The most radical, revolutionary words I heard in 1989 was in September at the American Society of Dowsers annual convention in Danville, Vermont. The featured speaker was fondly and humorously referred to as

But he wasn't from the U.S.A.. Rather, George was from the U.S.S.R.—before its collapse, but during perestroika and glasnost]. George was a Deputy Science Commissioner from Georgian S.S.R. In the U.S.S.R. dowsing—known as "biolocation"—is recognized as a genuine human ability and studied for its use in geological surveys for underground minerals.

George, a rather young man around 40 years old, spoke after dinner on Saturday evening in the Danville High School gym to a standing room audience of nearly 1000. I sat on the floor as, for nealy 45 minutes, he spoke with a passionate intensity I've never seen, heard or felt in a scientist. Emotion poured out through his words like sweat from a man in a steam room.

But George wasn't talking about dowsing, biolocation, mineral surveys, geology, or science. George was speaking about politics. And, to quote nearly word for word:

"The genie is out of the bottle
and we will never be stuffed back in again.
We have tasted freedom,
and we will never go back."

For 45 minutes George described the popular move toward democracy sweeping the Soviet Union, and from his words it was clear this was no mere political or ideological struggle, but arose from a deep spiritual aspiration to undertake the perilous journey to freedom.

Then, for another 20 minutes, George described Soviet research into the biological basis for dowsing, and efforts to enhance its effectiveness and reliability for geological surveys.

A long question and answer session followed. During this time one woman stood to ask, "In the West many people, including scientists, are beginning to think of and speak about the Earth as if it was a single, unified living organism. Some scientists have embodied this idea in a theory and given the Earth a name—"Gaia"—after a Greek name for the Earth goddess.

Are there any people in the Soviet Union—especially your scientific colleagues—who have begun to think this way?"

George paused a long time before responding to this query. His reply was short and went to the heart of the issue:

"As we enter the close of the 20th Century,
the greatest challenge we face—
the real revolution ahead—
is to reunite science and spirit."