The New Age movement, a phenomenon that emerged in the 1970s and 1980s, is a blend of Christian beliefs and spirituality, focusing on universal love and mystical experiences. This movement, which originated in Peru, is not a new phenomenon but rather a continuation of America’s long history of fascination with pantheistic thought. New Age Christianity combines Christian beliefs with New Age spirituality, focusing on universal love and mystical experiences.
The New Age movement is a vast smorgasbord of beliefs and practices, influenced by Buddhism, Taoism, and other religions. It is a counterfeit philosophy that appeals to individuals’ feelings, leading them to believe they are God and can enhance their spirituality and experiences of closeness to God. This movement has produced valuable insights in humanistic psychology and education, as well as a significant contribution to humanistic psychology and education.
New Age spirituality is an umbrella term for contemporary religious movements, not an organized religion. It was given expression as “The Age of Aquarius”, the dawn of a new astrological age based on Earth’s precessional slow. Most New Agers believe that human transformation is possible when people open themselves up to spiritual energies available to every human being.
Transpersonal psychology, an approach combining Eastern mysticism and Western rationalism, is another aspect of the New Age movement. By understanding the interplay between these two religious traditions, we can better navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by the New Age movement.
📹 New Age Spirituality Explained
What is New Age Spirituality? To understand the movement, we need to explore four historical streams that combined in the …
What does the New Age believe?
The New Age Movement eschews the notion of absolute truth and is devoid of a discernible authority source. The New Age Movement espouses the view that truth is relative, on the grounds that each individual possesses their own reality and subjective experience.
What are the beliefs of the New Age mysticism?
The New Age movement, originating in the 1970s, has a significant connection to the holistic health movement, which emphasizes the interconnectedness of the mind, body, and spirit. This movement uses various methods, such as acupuncture, reiki, biofeedback, chiropractic, yoga, applied kinesiology, homeopathy, aromatherapy, iridology, massage, meditation, visualisation, nutritional therapy, psychic healing, herbal medicine, crystals, metals, music, chromotherapy, and reincarnation therapy.
The New Age movement is centered around spiritual and philosophical perspectives that aim to transform humanity and the world. New Agers are willing to absorb wisdom teachings from various sources, including Indian gurus, renegade Christian priests, Buddhist monks, experiential psychotherapists, and Native American shamans. They seek to explore their inner potential and contribute to a broader process of social transformation.
The New Age movement aims to create a worldview that includes both science and spirituality, combining the technical and spiritual aspects of science and religion. Influencers such as David Bohm and Ilya Prigogine, who have backgrounds as professional scientists, have contributed to the development of New Age science. Hanegraaff identified “New Age science” as a form of Naturphilosophie.
In summary, the New Age movement is characterized by a focus on holistic health, spiritual and philosophical perspectives, and the integration of science and spirituality.
What is New Age metaphysical?
The New Age movement emerged in the 1970s and 1980s, focusing on love and light and personal transformation. Peruvian-born anthropologist Carlos Castaneda, known for his books on Yaqui Indian shaman mystical secrets, was considered a father of the movement. The movement’s strongest supporters were followers of modern esotericism, particularly Gnosticism. This movement was followed by various esoteric movements, including Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, theosophy, and ritual magic.
In the late 19th century, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, cofounder of the Theosophical Society, announced a coming New Age, predicting that theosophists would assist the evolution of the human race and cooperate with the Ascended Masters of the Great White Brotherhood. Blavatsky believed that these mystical brothers guided the destiny of the planet. This led to expectations of a New Age among Spiritualism and astrology practitioners, who anticipated a period of brotherhood and enlightenment.
Annie Besant, Blavatsky’s successor, predicted the coming of a world savior, Jiddu Krishnamurti. Alice A. Bailey, founder of the Arcane School, suggested a new messiah, the Master Maitreya, in the last quarter of the 20th century. Bailey also established the “Triangles” program, which encouraged daily meditation and the sharing of divine energy, raising spiritual awareness.
Do mystics believe in God?
A mystic in the Catholic Church is defined as a Christian who adheres to the belief that personal understanding of God is the key to attaining and practicing divine love.
Who is the founder of New Age?
The term “New Age” is often attributed to Helena Blavatsky, who is said to have coined it during her tenure with the Theosophical Society. However, the concept of a “New Age” gained global recognition in spiritual communities through the work of American theosophist David Spangler in 1970.
Do Christians believe in mysticism?
Mysticism is a concept that involves contact with the divine or transcendent, often involving union with God. It has played a significant role in the history of Christian religion and has gained influence in modern times. Mysticism has been studied from various perspectives, including psychological, comparativist, philosophical, and theological. Hermeneutical and deconstructionist philosophies in the 20th century have brought attention to the mystical text.
Theoretical questions have been debated, such as whether mysticism constitutes the core or essence of personal religion or whether it is better viewed as one element interacting with others in the formation of concrete religions. Some argue that experience and interpretation cannot be easily sundered, and that mysticism is typically tied to a specific religion and contingent upon its teachings. Philosophers like Walter T. Stace and Robert C.
Zaehner have employed typologies of mysticism, often based on the contrast between introvertive and extrovertive mysticism developed by Rudolf Otto. The cognitive status of mystical knowing and its clash with mystics’ claims about the ineffability of their experiences have also been important topics for modern mysticism students.
Which religion is mysticism?
Mysticism represents a belief system that is found in a number of Abrahamic religions, including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. It is not tied to a single religion.
Did Jesus practice mysticism?
Jesus was a teacher of teachers and a mystic of mystics, entering the mysteries of the Holy Life and ways of living. He invited others to join him in his journey. The term “mystic” can be associated with various mystics, such as Krisha, Buddha, yogi, Gandhi, Saint Teresa of Avila, and St. John of the Cross. Matthew Fox, a progressive theologian and Dominican priest, devotes an entire book, “The Coming of the Cosmic Christ”, to the mysticism of Jesus. Jesus’ teachings and teachings were deeply rooted in the teachings of his disciples, who were inspired by his teachings and the teachings of his disciples.
Is meditation a New Age practice?
