| The New Age Movement New Age - A Paradigm | | | | Transformation; Awakening; Networking; Communal |
| Shift to Divine Consciousness & a Universal | | | | Sharing; One-world/globalism/new world order (i.e., One |
| Philosophy The New Age Movement (NAM) is a | | | | language, One Government, One currency, One |
| revival of spiritual and divine values and can be called | | | | religion); Cosmic Consciousness; Zodiac, etc. Some |
| as a Divine Regeneration Movement. New Age | | | | New Age practices are: Transcendental Meditation, |
| Philosophy has conquered the West intellectually and | | | | Parapsychology, Inner healing; Biofeedback; Yoga; I |
| Western culture is currently experiencing a | | | | Ching; Reflexology; Therapeutic Touch; Transpersonal |
| phenomenal shift - sociological, spiritual & | | | | Psychology; Witchcraft; ; Magick; Tai Chi; Shamanism; |
| ideological. It's a secular, multi-cultural, multi-religious | | | | Hypnotherapy; Acupuncture/Acupressure; Martial arts; |
| synthesis, of the Oriental mystical philosophies, mainly | | | | Zen; Relaxation; Silva Method (formerly Silva Mind |
| Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism & Western Occultism, | | | | Control); Visualization; etc. |
| emphasising Holism, the doctrine that Reality is | | | | Some prominent New Agers are: Jeremy Rifkin, |
| organically One ( now taught in American Universities | | | | Norman Cousins, Elizabeth Clare Prophet, John Denver, |
| after Einstein's Theory of Relativity ). Behind the | | | | George Lucas, Norman Lear, Alice Bailey, Alvin Toffler, |
| evolution of the species, there is an evolution of | | | | Dr. Barbara Ray, Benjamin Creme, Levi Dowling, |
| Consciousness. The aim of Life is Self-Actualisation, to | | | | George Trevelyan, Fritjof Capra, Abraham Maslow, |
| evolve to the level of Unity Consciousness, defined as | | | | Barbara Marx Hubbard, Ruth Montgomery, Shirley |
| the 7th state of Consciousness in Transcendental | | | | MacLaine, J.Z. Knight, Marilyn Ferguson and David |
| Philosophy. The social disturbance caused by the | | | | Spangler. Soothing audio environments are created by |
| Vietnam War, the threat posed by AIDS, the | | | | New Age musicians and they believe rightly that Music |
| disillusionment with materialistic ideas and the erosion of | | | | has psycho-therapeutic properties. ( This concept is |
| faith in Morality & Ethics brought a sense of futility | | | | derived from the Vedic Philosophy that All music is |
| & meaninglessness in the Western psyche.The | | | | Samaveda, the 4th Veda of the Indians ). Born of an |
| limitations of the Western system of Chemotherapy | | | | interest in spirituality and healing in the late 1970s, it is |
| & adverse side-effects of antibiotics, sedatives | | | | often used as an aid in meditation. |
| and certain other drugs and the disillusionment with the | | | | Essentially meditative, New Age Music is soothing to |
| promises of science & technology made millions | | | | the Soul. Isnt Music defined as the food for the Soul ? |
| turn to Oriental philosophies, occult practices & | | | | Harmonic consonance, uplifting themes, contemplative |
| systems of therapy.( Interest in Alternative Medicine | | | | melodies & nonlinear song forms are the |
| developed to such an extent that there are now more | | | | characteristics of New Age music. Even natural |
| than 180 systems of Alternative Medicine. | | | | sounds or sounds from Nature and traditional electronic |
| Exponents of New Age Philosophy in Europe and | | | | instruments are used by New Age musicians. With |
| America include Transcendentalists like Thoreau, | | | | roots in classical music or Eastern Music, New Age |
| Emerson & Walt Whitman, Wordsworth, Emanuel | | | | music is often meditative. Prominent New Age |
| Swedenborg (1688-1772), , & Theosophy | | | | musicians include vocalist Liz Story; harpist Andreas |
| introduced by Madame Helena Blavatsky (1831- 1891) | | | | Vollenweider, electric violinist Jean-Luc Ponty , |
| & Col Olcott & the philosopher, Annie Besant. | | | | electronic-music pioneer Brian Eno, multi-instrumentalist |
| As the world witnessed a Consciousness Revolution, | | | | Kitaro & solo-piano artist George Winston.New |
| Transcendental Meditation, Yoga ,Zen, Carlos | | | | Age practices have almost conquered the world. |
| Castañada, the Beatles, Holistic Medicine ( both | | | | Athletes are using guided imagery. Graduate schools |
| Western and Ayurveda ), Tantra, Astrology ( both | | | | of business are invoking T M, Yoga, and Tarot cards in |
| Western & Vedic ) all became popular . | | | | teaching courses on creativity in business (e.g., |
| There are 6 million New Age sites on the Web and | | | | Stanford Graduate School of Business). Based upon |
