New Age (New Age Movement and New Age Spirituality) is a social collective phenomenon and a spiritual nature movement that seeks Universal Truth through the Oneness of Humanity. It combines aspects of spirituality, cosmology, esotericism, complementary and alternative medicine, various religious practices, and environmentalism. It is characterized by an eclectic and individual approach to spirituality with a general rejection of mainstream dogma and religion.

The term New Age refers to the coming Astrological Age of Aquarius.

The New Age Movement first appeared in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, gained momentum in the 1960s and 1970s, strengthened in the 1980s, and organized with the Harmonic Convergence in 1987. New Age practices and philosophies are found among many diverse individuals from around the world and range from atheism and monotheism to classical pantheism, including naturalistic pantheism or panentheism..

The New Age Movement includes elements of older spiritual and religious traditions combined with science, particularly Ecology, Environmentalism, Gaia Theory, and Psychology. New Age practices and philosophies sometimes draw inspiration from major world religions: Buddhism, Chinese Folk Religion, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, and Sufi Islam; with particularly strong influences from East Asian religions, Gnosticism, Neopaganism, New Thought, Spiritualism, Universalism, and Western Esotericism.^[1]

New Age Spirituality has led to a wide array of literature on the subject and an active niche market: books, New Age music, crafts, and services in alternative medicine are available at New Age stores, fairs, and festivals.^[2][3][4][5]

Additional phrases are used to describe The New Age Movement: Self Spirituality, New Spirituality, Mind-Body-Spirit,^[6][7] Cultural Creative, Everyone Is Equal, New Paradigm, and All Is One.

History

Origins

Some of the New Age Movement's constituent elements appeared initially in 19th Century metaphysical movements: Spiritualism, Theosophy, and New Thought; also, alternative medicine movements chiropractic and naturopathy.^[6][7] These movements in turn have roots in Transcendentalism, Mesmerism, Swedenborgianism, and various earlier Western esoteric or occult traditions, such as the hermetic arts of astrology, magic, alchemy, and kabbalah. Some of the popularisation behind these ideas has roots in the work of early twentieth-century writers, such as D. H. Lawrence and W. B. Yeats. The first known use of the phrase, The New Age, was in Madame Blavatsky's book, The Secret Doctrine, which was published in 1888.^[8]

A weekly Journal of Christian liberalism and Socialism called The New Age was published as early as 1894.^[9] In 1907, it was sold to a group of Socialist writers headed by Alfred Richard Orage and Holbrook Jackson. Other historical personalities were involved: H. G. Wells, George Bernard Shaw, and William Butler Yeats; the magazine became a forum for politics, literature, and the arts.^[10][11] Between 1908 and 1914, it was instrumental in pioneering the British avant-garde from vorticism to imagism. After 1914, publisher Orage met P. D. Ouspensky, a follower of G. I. Gurdjieff, and began correspondence with Harry Houdini, becoming less interested in literature and art, with an increased focus on mysticism and other spiritual topics; the magazine was sold in 1921. According to Brown University, "The New Age helped to shape modernism in literature and the arts from 1907 to 1922".^[12]

In the early-mid 1900s, American mystic, theologian, and founder of the Association for Research and Enlightenment, Edgar Cayce, was a seminal influence on what later would become known as the New Age Movement; he was known in particular for the practice some refer to as "channeling".^[13] The British neo-Theosophist, Alice Bailey, published a book titled, Discipleship in the New Age, in 1944 and used the term, New Age, in reference to the transition from the Astrological Age of Pisces to the Astrological Age of Aquarius. Another early adopter of the term, was the American artist, mystic, and philosopher, Walter Russell, who spoke in an essay of "?this New Age philosophy of the spiritual re-awakening of man?", also published in 1944. The Findhorn Foundation, an early New Age intentional community in northern Scotland founded in 1962, played a significant role in the early growth period of the New Age Movement and is still active today. The movement in Russia has been heavily influenced by the legacy of Nicholas Roerich and Helena Roerich, who taught in the Theosophical tradition. Another former Theosophist, Rudolf Steiner and his anthroposophical movement, is a major influence, especially upon speakers of German. In Brazil, followers of Spiritist writer, Allan Kardec,^[14] blend with the Africanized folk traditions of Candomblé and Umbanda.