Meditation, yoga, and the power of your words are practices that originate from Eastern religions like Buddhism and Hinduism, leading to New Spirituality. Many in the New Age identify as spiritual, making it difficult to distinguish between spirituality and religious beliefs. However, women may not perceive a coach who integrates New Age practices into their program as New Age due to the attractiveness of spirituality and mindfulness talk. This approach promises healing, but it can also cause physical suffering, which can lead to depression and anxiety.
It is important to understand the New Age and the Bible to understand the benefits of meditation and the power of our words. It is crucial to research claims before investing time and money in them, as they can affect the mind. In this episode, we explore a website of a woman who integrates New Age practices into her Christian program.
Is Buddhism a New Age?
Theosophy has two significant legacies. The first is its role in introducing Buddhism to the West. The second is its contribution to the emergence of the New Age movement, which has since become associated with Buddhism and countercultural movements in the 1960s.
📹 What All Christians Should Know about New Age
New Age has been infiltrating Christianity in recent years, but it can often be difficult to define. In this video, Emeal (“E.Z.”) Zwayne, …
I would love for you to do a article on reconstructionist pagan movements that take a very academic approach seeking out historical and archaeological evidence to try to bring back a historically informed religion of the Norse, Ancient Egyptians, Ancient Greeks, Gaels and other Celts, etc. I think the philosophical background of a religion grounded in the study and attempt to reconstruct an extinct historical religion is very interesting. Another I think would be really cool is to look at another particularly unique branch of atheists not discussed in your previous article on atheists: Atheopagans, atheist but nonetheless religious-ritual-practicing Jews and Buddhists, and others who consciously practice rituals and spiritual practices despite a lack of any supernatural beliefs.
I live on an island full of self-described hippies, and they are beyond infuriating to talk to. The amount of self-contradictory beliefs they hold always baffled me. It’s essentially the McDonald’s of religion. They pretentiously say they are spiritual while also picking and choosing what they believe from a gourmet of commodified goods and services, even when the religious they cherry pick from completely contradict each other. What I often find most shocking is their lack of introspection, a lot of them will often espouse extremely racist and misogynistic beliefs without any self-awareness, to the point where they start regurgitating literal neo-n@zi talking points. I think the emphasis of finding “old truths” and purity leads people into some unexpectedly dark places.
I majored in Biophysics then did a complete 180 and went to grad school for Anthropology. The cultural scholar in me is fascinated by the origin and development of the belief system, but the physicist in me wails in pain whenever I hear them use words like “energy”, “quantum”, or “vibrational frequencies”.
This totally triggered my ptsd..My father was obsessed with Shirley McClain..He absolutely fell into the New Age rubbish in the late 80s..and stuck with it until he died 4 years ago..as kids we werent allowed to go see actual doctors..rather we were taken to various natropaths, chiropractors and iridologists..We went to courses on chakras and healing..As someone who has struggled with mental health issues all of my life, this was catastrophic..I dont blame him..he was good man..but this bullcrap is far from harmless..
Oh WOW! Thank you!!!!! Your website has such a comprehensive and level-headed approach to understanding so many religions that it is, for me, a dream come true. It becomes a guide and springboard for all that are curious and interested in learning more about the human need for some form of religion or spirituality, and the more we learn about the variety of religious movements throughout history, the more humbled (and often astonished) we are. Thank you SO much!
Thank you for this article. My grandmother was raised in the church, but after some traumatic events and a divorce, she found meaning in new-age beliefs. She believed deeply that everything in the universe is connected somehow, and she was very compassionate and open-minded. She was also very interested in science, not just in metaphysics. I loved doing numerology with her and talking with her about life and the universe.
You nailed this spectacularly! So well done, the cultural citations, everything. One aspect that wasn’t covered here, and something I’ve experienced a lot, is how quickly you can become ostracized whenever you critically challenge any of the many bizarre and pseudoscientific beliefs perennially regurgitated in New Age teachings/beliefs. Even most traditional religious people are more solid and comfortable in their beliefs, and as long as you respectfully challenge them, they are not offended, and often enjoy the dialectic. But most New Age folks fall apart and feel “emotionally threatened” at the slightest challenge to their beliefs, or they just shut you out and dismiss you as “not spiritual”. And hence why that movement has devolved into so much nonsense– there’s no self-reflective or critical filter, just self-absorbed affirmations to whatever makes you feel good..
I fully grew up in this wild, open time. My family was syncretized Catholic and Spiritualist. We attended church in downtown Detroit with a wide variety of folks, at a Spiritualist church. All forms of New Ageism was included. I had an education about world religions that started age 10. Im no loger a believer but thanks for telling the story of my life here! Good times.
He, as a person deeply devoted to a very individualistic religiosity, I guess the term could apply to me. Something like 40-50% of what you talked about here apply to me personally. I sometimes self-identify as Hippy-Dippy New Ager,” but with a bit of tounge-in-cheek and a nudge and a wink. Fun fact: This website was a part of this process. I like infotainment, learning a little about many things just for the joy of learning. ReligionForBreakFast got me into learning about religion, and I started following other websites on the subject (Mainly Let’s Talk Religion). And it went on from there. The thing about me that most clearly fit the New Age bill is treating world religions as a smörgåsbord of spiritual ideas. A selection of which was put in a pot to simmer and here I am, sitting in a meadow feeling oneness with the Godess. Come to think of it, I do owe you thanks. This has been great. Thank you.
I wonder how the non-supernatural, non-religious meditation/mindfulness movement fits into the New Age. People like Sam Harris and Henry Shukman embrace the Perennialism aspect, agreeing that many traditional religious practices do have profound insights into the core aspect of what it is to be human, but without any supernatural or metaphysical claims about the universe. They are instead interested in the cognitive and psychological aspects of being human. They do propose that there is a deeper reality to existence, but not that this deeper reality changes anything other than our own perceptions.
