NEW AGE PRO AND CON

I agree with Jeremy P. Tarcher (The Book Review, Endpapers, Feb. 7) that New Agers are not crazy and that, “By and large, they are ordinary people who have shared some extraordinary experiences, who have awakened to the wider possibilities of the heart and mind, and who are trying their best to fit these perceptions into daily life in a culture that in general is unsympathetic to them.”

However, I believe that many of them are caught up in the same irrational quest for supernatural powers that exploded in this country in 1848 when the Fox sisters appeared to have such powers.

Although for well over a century “specially endowed” persons have confessed and explained their performances in terms of skilled trickery, many people still believe that certain individuals possess special paranormal powers that enable them, among other things, to communicate with discarnate spirits.

The belief is a comfortable one--and fits well with a longing for reincarnation. No harm done. We all own our beliefs. “Keep a completely open mind” is a good rule, but so is “Keep your feet on the ground.”

LARRY KELBLEY

RANCHO PALOS VERDES