Overview

My dad, Joe Bourdages, was a husband, father, factory-worker, and veteran of service in the US Merchant Marines in WW II. A US citizen by the serendipitous nature of being born in Detroit, MI, he was raised and lived the majority of his childhood and teen years in rural Quebec. Only after his service in the US Merchant Marines, in an effort to preserve his then treasured American citizenship, did he move to MIchigan in the US. Spurred by some unique experiences as a youth in rural Quebec, and by a lifelong earning to understand the nature of life, Joe sought in earnest to pursue self-directed education and experiences in the early era of the "new age" movement that was thriving at the time in SW Michigan. An extraordinarily well-read, humble, and open-minded seeker of the truth to life's mysteries, Joseph grew to become a central figure in the New Age community in the greater Kalamazoo area in the late 60s and 1970s. With his insights increasingly being sought by others, he took to regularly giving talks to fellow seekers at everywhere from area colleges and universities to living rooms of friends old and new. In response to these talks, and with a certain demand for his teachings in a form that others could take home and share, he produced this humble work for that purpose. Published now for the 1st time since 1973, so as to be available to a wider audience, Orientation To Life is a snapshot of the metaphysical and spiritual knowledge acquired (to that point) by a simple family man and factory worker who yearned for the Truth, and sought to generously share all that he learned with others. Always admonishing us all to "do your own homework." Brian Bourdages - 2022