INTRODUCTION

by

J. MARVIN SPIEGELMAN, Ph.D.,

JUNGIAN ANALYST

While reading about the three experiences that Dr.

Hyatt had of the Goddess I chanced to look up for the
moment in my pleasant patio, and saw a tiny lady bug,
scurrying quickly along the ground toward my foot. I
put my finger in front of her and she determinedly
climbed aboard. I made it possible for her to rest on
Hyatt's manuscript and she did so, peacefully and
contentedly, it seemed to me. I could then see the
interesting markings on her shiny red back: four black
dots, arranged in a square. For me this was a
synchronicity, a meaningful coincidence, which I took
as a benevolent mark of Her presence. In my
understanding, this mandala, a symbol of wholeness,
appearing on this gentle and widely appreciated "lady
bug", was an emblematic expression of the Tightness of
Hyatt's efforts and a validation, in my eyes, for his
service to the Self as it appears in feminine form. I
presented my interpretation of this event, silently, to
the Goddess as manifested in this gentle bug, and asked
if my understanding was correct. It seemed to me that
she bowed, ever so subtly, and gracefully flew away, to
"her children " no doubt -- to her many creative
followers (like Hyatt) who are "burning" with passion
in Her service.
I have known Hyatt for quite a long time, (more than
twenty years), and have seen him in many
i n c a r n a t i o n s — in this life — as s t u d e n t ,
psychotherapist, director of clinics, investment
counselor, publisher, writer, Mage, as well as in the
non-role manifestations of expert sailor, street-smart
battler, "stand-in" for Orson Welles. I was one of the
three people who referred him to Dr. Israel Regardie,
who plays such an important role in the "third"
manifestation of the Goddess, mentioned by Hyatt.
Yet all my knowledge of him did not give me an
adequate understanding of his fierce battle against
pomposity and hypocrisy, against authoritarianism
and cant. This book, especially the experiences of the
Goddess, helps me very much more, in this regard. I
can now see his battle as his service to the Goddess, his
dedication and devotion to the overcoming of the
rigidity of a patriarchal condition which has seen its
twilight, leading to an elevation of the feminine
principle and all that entails in the way of appreciation
rather than repression of the instincts, and an ethic to
match.
Hyatt's Kundalini vision of Christ with the Nun
taking the watch from his wrist, also helped me to
understand the antagonism he has expressed — as he
often does in this book — towards Christianity. I had
often mentioned to him that I had experienced any
number of Christian clergy and nuns, as well as lay
persons, of outstanding qualities — humanity,
tolerance, intelligence and humor — and that this
particular branch of the "chosen of God," the Christian,
surely deserved better treatment. He would then detail
to me a story of the Christian record of repression,
intolerance, stupidity, violence, hate, etc. which were
just the opposite of what I had experienced, but which I
could not gainsay. All that belonged to the decaying
patriarchy, I would say, and we would agree.
But now I see that the figure of Christ is, indeed,
terribly important for Hyatt, and even in his fury he
bows his head to this incarnation of the divine. In
Hyatt's vision, Christ gently and benevolently allows
the nun to take the watch from his wrist; he is in no
way the authoritarian and cruel figure that oppresses
the feminine. Thus, I would say, Hyatt is participating
in this handing over of power and value, and it may
even be his own very powerful patriarchal energies
which are both battling and participating in this
changeover. It would seem, therefore, that this
excellent book, focusing on transformation, rather
than repression or sublimation, is a true symbolic
outcome of the developmental process and is useful to
all who need to transform, particularly men. "We shall
overcome" was spoken not only for repressed Afro-
Americans, but to all of those unable to develop in our
aeon-ending culture. Hyatt's service, therefore, is
blessed by the Goddess, as the lady-bug showed me.
It is quite flattering to me, of course, that he chooses
to make use of my psychological comments about the
various chakras in Kundalini Yoga. My own
understanding, naturally, derives from the work of
Arthur Avalon and of C.G. Jung, as well as the
authorities that they mention, so it is gratifying to see
one's own efforts linking up with the positive
patriarchy continuing with the next generation. (Not
all fathers are authoritarian.) Hyatt's work makes
creative use of this material, along with the neo-
Reichian methods developed by Israel Regardie.
I am particularly impressed with how Hyatt has
combined various sources in a creative and practical
way. I am familiar with the neo-Reichian exercises
which assist in the reduction of tension and increase
sensory awareness. I can also attest that disciplined
activity along these lines does produce the kinds of
relaxation and energy-consciousness that are claimed.
The combination of these with the magical methods of
meditation, such as the Middle Pillar, was a highlight
of the achievements of Regardie, and these are well-
recognized. Hyatt has extended this syncretic work
considerably by placing it all in a context of Western
Tantra which, he calls "the sexuality of the Middle
Path." I am sure that he looks forward to hearing how
his own experimentation is received and furthered by
others.
This is no mere "how to" book, however. Hyatt's
attitude, despite his antagonism to dogmatic "faiths," is
both religious and respectful. For example, when he
insists that all of this work is in the service of
transcendence, he says:

". . . it matters not whether eating or sex or opening a

door with your right hand is transcended; what
matters is that consciousness becomes fully aware that
transcendence is possible. My position has sometimes
been regarded as amoral or immoral by conventional
western religions. On the lower planes of man's
functioning as an insect, this is no doubt correct. On
the higher planes, however, this position is highly
moral."
 Hyatt's, work, therefore, is far from being merely self-
indulgent. Indeed, he is just as uncompromising about
his own "shadow," as we Jungians call the less savory
aspects of ourselves, as he is about the hypocrisy
mentioned earlier. To undertake the program he
proposes about self-transformation, followed by the
joint process of transformation and the production of
the "magickal child," would obviously require
qualities of honesty, persistence, devotion and care
which no mere hedonist could endure for more than
five minutes.
I hope that Dr. Hyatt will receive thoughtful
consideration for his ideas and suggestions and that
readers will undertake the experiments proposed in
the spirit with which he offers them. His unique
combination of perspectives and methods of quite
diverse origin, along with precise practical application,
merits this consideration. One hopes that he will be
rewarded with responses from others which will help
him extend and refine his views.