* Smile beatifically and say you're ‘spiritual, not religious' to anyone who asks. And, also to anyone who doesn't. It helps if you put your hand on your heart and look longingly into the horizon. Even if all you're thinking about is strawberry cheesecake with a triple scoop of vanilla ice cream.
* All you need is love? Good heavens, that's so 1960s! Remember, neo hippies are far more chic than their grubby predecessors. Goodbye camper vans, psychedelic shirts and unwashed hair. Hello, hand-painted bicycles, chic harem pants and jewelled turbans.
* Picturing a life of rolling in the grass and singing ‘Strawberry fields forever'? Wake up and smell the organic Fair Trade coffee. It takes work to be a neo-hippy. Pilates, yoga, running. Add ‘active and static meditation'. And, ab-crunches, of course. You have to be as sleekly muscled as a jungle cat to be suitably inspiring. Eat like a goat. Remember, tofu is your friend.
* Pick a suitably sexy cause. Organic food. Feminism. Animal rights. The environment's always a winner. Additional points if you manage to pull off an eco-friendly picture-perfect publicity stunt. Nudity's popular. Which brings us back to point 3. Get beautiful. No one wants to see pot-bellied protesters lolling about in leaves. Pure hearts are over-rated. Nothing talks like a six pack these days.
* Create an identity. You have to stand out. Flowing robes. Quirky tattoos. A penchant for skinny dipping in public pools. Whatever works. Just make sure you support it with a philosophy. Neo-hippyism requires frequent, and obscure, references to the soul and high-flown philosophy. Pepper your sentences with maya, karma, rebirth. Don't forget to talk about the “search for oneself.” That's always a winner.