Contemporary usage

The subculture that would later take on the descriptive term New Age already existed in the early 1970s, based on and continuing themes originally present in 1960s counterculture. Although more rock than New Age in genre, the 1967 major hit musical Hair with its opening song Aquarius and the memorable line, "This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius", showed the emergence of the New Age concept into mainstream awareness.

Use of the term New Age began in the mid 1970s, reflected in the title of a new monthly periodical, the New Age Journal, and was taken up by several thousand small metaphysical book and gift stores that increasingly defined themselves as "New Age bookstores".^[15][16]

As a result of the large scale activities surrounding the Harmonic Convergence, in the mid 1980s, the term was further popularized by the American mass media to describe the alternative spiritual subculture, including activities all the way from meditation, channeling, reincarnation, crystals, psychic experience, to holistic health or environmentalism, or belief in anomalous phenomena, or for other ?unsolved mysteries? such as UFOs, Earth mysteries and crop circles. By the late 1980s, a range of new publications had appeared to serve the marketplace of these ideas, including Psychic Guide Magazine (later renamed Body, Mind & Spirit), Yoga Journal, New Age Voice (a New Age music specialty magazine) and trade publications such as New Age Retailer, NaPRA ReView ("New Age Publishing and Retailers Association"), and others.

Diverse activities of this subculture, or subcultures, might include: participation in study or meditation groups, attendance at lectures and fairs; the purchase of books, music, or different products such as crystals or incense; healing or energy pyramids; or patronage of fortune-tellers, healers and spiritual counselors.

Key moments in raising public awareness of this subculture include the publication of Linda Goodman's best selling astrology books Sun Signs (1968) and Love Signs (1978), the October 1967 musical Hair, and its opening song "Age of Aquarius", the Harmonic Convergence organized by Jose Arguelles in Sedona, Arizona, in 1987; and the wave of interest in the broadcast of Shirley MacLaine's television mini-series Out on a Limb (also 1987). This was an autobiographical account of her mid-life spiritual exploration. Also influential were the claims of channelers such as Jane Roberts (Seth) and J.Z. Knight (Ramtha), as well as revealed writings such as A Course In Miracles (Helen Schucman), The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield), Conversations with God (Neale Donald Walsch).

While J. Gordon Melton, Wouter J. Hanegraaff and Paul Heelas have emphasised the mentioned personal aspects, other authors, including Mark Satin,^[17] Theodore Roszak,^[18] Marilyn Ferguson^[19] and Corinne McLaughlin^[20] have described the New Age as a values-based sociopolitical movement.

Beliefs

There are no set of beliefs universal to New Agers, though the following are common amongst practitioners.

Philosophy and cosmology

• Theism - There is a pantheistic idea of God, which can be understood in many ways; including through the form of a Goddess or through forms of polytheism.

• Afterlife - Consciousness persists after death as life in different forms; the afterlife exists for further learning through the form of a spirit, reincarnation and/or near-death experiences.^[21] There may be a belief in hell, but typically not in the traditional Christian or Islamic sense of eternal damnation. Universalist views of the afterlife are common.

• Astrology - Horoscopes and the Zodiac are used in understanding, interpreting, and organizing information about personality, human affairs, and other terrestrial matters.

• Teleology - There is a belief that there is a purpose to life. This includes a belief in synchronicity — that coincidences have a spiritual meaning, and contain spiritual lessons to teach those that are open to them. Everything is universally connected through God, participating in the same energy.^[22] There is a cosmic goal and a belief that all entities are (knowingly or unknowingly) cooperating towards this goal.

