What practices & beliefs do you associate with "New Age" ?

[Agaliha]

To hopefully get some threads and discussion started...

I'm wondering what sort of practices and beliefs are (in your view) associated with the New Age umbrella of paths?

What makes a path New Age?

Are there any opinions, beliefs and practices that are associated with New Age paths that you feel are unfair, or even stereotypes?

[BearDancing]

The major reason the term New Age does not appeal to me is;;;In my experience they were talking the talk but not walking the walk/.For me it is one thing to read many books....but their has to come a time when you start practicing some of the tools,,,to be fluent in talking the language is one thing but to really have a relatiionshiip with spirit and do the work to raise you level of conciousness is not so easy it takes dedication and practice....but this is only my experience:uhhuhuh:

[Agaliha]

The major reason the term New Age does not appeal to me is;;;In my experience they were talking the talk but not walking the walk/.For me it is one thing to read many books....but their has to come a time when you start practicing some of the tools,,,to be fluent in talking the language is one thing but to really have a relatiionshiip with spirit and do the work to raise you level of conciousness is not so easy it takes dedication and practice....but this is only my experience:uhhuhuh:I don't see how this is only a New Age problem. It can be found in Paganism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and all kinds of paths. You can have a Pagan, Wicca, etc who reads tons of books, knows all the rituals and lingo, but doesn't really practice their path. You can have a Christian who knows the Bible through and through, but doesn't practice the qualities within it, such as compassion and understanding and instead judges people. Etc, etc. etc. This isn't limited to New Age. There has to be a balance between practice and researching/learning, I think.

I also don't see how the actions of those people that don't walk the walk as you put it, would turn you off to a whole idea, belief system and path. There are plenty of people that are part of the New Age movement that do practice their path. Just as their are plenty of Christians, Pagans, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc that do as well. And besides all paths are going to have problems, none are perfect.

As for the questions I asked, do you have anything to add there? I was hoping to get some feedback to help with discussions and whatnot. ;)

[Darth Brooks]

Well I don't know the correct answer to your question, but when I hear the term "New Age" I tend to think of crystal-gazing, some kind of belief in pyramid power, reincarnation, karma, the belief that we "choose" who we're going to be before we are born, an emphasis on "spirituality" and a distaste for "religion," an emphasis on the self and spirit guides, and less of a focus on deities, and lots of flower power type of stuff. (Which of course is fine with me if one prefers that sort of thing...Whatever floats one's boat, so long as it doesn't sink mine...) There seems to also be an emphasis on angels and on quasi-Christian "white light" type of stuff. I don't think belief in either of these things makes a person New Age, but I do think New Age people tend to believe in this constellation of elements and have a tendency toward what is called "willy-nilly eclecticism."

But aside from that, I can't offer a clear definition of the New Age movement, mostly because I don't think they really have a clear definition for themselves. I do know that in many bookstores they tend to lump all the pagan, Wiccan, and magic books under "New Age," which I find vaguely insulting. Why can't our stuff be included in the "Religion" section like all the "world religions" are? I don't think of myself as "New Age," but more like "Crotchety Old School."

[Cassie]

Well I don't know the correct answer to your question, but when I hear the term "New Age" I tend to think of crystal-gazing, some kind of belief in pyramid power, reincarnation, karma, the belief that we "choose" who we're going to be before we are born, an emphasis on "spirituality" and a distaste for "religion," an emphasis on the self and spirit guides, and less of a focus on deities, and lots of flower power type of stuff. (Which of course is fine with me if one prefers that sort of thing...Whatever floats one's boat, so long as it doesn't sink mine...) There seems to also be an emphasis on angels and on quasi-Christian "white light" type of stuff. I don't think belief in either of these things makes a person New Age, but I do think New Age people tend to believe in this constellation of elements and have a tendency toward what is called "willy-nilly eclecticism."


I think that is a good description of how people in general and Pagans in particular tend to see the New Age beliefs.
I think that for a lot of Pagans the term New Age is synonymous with "fluffy". I don't think that is fair and I think it is a bit elitest or defensive; it is a way of ring-fencing our own beliefs and looking down on those who don't pay as much attention to detail or history as we tend to.


I do know that in many bookstores they tend to lump all the pagan, Wiccan, and magic books under "New Age," which I find vaguely insulting. Why can't our stuff be included in the "Religion" section like all the "world religions" are? I don't think of myself as "New Age," but more like "Crotchety Old School."
I agree that this happens and is one of the contributary factors for seeming to be anti New Age. But this is not the fault of New Agers' but rather the fault of book shops and the publishing industry. Then again, the problem is that the term Paganism is just as much an umbrella term as New Age and there are a lot of overlaps.

Philosphically, I think that the New Age movement tends to have more of a belief in the overall goodness and benevolence of the universe (in a psudo-christian sense) than Paganism which is more neutral and often tries to value and balance all sides of the spectrum.

[Darth Brooks]

I think that is a good description of how people in general and Pagans in particular tend to see the New Age beliefs.
I think that for a lot of Pagans the term New Age is synonymous with "fluffy". I don't think that is fair and I think it is a bit elitest or defensive; it is a way of ring-fencing our own beliefs and looking down on those who don't pay as much attention to detail or history as we tend to.

Not to mention that there are plenty of "fluffy" pagans to go around, too.


I agree that this happens and is one of the contributary factors for seeming to be anti New Age. But this is not the fault of New Agers' but rather the fault of book shops and the publishing industry. Then again, the problem is that the term Paganism is just as much an umbrella term as New Age and there are a lot of overlaps.

Philosphically, I think that the New Age movement tends to have more of a belief in the overall goodness and benevolence of the universe (in a psudo-christian sense) than Paganism which is more neutral and often tries to value and balance all sides of the spectrum.

I agree with you. Only I'm not sure that I would describe them as "pseudo-Christian," which implies that they're fake Christians (which they may or may not be, but I don't feel it's for me to judge). I prefer "quasi-Christian" because at least then it's just saying they resemble something like Christianity.

[Cassie]

I agree with you. Only I'm not sure that I would describe them as "pseudo-Christian," which implies that they're fake Christians (which they may or may not be, but I don't feel it's for me to judge). I prefer "quasi-Christian" because at least then it's just saying they resemble something like Christianity.
Yes you are right.
...And I only mean "quasi-Christian" in so far as they seem to have a rather dualistic, good verses evil, view of the universe, and use a lot Judao-Christian vocabulary.
...But of course, so do some Pagans.