Why is it that so many new age spiritualists don’t understand that “Your thoughts can heal you” means “Your body is telling you to see a doctor?” Like, if you’re not making the connection between spiritual ways of thought, “energy work” and “manifestation” and the actual physical work/interaction with objective reality that goes into them, you’re missing the whole point. Understanding that you are a spiritual being with connections to the divine requires recognizing that you inhabit a human body in the physical world and working within those realities. You may be god, but you still gotta hydrate homie
The values espoused by the New Age movement (individualism, personal responsibility, the atomization of the family and community, etc) brings to mind the following quote from Marx in The German Ideology: “The ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas, i.e. the class which is the ruling material force of society, is at the same time its ruling intellectual force. The class which has the means of material production at its disposal, has control at the same time over the means of mental production, so that thereby, generally speaking, the ideas of those who lack the means of mental production are subject to it.” It’s interesting to see how the values of those at the top of the food chain tend to filter to the rest of society at large.
I grew up in a New Age household here in Mexico in the early 2000’s. My dad was a prominent figure on the community as he was a doctor who studied both official medicine (or “halopatic medicine” as it is called in homeopathic and new age circles) and New Age things such as crystal therapy, ancestral medicine and reflexology. As I have aspergers syndrome (a kind of high functioning autism) they though I was one of those Indigo kids. We even went to see if they enrolled me into a school for them where I remember clearly that a part of the interview was sensing our aura with those dowsing rods. In his clinic he had a meditation chamber: a 2-meter tall dodecahedron made of plastic tubes with glass panels in the middle with amethyst shards embedded. It was also filled with posters with chinese medicine diagrams and some actual medical equipment such as stethoscopes and lab coats. He even toured here in Mexico and Europe about his theories about the connection between ancestral medicine and the new field: “quantum medicine”. Unfortunately he is also a narcissist and conspiranoic with persecution paranoia. He attempted once to form a small cult/harem alongside some alleged “chaman” before I was born, and all my childhood, teenage years and a chunk of young adulthood he kept me isolated from people and acted as a helicopter parent as he wanted to protect me and my mom from all the planned wars and catastrophes the global deep state had prepared for the world such as WWIII and also from the people who “knew he knew too much”, which for an autist kid like me was extremely.
I was born in 1960, and explored many so-called new age movements to one degree of another. They each had something to offer, just as traditional religions do. It is easy enough to compare transcendental meditation with praying on the Rosary, for example. Those that helped people shut out external and internal noises and focus attention on the immediate action are very powerful ways of bringing peace of mind, even if only temporarily. What I took from those disciplines is to simply focus as much as possible on some simple task and to not allow one’s mind to wander to the past or future, but to instead stay in the moment. It’s a very nice experience. But what is most important to me, is that none of these things are connected to some supernatural entity, or some grand spiritual truth. Those are illusions created by people to distract from the reality that greater meaning either does not exist, or is beyond human comprehension.
Perennialism as described here remindes me a lot of the pseudoarcheological hypothesis that all great ancient civilizations across the globe are really the descendents of one mega-ancient civilization (usually atlantis or aliens depending on who you ask). I always wondered why there seems to be so much overlap between the new age spirituality and pseudoarcheology communities and maybe that’s why. They’re essentially the same arguement just applied to material and religious culture respectively.
If i could have you make 1 article just for me to love more than anything, it would be this: How “control” affects religion, from Christianity to New Age Spirituality. I’ve always been fascinated in the “control” aspect of religious practice, whether that’s the pope banning crossbows back in medieval times, to manifestation essentially being a form of attempted forced control over the obviously myriad forces exerting pressure on ones life, from within and without. In some aspects, it is “control” that is the basis of ALL forms of religion, in different ways. In some religions, more control is wanted (such as Sharia law) in some religions, less so (Spaghetti monster ism :P) and those are fascinating to me. Regardless, very insightful article. Always love your stuff!
*Crosses fingers, don’t mention Alan Watts, don’t mention Alan Watts, don’t mention Alan Watts… WOO! Thank you. It’s not like he wasn’t friends with the ones you mention from back in the 60s, such as Ginsberg and Suzuki, but I respect the living hell out of him s a legitimate scholar, and I’m fairly certain he really did convert. He died under very odd circumstances, but, from what I heard, he was cremated as a Mahayana Buddhist. He wasn’t a pretender.
Don’t know why this website has never popped up for me before. I have a big interest in these sorts of topics, but i find that a lot of websites exploring them seem fanatic in some way. I think new age had a lot going, in particular the idea that most religions have at least some valuable teachings that can be used to create meaning. There is however also an underlying sense of egoism and savior mentality that isn’t very flattering. It also seems just as dogmatic as any other established religion these days, and this brand of spiritualism has now become so commodified that it is hard to take seriously
Perennialism bothers me because it seems to have no foundation. They say that all religions share the same truth, but they pick and choose that truth in order to force it to work. They say that, originally, all of the religious figures taught the same thing but they don’t have any evidence for it. Saying that Jesus, buddha, and the others were simply master politicians is a bold statement without evidence. I understand that all religion has an element of faith, but most of them at least have foundational texts or some sort of historical basis to draw from. Perennialism just sounds like “this sounds deep, so I like it, so I believe it”
It’s just “Any magical belief that makes me feel good about myself” – because that’s the metric by which we judge what is true these days. Whatever makes me feel good. Evidence? Logic? Science? Those things don’t make me feel good about myself! The truth SHOULD make me feel good about myself, and give me infinite hope for the future, because that’s what I want, and it’s my right that the fundamental structure of the universe MUST give me what I want.
I think you should have mentioned the Olympic ceremony was about Bacchus, not Jesus (even though Jesus has some origins in Bacchus). That may deserve a article itself. New Age sounded pretty good at first. Open-minded, no dogma, no centers of worship. Then it became commercialized. Seems like the best thing about New Age is the music.
new agers will be like “I actually have no moral obligation to the less fortunate, because everything in life is one’s own fault. Born with a disability? You had it coming. Been discriminated against? You brought it on yourself. Chronic illness? You should try having better vibes. Been abused? Skill issue! Anyway, wanna buy some fake crystals to help with that?”
