4/-1

Schneiders, Sandra1 7Spirituality in the academy18 Theological Studies ('1;

%-E-0: ++4+-1

Steingard, ?a#id S1 JSpiritually4"n$ormed 2anagement Theory1J 9ournal o$

2anagement "n=uiry ;1/ %&''(0: &&4;1

Taylor, Charles1 The )thics o$ Authenticity1 Cam!ridge, 2A: Har#ard

6ni#ersity .ress1

&(

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#an 2arrewi5, 2arcel1 JConcepts and ?e$initions o$ CSR and Corporate

Sustaina!ility: Between Agency and Communion1J 9ournal o$ Business

)thics ;;1&4/ %&''/0: -(4'(1

#an 2arrewi5, 2arcel, and Teun 1 Hardono1 J)uropean Corporate

Sustaina!ility ramewor5 $or 2anaging Comple3ity and Corporate

Trans$ormation1J 9ournal o$ Business )thics ;;1&4/ %&''/0: &4/&1

@olc5mann, Russ1 JAssessing )3ecuti#e Leadership: An "ntegral Approach1J

9ournal o$ Organi*ational Change 2anagement E1/ %&''(0: &E-4/'&1

aldman, Ste#en, and @alerie Reiss1 JLohasians1J >ewswee5, 9une ( &''+

http:PPwww1newswee51comPidP(&&- , accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1

aldron, ?a#id1 Jitchcra$t $or Sale Commodity @s1 Community in the

>eopagan 2o#ement1J >o#a Religio -1 %&''(0: /&4;E1

arne5a, Timothy H1 Leading .eople the Blac5 Belt ay: Con=uering the

i#e Core .ro!lems acing Leaders Today1 Cle#eland, OH: Asogomi

.u!lishing "nternational, &''+1

il!er, Ken1 "ntegral Spirituality: A Startling >ew Role $or Religion in the

2odern and .ostmodern orld1 Boston: "ntegral Boo5s, &''+1

4441 Se3, )cology, Spirituality: The Spirit o$ )#olution1 &nd ed1 Boston:

Sham!hala, &'''1

4otes

&+

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 http:PPwww1gaiam1comPcorporatePcrpZa!outmission1aspType[a!out, accessed &E?ecem!er &''-1& http:PPwww1lohas1comPournalPchanging1html, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1/ http:PPwww1lohas1comPournalPmaga*ines1html, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1; This paper would ha#e !ene$ited $rom reading The >atural 2ar5eting "nstitutes, /heLOHAS 9eport onsumers ; Sustainaility , which contains a section on 7The Role o$

Religion and Spirituality81 6n$ortunately the report costs I;'''Xhttp:PPwww1nmisolutions1comPr&Z'ZtocZlohas1html  , accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-Y and wasthus !eyond my reach1( http:PPwww1lohas1comPournalP>2"&''+1html, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1+ http:PPwww1lohas1comPournalP#alue!ased1htm, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1 O$ course, one can !e well aware o$ all the dangers outlined in this paper, yet still reach amore generous conclusion concerning LOHAS1 "n her doctoral thesis a!out LOHAS, 2onica)merich %&''+0 argues that its treatment o$ sustaina!ility is a5in to religious, concerning itsel$with the 7purpose and meaning o$ li$e8 and !eing 7articulated through a moral and ethicalcode8 %-01E http:PPwww1lohas1comPournalPtechnology1html, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1- http:PPwww1lohas1comPournalPorganic!ou=uet1html, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1' http:PPwww1lohas1comPournalPcreditcards1html, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1 This was nodou!t the inspiration !ehind the 7enlightenment card8: 7"ntroducing a credit card $or peoplewho wish to ma5e a di$$erence in the world8, operated !y LOHAS pioneers <aiamXhttp:PPwww1enlightenmentcard1com, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-Y1 http:PPwww1lohas1comPournalPleadership1html, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1& http:PPwww1lohas1comPournalPauthenticity1html, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1/ http:PPwww1lohas1comPournalPapan1html, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1 >ot only is there acertain audacity a!out claiming LOHAS is !eyond 7$lashy in$ormation and ad#ertisinggimmic5s,8 there is also a whi$$ o$ racism in suggesting that the 9apanese mar5et 7whereconsumer $ads !urst onto the scene and $ade ust as =uic5ly8 is somehow less a!le to graspthe su!tleties o$ LOHAS than that o$ the 6nited States1 "ndeed, estern "mperialism isanother theme that raises its head in the LOHAS mar5et1 or e3ample, the airmont Hoteland Resort group writes a!out its 7en#ironmental stewardship program8Xhttp:PPwww1lohas1comPournalP$airmont1html, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-Y in countries suchas Kenya and 2e3ico %see >ash -E-01 ollowing the old phrase 7selling ice to )s5imos8 oneTaiwanese maga*ine editor says LOHAS can teach the Taiwanese how to li#e !etter, 7Ourancestors li#ed simply and in harmony with nature1 "t is part o$ Chinese philosophy1 LOHASpro#ides the opportunity to show this to the younger generations in a trendy and $ashiona!leway8 Xhttp:PPwww1lohas1comPTaiwan, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-Y1; http:PPwww1lohas1comPcontentPLOHAS&'&'sponsorships1pd$ , accessed &E ?ecem!er&''-1( http:PPwww1integralpartnerships1com, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1+ https:PPwww1wisdomuni#ersity1orgPmysticswithoutmonasteries1html, accessed &E ?ecem!er&''-1 Ray, .aul1 H1 /he 4ew 3olitical ompass <ersion ="" ,https:PPwww1wisdomuni#ersity1orgP>ew.olitCompass4(4(1pd$ , accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1E Ray, /he 4ew 3olitical ompass: /1- Iid : , /, 1&' Iid : (1& http:PPholons4news1comPaltitudes1html, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1

