The New Age Movement is in a class by itself. Unlike most formal
religions, it has no holy text, central organization, membership, formal clergy,
geographic center, dogma, creed, etc. They often use mutually exclusive
definitions for some of their terms. The New Age is in fact a free-flowing
spiritual movement; a network of believers and practitioners who share somewhat
similar beliefs and practices, which they add on to whichever formal religion
that they follow. Their book publishers take the place of a central
organization; seminars, conventions, books and informal groups replace of
sermons and religious services.
Quoting John Naisbitt:
"In turbulent times, in times of great change, people head for the two
extremes: fundamentalism and personal, spiritual experience...With no
membership lists or even a coherent philosophy or dogma, it is difficult to
define or measure the unorganized New Age movement. But in every major U.S.
and European city, thousands who seek insight and personal growth cluster
around a metaphysical bookstore, a spiritual teacher, or an education
center."
1
The New Age is definitely a heterogeneous movement of individuals; most graft
some new age beliefs onto their regular religious affiliation. Recent surveys of
US adults indicate that many Americans hold at least some new age beliefs:
- 8% believe in astrology as a method of foretelling the future
- 7% believe that crystals are a source of healing or energizing power
- 9% believe that Tarot Cards are a reliable base for life decisions
- about 1 in 4 believe in a non-traditional concept of the nature of God
which are often associated with New Age thinking:
- 11% believe that God is "a state of higher consciousness that
a person may reach"
- 8% define God as "the total realization of personal, human
potential"
- 3% believe that each person is God.
The group of surveys cited above classify religious beliefs into 7 faith
groups. 2 Starting with the largest, they are: Cultural
(Christmas & Easter) Christianity, Conventional Christianity, New Age
Practitioner, Biblical (Fundamentalist, Evangelical) Christianity,
Atheist/Agnostic, Other, and Jewish, A longitudinal study from 1991 to 1995
shows that New Agers represent a steady 20% of the population, and are
consistently the third largest religious group. 2
New Age teachings became popular during the 1970's as a reaction against what
some perceived as the failure of Christianity and the failure of Secular
Humanism to provide spiritual and ethical guidance for the future. Its roots are
traceable to many sources: Astrology, Channeling, Hinduism,
Gnostic traditions,
, Spiritualism, Taosim,
Theosophy, Wicca
and other Neo-pagan
traditions, etc. The movement started in England in the 1960's where many of
these elements were well established. Small groups, such as the Findhorn
Community in Inverness and the Wrekin Trust formed. The movement
quickly became international. Early New Age mileposts in North America were a "New
Age Seminar" ran by the Association for Research and Enlightenment,
and the establishment of the East-West Journal in 1971. Actress Shirley
MacLaine is perhaps their most famous current figure.
During the 1980's and 90's, the movement came under criticism from a variety
of groups. Channeling was ridiculed; seminar and group leaders were criticized
for the fortunes that they made from New Agers. Their uncritical belief in the
"scientific" properties of crystals was exposed as groundless. But the
movement has become established and become a stable, major force in North
American religion during the past generation. As the millennium comes to a
close, the New Age is expected to expand, promoted by the social backlash
against logic and science.
The "New Age" That Does Not Exist
Major confusion about the New Age has been generated by academics,
counter-cult groups, Fundamentalist and other Evangelical Christians and
traditional Muslim groups, etc. Some examples are:
- Many of the above groups have dismissed Tasawwuf (Sufiism) as a New
Age cult. In reality, Sufiism has historically been an established mystical
movement within Islam, which has always existing in a state of tension with
the more legalistic divisions within Islam. It has no connection with the
New Age.
- Some conservative Christians believe that a massive, underground, highly
coordinated New Age organization exists that is infiltrating government,
media, schools and churches. No such entity exists.