Being someone who is part of the occult community, the term ‘New Age’ can sometimes feel like a hurled insult with the way that it’s perceived negatively. Occultists and practitioners are painfully aware of the hyper-individualistic and detached mindsets of modern New Agers, and “healing culture” has become synonyms with predominantly white individuals who appropriated Eastern cultures and other usually-closed off forms of spirituality for their own monetary gain. One thing that remained however is the eclectic nature of some practices: not in the sense that it’s cherry-picking, but it’s mostly involved either with those in folk religious practices (e.g. folk Catholic syncretism), or Chaos traditions (“belief as a tool”, which is also strongly evident in the early Western occult sphere). People engaging with folk practices now are very much vigilant with understanding the history and context of different spiritual traditions (including the New Age movement) and how it has impacted contemporary society. As a practitioner I think 60% of my ‘practice’ is research and reading too, as it’s integral to being a sane person who has to pay the bills while also treading in occult waters. This has a lot of overlap with WitchTok (derogatory) and other platforms promoting spiritual content. It’s this specific form of ridicule with the New Age movement that a lot of modern occultists and practitioners tend to walk eggshells around on to avoid discourse (or otherwise be really vocal about). In the end, community is still the strongest focus for practitioners on the internet.
Thanks for the article! Related to this topic, one thing you may find interesting is a article called ‘What is Self-Realization? Full Explanation and Walkthrough” by Jamie’s website. It explains the concept of ego death very secularly. No mysticism, spirituality, religion, etc.. In very plain language English, yet it is incredibly dense. I’ve listened to it about 5-6 times, yet still take away something new each time. I’m commenting this because I think this concept, which does not need to be religious, is at the root of many religions, akin to “I am God.” I think it’s actually best explained through a non-religious framework. But I think anyone interested in ‘New Age Spirituality’ would find the article fascinating.
To be honest, I came to most of these beliefs (at least the core ones) simply because I think they’re the most logical. I’ve been obsessed with consciousness my whole life, and after being a hardcore physicalist for many years, wanting to “be the one” to solve the hard problem of consciousness, I realised what an utterly intractable problem is, and how it’s essentially created by a worldview that has no empirical justification (ie. that the world exists independent to experience of it). In becoming essentially an idealist of some form (in that I view it as more rational to take a consciousness-first approach), and also realising that there’s no probable reason why the universe should be finite or end at the particular paramaters that define our spacetime, I became open to many more ideas. It’s less to me “spirituality”, although I like that term since I think life is incomplete with solely dry analysis, but more just… sensible thinking? As for many of the associated practices, I am more skeptical, and would definitely like to see more science done and just general open experimentation, but also I do sincerely think individual experience is primary, or at least, should be assessed by each individual as their primary means of discernment (since in reality it can be no other way). That said, I see a lot of cherry picking in pretty much every human endeavour, this “movement” no less, and the profit motive is undoubtedly something that leads people to accept simpler conclusions than are currently evidentially justified.
As you note, the Theosophical and related roots are pre-20th century. Paul Foster Case published “The Great Seal Of The United States: Its History, Symbolism And Message For The New Age” in 1935. The term had been in use for some time. It’s popularization in the mid-20th century is at best a later, if not actually a late, development of the idea.
In a culture so saturated in neoliberal philosophy, it should surprise no one that a cult that atomizes the individual, that isolates and limits people, should be so popular. It appeals to the same people that gravitate toward libertarian thought and other self-reliance philosophies. Without a long history of sacred texts to limit them, New Age traditions can more easily tailor their message to appeal to current trends.
When you mentioned Nancy Reagan having her husband be influenced by an astrologer. I wanted to laugh and cry at how bad Reagan mimics has affected his ur economy and society now. As someone who is into and practices many of the new age practices talked about in this article. I am surprised how many of these people became pro you have to have a job to earn money. While still believing in manifestation. It is one or the other you can’t mix these two I think is how we have our economy we are in now currently.
Well, when you put it “that way” it sounds weird and even wacky. But living through it, I eagerly embraced the liberating thought and practice that I learned by practicing yoga and transcendental meditation. I admit that there was a lot of goofy occult mystic stuff lumped in with what consider legitimate Eastern religious philosophy, but you didn’t have to incorporate those ideas into your daily practice if you didn’t want to. But, the writing/practice of Yogananda (Self-Realization Society), Maharishi (TM), and DT Suzuki (Zen) were instrumental in re-directing my thoughts and actions in useful and comforting ways. And, although I am 80 now, they still are a significant part of my life and if the young protestors of today would walk a different path of realization, there would be a lot less stress and anger and division in our society today. Scoff if you like, but the acolytes of Yogananda, Maharishi, and Suzuki enjoyed (enjoy) a level of peace and tranquility that is life affirming. Peace and love.
The thing is, new age spiritualism does some good things. It has a lot of benefits that will be taught to you in therapy. Things like being authentic and understanding yourself, knowing when to be selfish and when not to. It’s also a very helpful tool for narcissists to live by to better integrate into society. Believing in karma is a good reason for a narcissist to be kind without expecting something in return directly from that individual. However, like all beliefs, its manipulateable. You can add things you want to it, yoga is theraputic for you? Great others do it too! You think these rocks genuinely heal you? Uhhh? What are you cooking buddy?
As an acupuncturist one thing I find interesting is that in the West acupuncture is considered somewhat of a New Age thing and a lot of people that go to acupuncture schools are often the “hippy” types. In Asia however going to acupuncture school is just seen as going to medical school and seen much more clinically. I am not a New Age person myself so I often see the visible disappointment in the faces of new patients that are hippy types when they start talking and I don’t jump on board.
Westerners taking Eastern philosophies and religious practices out of their communal contexts and cherry-picking the shiniest ones for an individualistic ethos makes a lot of sense in retrospect. No wonder the “I am responsible for my whole life” take has evolved into the rejection of any systemic explanation for mass poverty, incarceration, or other exploitation. “It must be their own fault somehow”.
I just had a thought, the pantheism/we are God belief, true or not, is not a way to go through life, assuming that it’s true and you correctly came to that realisation, you are still just as fearful, envious, arrogant, greedy as the rest of us, so even if we are God, we are still faulty humans and nothing can change that. We must be humble no matter if or how much we are part of the divine.