• Psychic energy - Certain geographic locations emanate psychic energy, sometimes through the form of ley lines, e.g., Stonehenge and were considered sacred in pagan religions throughout the world.^[23]

Religion and science

• Eclectic spirituality - Every person should follow their own individual path to spirituality, not dogma. Different religions and philosophies from around the world offer different practices that can be adopted.

• Anti-Patriarchy - Feminine forms of spirituality, including feminine images of the divine, such as the female Aeon Sophia in Gnosticism, are deprecated by patriarchal religions.^[7]

• Science - Quantum Mechanics and Gaia Theory have been used, often erroneously or in an incomplete fashion, e.g., Quantum mysticism to validate spiritual principles and are generally considered pseudoscientific.^[24] Due to this approach, western science tends to reject the validity of alternative therapies: parapsychology, meditation, and holistic health.^[7]

• Quantum Mechanics - Some authors, such as Deepak Chopra, Fritjof Capra, Fred Alan Wolf, and Gary Zukav, have linked quantum mechanics to New Age thinking, which forms a genre sometimes known as quantum mysticism and is presented in the film What the Bleep Do We Know!?; also, in connection with the Law of Attraction, which is related to New Thought and presented in the 2006 film The Secret. They have interpreted the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, quantum entanglement, wave function collapse, or the many worlds interpretation to mean that all objects in the Universe are one (monism), that possibility and existence are endless, and that the physical world is only what one believes it to be.

Other

• Age of Aquarius - The current time period is one of great transformation for the Earth and human consciousness. Certain dates have a special significance in these changes, e.g., the Harmonic Convergence in 1987 and the Harmonic Concordance in 2003; one of the most important alignments is expected between 2011 and 2012.^[25][26][27]

• Spiritual beings - Angels, Ascended Masters, elementals, ghosts, fairies, Spirit guides and Extraterrestrials can spiritually guide us, if we open ourselves to their guidance.^[28] Fairies live in nature or gardens and are generally described as human in appearance and having magical powers. Some New Age influenced Wiccans use fairy magic for inspiration and healing (see Faery Wicca).

• Ancient civilizations - Atlantis and Mu existed and left behind relics and monuments such as crystal skulls, the Great Pyramid, and Stonehenge.

• Intuition - An important guide for life that has been replaced in the modern world by rationalism, scientific skepticism, and the scientific method.

• Mathematics - An appeal to the language of nature and mathematics, as evidenced by numerology, Kabbala, Sacred Geometry, and gnosticism to discern the nature of God.^[29]

• Human potential - The human mind has much greater potential than that ascribed to it and is capable of overriding physical reality;^[30]

• Interpersonal relationships - are opportunities to learn about one's self and relationships are destined to be repeated until they are healthy. ^[31]

• Indigo children - are being born today with a more highly developed spiritual power than earlier generations^[32][33]

• Positive thinking - A positive attitude supported by affirmations will achieve success in anything.^[34] A certain critical mass of people with a highly spiritual consciousness will bring about a sudden change in the whole population.^[35] Humans have a responsibility to take part in positive creative activity and to work to heal ourselves, each other and the planet.^[36]

• Eastern Practises - Meditation, yoga, t'ai chi ch'üan, Qi Gong, reiki, and other Eastern practices can assist in realizing one?s potential

• Spiritual Healing - Humans have potential healing powers, such as therapeutic touch, which can be developed to heal others through touch or at a distance

• Diet - Food influences the mind as well as the body. It is generally preferable to eat fresh organic vegetarian food which is locally grown and in season^[37][38] Fasting can help achieve higher levels of consciousness.^[39]

Lifestyle

People who embrace "New Age" lifestyle or beliefs are included in the Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) demographic market segment, currently in a growth phase, related to sustainable living, so-called "green" ecological initiatives, and generally composed of a relatively affluent and well-educated population segment.^{[40] [41]} The LOHAS market segment in year 2006 was estimated at $300 billion, approximately 30% of the USA consumer market.^{[42] [43]} According to the New York Times, a study by the Natural Marketing Institute showed that in 2000, 68 million Americans were included within the LOHAS demographic. Author Paul H. Ray, who coined the term "Cultural Creatives" in his book by the same name, explaines that "What you're seeing is a demand for products of equal quality that are also virtuous".^[44][45]

Terminology

Many New Agers revere ancient sites, such as Stonehenge, above, as having a special "energy".