[plumedsnake]

Isn't new age a reference to the age of Aquarius which is just beginning. According to some sources this will be an age of goodness and light and lots of fluffiness yeah. But according to other sources it's just a reshuffling of the energy pack but isn't necessarily more light or more dark.

[Agaliha]

Isn't new age a reference to the age of Aquarius which is just beginning. According to some sources this will be an age of goodness and light and lots of fluffiness yeah. But according to other sources it's just a reshuffling of the energy pack but isn't necessarily more light or more dark.

That's one meaning of the term "New Age," but more commonly it refers to the spiritual movement (though they are often connection, the two meanings)--

see, Wiki:


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

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

...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Age --- also see here for more details

[Snapdragon]

In response to the topic thread's question:

Vulgar materialism, also known as greed.

[Cassie]

In response to the topic thread's question:

Vulgar materialism, also known as greed.
Why?

[YoungSoulRebel]

You know, come to think of it, I can't think of anything that just screams "NewAge"!

Hrmm.... When I sit and think for a couple of minutes, here are a few that come to me:

1) Christianising Wicca -- Stuff like the First Church of Wicca where it's obviously a mishmash of the two in either a misguided attempt at "mainstreaming" Eclectic Wicca or a gross attempt at scamming people; or both. Neither Tradition/Initiate-based Wicca nor its Eclectic/Solitary interpretations need to be a "church" for any reason.

2) Believing that dolphins have "powers" or can comunicate with humans on a higher level than they currently do (which is about as well as cats or dogs communicate with us).

3) The appropriation of First Nations/Native/Aboriginal North American/Mesoamerican/Amerindian spiritual traditions, often very, very inaccurately or inappropriately seems to have long been a staple among what's been coined "New Age". My first boyfriend was Cherokee and his mother said "a good rule of thumb is that if the self-described spiritual guide or leader looks White and lacks papers, chances are good that it's a New Age scam -- not always, but usually; money is usually a sign of sketchy intent, but sometimes the poor guy is only charging what he's sure will ultimately pay for his motel or gas money, if he's getting into three-digits a head, run".

4) I seem to have noticed a lot of inappropriate and/or inaccurate appropriation of Buddhist teachings and/or imagery, and to a much lesser extent, Hindu.

5) I could also probably throw in Meher Baba (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meher_Baba) and similar, but usually when I think of "NewAge", I think of total nonsense (dolphin powers), cultural misappropriation, and cult-like scams (First Church of Wicca, etc...). What I know of Meher Baba's teachings, and similar, is that he's mixed a lot of spiritual traditions and mysticism, so his teachings probably have a significant validity (hey, at least Pete Townshend didn't become a sort of pre-Tom Cruise), but I'm not so sure about declaring himself "the Avatar of the age" -- his Wikipaedia page seems to lack a "criticisms" section, though so does the Mother Theresa page, and if you've seen that episode of Penn & Teller's Bullsheet, then you'd know that even some practising Catholics have issue with Mother Theresa.

[YoungSoulRebel]

Well I don't know the correct answer to your question, but when I hear the term "New Age" I tend to think of crystal-gazing, some kind of belief in pyramid power, reincarnation, karma, the belief that we "choose" who we're going to be before we are born, an emphasis on "spirituality" and a distaste for "religion," an emphasis on the self and spirit guides, and less of a focus on deities, [snip] There seems to also be an emphasis on angels and on quasi-Christian "white light" type of stuff. I don't think belief in either of these things makes a person New Age, but I do think New Age people tend to believe in this constellation of elements and have a tendency toward what is called "willy-nilly eclecticism."

I think a lot of these things can also be NewAge -- reincarnation and karma, though, only in terms of appropriation from other religions. The idea that we all "choose" our lives before we were born just, frankly, smacks of victim-blaming and other forms of dehumanising anti-compassion, to me: My best friend was raped really horribly and she's got such a severe form of bipolar disorder that she can't even drive a car (not even with her stabilising meds) -- who the hell would "choose" that? Either of those? I guess I can understand "choosing" to be Rufus Wainwright or even just a sweet stay-at-home mother of four who has an awesome husband with a thing for getting spanked, or maybe even "choosing" to be the stereotypical bohemian artist-type who didn't end up with AIDS in RENT.... But who would "choose" to be a starving child in Africa? Who would "choose" to be some Amerindian woman who got raped repeatedly as her villiage burned and her boys were killed in front of her? The idea that "we all chose our lives before we were born" makes it too easy to let people off the hook from caring about those around them -- bad things happening to you that you can't figure out how to stop, or simply can't stop? Well, too bad for you, this NewAge lecturer says that you chose this existance just like I chose to have a 15lb benign growth on my chest that caused my spine to collapse and my paternal grandmother chose both breast and ovarian cancer, and my father chose the life where his first wife and unborn child died in a car wreck and chose the factory closing down in '84, and my mother chose to be a lesbian and have the courts prevent her from seeing her youngest children ever again, and the Keltoi chose Roman invasion, my friend chose getting horribly raped, and one in three Trans women chooses to get horribly raped and/or murdered. It was all chosen long before birth! Long before concption, if you know which NewAge lecturer to talk to! I don't care what kind of justification they're using, it just doesn't logically follow that people would *choose* a physically or emotionally painful experience.

The whole "Indigo children" thing smacks of "NewAge", as well. Now, in certain contexts, aura colours can be valid, but if you look at the history of "Indigo children" in even alt.spirituality literature, it quickly went from something rare to something that somehow almost *every* child was. Initially, yes, "Indigo" auras were written about as these amazing movers and shakers *but* that with these great gifts came great burdens and that "Indigos" were estimated as having the highest suicide rates among the auras. Within less than fifteen years, some feel-good NewAge alt.spirituality lit came out pretty much describing *any* child that might even have a few hints of being "bright" and "gifted" as being "Indigo", and none of the old bad stuff was ever mentioned. A common thing I see amongst "NewAge" movements is this desire to absolve oneself of any sort of spiritual, and sometimes even mortal, responsibility. Everybody wants to hear about how bright and wonderful and special their child may be, but next to nobody wants to hear that Kurt Cobain, who shot himself in the head and wrote some of the most depressive, self-loathing lyrics ever put to paper much less tape, fit the original definition of "Indigo aura" to a T. Nope, it's all sweetness and light and nothing bad could ever happen to an Indigo aura, cos you didn't just pay $200+ to hear a lecture that said anything less than rose-tinted.