It’s a little sad to see how in the comments to this article there is so much open mockery of New Age believers. I notice that the ‘bad things’ said to be the problems of New Age belief, are not exclusive to New Age but affect all religions and are just the ‘bad things’ about humanity in general. It is scapegoating.
If you want an in-depth history of the “new age” BEFORE the 1960s, I highly recommend Catherine L Albanese’s A Republic of Mind and Spirit, which gives a sense of how pervasive “metaphysical” spirituality has been throughout American history. Also, one small correction to the above article: mesmerism preceded New Thought. New Thought pioneers such as Quimby were very influenced by mesmerism, but rejected its postulation about a magnetic fluid coursing through the universe and the human body in favor of believing that all of the amazing effects that mesmerism showed could be explained by the mind alone. The actual term “New Thought” did not emerge until the last couple of decades of the 19th century, long after Mesmer’s death.
It’s interesting (to me at least) to observe the impact of culture on similar phenomena. In India the late Sai Baba came to be worshipped as a god, an incarnation of Rama. In the USA Yuri Geller was taken seriously and became a visitor to the White House, a respected advisor to President Reagan. In the UK, Paul Daniels became a millionaire but was subject to ridicule by the press and stage comedians. Yet all three were conjurors who shared the skill of prestidigitation.
You are very professional and academic about your discussions of new age spirituality, but I’m picking up an undertone of shade towards them. As a self proclaimed pagan and witch, I love the shade. I REALLY dislike almost everything about new age spirituality due, mainly, to the ignorance towards science and the rampant cultural appropriation. The one thing I can appreciate about this community is the love for crystals making cool minerals more easily accessible.
It’s funny how reincarnation is, for the most part, a taboo idea for the Big Daddy religions which form, or used to form, the mainstream in Europe and the Middle East and now Africa and the Americas. Yet there was always some level of acceptance of concepts akin to reincarnation and karma in those countries, even when it was impolitic to admit that in public.
I found this informative, I am a product of the times. Class of 69 and I certainly Delight in the continuation of my new age Adventure which only gotten bigger and better as I got older . I wish you hadn’t taken the commercialization tone at the end . I don’t spend a dollar on it and I get extraordinary benefit from it. I’ve had something to do with almost every aspect of new age. Wish you had mentioned srf, and yogananda’s autobiography of a yoga
Awesome website, love your content. I often reference new age in my articles as referencing modern neo-paganism. This doesn’t sit well with many neo-pagans, they like to think they are practicing ancient secret occult traditions vs something grown out of these movements that started as folks looking into and combining practices from hermetics, eastern philosophy and qabalah.
Having lived through the era you described and participate in most of the aspects sometime or another. I found it accurate and non-biased. I do have a few comments. Your slides on New Thought show scenes reminiscent of the history of hyposis. Indeed clinical hypnosis strove to distance itself from the spiritual aspects. Modern mind-body medicine actually has scientific basis which was started by Herbert Benson investigating benefits of TM for his heart patients. Now neuro- and bio-feedback have well established psychophysioogical bases, so secular versions of some of these new age techniques exist. Also the moder Neo-Pagan and Neo-Heathen movements are the next step as the New Age movement diversified and the new-ancient theme found a number of new sprouts. Lastly, you neglected to discuss the impact of the atomic age, the space age, and “aliens” as a theme in new age stuff. I really enjoyed the article.
Aaaaaaa I don’t have time to watch this now BUT I AM VIBRATING TO SEE THIS LATER. Religious studies is a big hobby of mine and I am a Neopagan and there is definitely a line but where that line is is continuous GOTTA SEE THIS LATER ! I just finished perusal Ahh this is fantastic! I good baseline intro to a lot of the normies, who don’t do this for fun! Those four streams remixed and fractured as well and we you see distinct “flavors” for new age after the 60s. Also Blavatsky is in new age hell along with Crowley. I have so many thoughts but I hope you do more!
As a practicing witch and former Christian, while I see your point about commercialization in New Age beliefs, I think it’s a little unfair to talk about that and NOT point out how incredibly commercialized Christianity has become in the same era. Health and wealth gospel, anyone? Think of HOW MUCH Christian stuff you can buy, not only at Christian bookstores but at secular places like Walmart. I think this increasing commercialization is less about New Age itself and more about the direction the culture is moving as a whole.
New Age spirituality is based entirely on an individualistic desire for self-actualization, which lends itself to our current neoliberal paradigm. Also, its highly eclectic nature means that it’s not rooted in a set of stable and improving traditions. Frankly speaking, it’s more suited to “alternative” people who want to feel a bit special from time to time. This they do by lighting candles and praying in front of all manner of unrelated trinkets and baubles representing gods and customs ranging from Egypt to Ireland…
Crazy how people eager to learn about religion are so easily mocking others for finding belief systems that supports their mental health just like any other normal person of a regular religion. Those buying crystals and making ritual altars have the same mindset as Christians buying Christmas decorations and Muslims getting prayer beads/rugs.
omg, i love yur articles!! this one resonated–i watched the shirley mclain ‘biopic(?,’) live, when it aired. although nowdays i’m not so sure how i feel about the 80s ‘new age’ do over or write over. “the ‘treatment.” i watched yur articles in the past, and then am now getting ‘caught up.’ you tolde me more about mithras than the heavily banked Uni professor did, & i liked the ‘sol evictus’ one . . .
you know what will be very interesting series? what forms of spirituality have influenced famous philosophers and cultural thinkers. For example I know that Hegel was influenced by mysticism believes. Im very curious to find out more about other similar thinker and about what forms of spirituality are dominant in contemporary political thoughts. Maybe New age spiritualism has influenced some political and philosophical movements?
Question: How do you square New-Age style spirituality with The Problem of Suffering, as it pertains to The Universe, which many self-proclaimed spiritual individuals seem beholden to? Why would anyone call upon the “wisdom” of an inherently flawed universe that appears to be either indifferent to, or complicit in, the suffering of all of its sentient inhabitants? Why reach out some imaginary wisdom of the universe when we can simply focus on the fact that we are all (all sentients) in the same flawed boat (this universe), and we are all we got.