| the NAM consists of a massive & well organised | | | | Astrology, the Science of Time, stock market gurus |
| network consisting of thousands of groups, trusts, | | | | employ Fibonacci numbers and "Wave Theory" in their |
| foundations, clubs, lodges, and spiritual groups whose | | | | forecasting. We can summarise that the term New |
| goal and purpose is to prepare the world to enter the | | | | Age is an innovative term derived from the mother of |
| coming Aquarian Age. ( The Age of Aquarius ). In | | | | all sciences, Astrology, indicating that this earth is |
| astrological symbolism, Aquarius represents Spirituality | | | | undergoing an evolutionary transitional phase from the |
| and Pisces Rationality. The Piscean Age, an age of | | | | Piscean Age of Scientism to the Aquarian Age of |
| Computer and Cybernetics revolution, will be followed | | | | Divine Wisdome, Cosmic Consciousness , Knowledge |
| by an Age of Consciousness Revolution or a Spiritual | | | | and Love. |
| Revolution, the Aquarian Age. | | | | Since the New Age is a conglomeration of spiritual |
| Some New Age Organisations are : California New | | | | practices, let us analyse the basic principles of N A M |
| Age Caucus, New World Alliance, World Goodwill, The | | | | 1. The Divine Source of Authority. New Agers do not |
| Church Universal and Triumphant, The Theosophical | | | | claim any source of authority -- Only Inspiration by the |
| Society, Amnesty International, Zero Population | | | | Divine. By the Divine we mean a principle within, the |
| Growth, the Forum, Planetary Initiative for the World | | | | Divine Spark or the Self and many are there who |
| We Choose, the Club of Rome, Church Universal | | | | receive the revealations of the Self within or the |
| & Triumphant, Christian Science, and the Unity | | | | intuitive insights of the Self. |
| School of Christianity. New Age believes in the | | | | 2. The Lord. - Since Matter and Energy can neither be |
| essential goodness of Man and the Divine Spark in | | | | created or destroyed and the sum total energy in the |
| Man and the New Age movement is not a unified cult | | | | Universe is an absolute constant ( Universal Being ), the |
| system of beliefs and practices, even though its roots | | | | Lord did not create the world, He became the world. |
| derive from Vedic Philosophy. There is no central | | | | Monism --( "All is Unity" ) averrs that there is only One |
| authority, no official leader, no headquarters, nor | | | | Essence in the universe, everyone and everything |
| membership list, but instead is a network of groups | | | | being a part of that essence. The Self is an utter Being |
| working toward World Peace and Universal Love. | | | | and all these are its Becomings. New Agers view God |
| There are millions of worldwide followers of various | | | | as an Impersonal Life force, Consciousness, or Energy |
| New Age practices and the world is moving from | | | | (e.g., the "Star Wars Force") mainly but they also |
| Chaos ( Disorder ) to Cosmos ( Order ) ! This is a | | | | believe in His personal aspect, as the Ocean ( which is |
| Phase Transition from Entropy ( Disorder ) to Order ! | | | | Formless ) can take the form of an iceberg! They |
| Significant influence has been gained by NAM affecting | | | | averr that every human has a divine spark within him |
| almost every area of Occidental culture -- Sociology, | | | | because all created beings are reflections of the Divine |
| Psychology, Medicine, the Government, Ecology, | | | | Idea. The eternal state is called by various terms |
| Science, Arts, Education, the Business Community, the | | | | among different New Age groups, i.e., |
| media, entertainment, sports, and even the Church. | | | | God-consciousness, Universal Love, Self-Realization, |
| Organised spiritual forms such as Christian Science, | | | | the I AM, Higher Self, Brahman, Nirvana, etc. 2. The |
| Unity and even forms of Witchcraft ( from the | | | | Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Christ Consciousness or the |
| German ' Wicca' meaning the Wise; Witchcraft means | | | | Divine Consciousness is what the New Age |
| the Craft of the Wise ) are all its expressions. Various | | | | advocates mean by Christ. . In other words, Christ is a |
| Human Potential Seminars, Transcendental Meditation, | | | | Divine Principle rather than an individual, such as Jesus. |
| Zen Meditation and some Alternative Holistic Medicine | | | | This idea of Christ Consciousness asserts that Jesus |
| practices are also its manifold manifestations. | | | | was only one of the Christs, but that He equipped |
