In the Spirit: the Life and Work of Lex Hixon

Hixon and the New Age

Flyer from Five Day Conference on Metaphysical Specialties, where Hixon was an invited speaker, 1980, Lex Hixon papers,  RG 345, Box 1, Folder 12. Divinity Library Special Collections

Hixon’s work on the radio and in New York City brought him into contact with many different religious ideas and claims about spiritual experiences. He learned it was not always simple to discern between true and false occurrences. In the essay “Joint Citizenship in Parallel Sacred Worlds,” Hixon wrote: 

“We are legitimately concerned about deceptive cults which masquerade as genuine religious movements and spiritual transmissions…One sign of a false cult is the fanatic denial that other noble traditions or legitimate denominations manifest sacredness. Openly or secretly, every cult claims: We alone possess the Truth. The others are simply in error.”

Hixon defined an authentic tradition as one that is “open and good hearted” and contains many teachers and teachings.

Hixon acknowledged the difficulty of discernment in his own work in a letter to WBAI listeners, published in the March 1980 WBAI Folio: “In the Spirit has documented the growing mood of openness to spiritual quest, both through the mystical practices of sacred traditions and the rich possibilities uncovered by the human potential movement.” He noted though there were many real and true experiences platformed on In the Spirit, “some of what was foolish found its way” onto the show. 

Flyer from Five Day Conference on Metaphysical Specialties, where Hixon was an invited speaker, 1980, Lex Hixon papers,  RG 345, Box 1, Folder 12. Divinity Library Special Collections

Hixon introduced New York listeners to people who taught their encounters with eastern philosophy. He interviewed many people who strongly identified with the New Age on his radio program, including J. Krishnamurti, Ram Dass, Peter Caddy, and Mark Satin.

In 1979, Hixon founded Free Spirit: A Wholistic Directory which contained listings for a variety of people and businesses including homeopaths, vegetarian restaurants, yoga ashramas, body workers, and astrologists. In the introduction to the first issue, Hixon wrote the magazine would interest those “who seek Truth, inner growth, a new personal and social harmony – in a word authentic transformation.” 

Free Spirit, Issue no 1, Fall 1979, Lex Hixon papers, RG 345, Box 1, Folder 5. Divinity Library Special Collections

Free Spirit, Issue no 1, Fall 1979, Lex Hixon papers, RG 345, Box 1, Folder 5. Divinity Library Special Collections

Free Spirit, Issue no 1, Fall 1979, Lex Hixon papers, RG 345, Box 1, Folder 5. Divinity Library Special Collections

The Metropolitan New York Chapter of Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship Summer Conference, where Hixon was an invited speaker, August 1980, Lex Hixon papers, RG 345, Box 1, Folder 12. Divinity Library Special Collections