Hi Dr. Henry. Great fan. Would you do a piece on the mythology copied into the Gospels, word for word from let’s say the book of Odyssey and so on? I don’t remember which texts as I lost my data on that. And then on Abraham and evidence for his religion. I feel there is a gap in time there that is hard to trace. Where did his gods come from and how were they influenced by the Canaanite religion.
“The pre-Christian religions tend to be portrayed as more authentic, tolerant, harmnious and in tune with the natural state of humanity and the earth than the dominant paradigm of the Piscean age” That is the more or less the dogma of the modern age and any historian, anthropologist, archeologists etc… who challenges that notion is meet with scorn and accusations of white supremacy, fascism, apologist for colonialism etc….
In the beginning, there was OMMMMMM. But that has been forgotten. Much knowledge has been forgotten and washed away and burned away. The greatest psyop in the world is the spreading of Abraham’s religions during the Kali Yug. They are religions of perpetual war and greed. We are very much in the dark age patiently waiting for Kalki to return us again to the Satya Yug, the golden age of peace and prosperity for all humanity. The center of the world, of the universe, is mount Kailash (that’s not its real name). The beginning our current civilization is in India, Maha Bharat, the holy land. Look down to your belly button and see the invisible umbilical cord that leads to India. Wake up! 🤠
I’m a bit sleep deprived so I doubt I’ll express this well, but this encapsulates everything I hate about the New Age movement—excessive focus on “Me” and “My Truth,” exhalation of the self above ALL else, egocentrism, commercialized spirituality, true cultural appropriation espoused by the very people who are supposedly vehemently ANTI-cultural appropriation, a total lack of introspection, hypocrisy, and an ultimately shallow understanding of the contexts that birthed their beliefs.
Someone once tried to encourage me to join Elan Vitale, and time the same happened with the Sokka Gakkai. I consider both kind of New Agey, huh. (And another time I started trying to follow teachings by correspondence from the Self-Reslization Foundation set up by Yogananda (but didn’t stick with it long!).
I unexpectedly triggered a kundalini experience while meditating with crystals in my twenties… It got a bit out of hand. I don’t necessarily recommend it. A friend from college had to name the expérience for me as I explained to her an uncomfortable burning pressure had gone from the bottom of my spine to the top of my head. I know how silly it sounds. It’s probably a good thing I have a sense of humor, and I don’t take myself that seriously. The first crystals I felt during meditation were blue kyanite and golden rutilated quartz. Unless you are sensitive to spiritual energy, it should take a couple years of meditating with them before you consciously feel them. To me, it felt as though it was a buzzing sensation.
I think perennialism is a bit more complex though I know the point of this article was specifically in relation to how it affected the New Age movement. Just look at Rene Guenon’s criticism of Theosophy, which you may be familiar with. He’s very clearly against the ‘mixing’ and ‘mingling’ of religions and urges people to follow one tradition. He is a perrenialist, of course.
Top 10 Things Shirley MacLaine was in Previous Lives 10. George Washington’s special friend Howie 9. Original Darren on “Bewitched” 8. Big dumb fish (mid-thirteenth century) 7. Confucius groupie 6. Equipment manager, Buffalo Sabres 5. Undercooked chop sent back by President Wilson 4. Another big dumb fish (late sixteenth century) 3. Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake on M*A*S*H (Oops, I’m sorry, that’s McLean Stevenson) 2. Plankton eaten by big dumb fish (early nineteenth century) 1. Can of Stop ‘N’ Shop diagonally sliced green beans (From the David Letterman show, circa 1989)
The problem wih interpreting the backward movement into Aquarius from Pisces is that the ancients did not actually see the celestial figures marked by the stars. Spring still begins with the Sun in Aries. The ecliptic is in the same place spring, the soltice, etc. The ancients did not hold them to be fixed. Such an interpretation would be foreign to the Chauldeans or the Sumerians.
I think this holds more water than people think If you trace the idea of non duality (the seperation of creator and created as non existent) it would turn up basically in every major religious belief and it falls on the individual to realize that fact so he would in eternal union with his creator, and this idea has found it’s way in hinduisn (advita vedanta) yoga (samadhi) islam through sufi thought (wahdat Al wojod) christianity (Jesus the person being actually God) so I think this new age mouvement have at least exposed such toughts to westerners but as everybody seems to point out that idea was drowned by western ideals of individuality and the quest for the great self, any way non-duality rules
New Thought Got a lot right, but not that we as these Humans are Responsible for everything that comes into our lives, we are responsible for our own Field but that doesn’t mean we have Sovereignty over other and their effect on us, only our own, plus taking into account natural conditions like climate and Geographical conditions.
Ok last suggestion. I’d love to see a article on the origins and conception of dawn goddesses Aurora/Eos/Hausos. My belief is they are actually usurped major gods from the divine feminine early sun goddess cults. There is so much here. Also can be linked with Lucifer as the herald of the morning sun. Lots of interesting stuff there. Which very interestingly, I think, singer Aurora Aknes is aware of. She uses the symbols, language and visuals of the dawn goddess Aurora/Eos/Hausos. Very interesting stuff. I think there is something going on there……..
I’m curious if the idea of karma has been misrepresented in the West, because it often seems like a way to “blame the victim” instead of society—”it’s ok that they’re poor, sick, etc., they must have done something bad in their past life to deserve it, and I must have done good things to deserve my money, health, etc.”
i wonder what the exact role was that newage played in the adoption of mindfulness practices in psychiatry (which is a pretty big thing) i’m also curious what role it played in the contemporary focus on “life choices” did the traditional side adopt and spin that philosophy? or was some of it present all along? i mean evangelical christianity is riding the whole free-will and personal responsibility thing hard and i wonder if that is actually a reaction to the counter-culture back then.
Was very much a believer in the perennial philosophy Ironically, I didn’t come to terms with myself after I had lost the ability to believe in anything during a nervous breakdown, and have since come to terms with myself after I became an atheist. You don’t need woo to learn acceptance of yourself. FWIW I was never into all the new age capitalism of buying stuff like crystals and retreats with gurus, astrology and playing Twister on a yoga mat.