[*~Amora~*]

Compared to antiquity?

Pacifism. Valuing the individual and one's experience over general consensus. Nature worship. Bloodless sacrifice and offerings (animal rights). Further mixture of cultural backgrounds and paths. Utilization of technology to supplement the spiritual experience (I'm thinking, blogging and researching on the Internet, using digital music on iPods during trance, using modern forms of transportation to gather, etc.). Mass distribution and absorption of literature (using the printing press and libraries to facilitate the custom of referencing source material - which is expected to be accessible to almost anyone).

[YoungSoulRebel]

Isn't new age a reference to the age of Aquarius which is just beginning. According to some sources this will be an age of goodness and light and lots of fluffiness yeah. But according to other sources it's just a reshuffling of the energy pack but isn't necessarily more light or more dark.

Well, not even. Depending on which of the primary two astrologers dating even the "beginning" of the Age of Aquarius, we're either in the middle of it or a good 1500+ years from it [Wikipaedia link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Aquarius)]. Don't let the musical Hair fool you, like it fooled Roseanne -- we are not in even the "dawning" of the Age of Aquarius, and considering that each astrological age is approximately 2,150 years, like it said, we're either in the beginning of the middle, or we're at about Noontime of the Piscean age.

[BearDancing]

I am thinking that many more channeled books on spirituality have been produced.( apparently Jesus and God are being channeled in some books and many other dieties)...many more self help books (Louise Hayes, Wayne Dwer) there is much talk of enlightenment...changing levels of concsiousness...things like the White Brotherhood...much more focus on angels and fairies....things like guided meditation...learning more about special spiritual gifts of the Universe...e.g. plants, mineral,animals, birds etc and how to learn and grow from each other...developing a personal relationship with dieties and God/Godess...being guided spiritually from spirit different spirit forms....ArchAngels, dieties, animals etc..working towards learning past life experiences and see how they may or may not fit or figure with this lifetime.....soul mates...soul love....

These are a few....and my belief in regards to chooseing your parents is that you have a karmic lesson in this life to learn...God sets the parameters for the lesson and then each of use gets to choose as long as we stay within Gods parameters...It is not that you choose to be raped.......but you choose the parents that have the potential to guide you....where ever it is that you need to go...but everyone has different karma...some may just be at the wrong place at the wrong time and everyone is free to make choices every moment of their lives that constantly changes their path.....there are people who do not learn their karmic lesson in one life time and return until it is learnt....it is possible that a rape victims karma is to find the strength to stand up for themselves, learn forgiveness...it is hard not to judge "the horrible action"..say rape....yet it is harder still to get past the horrible action and you do have controll over your Re.action...it is more from the re. action that I beleive people grow from experiences....it is very coomplex journey and just saying "Why would anyone choose to be raped or live a life of disease and poverty" is ignorance.....as in not having the knowledge...or it just does not sit right with you and you choose not to persue the possible knowledge

Is being Pagan not New Age....the focuse on earth based religions has skyrocked since the so called New Age. I would say opening many more doors, of many diverse spiritiual paths and religions...25 years ago there were by no means the popularity as of today of people searching for a spiritual peace....when did Wicca begin? not the ancient Wiccan but by the guy..Gardner comes to mind, who redeveloped what many follow today....was that about the time of the beginning of the New AGe

[BearDancing]

I don't see how this is only a New Age problem. It can be found in Paganism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and all kinds of paths. You can have a Pagan, Wicca, etc who reads tons of books, knows all the rituals and lingo, but doesn't really practice their path. You can have a Christian who knows the Bible through and through, but doesn't practice the qualities within it, such as compassion and understanding and instead judges people. Etc, etc. etc. This isn't limited to New Age. There has to be a balance between practice and researching/learning, I think.
I totally agree with you, yet I have only experience with New Age and none of the other so I do not feel I should speculate about others in other paths


I also don't see how the actions of those people that don't walk the walk as you put it, would turn you off to a whole idea, belief system and path. There are plenty of people that are part of the New Age movement that do practice their path. Just as their are plenty of Christians, Pagans, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc that do as well. And besides all paths are going to have problems, none are perfect.

there may be "many" I do not know them...I live in the country and do not have access to multiple relgions that actuallly practice their beliefs and make it a life path....and belelive me I have searched for people of like mind to share my life with and grow....I have 2 such friends and my sister and we stay in contact by phone...I have not been turned off actually by the path...I have been turned off by the people I have met...they do not have the depth that I am looking for...and the option of the Internet only can go soooo far...One of my incredible friends was met over the internet but in my experience to get to know someone at that level over the internet is not an everyday occurance

As for the questions I asked, do you have anything to add there? I was hoping to get some feedback to help with discussions and whatnot. ;)

as per my next post

[BearDancing]

Isn't new age a reference to the age of Aquarius which is just beginning. According to some sources this will be an age of goodness and light and lots of fluffiness yeah. But according to other sources it's just a reshuffling of the energy pack but isn't necessarily more light or more dark.

In my experience/opinion it is an "Age of of Excellerated Learning of Higher Levels of Concsiousness"
I am not concerned with the actual dates...say in the last 2000 yrs man/wymin were basically focused on survival, security, providing for family and community, health in a scientific way, more learning and growing on the physical plane....I believe that man/wymin have reached a new era....where there the focus is now going to be on spiritual growth...and I beleive that the Universe, dieties, angels,guides are more available to us to accelerate our growth in a different direction.

I beleive that in the past 2000 yrs was more based on earthly learning...working very hard to provide for themselves...it was almost like couples working together to exist.....where as in the New Era people will be partnered for spiritual growth....learning lessons and growing together....I feel in the New Era relationships will not last 45...55 yrs....some may well...but I feel that we are moving more towards learnning spiritually together and then moving on to where our soul is directing/leading us for maximum spiritual growth.....I beleive we are in a transition period now....many more divorces....(not all these people are concscious of what is happening) more and more same sex marriages, people "really feeling spiritualy lead to another" and not understanding that it is a cry from the soul that is leading you in different directions.....this is just a start if any are interested:uhhuhuh:

[watersprite]

I think the term "new age" is the label somebody stuck on self enlightenment "discovering" that people have been following alternative paths. THEY just found a way to capitalize in it. And, admittedly as a newbie, I fell in to a lot of "tourist trappy" ideas and bought a lot of things I didn't really need. But THOUGHT I did. But one grows. And goes deeper in to their path, or discovers another.