- Some conservative Christians do not differentiate among the Occult,
Satanism, Wicca,
other Neopagan religions. Many seem to regard all as forms of Satanism who
perform horrendous criminal acts on children. Others view The New Age,
Neopagan religions, Tarot card reading, rune readings, channeling, work with
crystal energy, etc. as merely recruiting programs for Satanism. In fact,
the Occult, Satanism, Neo-pagan religions are very different phenomena, and
essentially unrelated. Dr. Carl Raschke, professor of Religious Studies at
the University of Denver describes New Age practices as the spiritual
version of AIDS; it destroys the ability of people to cope and
function." He describes it as "essentially, the marketing
end of the political packaging of occultism...a breeding ground for a new
American form of fascism."
New Age Beliefs
A number of fundamental beliefs are held my many New Age followers;
individuals are encouraged to "shop" for the beliefs and practices
that they feel most comfortable with:
- Monism: All that exists is derived from a single source of divine
energy.
- Pantheism: All that exists is God; God is all that exists. This
leads naturally to the concept of the divinity of the individual, that we
are all Gods. They do not seek God as revealed in a sacred text or as exists
in a remote heaven; they seek God within the self and throughout the entire
universe.
- Panentheism: God is all that exists. God is at once the entire
universe, and transcends the universe as well.
- Reincarnation: After death, we are reborn and live another life as
a human. This cycle repeats itself many times. This belief is similar to the
concept of transmigration of the soul in Hinduism.
- Karma: The good and bad deeds that we do adds and subtracts from
our accumulated record, our karma. At the end of our life, we are
rewarded or punished according to our karma by being reincarnated into
either a painful or good new life. This belief is linked to that of
reincarnation and is also derived from Hinduism
- An Aura is believed to be an energy field radiated by the body.
Invisible to most people, it can be detected by some as a shimmering,
multi-colored field surrounding the body. Those skilled in detecting and
interpreting auras can diagnose an individual's state of mind, and their
spiritual and physical health.
- Personal Transformation A profoundly intense mystical experience
will lead to the acceptance and use of New Age beliefs and practices. Guided
imagery, hypnosis, meditation, and (sometimes) the use of hallucinogenic
drugs are useful to bring about and enhance this transformation. Believers
hope to develop new potentials within themselves: the ability to heal
oneself and others, psychic powers, a new understanding of the workings of
the universe, etc. Later, when sufficient numbers of people have achieved
these powers, a major spiritual, physical, psychological and cultural
planet-wide transformation is expected.
- Ecological Responsibility: A belief in the importance of uniting to
preserve the health of the earth, which is often looked upon as Gaia,
(Mother Earth) a living entity.
- Universal Religion: Since all is God, then only one reality exists,
and all religions are simply different paths to that ultimate reality. The
universal religion can be visualized as a mountain, with many sadhanas
(spiritual paths) to the summit. Some are hard; others easy. There is no one
correct path. All paths eventually reach the top. They anticipate that a new
universal religion which contains elements of all current faiths will evolve
and become generally accepted worldwide.
- New World Order As the Age of Aquarius unfolds, a New Age
will develop. This will be a utopia in which there is world government, and
end to wars, disease, hunger, pollution, and poverty. Gender, racial,
religious and other forms of discrimination will cease. People's allegiance
to their tribe or nation will be replaced by a concern for the entire world
and its people.
The Age of Aquarius is a reference to the precession of the zodiac.
The earth passes into a new sign of the zodiac approximately every 2,000 years.
Some believe that the earth entered the constellation Aquarius in the 19th
Century, so that the present era is the dawning of the age of Aquarius. Others
believe that it will occur at the end of the 20th century. It is interesting to
note that the previous constellation changes were:
- from Aries to Pisces the fish circa 1st century CE. This
happened at a time when Christianity was an emerging religion, and many
individuals changed from animal sacrifice in the Jewish temple to embracing
the teachings of Christianity. The church's prime symbol at the time was the
fish.
- from Taurus to Aries the ram circa 2,000 BCE. This happened at a time when
the Jews engaged in widespread ritual sacrifice of sheep and other animals
in the Temple.
- from Gemini to Taurus the bull circa 4,000 BCE. During that sign,
worshiping of the golden calf was common in the Middle East.
New Age Practices
Many practices are common amongst New Agers. A typical practitioner is active
in only a few areas:
- Channeling A method similar to that used by Spiritists in which a
spirit of a long dead individual is conjured up. However, while Spiritists
generally believe that one's soul remains relatively unchanged after death,
most channelers believe that the soul evolves to higher planes of existence.