The one thing of New Age that I notice is that usually religious/spiritual movements tend to be founded and practiced by lower and lower working middle class people but New Age seems to be practiced to upper middle class to upper class people. Much like how while the Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, and Evangelical movements are made up of lower class to working middle class people while Catholics, Anglicans, Presbyterians, and Congregationalist, and Unitarian Universalist are made up of upper middle class to upper class people. I wonder why this is so for New Age being made up of upper-middle to upper rich classes?
I think westernisation would be a more accurate term than americanisation. The New Age movement proper was arguably focused on Britain in the 1970s before spreading to other anglosphere countries. The New Age traveller subculture was big in the 1980s and 1990s, linked to the rave scene and later anti-road building campaigns such as Twyford Down.
New Agers did and do some things well, but are often somewhat misguided (much like members of any given spiritual/religious tradition). If religious practitioners exist somewhere on a spectrum between a “loosey-goosey, anything-goes” mentality and rigid dogmatic orthodoxy, New Agers tend to be a bit too much on the former end, in my opinion. In other words, my experience with New Agers is that they tend to be a bit disconnected from traditional ways of understanding and practicing spirituality, e.g. using loose, slightly inaccurate interpretations of Indian or Chinese philosophy in hyper-commercialized contexts and teaching about things like kuṇḍalinī in ways that are dangerously misaligned to people with few if any of the qualifications or preparatory background necessary for engaging in such practices in traditional Tantra. Ontologically speaking, the non-dualistic phrase “I am God” is accurate but phenomenologically speaking, a lot of people who are largely ignorant of the innate omniscience and omnipotence of consciousness misuse catchy phrases like that to make themselves feel special without doing the kinds of deep inner work that are usually necessary to directly perceive universal consciousness. While cross-cultural syncretization is sometimes a good thing, having studied with a lot of “Secular Buddhists” and non-denominational postural yoga practitioners, I see many the innovations that modern capitalist societies have made to traditional spiritual systems as frequently being counterproductive for genuine spiritual evolution.
1. It would seem unusual that in most modern Western explorations of the major Asian religions, Confucianism was nearly always left out. One wonders why. Could one reason be that Confucianism was seen as too ‘this-worldly’? (It actually contains a lot of mysticism as well, if you know where to look and what to read.) 2. I find it rather tragic that, for all this outburst in spiritual interests and pursuits, the West has remained firmly rooted in an economic/political system that extols worldly wealth and power and their pursuit, to the point where environmental degradation and nuclear war now threaten our continued tenure as a species on this planet.
The scenes portraying the Hare Krishnas don’t fit well into this article. They are orthodox Vaishnavas, not New Age. They follow a highly traditional practice that represents traditional Indian values to most people in India. Indeed, in India the Hare Krishna’s are mostly supported by conservative middle class Hindus. They aren’t eclectic at all.
I was born and raised into a religion called Umbanda, in Brazil. In the last 10 or so years, this religion also became a kind of “New Ageism”. Since then, I can’t relate with Umbanda anymore, it is now a religion embedded in consumerism, designed for upper middle classes who wanna few spiritualized.
This made me think of the end of Mad Men, where it’s implied Don Draper created the famous Coca Cola advert. Either this was his vision of enlightenment, or he co-opted a counter culture movement to keep making money. Just makes me think that, no matter what cool ideas we come up with, it’s gonna get monetised and hollowed out.
I was born in San Francisco in 1950, became a successful artist who showed in galleries there in the 70s, so I was at home with all this. However, ny 90 year old Victorian grandmother, a holly roller, and my atheist socialist mother instilled in me a complete disregard for any kind of religion, which I mainyain to this day. There were a lot of charlatans involved in these new age groups, but it was an inyeresting snd colorful timr to be alive. St 74, I’m a nontheist, and perfectly satisfied with that.
Im pretty sure, that the maslow pyramid of needs says the exact opposite: All of the things on the bottom have to be fullfilled to even feel the need to think about spiritualization. So it doesn’t mean you have to achieve enlightenment as a goal. It’s just a way to describe, that people that have what they considered enough to even think about anything other than surviving are capable to think about self-improvement. youtu.be/MXzOqW4mNpo?t=681
I go to yoga once a week and my instructor does Reiki on me at the end of each session. For some reason every Reiki practitioner I have ever encountered happens to be white, I’m not sure who teaches them Reiki as a master but it’s something I noticed. But I don’t complain about the woo-woo of it all because the Australian government pays for me to be there through the NDIS.
They used eastern religions in order to rebel, but also framed those religions in their own capitalist, ultra-individualist way of seeing the world. The result was American capitalism devouring the rebellion and hurling conformity back. The funny thing is that if they were eastern instead of Americans, they would never seek religion as a source for rebellion.
Aww, not even one mention of UFOs and aliens entering the religious landscape? Admittedly I guess you did dedicate a whole article to that a while back. I would say I fall into the New Age mindset. I think there’s value in most religious traditions, and I’m always looking for new ideas to incorporate into my loose, vague, flexible spiritual outlook.
I haven’t heard the term new age since the 90’s. is it still called that? I always thought of new age in music terms. Musicians like Kitaro, well that’s the only name I remember anymore. Pretty electronic music lite. Only using the presets. no sound design. We were snooty musicians in the 90’s lol. Kind of felt the same way about new age religion. only done to make money. stealing the obvious surface ideas from spiritual beliefs, no hard work. Paying your way to nirvana. I myself went into Paganism, Wicca first and then Druidry before going into where I am now. Interesting that you only mentioned appropriation in context with native american spirituality. Because there is a lot appropriation through out new age spirituality.
I actually read “Out on a Limb” when it came out, because a family member was bowled over by it. This book is an encyclopedia of gullibility. MacLaine believed in absolutely any rubbish that a charismatic and sexy man had to offer. I’ve never seen “New Age” to be an expression of honest seeking or curiosity. It’s just a childish revel of anti-intellectual arrogance.