[BearDancing]

1) Christianising Wicca -- Stuff like the First Church of Wicca where it's obviously a mishmash of the two in either a misguided attempt at "mainstreaming" Eclectic Wicca or a gross attempt at scamming people; or both. Neither Tradition/Initiate-based Wicca nor its Eclectic/Solitary interpretations need to be a "church" for any reason.

In my experience call it what you may..."church" or coven or study group...it is very nice to have like people so share and learn with..something that I charish

2) Believing that dolphins have "powers" or can comunicate with humans on a higher level than they currently do (which is about as well as cats or dogs communicate with us).

It is not just dolphins...all have the capabilities to share with humans....rocks, animals, plants etc.,it is only if the human is concsiousness enought to hear them..and realise it is guidance...even if they say can not communicate with the said dolphins they are working with them emotionally and physically more....the vibration of the dolpins mixes with our "human" vibrations and there is always a change when two vibrations come together ( this emcompasses everything that comes together....having flowers in your garden, sharing a relationship with a pet)...that is if you beleive in the structure of an atom..... who was that guy that discovered that all matter vibrates at a different rate....depending on its molecular makeup!!!!

3) The appropriation of First Nations/Native/Aboriginal North American/Mesoamerican/Amerindian spiritual traditions, often very, very inaccurately or inappropriately seems to have long been a staple among what's been coined "New Age". My first boyfriend was Cherokee and his mother said "a good rule of thumb is that if the self-described spiritual guide or leader looks White and lacks papers, chances are good that it's a New Age scam -- not always, but usually; money is usually a sign of sketchy intent, but sometimes the poor guy is only charging what he's sure will ultimately pay for his motel or gas money, if he's getting into three-digits a head, run".

I agree some are taking advantange of Native American/Aboringinals etc....but even if a drumming circle is not the "way" the natives did it 400 yrs ago does not mean that people coming together to drum does not facilitate spiritual experiences or simply give them joy....I know for myself just listening to certain music can lift my mood...(again vibrations coming together always mix and change the two single ones) Native American "Sun Dance" the Lakota..mainly Crow Dog....have invited white people into their sacred ceremonies....and if you pierce yourself and dance from sun up to sun down for 4 days...and fast...and Pray the whole time....you will have a spiritual experience whether you are white, yellow, brown....it does not matter...it may not be the "same as the ancient ways" but it is a spiritual path in its own....actually I have met many Native Americans who do not even know their Clans spiritual path...a lot are trapped in anger "about how they are treated" and to grow spiritually anger has never been a part of it...in my experieince and I do have experience talking to different elders of different clans/tribes

4) I seem to have noticed a lot of inappropriate and/or inaccurate appropriation of Buddhist teachings and/or imagery, and to a much lesser extent, Hindu.

Yes there are people who extract from one religion or beleif system which works for them...do the Buddist or Hindis care?

5) I could also probably throw in Meher Baba (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meher_Baba) and similar, but usually when I think of "NewAge", I think of total nonsense (dolphin powers), cultural misappropriation, and cult-like scams (First Church of Wicca, etc...). What I know of Meher Baba's teachings, and similar, is that he's mixed a lot of spiritual traditions and mysticism, so his teachings probably have a significant validity (hey, at least Pete Townshend didn't become a sort of pre-Tom Cruise), but I'm not so sure about declaring himself "the Avatar of the age" -- his Wikipaedia page seems to lack a "criticisms" section, though so does the Mother Theresa page, and if you've seen that episode of Penn & Teller's Bullsheet, then you'd know that even some practising Catholics have issue with Mother Theresa.[/quote]
I really do respect your opinion....just as you would respect mine if I was talking about your chosen path....I have little knowledge of Greek Gods so my opinions, in your view, would lack depth ...probably because I did not study or follow that path....

Yet I thank you for getting me thinking...it was fun

[BearDancing]

Well, not even. Depending on which of the primary two astrologers dating even the "beginning" of the Age of Aquarius, we're either in the middle of it or a good 1500+ years from it [Wikipaedia link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Aquarius)]. Don't let the musical Hair fool you, like it fooled Roseanne -- we are not in even the "dawning" of the Age of Aquarius, and considering that each astrological age is approximately 2,150 years, like it said, we're either in the beginning of the middle, or we're at about Noontime of the Piscean age.

Yes these may be the "Stats" yet what do you "feel"...not what do you think...do you feel any changes

[RainInanna]

see, Wiki:

I think the Wiki definition is appropriate. New Age refers to the idea that spirituality is a path towards enlightenment, growth, and development of the self and society, regardless of religion or dogma. It is similar to Chaos theory in that it doesn't refer to adherence to any specific religion but uses any that suits the individual. Whereas Chaos usually focus on experimentation and magical technique, New Age refers to spirituality and perhaps energy work and divination as they relate to self development.

In particular I'm interested in New Age mysticism and theosophy, sometimes referred to as ascension magick as well. C Penzak has a book out on the subject, though I tend more towards Rufi, women's spirituality, and Feri Witchcraft, whereas Penczak leans more towards Theosophical teachings. A lot of the points he mentions to introduce ascension magick are applicable regardless though, in terms of development, enlightenment, and ongoing spiritual, personal practice.

[BearDancing]

I think the Wiki definition is appropriate. New Age refers to the idea that spirituality is a path towards enlightenment, growth, and development of the self and society, regardless of religion or dogma. It is similar to Chaos theory in that it doesn't refer to adherence to any specific religion but uses any that suits the individual. Whereas Chaos usually focus on experimentation and magical technique, New Age refers to spirituality and perhaps energy work and divination as they relate to self development.

