My name is Mason Gardener, and I would tell you a bit about myself so you know the perspective from which I am writing my blog posts about important spiritual topics. I grew up in Wisconsin, USA. I attended my local public university, where I earned a bachelor’s degree with majors in psychology and music, and later went on to earn a master’s degree in experimental psychology. Like many in my generation, I was unable to find employment “in my field,” so took a “day job” in the same industry that allowed me to pay my way through college. Fortunately, I found a very good employer, so I am at that “day job” to this day, and I continue to pursue my interests in music, human service, non-profit work, and psychology on a volunteer basis. This blog is an extension of another of my long-cherished pursuits, which is the exploration of New Age spirituality.
I believe I was somewhat pre-disposed to an interest in exploring new age metaphysics, due to my interest in stories that were filled with spirits, magic, and mysterious powers—think the “Force” in Star Wars, the world of Lord of the Rings, any fantasy novel I could get my hands on from the public library, and fairy tales with wizards, witches, and sorcerers. I devoured science fiction and fantasy reading material to feed my imagination, and anything from “the real world” that hinted at these themes drew my attention, especially native American myths and cultural beliefs about human interactions with spirits.
My mother began exploring alternative spiritual messages when she happened across a book on Near Death Experiences, in which people described their encounters with Heavenly Beings, departed loved ones, and teachers from “the Other Side” of the veil. A friend of hers introduced her to a book about people who had authentic visions of Mother Mary, and she later found Neale Donald Walsch’s “Conversations with God” series, in which Walsch undertakes “automatic writing” to communicate with a messenger, ostensibly God Himself, on the deepest and most challenging questions about human life on Earth.
As my mom shared all of this with me and my siblings, I was fascinated by it. Just before my 16thbirthday, we found out about an American Spiritualist Church in the area, and on a whim drove to investigate it. The minister at this church, in addition to being a Spiritualist Medium who gave live channeled spirit messages at every service, was committed to teaching others to open to their own spirit gifts, and conducted very involved guided meditations at every service. It was during one of these guided meditations that I first experienced communication with spirit guides, and guardian angels, and received what I consider to be my “initiation” into Spiritualist practice. With my mother’s guidance, I began exploring automatic writing, tarot reading, and other forms of mediumship. I developed long-lasting relationships with my spirit guides through this practice, and their advice has led me down some quite fruitful paths. During my high school and college years, they provided support and suggestions for navigating the maze of obstacles facing 21st century young adults. As a continuation of my Spiritualist pursuits, I was guided to explore shamanism, Buddhism, and eventually Western Esotericism (of the Golden Dawn type). This combination of disciplines is still primarily the type of study and practice I pursue today.
Why do I do all of this? And why do I wish to share these experiences on a blog? I have found the pursuit of these paths to be extremely personally rewarding. Studying esoteric, New Age, and non-mainstream accounts of reality has opened my mind, fired my curiosity about life, and given me perspective about what is truly important. Furthermore, pursuing a program of personal development has helped me remain grounded in a turbulent world. This course of study has been a source of strength and inspiration in both challenging times and good times, and I believe the practices I have chosen for myself have made me a stronger, better person. I know there are many risks and pitfalls on this path, which I have encountered myself and had to learn to overcome the hard way, so I want to provide answers to questions which I wish I would have had at the beginning of my journey, and at many points since.
Above all, I wish to offer my hard-earned “nuggets” of spiritual “gold” in order to contribute to existing conversations about the New Age, and start new conversations to provide inspiration and companionship for others’ journeys. I hope too that my scholarly background can be of benefit to readers of this blog. I am not a religious studies scholar, and there is no such thing as “new age-ology”, so I cannot claim to be an expert from that standpoint. My background is as a long-time self-taught practitioner, but I hope that I can supplement my own experience with my skills in researching, synthesizing, and interpreting to present a well-rounded view of relevant New Age topics. Study forms a large and important part of my own personal development program, and the more I learn the more I find out how much there is to know. I hope, Fellow Traveller, that you can benefit from my researches as much as I do. To that end, I am sharing them with the hope that they will spark new investigations and perspectives for you. Happy Journeying!
Walk in Light,
Mason Gardener
New Age Nuggets 