• Forces - commonly held that there exist certain forces, independent of spiritual beings or agencies, and also distinct from forces as defined by science, e.g., gravitation, electro-magnetism, etc. These forces are elemental in nature; and are held to operate in an automatic fashion as part of the natural order (for example, the force which causes seeds to sprout, grow, and bloom).

• Power - the "forces", and everything else, are energized by a mystical power that exists in varying degrees in all things. Power is transferable, through physical contact, sensory perception, or mere proximity. Power may be accumulated or depleted in a person or object through a variety of mechanisms, including fate and esoteric practices. This power is held to be physically observable as "auras" and "psi energy"; and when encountered in great concentration, may even be dangerous.

• Energy - in some belief systems, "forces" and "power" may seem to merge, e.g., in the concept of "vital force" that exists in so many traditional belief systems, and finds its expression in New Age concepts such as the "energies" in Therapeutic Touch or Reiki and ideas of flowing streams of power in Earth, like "leylines" in Britain and Europe and earth energies addressed in the Chinese geomantic system of feng shui.

• Spirit - all beings (particularly sentient beings) are accompanied by a specific, intentional "energy" which corresponds to their consciousness, but is in some way independent of their corporeal existence. This energy typically is more primary than the physical entity, in the sense that it remains in some form after the physical death of that being.

Holistic health

New Age Spirituality may use alternative medicine in addition to, or in place of, relying on "conventional" medicine.^[3][46]

Some branches of New Age medicine focus on holistic health of patients, rather than the symptomatic focus of conventional Western medicine. Some conventional physicians have embraced aspects of or the complete approach of holistic medicine.

Some scientific professionals question the efficacy of the methods of "alternative or complementary medicine," and some writers have referred to these methods as quackery (Norcross et al 2006;Singer and Lalich 1996). There are increasing numbers of double blind tests of alternative medicine methods but such testing has rarely resulted in corroborating results. However, it is difficult to apply double-blind testing methods to some alternative medicine techniques because in many of these techniques, the relationship with the practitioner is part of the process, and that relationship cannot be practically "blinded" in a testing protocol. See the main article on Alternative medicine for a deeper discussion of these points.

Skeptics of the New Age approach to medicine point out it is possible that direct harm can result from a treatment such as acupuncture (bruising, dizziness, infection), from poorly prescribed herbal medicine or from an untrained person self-administering herbal medicines. Indirect harm may result when a patient declines proven scientific treatment in favor of unproven alternative treatments and thereby misses the benefit that may have accrued from the mainstream treatment.^[47]

Critics of New Age medicine state that without scientific testing, it is not possible to determine which techniques, medicinal herbs, and lifestyle changes may contribute to increased health and which treatments have no effect or may be dangerous. In 2005, the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland began a program of research to determine which alternative medicine practices may be useful in support of conventional medical practice.^[48]

Music

New Age music is peaceful music of various styles that is intended to make people feel good when they hear it. When it first started in the early 1970s it was mostly instrumental, and there were both acoustic and electronic kinds. Over the years, many more styles of New Age music appeared with the advent of less expensive equipment; now there is everything from spacey electronic kinds, to acoustic instrumentals using western instruments, to spiritual chanting from other cultures, like Kirtan with Sanskrit lyrics, or Native American flutes and drums.

