Lash, John 1948- (John Lamb Lash)

PERSONAL:

Born 1948; married Jan Michele Kerouac (deceased); married Joanna Harcourt-Smith (divorced). Education: Texas A&M University, B.A., 1970; M.A.; University of Mexico, Ph.D.

ADDRESSES:

E-mail—metahistory@earthlink.net.

CAREER:

Mythologist, writer, and educator. Taoist monk, 1970-78; certified teacher of White Crane Yang Style Tai Chi and Tai Chi Chih; founder of Institute for Creative Mythology, Santa Fe, NM, 1981; cofounder and principal author of Metahistory.org, sponsored by the Marion Institute; founder of Harmonious Dragon Tai Chi School and White Crane Taoist Temple, Bern, Switzerland, 1982—. Military service: Served in U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army.

WRITINGS:

The Seeker's Handbook: The Complete Guide to Spiritual Pathfinding, Harmony Books (New York, NY), 1990.

Twins and the Double, Thames & Hudson (New York, NY), 1993.

The Hero: Manhood and Power, Thames & Hudson (New York, NY), 1995.

Tai Chi Journey, Element Books, 1997.

The Spirit of Tai-Chi: Essential Principles, Vega Books (London, England), 2002.

The Yin of Tai-Chi: Tao, Tai-Chi & the Mysterious Female, Vega Books (London, England), 2003.

(As John Lamb Lash) Not in His Image: Gnostic Vision, Sacred Ecology, and the Future of Belief, Chelsea Green Publishing (White River Junction, VT), 2006.

Also author of introduction, A Child's Dream for Peace: Art and Poetry by New Mexican and Soviet Children, Peace Prayer Day, 1991.

SIDELIGHTS:

Mythologist, author, and educator John Lash writes widely about Gnosticism, astronomy, and the pre-Christian Mysteries. Lash, who lived as a Taoist Monk for eight years, founded the Institute for Creative Mythology in New Mexico and the Harmoni- ous Dragon Tai Chi School and White Crane Taoist Temple in Switzerland, and he serves as the principal author of Metahistory.org, a Web site dedicated to critical analysis of belief systems. As Lash remarked to Tim Boucher on the Pop Occulture Blog, "In my work and writings I strike a path toward the experiential sources of religious and mystical experience, the root factors."

In The Spirit of Tai-Chi: Essential Principles, Lash examines the spiritual lessons of the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu. Library Journal contributor Graham Christian called the work "a welcome and sensible addition to the library of Western interpretations of Eastern practices." In Not in His Image: Gnostic Vision, Sacred Ecology, and the Future of Belief, "an eclectic mix of mythology, deep ecology, Tibetan Buddhism, astrology, UFO research, drug mysticism, and speculative science," according to Library Journal critic Charles Seymour, Lash contends that the Sophianic vision of the Gnostics provides an alternative to oppressive contemporary religions. As Lash told Boucher, "I was drawn to the Gnostic message by a series of clues that life presented to me from the age of sixteen, leading to a long-term quest. My commitment to this message has deepened in recent years as I have come to understand the terminal insanity of human belief systems."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Library Journal, January 1, 2003, Graham Christian, review of The Spirit of Tai-Chi: Essential Principles, p. 122; October 15, 2006, Charles Seymour, review of Not in His Image: Gnostic Vision, Sacred Ecology, and the Future of Belief, p. 68.

ONLINE

Metahistory.org,http://www.metahistory.org/ (August 15, 2007).

Pop Occulture Blog,http://www.timboucher.com/journal/ (August 13, 2005), Tim Boucher, "John Lash Interview."