Piers, your experience of the "spiritual" tour sounds a bit similiar to some of my experiences when I first 'woke' from the dream of humanty!
I kept trying to join groups to be around like minded people and to learn more. Mostly I found a sort of spiritual ego and not very advanced learning. So, I went back to my books and stayed solitary in my learning for many years. I was quite specific in my intent, it had to be truth and nothing but truth, so mostly old esoteric books were where I gleaned knowledge from. I also knew that it was also the application of knowledge in my life that was key. Unless I made changes in response to what I was learning it was only intellectual philosophy and not wisdom. Wisdom is only gained by experience.
I eventually found the Ramtha School and that resonated and challenged me in all my areas of learning, of life. It was like remembering something that I'd partially learned in other lifetimes. I recognised the old warrior and knew I'd known him somehow before.
Talking about living in the Now rhythm, I must have spent a whole year where every book I was studying, to me, was about staying in the now. To me the NOW is a stargate into the spiritual/higher realms. It is where our connection is to our Great Self and our infallable guidance is. It is also the eternal. Love this thread, it is soo uplifteing.
Love and Light
Carmen