In particular I'm interested in New Age mysticism and theosophy, sometimes referred to as ascension magick as well. C Penzak has a book out on the subject, though I tend more towards Rufi, women's spirituality, and Feri Witchcraft, whereas Penczak leans more towards Theosophical teachings. A lot of the points he mentions to introduce ascension magick are applicable regardless though, in terms of development, enlightenment, and ongoing spiritual, personal practice.

are you referring to say "White Brotherhood" of acsended master The Ascended Masters (http://www.ascended-masters.templeofthepresence.org/index.html) have for many decades taught that, until the Permanent Golden Age is fully manifest in the physical, there would always be a Messenger (http://www.ascension-research.org/message.html) in physical embodiment releasing Ascended Master Wisdom and Light. "Anointed Messengers of the Great White Brotherhood" are the means through which Instruction and Dictations directly from Ascended Masters (http://www.ascension-research.org/masters-angels.html), Archangels (http://www.ascension-research.org/angelref.html), and Cosmic Beings (http://www.ascension-research.org/elohim.html) are delivered to embodied humanity, as well as the means through which Releases of Light can be anchored into the physical, emotional, mental, and etheric planes.
just wonderin

[David19]

I haven't read all of the thread in detail, mostly 'cause I'm quite drunk right now (been out with friends), but, I associate the New Age with an obsession with visualizations, thinking being able to visualize is magic, when magic is a lot harder than being able to visualize a bunch of white light, etc.

[BearDancing]

I haven't read all of the thread in detail, mostly 'cause I'm quite drunk right now (been out with friends), but, I associate the New Age with an obsession with visualizations, thinking being able to visualize is magic, when magic is a lot harder than being able to visualize a bunch of white light, etc.

:cheers:

[Drouach]

The positive thing I like about the New Age is the freedom to express oneself and to follow spiritual paths wherever they lead.

I used to like the open-mindedness...but realised that New Agies can be just as closed minded as pagans, christians or other groups. It's a certain population of humans that close their minds once they have found their religion or spiritual path...it's a fact of life.

[Darth Brooks]

I think a lot of these things can also be NewAge -- reincarnation and karma, though, only in terms of appropriation from other religions. The idea that we all "choose" our lives before we were born just, frankly, smacks of victim-blaming and other forms of dehumanising anti-compassion, to me: My best friend was raped really horribly and she's got such a severe form of bipolar disorder that she can't even drive a car (not even with her stabilising meds) -- who the hell would "choose" that? Either of those? I guess I can understand "choosing" to be Rufus Wainwright or even just a sweet stay-at-home mother of four who has an awesome husband with a thing for getting spanked, or maybe even "choosing" to be the stereotypical bohemian artist-type who didn't end up with AIDS in RENT.... But who would "choose" to be a starving child in Africa? Who would "choose" to be some Amerindian woman who got raped repeatedly as her villiage burned and her boys were killed in front of her? The idea that "we all chose our lives before we were born" makes it too easy to let people off the hook from caring about those around them -- bad things happening to you that you can't figure out how to stop, or simply can't stop? Well, too bad for you, this NewAge lecturer says that you chose this existance just like I chose to have a 15lb benign growth on my chest that caused my spine to collapse and my paternal grandmother chose both breast and ovarian cancer, and my father chose the life where his first wife and unborn child died in a car wreck and chose the factory closing down in '84, and my mother chose to be a lesbian and have the courts prevent her from seeing her youngest children ever again, and the Keltoi chose Roman invasion, my friend chose getting horribly raped, and one in three Trans women chooses to get horribly raped and/or murdered. It was all chosen long before birth! Long before concption, if you know which NewAge lecturer to talk to! I don't care what kind of justification they're using, it just doesn't logically follow that people would *choose* a physically or emotionally painful experience.

Although I say more power to anyone who honestly wants to believe this sort of belief, what you have written here reflects my own objections to it perfectly.

I don't know enough about the "Indigo children" thing to offer a really informed opinion (and I don't really have the time or the patience to educate myself on the matter right now), but I do agree with your comments about the Age of Aquarius. I don't believe we're living in an era of peace and light right now. Crowley's Age of Horus seems like a more likely description for current climes, though I am not inclined to use that term either. I think a good argument can be made that we are living in what the Hindu mystics call the Kali Yuga, instead. Setians refer to something called the "Aeon of Set" but rather than being time-specific periods that cancel out previous periods, we tend to think of "aeons" in more of a non-linear sense. (A Setian might say he or she is living in the Aeon of Set, but most people in the world are still living in the Aeon of Osiris, while a smaller majority lives in the Aeon of Isis, and others are in the Aeon of Horus, etc. This admittedly is quite different from how I have seen most people use the term.) So in saying that I live in the Aeon of Set I am not even remotely referring to the same thing as what others mean by "the Age of Aquarius." I think the world has a long, long way to go before we can ever reach an era of universal peace and nonviolence, in fact we may never even get there. Though this is not to say it is not a goal worth working for.

So this is another reason why I do not consider myself or what I do to be "New Age."

[RainInanna]

thinking being able to visualize is magic, when magic is a lot harder than being able to visualize a bunch of white light, etc.

David, visualization is perhaps the first technique anyone should learn to do magic. It has widespread use in Wicca on its own in affirmations and as part of spells.

I don't think spells are harder, I just think they're more complicated. Whereas you might call visualization easier than spellwork, I call spellwork too much complexity tacked on simple visualization and energy work. As I've said in other threads on spellwork, I don't remember the last time I did spells, because ongoing energy work and visualization remove the need to do so. I call it more effective.

[RainInanna]

are you referring to say "White Brotherhood" of acsended master

Not really. I'm referring to a spiritual paradigm that suggests you don't have to put your faith in ascended masters or adhere to any specific religion, and instead should only use them as they help you achieve personal and cultural development. Use anything that works. In Chaos magic you take that thought and use it to experiment with all kinds of magical systems to get results. In New Age spirituality, you use it to build your own spirituality and then live it daily. You don't do spells to see if you can get a lot of money, you work towards enlightenment. It's actually in line with high magic in terms of the work, but without the rules and props.

Penczak does mention ascended masters in his book, and I don't discredit the importance of Buddha's teachings, nor Jesus's, and others, but otherwise, I'm not into channeling ascended masters myself.

What I'm trying to convey though is that saying it's about channeling, ascended masters, crystals, dolphins, reincarnation, etc. etc. is missing the forest for the trees. Just like you wouldn't say Wicca is about chakras and tarot, despite that you can certainly use those as a Wiccan. Outsiders who don't know any better might say Wicca is tree-hugging, but we all know better. I wouldn't say Kemeticism (Ancient Egyptian reconstructionism) is about pharoahs and pyramids either. It would be insulting for one thing, and ignorant of the real value of Egyptian spirituality for another.

