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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 11, 1987)
Wednesday, February 11, 1987 Daily Nebraskan Page 7 o llll i iL&LiiaMiioatL A Q j O 1 iJ fk f1 fir By Charles Lieurance Senior Reporter Two weeks ago, millions of TV viewers tuned in to the mini series "Out on a Limb" to see celebrity Shirley MacLaine re-enact her initiation into the "New Age" lifestyle. To many who had not witnessed the recent burgeoning of this movement in our nation's larger citites and around the world, the term "New Age" was alien, but to adherents "New Age" in the form of books, music, workshops, seminars and accessories has en abled them to face the stress, pace and complexity of modern life with calm and content. 'New Age' in Lincoln In the last couple of years two "New Age" bookstores have opened in Lin coln, The Silver Circle on 824 P St. in the Haymarket and The Way Home Records and Books at 4203 South 48th St. Kay Hamilton, owner and operator of The Silver Circle, said her business began about two years ago. Hamilton then handled her business out of her dining room. "It was fairly simple getting started," Hamilton said. "There was already a big interest. People would know what they wanted but wouldn't know how to get it." After eight months of ordering books and accessories from the dining room, Hamilton moved her business to Pied mont, vastly enlarged her stock and tried to create an atmosphere where people felt comfortable to browse and ask questions. "There are so many facets to 'New Age'," Hamilton said, "EastWest philo sophies, Buddhism, yoga, Jungian philo sophy, holistic health, foot reflexology, 'heal your life' tapes ..." Hamilton said several groups sup ported her. Many had been painstak ingly writing to small publishers for books they needed for workshops and self-help groups. It is important to have a comfortable atmosphere, Hamilton said, because many customers are in transition periods and need help getting to know themselves better and finding the right materials to do so. The store's clientele ranges from pro fessional psychologists to "regular peo- s Eighteen UNL art graduate students will display examples of their work in the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery. The exhibition is the first in which all fine-arts graduate students in the UNL art department will display their work, Sheldon Gallery Director George Neubert said. In previous graduate art exhibitions, only works by graduating students were displayed. Daphne Deeds, Sheldon Gallery pie just wanting to get more in touch with themselves," Hamilton said. "Unlike other bookstores, we're very intimate here. People come in to share and question and they don't feel like they have to buy anything," Hamilton said. "It's everybody's bookstore." Hamilton also provides a focal point for networking. "If someone is looking for a tarot reader or a psychic or need to know about certain workshops, I can refer them," she said. Large stock The Silver Circle has many "New Age" books that run the gamut from the occult to positive Christianity to health and psychology. Accessories available include tarot decks; crystals for meditating, healing, energy transfer and protection; and meditation tapes. Since Silver Circle moved into the Haymarket, Hamilton said business has improved. "Most of the store's clients live or work in the area and there have been more walk-ins," she said. Scott Colborn, co-owner of The Way Home Records and Books, is very vocal about the "New Age," or, as he likes to call it, the "New Consciousness." Col born and his wife, Kathryn Gauger Colborn, started The Way Home last August. "The 'New Consciousness is a pheno menon all over the world. People from all walks of life want to be healthier, not just physically but spiritually," Colborn said. "They want some sort of satisfaction beyond big dollar amounts, boogie Saturday nights and retirement homes in the Caribbean. The 'New Consciousness' isn't a religion, though; it's a renewed interest in spirituality." Records sell most Although The Way Home's stock is split evenly between books and records, Colborn said most of the store's sales are records. The store stocks 300 to 400 "New Age" tapes, records and compact discs, one of the largest collections in the Midwest, Colborn said. "We stock Windham Hill, American Gramaphone and music on smaller labels that are virtually unavailable anywhere else in this area," Colborn said. "As a record store we're kind of unusual because we'll play the music for people before they buy it." tt 1 1 f$3PJ 1 ( V f t I i) It . . L..-.I, .-r, - - i tt 1 1 1 T : i Andrea HoyDaily Nebraskan Kay Hamilton holds up one of the many New Age books available at The Silver Circle bookstore, 824 P St. Cil .ay gr Much of the music sold is designed to reduce stress in a stressful world, Colborn said, and most of it is con ducive to meditation. "There is growing interest in the health benefits of this type of music, and we get a lot of people who were referred to the store by their doctors because the music aids in treating stress-related illnesses," he said. Like Hamilton, Colborn said that he and his wife had little trouble starting their business. He said the people interested in the "New Consciousness" are close-knit and news of the store spread through the grapevine quickly. MacLaine helps book sales "TVs presentation of 'Out on aLimb' has also noticeably increased book sales," Colborn said. Although many fundamentalist religi ous groups have condemned the 'New Age' movement as anti-Christian, Col born said, many Christian churches have purchased material from The Way Home and have supported it. Colborn even holds meditation workshops in a local Presbyterian church. "Occasionally we run into narrow visioned people, and we try to give them love," Colborn said. "That's basically what they're searching for." Colborn doesn't consider "New Age" a passing trend. "This goes beyond the trendiness of self-help. It incorporates health and inner regimes. Exercise is essential, but humans must take care of the inner part of their being too," Colborn said. "There is a quickening in the planet and the stress loads we have to carry are getting heavier and heavier," he said. "People can't stay high-energy all the time, and drugs and alcohol are no way to help them through. They need to achieve a balance in their lives and that's what the 'New Age' is about." fr curator, said the exhibition includes graphy and a few sculpture pieces. 60 selections from a variety of media, The exhibition will be on display including paintings, prints, photo- through March 29. 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