Earlyne Chaney; New Age Author, Mystic

Earlyne Chaney, 80, author and teacher who wrote more than 100 books on spirituality and New Age subjects. In 1951, with her husband, Robert, she co-founded Astara, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the exploration of spirituality. A native of rural Texas, Chaney abandoned a brief Hollywood acting career to study and advocate the uniting of Eastern and Western religions. She developed a new discipline of meditation or prayer which she called Lhama Yoga. Among Chaney’s books were a long series titled “The Astara Book of Life” and others such as “Initiation in the Great Pyramid,” “The Mystery of Death and Dying” and “Remembering: The Autobiography of a Mystic.” On Friday in Upland.