[YoungSoulRebel]

Yes these may be the "Stats" yet what do you "feel"...not what do you think...do you feel any changes

Seeing as I'm only in my late twenties, asking what I "feel" about this Age is nonsensical. I can't compare it to th previous one, for very obvious reasons, and since I don't believe that the concept of "past life memories" has much validity; especially considering that there are far more people on this planet right now then there have been in all past centuries combined, this then means that there must obviously be a wide variety of "new" souls -- and considering the 1:3 likelihood of mine being one of those "new souls" asking what I "feel" about this Age is running the risk of getting some answer that is based on nothing but my own wishful thinking that I "have lived this life before", thus it would have no basis on this Age or any other, it would be merely an idea put forth on mere speculation.

ETA: Also, if the Age of Aquarius is truly an astrological Age, then it can't be based on "feeling" -- it's based on astrology. Astrology may be an "imperfect science", but the fact that it's based on observable data (the position of the stars) is enough to suggest that it is, to some small degree, a science -- an imperfect science, as I said, but a science nonetheless. If X is based on "feeling" and not the position of the stars, then it's not astrology and shouldn't be addressed in astrological terms.

[David19]

:cheers:

Thanks :cheers: :thumbsup:.

[David19]

The positive thing I like about the New Age is the freedom to express oneself and to follow spiritual paths wherever they lead.

I used to like the open-mindedness...but realised that New Agies can be just as closed minded as pagans, christians or other groups. It's a certain population of humans that close their minds once they have found their religion or spiritual path...it's a fact of life.

I agree, every group has it's close minded bigots and idiots.

[David19]

David, visualization is perhaps the first technique anyone should learn to do magic. It has widespread use in Wicca on its own in affirmations and as part of spells.

I don't think spells are harder, I just think they're more complicated. Whereas you might call visualization easier than spellwork, I call spellwork too much complexity tacked on simple visualization and energy work. As I've said in other threads on spellwork, I don't remember the last time I did spells, because ongoing energy work and visualization remove the need to do so. I call it more effective.

True, although, in some forms of magic, visualization can be more of a crutch, than a necessary part. Personally, I can visualize, but, it just doesn't do anything for me, there's always a part of me that's thinking this is just in my head, maybe it works for others, and good for them, but, for me, I focus more on feeling the energy, focusing it, and using it to do magic, etc.

Not sure if I explained that well, but, that's how I do things.

[BearDancing]

I don't see how this is only a New Age problem. It can be found in Paganism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and all kinds of paths. You can have a Pagan, Wicca, etc who reads tons of books, knows all the rituals and lingo, but doesn't really practice their path. You can have a Christian who knows the Bible through and through, but doesn't practice the qualities within it, such as compassion and understanding and instead judges people. Etc, etc. etc. This isn't limited to New Age. There has to be a balance between practice and researching/learning, I think.

I also don't see how the actions of those people that don't walk the walk as you put it, would turn you off to a whole idea, belief system and path. There are plenty of people that are part of the New Age movement that do practice their path. Just as their are plenty of Christians, Pagans, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc that do as well. And besides all paths are going to have problems, none are perfect.

As for the questions I asked, do you have anything to add there? I was hoping to get some feedback to help with discussions and whatnot. ;)

My Sweet......."I said the "term" New Age" is what I do not like...not the whole concept....as I practice what is classed as New Age

[RainInanna]

Also would add Hawaiian spirituality (huna), Shamanism, and Rumi's teachings.

[David19]

Also would add Hawaiian spirituality (huna), Shamanism, and Rumi's teachings.

Could Shamanism and Hawaiian spirituality/Huna be classed as New Age?, it's just that they're pretty old traditions, and shamanism has existed in pretty much every culture, since the Dawn of Time.

[Agaliha]

Could Shamanism and Hawaiian spirituality/Huna be classed as New Age?, it's just that they're pretty old traditions, and shamanism has existed in pretty much every culture, since the Dawn of Time.

Same could be said for Rumi's teachings, which are part of Sufism. Sufism being an old part of Islam. Some say that there isn't any Sufism without Islam, that you can't separate them, though some have tried (ie Universal Sufism, which is more acceptable to those that can't handle all the Islam associations, but even there you can see Islam in it). There is no doubt, though that Sufism is a old and large part of Islam, not New Age...

I just think the issue is with these other (older) beliefs is that they're being co-opted by New Age and at times, twisted to fit the love, light and the do what feels right thing. I have seen various New Age sites that mention Sufism and it is different than what Sufism really is...Heh. It was only recently too, that I saw New Age books for "Huna Spirituality," things like this--

Origins of Huna: Secret Behind the Secret Science (http://www.amazon.com/Origins-Huna-Secret-Behind-Science/dp/0971934002/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229983388&sr=8-5) by Shelley Kaehr
Huna: Ancient Hawaiian Secrets for Modern Living (http://www.amazon.com/Huna-Ancient-Hawaiian-Secrets-Modern/dp/1582702012/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229983388&sr=8-6) by Serge Kahili King

:wtf:

[BearDancing]

IMO people that practice "New Age" a lot of times take from a religion or spiritual practice and use it i n their own without practicing the "whole" of the religion.....I practice much native american spirituality, not to the letter....as I live a totally different life...NA spirituality was a way of life not a "practice" per say...I find Sufism very interesting....I believe in Jesus and God.....yet I am not really Christian....I am a solitary practicioner....so what works for me I use...."I am not sure that their are two "New Age" practioners the same....do they congrigate as a religious cerimony or a coven might...I do not know..

[BearDancing]

I just think the issue is with these other (older) beliefs is that they're being co-opted by New Age and at times, twisted to fit the love, light and the do what feels right thing.

why do you say that "New Age" is about twisiting to fit the love, light and what ever feels right thing..

most pagen practices are not followed to the "Letter of the Old Ways"...there are some that do yet many who do not

I find your statement very Rude.....in my opionion it is an immature and a statment made out of ignorance of the whole of "New Age"....

[Lady White Tree]

Could Shamanism and Hawaiian spirituality/Huna be classed as New Age?, it's just that they're pretty old traditions, and shamanism has existed in pretty much every culture, since the Dawn of Time.

Spiritualism is lumped in as well even though the tradition is as old as human society. The practice was named Spiritualism in the 19th century.

The New Age movement is an eclectic mish mash of any spiritual tradition that a person wants to attach to themself.

We have to remember that it was the Hippy movement that first coined this term.