| Some popular New Age publications and journals are | | | | Himself to receive the Christ Consciousness (i.e., He |
| New Age Journal, the Z Files, Clarity, Body Mind Spirit, | | | | was a great Master who attained Christ |
| Yoga Journal, Gnosis, East West, Noetic Sciences, the | | | | Consciousness), as did other prophets like Buddha, |
| Millenium Being and Omega. The new tendency of | | | | Krishna, and Mohammed. New Agers believe Dr Paul |
| people now is to view everything from a New Age | | | | Brunton who stated the Jesus spent 18 years in India |
| perspective | | | | absorbing Indian Mysticism and that he was initiated |
| The major goal of the New Age Movement is to | | | | into the highest esoteric doctrine. 3. Human Destiny. |
| prepare Man for entering the Aquarian Age and to | | | | Man is the measure of all things and is more divine |
| bring world peace in an already bruised world. "All is | | | | than the animals & hence the salvation of the |
| wrong with the world" said Shaw & some of the | | | | world depends upon Man. Cleansing the negative |
| other goals of the NAM are to establish an entirely | | | | elements from the collective subconscient should be |
| New World Order in the fields of Economy & | | | | the aim of humanity. Once Negativity is cleaned from |
| Government. The idea of a World Government was | | | | the collective subconscient, the human positive energy |
| proposed by Bernard Shaw earlier and was | | | | will shine forth and the noble ideals of the New Age will |
| implemented by Mahesh Yogi and occurs in the | | | | be actualised in an era of Enlightenment. Since man is |
| writings of the foundational apostle of the New Age | | | | intrinsically divine and perfect, his only real problem is |
| Movement, Alice Bailey. | | | | ignorance of that fact. Gnosis means experiential |
| The word 'Initiation" is derived from the Latin "In ire" to | | | | knowledge and Salvation in the New Age is for man |
| go within and Initiates were termed by the Great | | | | to become enlightened through this Divine Gnosis. New |
| Master as the salt of the Earth. The mystic Ward | | | | Age groups offer various spiritual techniques to enable |
| defined Reality as "Within and within and within and | | | | individuals, and ultimately the world, to evolve into this |
| within" . Another mystic described it as "It is hidden, it is | | | | Unitive Consciousness . These techniques may include |
| hidden and it is hidden". To the mystic, self evolution is | | | | psychotechnologies for attaining altered states of |
| the means and only by changing and correcting | | | | consciousness - Transcendental Meditation, Yoga, Zen, |
| ourselves can we change others . The primary goals | | | | Attunement , Channeling (Spirit guides), Psychics, |
| of the movement then, are to prepare the world to | | | | Acupuncture, etc.4. The Ethical Opposites, Good |
| receive the Divine Consciousness and to enter the | | | | & Evil - Believing in the Oriental philosophies, New |
| Age of Aquarius, thus establishing the New World | | | | Agers make the distinction between good and evil. All |
| Order. | | | | wickedness is weakness and Evil is imperfection. By |
| New Age Philosophy believes that human evolution | | | | the method of Trial and Error, we come to know what |
| can be accelerated, if not in the entire mass of | | | | is good and what is bad for the world and we have to |
| humanity, at least in suitable individuals. Human nature is | | | | transcend the dualities. 5. Reincarnation. New Agers |
| perfectible, through an intensive process of purification | | | | believe in the ancient Vedic philosophic concept of |
| and Initiation. The New Age Movement is secular | | | | Reincarnation -- that through a long process of rebirths, |
| & universally diffused over the earth's surface | | | | man can eventually attain Divine perfection. They also |
| & its basic underlying philosophy emphasises | | | | teach the Universal Law of Karma --(( The Law of |
| Gnosticism and Occultism. (Gnosticism is an ancient | | | | Cause and Effect ( Every effect has a cause ), the |
| philosophy stating that Divine essence is the highest | | | | Law of Action and Reaction, the Law of Retribution ))- |
| reality, and that the Self of man is actually this | | | | that what a person sows , he shall reap. This is also |
| Essence. Behind the phenomenal world is the | | | | the doctrine of God's non-responsibility, that the Self is |
| Transcendent Reality which Intuition alone can see ). It | | | | not responsible and it is the Ego which experiences |
| bears a remarkable resemblance to the Universal | | | | bitter & sweet mental experiences due to its own |
| Religion that H.G. Wells predicted would one day take | | | | Karma. |