This music has its roots in the 1970s with the works of such free-form jazz groups recording on the ECM label as Oregon, the Paul Winter Group, and other pre-ambient bands; as well as ambient performers such as Brian Eno and classical avant-garde musicians like Daniel Kobialka. The Greek artist Yanni, one of the "superstars" of the New Age genre, relies heavily on synthesizers and instrumental "world music" sounds. Enya, although claiming her music is not of this genre, has won a New Age Grammy for her music which utilizes vocals in a variety of languages, including Latin.

Some New Age music albums come with liner notes encouraging the music's use in meditation, and many albums have been recorded with specific design for this purpose. Studies have determined that New Age music is an effective component of stress management programs.^[49]

Criticism

Cultural thieving

Some adherents of traditional disciplines from cultures such as India, China, and elsewhere, a number of orthodox schools of Yoga, Tantra, Qigong, Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, and martial arts, e.g., traditional Taijiquan families, and groups with histories reaching back many centuries in some cases eschew the Western label New Age and see the movement it represents as either not fully understanding or deliberately trivializing their disciplines, or as outright distortions.^[50]

Urarina shaman, 1988

Racial bias

Some writers have identified racist bias in the movement's early Theosophical sources, especially the writings of Alice Bailey on the Jews ^{[52] [53] [54]} and comments of Rudolf Steiner on specific ethnic groups including black people, though Steiner, at least, emphasized racial equality as a principle central to anthroposophical thought and humanity's further progress.^[55][56] Any racially-charged elements present in such influences have not remained part of the ongoing evolution of the Anthroposophical Society and have either not been taken up or have been repudiated by modern members of the movement. ^{[57] [58]}

Scientific skepticism

Adherents of scientific skepticism criticize New Age beliefs, stating that one should question the veracity of all claims, and especially paranormal or extraordinary claims, unless such claims can be empirically tested. Some researchers have been unable to find strong evidence of any paranormal activity, or to find ground for New Age beliefs, and thus take issue with the use of scientific terminology, in a pseudoscientific context, to promote spiritual beliefs.^[59][60]

Some scientists are skeptical of this broad application of quantum ideas and have criticized what they believe to be vague descriptions of the phenomena in quantum mechanics on which they are based. Researchers such as Margaret Wertheim, Heinz Pagels, Murray Gell-Mann, and Victor Stenger have stated they do not agree that any evidence from quantum mechanics supports these views.^[61]

The American writer Ken Wilber posits that much New Age thought falls into the trap of what he calls the pre/trans fallacy.^[62] According to Wilber, a person's psychological development moves from the pre-personal, through the personal levels of development, to the transpersonal — this latter developmental milieu supposedly being the arena of the spiritually advanced or enlightened beings. He claims that 80% of New Age spirituality is pre-rational (pre-conventional), that it relies primarily on mythic-magical thinking, in contrast to post-rational (includes and transcends rational) that is genuine world-centric consciousness.

See also

• Astrology
• Astronomy
• Cultural creatives
• Cosmology
• Earth
• Environmentalism
• Feng shui
• Gaia hypothesis
• Gnosticism
• Indigo children
• Lightworker
• List of New Age topics
• Neopaganism
• New Age communities
• New religious movement
• New Thought
• Simple living
• Spiritualism
• Universalism
• Universe
• Wicca

Notes

References

• Hammer, Olav Claiming Knowledge: Strategies of Epistemology from Theosophy to the New Age Brill Academic Publishers, 2003 ISBN 900413638X
• Hanegraaff, Wouter J. New Age Religion and Western Culture: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought Brill Academic Publishers, 1996 ISBN 9004106960
• Heelas, Paul The New Age Movement: Religion, Culture and Society in the Age of Postmodernity Blackwell Publishing, 1996 ISBN 0631193324
• Kemp, Daren. New Age, a Guide: Alternative Spiritualities from Aquarian Conspiracy to Next Age Edinburgh University Press, 2004
• Kemp, Daren and James R. Lewis, eds. Handbook of New Age Brill, 2007.

External links

• Light Workers

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