[StormySkies]

I do know that in many bookstores they tend to lump all the pagan, Wiccan, and magic books under "New Age," which I find vaguely insulting. Why can't our stuff be included in the "Religion" section like all the "world religions" are? I don't think of myself as "New Age," but more like "Crotchety Old School."

I think the bookstores do so because people in America mostly are just now becoming more open to Wicca and Pagan stuff including metaphysical things. It's not that it has finally been "discovered" its only been "uncovered" or "rediscovered". But I do understand where you're coming from. Pagan, Wiccan and other magic books should be placed under the "Religion" section because they do deal with dieties and doctrines for those who follow them, while "New Age" stuff deals with the self and new paths to create.

[C. Iulia Regilia]

1. A severe allergy to anything that smacks of tradition.

2. Everything that happens you chose.

3. A belief that thought alone makes the universe change.

4. Vibrations on everything.

5. Crystals are able to heal people generate energy, light a room, do your taxes, and cook dinner.

6. A distinct disney-like view of the world in which nothing is ever bad, wrong or dangerous.

Probably if I had to discribe the stereotype of the new ager, it would be that hey think the Universe is about them. Not my thing, but if it floats your boat, that's fine.

[Violetsky]

Although I am guilty of being attached to my"vibrations" and I may be a bit new agey compared to some,what I noticed is a tendency to feel spacey, and quickly ungrounded when I am reading what I term "New Age" material.
There is such an outpouring of effusive, energy that I feel drained.Can you all relate?
My first thoughts about what feels New Agey to me is The Secret and that "Fire The Grid "movement.But I also think that these people who are new age may be working with different energies that are real but not in tune with my "vibration".(hehe).
Too much of the Angels and Ascended Masters,White Light Brotherhood and that crowd give me a headache,lol.Hope no one takes offense:bigredgri

[Sundragon]

Sure New Agers can be "fluffy" but they are no more nonsensical than the Wiccans/Witches and assorted pagans who consider themselves theriomorphs, otherkin or whatever. So believing one is a fairy, a werewolf or vampire is more sane than believing that one can channel beings from the Pleides or the Andromeda Galaxy? For Goddess' sake Crowley's Aiwass is the equivalent of a channeled entity in that It dictated the Book of the Law which is a sacred book to one of the occult world's most respected orders (the OTO).

In regards to being other than human such as is claimed by some pagans...If one person can somehow prove to me that they are somehow anything other than a normal human with an odd sense of self I will pay that person very well indeed. I apologize if this comes off as harsh.

This kind of shite, the self congratulatory back patting that takes place amongst pagans and ceremonial magicians, gets stuck in my throat. "We are serious, THEY (usually New Agers) are not."

New Agers are all about White Light. Ok, well Wiccans/Witches/Pagans are nothing more than folks who live life as a Ren Fair rejects...with our robes, wands and swords. Crystals and "vibes" are nonsense...oh yeah but making incense according to specific magickal correspondences ("vibes") is legitimate spiritual practice? Contacting astral spirits and evoking the demons of the Goetia is much, much more reasonable than dealing with ascended masters?!?!

Think about it.

I'm not a New Ager but we pagans need to get over ourselves. Compared to New Agers, in the eyes of mainstream society, we are the fringe nuts. Regular folks may see New Agers as goofy but they often see us as crazy, scary or even dangerous. We work with spiritual principles that, at best, weren't considered rational since the Middle Ages (magick, the elements, spells, evocation, etc.) at the latest. I see the flaws in New Age methodologies from a magickal perspective as well as the relentless materialism that seems to infect much of the subculture (such as The Secret) but I don't see the flaws in New Agism as being somehow worse than the nonsense that infects our OH SO DEEP AND SERIOUS pagan paths.

How about we remove the plank from our own eyes before we judge the legitimacy of other's spiritual paths.


)o( Blessed Be,

Sundragon

[C. Iulia Regilia]

Sure New Agers can be "fluffy" but they are no more nonsensical than the Wiccans/Witches and assorted pagans who consider themselves theriomorphs, otherkin or whatever. So believing one is a fairy, a werewolf or vampire is more sane than believing that one can channel beings from the Pleides or the Andromeda Galaxy? For Goddess' sake Crowley's Aiwass is the equivalent of a channeled entity in that It dictated the Book of the Law which is a sacred book to one of the occult world's most respected orders (the OTO).

In regards to being other than human such as is claimed by some pagans...If one person can somehow prove to me that they are somehow anything other than a normal human with an odd sense of self I will pay that person very well indeed. I apologize if this comes off as harsh.

This kind of shite, the self congratulatory back patting that takes place amongst pagans and ceremonial magicians, gets stuck in my throat. "We are serious, THEY (usually New Agers) are not."

New Agers are all about White Light. Ok, well Wiccans/Witches/Pagans are nothing more than folks who live life as a Ren Fair rejects...with our robes, wands and swords. Crystals and "vibes" are nonsense...oh yeah but making incense according to specific magickal correspondences ("vibes") is legitimate spiritual practice? Contacting astral spirits and evoking the demons of the Goetia is much, much more reasonable than dealing with ascended masters?!?!

Think about it.

I'm not a New Ager but we pagans need to get over ourselves. Compared to New Agers, in the eyes of mainstream society, we are the fringe nuts. Regular folks may see New Agers as goofy but they often see us as crazy, scary or even dangerous. We work with spiritual principles that, at best, weren't considered rational since the Middle Ages (magick, the elements, spells, evocation, etc.) at the latest. I see the flaws in New Age methodologies from a magickal perspective as well as the relentless materialism that seems to infect much of the subculture (such as The Secret) but I don't see the flaws in New Agism as being somehow worse than the nonsense that infects our OH SO DEEP AND SERIOUS pagan paths.

How about we remove the plank from our own eyes before we judge the legitimacy of other's spiritual paths.


)o( Blessed Be,

Sundragon

I don't have a problem with you being New Age, I simply have theological issues with being new age myself. I would also have a hard time with other paths. Not my thing, but I'm really not going to judge it outright as evil.

I do use incense -- but I use the ones that the Greco-Roman tradition says is what the gods like. I don't know about vibrations and so on -- maybe that's why they like frankensence and myrrh?

Personally I don't believe in otherkin or some of the odder beliefs about crystals. As I said earlier I've read things on atlantis that have crystals being a power source, a light source and a healing device. I don't think that makes a whole lotta sense. Maybe they have something that might attract spirits of healing or whatever, but they aren't some sort of cosmic swiss army knife.