| over the world. The six main characteristics of New | | | | 6.Salvation is Self-Actualisation and Sin is Ignorance - |
| Age thinking are: (1) All is Unity; (2) All is Divine (3) | | | | SSome theoreticians taught the concept of Man's |
| Humanity is divine (4) A change in Consciousness; (5) | | | | Original Sin. New Age exponents teach the concept of |
| All religions are One; and (6) Cosmic Evolutionary | | | | man's essential goodness. Instead of systems which |
| optimism. | | | | emphasised the human negative aspect and sin, New |
| Basically Dialectical Integralism, New Age Philosophy | | | | Age highlights that every man is essentially divine and it |
| unites both Matter and Spirit. | | | | is a sin to call man a sinner ! However, New Agers |
| Spirit shall see through Matter's gaze | | | | speak of troublesome desires which are natural |
| Matter shall reveal the Spirit's face ! | | | | impulses which retard human evolution and make the |
| The 13 main principles of New Age Philosophy are: | | | | Ego move away from the Self. Sin is merely |
| (1) One Global Order - One World Governement, One | | | | ignorance of man's essential divinity. The atrophied |
| Currency, One Universal Being. | | | | spiritual consciousness of the normal man who lives in |
| (2) Universal Energy, Universal Matter, Universal Life, | | | | ignorance of his Divine Self is Sin. Like the Law of |
| Universal Soul As God | | | | Conservation of Energy which states that Energy |
| (3) An Eternal Universe - Uniform in Space and | | | | cannot be created or destroyed, the Law of |
| Unending in Time | | | | Conservation of Soul states that the Soul can neither |
| (4) Divine practices ( Astrology Yoga & other | | | | be created nor destroyed. Matter exists in 3 states, |
| esoteric arts) | | | | liquid, gaseous and solid and matter cannot be created |
| (5) Syncretism ( Unity of all Religions ). | | | | or destroyed. Nothing ever begins to be. Similarly Life |
| (6) The need for Meditation ( for generating altered | | | | does not at physical birth begin to be. It merely enters |
| states of Consciousness ); | | | | physical conditions and assumes physical guise. It |
| (7) Life is Cyclical- Everything is cyclical, subject to the | | | | merely undergoes a parallel transformation into |
| cyclical upheavals of Time. | | | | conditions which preexisted in other conditions. The |
| (8) Holistic Medicine & Vegetarianism (The patient | | | | Soul is reincarnated in different bodies in a continous |
| is more important than the Doctor & Alkaline diet) | | | | succession of lives. The good or bad Karma earned in |
| (9) Pacifism ( Anti-war activities); | | | | the present lifetime determines one's subsequent |
| (10) Reincarnation; ( The Law of Conservation of Soul | | | | incarnation. Attaining higher states of Consciousness |
| ) | | | | should be our aim.There are many different paths to |
| (11) The Evolution of Man into Divinity; ( The latent Life | | | | the goal of Divine perfection and we should be tolerant |
| Force evolving naturally to the Divine ) | | | | of other paths. |
| (12) The Union of Man with the Divine; ( Merger of man | | | | The divine Aurobindo predicted that spiritual influences |
| into the Infinite ) | | | | from India will trigger off a global spiritual |
| (13) Matter's Illusoriness; - Esse est percipii - Perception | | | | movement.There will be Mass Incarnations ( many |
| is Essence; Mind is Substance. The practices of the | | | | people divinely inspired ) who will work for World |
| New Age are psychic practices like : Astrology, Reiki, | | | | Peace and Universal Love ! |
| Bioenergy, Chi energy, Chakras, Nirvana, Christ- | | | | I saw them cross the twilight of the Age |
| Consciousness,Spiritualism, Native American Spirituality, | | | | The massive barrier breakers of this world |
| Prajna, Out-of-body/near- death experiences, | | | | The sun-eyed children of a marvellous dawn |
| Reincarnation, Yoga, Meditation and the occult | | | | The architects of immortality |
| disciplines, as well as psychotherapeutic techniques | | | | Carrying the magic Word, the mystic Fire |
| and scientific applications of the healing powers of | | | | Carrying the Dionysian Cup of Joy ! |
| crystals and pyramids. | | | | The four systems of Philosophy which triggered the N |
| Some commonly used New Age terms are: Quantum | | | | A M are Hinduism, a product of 5,000 years of |
| Healing, Transmutation, Transfiguration, Guided Imagery, | | | | development, Buddhism, circa 560 B.C., Taoism, circa |
| Reincarnation; Positive Thinking; Human Potential; | | | | 500 B.C & Druidism, circa 300 B.C, the religion of |
| Holistic; Holographic; Synergistic; Unity; Oneness; | | | | the Celts, which extended upto the Middle Ages. |