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&& il!er, Ken1 On ritics& Inte%ral Institute& #y 9ecent +ritin%& and Other #atters o! Littleonse>uence A Shamhala Interview with *en +iler& 3t ?,http:PPwil!er1sham!hala1comPhtmlPinter#iewsPinter#iew&&'Z/1c$m, accessed &E ?ecem!er&''-1&/ "ndigo also resonates with another alternati#e spirituality phenomenon o$ the 7indigochildren,8 a generation o$ young children popular in the spiritual mar5etplace purported to !e

in possession o$ paranormal gi$ts1 See Carroll and To!er %---01&; A$ter research was underta5en $or this paper, "ntegral "nstitute re#ised its we!site1 Theoriginal te3t is still a#aila!le #ia the "nternet Archi#e ayBac52achine:http:PPwe!1archi#e1orgPwe!P&'''/E''(/EPhttp:PPwww1integralinstitute1orgPpu!licPstaticPa!thistory1asp3 , accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1 See also Howard %&''( /E-01&(  http:PPwww1integralinstitute1orgPlandingpagesP*aad*P"ntegral&'Li$e&'.ractice&')3cerpt1pd$   , accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1&+ http:PPmyilp1comP, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1& http:PPcampaign1constantcontact1comPrender#[''*s;A'Z/)HH?nyK$cQ6GKCCC;EBL>/-;#LZ4ws#G!'t'B$3Ryp>gT6TpT*Lg\3.-3luKhLKsluBKT>$Cpy2K9nHsE#e'Kr5l4c!5oi3y9TsSul33Q/?/?, accessed E 9anuary &''1&E https:PPwww1coreintegral1comPprogramsPcourses, accessed E 9anuary &''1&- http:PPmyilp1comP, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1/' http:PPwe!1archi#e1orgPwe!P&''''E&//+;Phttp:PPit1integralinstitute1orgPpu!licPstaticPpro$sus1asp3, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1/ http:PPin1integralinstitute1orgPtal51asp3id[+;;, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1/& http:PPin1integralinstitute1orgPtal51asp3id[/E', accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1// http:PPin1integralinstitute1orgPtal51asp3id[';, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1/; http:PP!rian1gaia1comP!logP&''(P&P*aad*Z!usinessZmodelZa5aZhowZweZreZgonnaZma5eZmoney, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1 9ohnson has since gone on to sell Vaad* to <aiam1/( http:PPintegralinstitute1orgP=[nodePE, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1/+ il!er, Ken1 9i%ht 8ucs,http:PPwww15enwil!er1comPritingsP.?PRightBuc5sZ<)>)RALZ!;&'''1pd$ , accessed &E?ecem!er &''-1/ Iid : (1/E Iid : +1/- Iid : 1;' Iid : E1; Ray ma5es a similar !id here, suggesting the new progressi#es are 7a!out womens #aluesand concerns coming $orth into the pu!lic domain $or the $irst time in history8, again implyingthat ha#ing a pro!lem with the logic o$ the new progressi#es is somehow ha#ing a pro!lemwith $eminism XRay, 4ew 3olitical ompass: EY1;& il!er, 9i%ht 8ucs: (1;/ >e#ertheless, there is a good deal o$ $ree reading material at il!ers personal we!siteXhttp:PPwww15enwil!er1com, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-Y, and that o$ his pu!lisherXhttp:PPwil!er1sham!hala1com, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-Y, and such is the repetiti#e natureo$ his !oo5s, one could get a $irm grasp on his #oluminous wor5 without e#ery purchasing a!oo5 or #isiting the li!rary1;; http:PPintegralli$e1comPnodeP+'&, accessed E 9anuary &''1 This denial o$ the meaning o$the transcended and included is employed !y il!er elsewhere: see Leon Schlamm %&''0

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and <eorge Adams %&''&0 in relation to the theme o$ non4duality, not to mention il!ersgun4slinging approach which see5s to intimidate his critics %<el$er &''-: 4E01;( http:PPwww1=4lin5products1comPScriptsPopen)3tra1aspe3tra[-, accessed &E ?ecem!er&''-1;+ http:PPwww1=lin5products1comPScriptsPproducts1asp, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1; http:PPwww1=lin5reseller1comPScriptsPde$ault1asp, accessed &E ?ecem!er &''-1