As for people having the idea that the whole universe is there for them -- I'll have to quote a famous astronomer "the universe is really good at finding ways to kill us". Look at the vastness of space and say it's about you -- I can't.

[Sundragon]

I don't have a problem with you being New Age, I simply have theological issues with being new age myself. I would also have a hard time with other paths. Not my thing, but I'm really not going to judge it outright as evil.

I am not New Age as I stated in my previous post. I am a Wiccan who has studied a number of paths for more than 20yrs and am simply attempting to be objective and fair in my understanding of what New Age is.


I do use incense -- but I use the ones that the Greco-Roman tradition says is what the gods like. I don't know about vibrations and so on -- maybe that's why they like frankensence and myrrh?

I use incense and use frankensence and myrrh myself for rituals of devotion as well as oil of the same type for general anointing purposes. The attributions we use, the attributes the ancients used, are based on the concept of sympathetic resonance. For whatever reason certain substances are more amenable to certain types of workings. This is an ancient magickal principle.

The "vibes" New Age types speak about is similar. For example, a certain stone such as rose quartz is good for increasing feelings of love. This is sympathetic resonance or the stone's "vibes" which relate to love. Its the same as in magick, plain and simple.


Personally I don't believe in otherkin or some of the odder beliefs about crystals. As I said earlier I've read things on atlantis that have crystals being a power source, a light source and a healing device. I don't think that makes a whole lotta sense. Maybe they have something that might attract spirits of healing or whatever, but they aren't some sort of cosmic swiss army knife.

Well the otherkin thing is something I have found exclusively within Pagan subculture and for a pagan to claim that they aren't actually human (without any evidence whatsoever) is just as strange as a New Ager claiming to be part alien or something. The otherkin belief system seems rooted in a misunderstanding of shamanic workings in which one connects with the spirit of the wolf, for example, or astrally shapeshifts into non-human forms. Like many things, it appears to be a misunderstanding rooted in a reality.

Well I'm not into the Atlantis thing myself except as a curiosity or the use of crystals as light generators and whatnot. I don't buy it myself but again these things are no odder than some of the beliefs held by our fellow Pagans.


As for people having the idea that the whole universe is there for them -- I'll have to quote a famous astronomer "the universe is really good at finding ways to kill us". Look at the vastness of space and say it's about you -- I can't.

This belief is found not only in New Age thinking but amongst some fundamentalist Christians who believe that the Earth is the spiritual center of the universe and that God placed the stars in the sky just for us to enjoy. Ultimately we can find all the oddness found in New Age beliefs both closer to home amongst Pagans and farther afield in other religions.

The universe isn't for us in the small egioc sense but it is about the underlying consciousness we may call God or Goddess or Tao. We are intimately connected to this All That Is and share in the fundamental life of the cosmos as individualized manifestations of Infinite Consciousness. The universe isn't about the self, it's about the Self. This isn't New Age thinking but the thinking of cross-cultural mysticism throughout the ages.


)o( Blessed Be,

Sundragon

[phathead]

Anything that can not show a verifiable history of at least several hundred years.

[C. Iulia Regilia]

I am not New Age as I stated in my previous post. I am a Wiccan who has studied a number of paths for more than 20yrs and am simply attempting to be objective and fair in my understanding of what New Age is.

I use incense and use frankensence and myrrh myself for rituals of devotion as well as oil of the same type for general anointing purposes. The attributions we use, the attributes the ancients used, are based on the concept of sympathetic resonance. For whatever reason certain substances are more amenable to certain types of workings. This is an ancient magickal principle.

I don't see much in the sources I've seen that suggest anybody prior thought that the incence had a vibration. It was mostly because it had a smell that the gods like. Sort of like mom's favorite perfume -- it's about the odor as far as I can tell. Though I confess my ignorance of Magicks.


The "vibes" New Age types speak about is similar. For example, a certain stone such as rose quartz is good for increasing feelings of love. This is sympathetic resonance or the stone's "vibes" which relate to love. Its the same as in magick, plain and simple.

perhaps, or it could be that spirts that reside in stone pick certain types. I guess I'm potato potahto on this stuff.




Well the otherkin thing is something I have found exclusively within Pagan subculture and for a pagan to claim that they aren't actually human (without any evidence whatsoever) is just as strange as a New Ager claiming to be part alien or something. The otherkin belief system seems rooted in a misunderstanding of shamanic workings in which one connects with the spirit of the wolf, for example, or astrally shapeshifts into non-human forms. Like many things, it appears to be a misunderstanding rooted in a reality.

Probably. But these are newish phenomena as well. No ancient I'm aware of ever claimed to be a wolf. The only reference to a man becoming a wolf in Greek thought was turned into a wolf as a punishment for human sacrifice.


Well I'm not into the Atlantis thing myself except as a curiosity or the use of crystals as light generators and whatnot. I don't buy it myself but again these things are no odder than some of the beliefs held by our fellow Pagans.

Well, I do suspect that civilization may be older than we think it is. Maybe not a place called Atlantis, but highly advanced civilizations perhaps prior to the ice ages. It just always seems weird to me that humans could have existed for 100K years and only develop agriculture and civilization within the last 10K to 20K years. It doesn't fit very well. I don't think that the crystal lights thing makes much sense -- craystals are pretty good focusing agents (like in lasers) but not good for radiating energy like lightbulbs.



This belief is found not only in New Age thinking but amongst some fundamentalist Christians who believe that the Earth is the spiritual center of the universe and that God placed the stars in the sky just for us to enjoy. Ultimately we can find all the oddness found in New Age beliefs both closer to home amongst Pagans and farther afield in other religions.

The universe isn't for us in the small egioc sense but it is about the underlying consciousness we may call God or Goddess or Tao. We are intimately connected to this All That Is and share in the fundamental life of the cosmos as individualized manifestations of Infinite Consciousness. The universe isn't about the self, it's about the Self. This isn't New Age thinking but the thinking of cross-cultural mysticism throughout the ages.


)o( Blessed Be,

Sundragon[/quote]

[Æon Flux]

New Age = spiritualities influenced by the "New Age"/Modern Times = Wicca, recons and everything in between... in one sense.

In another, it can also mean spiritualities influenced by the belief that we are entering a new age/age of aquarious crowd.

suspect it depends on your definition of the word.