The New Age actually introduced centuries old ideas from a much older age to a new audience calling it a new age. Yet that audience from the New Age is now Old so it’s old news that the New Age brought old idea to a new audience, making the New Age the Old Age of already old ideas? Is this the proper understanding of the history of the New Age?
Wonderful article, you really helped me understand this cluster frack of a religion. My mum is one of these mixed in with aliens, the galactic Federation of light, Australia isn’t real (we literally live in Australia), satanic elite and a massive dose of paranoia and an unhealthy spending habit of giving all these fakers money and giving them all her information. (I tried to get her help but it’s not possible because she has to agree 😢) Anyway thanks for the helpful article, I’ve been trying to figure out all this wackiness for years but it’s so confusing haha 😂 Have a great day!
Bias confirmation. Only view what you think you already know. Maybe I’m wrong or don’t really understand what I believe or think I know. This is why religion and propaganda are very successful. Irrational conclusions such as ‘ we know the Bible is the Word of God because it says so in the Bible ‘ . ?
“Having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 2 Timothy 3:5-7. If you combine the story of the tower of Babel, the fall of Lucifer and the mysticism of king Nebucanezer together you could literally formulate every new age practice that exists. All of us are one and we can reach heaven without God? yep. I am the master of my destiny and on par with God? yep. Dreams and astrology and mystical diets? yep. New age is very old, it is also very demonic. Welcome to Babylon!
You tried to do your very best to cover all bases, to touch on what you see as being the big thinkers, authors, trend setters, etc… of the New Age. But I would like to offer a couple of corrections to clear the air of popular misunderstandings or things that you misrepresented in your article: First of all, the banning of reincarnation in Christianity is NOT pseudo-history – it is actual history that has been covered up and obscured by apologists for mainstream Christianity. The fact is that at the Second Council of Constantinople, convened by Emperor Justinian in 553 AD, the teachings of the great church father Origen, who was the leading proponent of reincarnation, AKA Metempsychosis or the Transmigration of Souls, as well as the doctrine of the Pre-existence of Souls, which forms the essential basis for reincarnation, was declared heresy or anathema. If one looks uo the Second Council of Constantinople in history books, it says that Origenism and the pre-existence of souls was declared anathema – these words are convenient cover-ups for the doctrine of reincarnation, giving church authorities plausible deniability that reincarnation was ever banned. Secondly, Jesus teaches his disciples reincarnation right front and center in the Christian gospels. In the Gospel of Matthew, not once but twice, Jesus tells his disciples that the Old Testament prophet Elijah / Elias has reincarnated or come as John the Baptist – his disciples are slow to get it, so Jesus has to tell them twice, in different ways – but it is there, as plain as day, and you don’t have to read anything into it.
New age is a man-made construct like the others, for the simple reason of a lack of novelty beyond human experience. Guidance, myths, or explanations for the world in ways that make sense to people of the era it arose is not impressive. It does not predict future technologies or describe phenomena that lie beyond the culture’s current level of development, which leads to the interpretation that these stories are entirely human-made.
While I respect the new age movement to a degree and agree with some aspects of it, one cannot just dismiss the ruling authority’s established religious regime and not replace it. Remember Christianity was considered just as wacky and insane as the new age movement was until it gained institutional power. If we want to radically change our institutions then we must install a new religious tradition with some structure to replace the current Abrahamic regime.
I am not sure, but my impression is that christian evangelicals churches are also kind of brands that are competing with each other? If we would be able to see the pastor earnings for the mega churches, it will be evident that is a marcket place also. The difference is that its more profitable solince is tax free!!! We had a n evangelical church close by that openly was about money… was called Church for Abundant Life. 😂😂😂
The reason pll become drawn to NA’S is bc there is no quintessential new age spiritual practice. It’s not orthodox. Which is interesting bc ppl can take what you want and leave the rest. Like a spiritual buffet of sorts. Some traditionally religious ppl make fun of these ppl who follow these beliefs yet want others to respect them. It’s hypocrisy at its most literal sense. That’s why ppl shift from traditional religions to NA ones. Not bc they want to necessarily, although that could be a major factor, they leave bc of the dogmatic structure of traditional religions. Trad religions have historically been suppressive, racist, sexist and classist, just to name a few cruel ways religions can suppress ppl. There have been literal crusades and mass killings committed in “the name of God.” And ppl use God to influence politics, when that’s a freedom that us Americans are supposed to have. Am I saying ppl who follow Na religions are holier than thou? Maybe. Maybe not. That not my place to say. It’s not my place to tell someone what to follow or not. Which is the exact appeal to this new movement. Ppl have different truths and that’s ok. Ppl are different all around the world. Why is learning abt a new religion or a new way of life bad? Is it bc of the general human fear of the unknown? If so, is that why you critique it? What I’m trying to say here, is that a lot of ppl are taking this article at face value, when it’s meant to be viewed in a non-biased, educational way. By taking a non-biased view at different religions and beliefs we cannot only understand the actual religion/belief better, we can understand humans better.
I’m over here playing my didgeridoo because I think it sounds cool and is an instrument with a fascinating history, but I’m not into woo. Critical thinking and the scientific method are our best tools for seeking truth. New Age is a locus of scams, flim-flams, hooey, and a pinch of unintentional racism.
Suggesting that a student of New Age Spirituality should seek to “understand” is a silly and useless goal since no-one has defined or described that term “Understand”. They mush be guided to some practical objective of being able to do something as a result of the learning experience. The term Understanding as a learning objective is a sham and complete nonsense.
This just happened, I was walking my dog and I ran into a couple of young men on their Mormon mission journey. One ask me if I was going to church tomorrow and when I said yes he challenged me to ask someone who’s never been to go with me. So I invited both of them 😃. As we spoke I guided them right into the conversation Ray has with the people who he seeks the evangelize to. It was AMAZING! I was a bit nervous but after perusal so many of these epic episodes the words came to me so easy. They asked me to come to there church after the service I attend, I told them if since my service starts at 8 and yours starts at 10, I will definitely go with you guys and I can follow you from my church 😃😃. Praying these two fine young men show up tomorrow but regardless I feel I’ve gained major courage to share the gospel. So stoked!!