Chanelers usually try to make contact with a single, spiritually evolved
being. That being's consciousness is channeled through the medium and relays
guidance and information to the group, through the use of the medium's
voice. Channeling has existed since the 1850's and many groups consider
themselves independent of the New Age movement. Perhaps the most famous
channeling event is the popular A Course in Miracles. It was
channeled through a Columbia University psychologist, Dr. Helen Schucman,
(1909-1981), over an 8 year period. She was an Atheist, and in no way
regarded herself as a New Age believer. However, she took great care in
recording accurately the words that she received.
- Crystals Crystals are materials which has its molecules arranged in
a specific, highly ordered internal pattern. This pattern is reflected in
the crystal's external structure which typically has symmetrical planar
surfaces. Many common substances, from salt to sugar, from diamonds to
quartz form crystals. They can be shaped so that they will vibrate at a
specific frequency and are widely used in radio communications and computing
devices. New Agers believe that crystals posses healing energy.
- Meditating A process of blanking out the mind and releasing oneself
from conscious thinking. This is often aided by repetitive chanting of a
mantra, or focusing on an object.
- New Age Music A gentle, melodic, inspirational music form involving
the human voice, harp, lute, flute, etc. It is used as an aid in healing,
massage therapy and general relaxation.
- Divination The use of various techniques to foretell the future,
including I Ching, Pendulum movements, Runes, Scrying, Tarot Cards.
- Astrology The belief that the orientation of the planets at the
time of one's birth, and the location of that birth predicts the
individual's future and personality. Belief in astrology is common amongst
New Agers, but definitely not limited to them.
- Holistic Health This is a collection of healing techniques which
have diverged from the traditional medical model. It attempts to cure
disorders in mind, body and spirit and to promote wholeness and balance in
the individual. Examples are acupuncture, crystal healing, homeopathy,
iridology, massage, various meditation methods, polarity therapy, psychic
healing, therapeutic touch, reflexology, etc.
- Human Potential Movement (a.k.a. Emotional Growth Movement) This is
a collection of therapeutic methods involving both individualized and group
working, using both mental and physical techniques. The goal is to help
individuals to advance spiritually. Examples are Esalen Growth Center
programs, EST, Gestalt Therapy, Primal Scream Therapy, Transactional
Analysis, Transcendental Meditation and Yoga.
The Canadian Census (1991) recorded only 1,200 people (0.005%) who identify
their religion as being New Age. However, this in no way indicates the influence
of new age ideas in the country. Many people identify with Christianity and
other religions, but incorporate many new age concepts into their faith.
References used:
- J. Naisbitt & P. Aburdene, Megatrends 2000", William
Morrow & Company, New York, NY (1990)
- George Barnia, "The Index of Leading Spiritual Indicators",
Word Publishing, Dallas TX, (1996)
- Richard Kyle, "The Religious Fringe", InterVarsity Press,
Downers Grove, IL (1993), Page 285-298
- J.Gordon Melton, "Whither the New Age?", Chapter 35 of T.
Miller, "America's Alternative Religions", SUNY Press,
Albany, NY (1995)
- R.T. Carroll, "A Course in Miracles," The Skeptic's
Dictionary, at: http://skepdic.com/cim.html
Web sites about the New Age:
- LinkLight is a New Age site whose goal is to "create a
spiritual connection between everyone on this Planet, and in this way raise
the Consciousness of the Planet." They are at: http://www.linklight.com
- Blue Ridge Spirit is another New Age web site "dedicated to
empowering Individuals in the pursuit of clarity and truth during their
lives journey." See: http://www.blueridgespirit.com/
- The Wanderer Community is a New Age spiritual community "for
Wanderers, Star People, Starseeds, Star Children, Walk-ins, Light Workers,
Contactees and associated parties." See: http://www.wanderercommunity.com
- Life Positive offers "a complete encyclopedia on holistic
living and new age alternative sciences." See: http://www.lifepositive.com/
Religious Tolerance