Review of "John E. Fetzer and the Quest for the New Age"

A Window on the Extraordinary Life of Tycoon and Detroit Tigers’ Owner John Fetzer Reveals That Business Acumen and Spirituality Go Hand in Hand

While he was building the radio/tv/cable empire that fueled his wealth and enabled him to become sole owner of the Detroit Tigers from 1961 to 1983, few knew that John E. Fetzer was actually quietly and devotedly using spiritual principles and -- what would then have been called “occult” practices -- to enhance the quality of his life and guide his business growth.

Even if you don’t recall John Fetzer, you will find John E. Fetzer and the Quest for the New Age (Wayne State University Press, 2018) by Brian C. Wilson, Ph. D, a fascinating read. A courageous spiritual seeker, he defied the tenner of the times that would have made him a pariah to the business world had it been public. But not only did he pursue his lifelong personal spiritual sojourn that focused on direct access to an infinite intelligence and a “oneness” worldview, but he funded some of the seminal research on consciousness in America during the 70s and 80s. Fetzer endowed organizations continue research into the connection between scientific and spirit today and foster a world filled with greater love, compassion and inclusiveness.

But this book offers even more...it chronicles the historic birth of the “New Age” movement, as traced through Fetzer, who began his quest in the 1920s. We follow the striving for the “spirit of freedom”—a path that today is familiar to many and reflects the changing beliefs that evolved into a spirituality free from religiosity. And if you are a Midwesterner, there’s a special treat, here as Wilson shows how that region of the U.S. was really the cradle of spiritual exploration, well before California could make that claim.