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The New Age
Movement
by: G Kumar
New Age - A Paradigm Shift to Divine
Consciousness & a Universal Philosophy
The New Age Movement (NAM) is a
revival of spiritual and divine values and can be called as a Divine
Regeneration Movement. New Age Philosophy has conquered the West
intellectually and Western culture is currently experiencing a
phenomenal shift - sociological, spiritual & ideological. It's a
secular, multi-cultural, multi-religious synthesis, of the Oriental
mystical philosophies, mainly Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism & Western
Occultism, emphasizing Holism, the doctrine that Reality is
organically One ( now taught in American Universities after Einstein's
Theory of Relativity ).
Behind the evolution of the species,
there is an evolution of Consciousness. The aim of Life is Self-Actualization,
to evolve to the level of Unity Consciousness, defined as the 7th
state of Consciousness in Transcendental Philosophy.
The social disturbance caused by the
Vietnam War, the threat posed by AIDS, the disillusionment with
materialistic ideas and the erosion of faith in Morality & Ethics
brought a sense of futility & meaninglessness in the Western
psyche. The limitations of the Western system of Chemotherapy &
adverse side-effects of antibiotics, sedatives and certain other drugs
and the disillusionment with the promises of science & technology
made millions turn to Oriental philosophies, occult practices &
systems of therapy.( Interest in Alternative Medicine developed to
such an extent that there are now more than 180 systems of Alternative
Medicine.
Exponents of New Age Philosophy in
Europe and America include Transcendentalists like Thoreau, Emerson
& Walt Whitman, Wordsworth, Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), ,
& Theosophy introduced by Madame Helena Blavatsky (1831- 1891)
& Col Olcott & the philosopher, Annie Besant. As the world
witnessed a Consciousness Revolution, Transcendental Meditation, Yoga
,Zen, Carlos Castaņada, the Beatles, Holistic Medicine ( both Western
and Ayurveda ), Tantra, Astrology ( both Western & Vedic ) all
became popular .
There are 6 million New Age sites on
the Web and the NAM consists of a massive & well organized network
consisting of thousands of groups, trusts, foundations, clubs, lodges,
and spiritual groups whose goal and purpose is to prepare the world to
enter the coming Aquarian Age. ( The Age of Aquarius ). In
astrological symbolism, Aquarius represents Spirituality and Pisces
Rationality. The Piscean Age, an age of Computer and Cybernetics
revolution, will be followed by an Age of Consciousness Revolution or
a Spiritual Revolution, the Aquarian Age.
Some New Age Organizations are :
California New Age Caucus, New World Alliance, World Goodwill, The
Church Universal and Triumphant, The Theosophical Society, Amnesty
International, Zero Population Growth, the Forum, Planetary Initiative
for the World We Choose, the Club of Rome, Church Universal &
Triumphant, Christian Science, and the Unity School of Christianity.
New Age believes in the essential
goodness of Man and the Divine Spark in Man and the New Age movement
is not a unified cult system of beliefs and practices, even though its
roots derive from Vedic Philosophy. There is no central authority, no
official leader, no headquarters, nor membership list, but instead is
a network of groups working toward World Peace and Universal Love.
There are millions of worldwide followers of various New Age practices
and the world is moving from Chaos ( Disorder ) to Cosmos ( Order ) !
This is a Phase Transition from Entropy ( Disorder ) to Order !
Significant influence has been gained
by NAM affecting almost every area of Occidental culture -- Sociology,
Psychology, Medicine, the Government, Ecology, Science, Arts,
Education, the Business Community, the media, entertainment, sports,
and even the Church. Organized spiritual forms such as Christian
Science, Unity and even forms of Witchcraft ( from the German ' Wicca'
meaning the Wise; Witchcraft means the Craft of the Wise ) are all its
expressions. Various Human Potential Seminars, Transcendental
Meditation, Zen Meditation and some Alternative Holistic Medicine
practices are also its manifold manifestations.
Some popular New Age publications and
journals are New Age Journal, the Z Files, Clarity, Body Mind Spirit,
Yoga Journal, Gnosis, East West, Noetic Sciences, the Millennium Being
and Omega. The new tendency of people now is to view everything from a
New Age perspective
The major goal of the New Age
Movement is to prepare Man for entering the Aquarian Age and to bring
world peace in an already bruised world. "All is wrong with the
world" said Shaw & some of the other goals of the NAM are to
establish an entirely New World Order in the fields of Economy &
Government. The idea of a World Government was proposed by Bernard
Shaw earlier and was implemented by Mahesh Yogi and occurs in the
writings of the foundational apostle of the New Age Movement, Alice
Bailey.
The word 'Initiation" is derived
from the Latin "In ire" to go within and Initiates were
termed by the Great Master as the salt of the Earth. The mystic Ward
defined Reality as "Within and within and within and within"
. Another mystic described it as "It is hidden, it is hidden and
it is hidden". To the mystic, self evolution is the means and
only by changing and correcting ourselves can we change others . The
primary goals of the movement then, are to prepare the world to
receive the Divine Consciousness and to enter the Age of Aquarius,
thus establishing the New World Order.
New Age Philosophy believes that
human evolution can be accelerated, if not in the entire mass of
humanity, at least in suitable individuals. Human nature is
perfectible, through an intensive process of purification and
Initiation.
The New Age Movement is secular &
universally diffused over the earth's surface & its basic
underlying philosophy emphasizes Gnosticism and Occultism. (Gnosticism
is an ancient philosophy stating that Divine essence is the highest
reality, and that the Self of man is actually this Essence. Behind the
phenomenal world is the Transcendent Reality which Intuition alone can
see ). It bears a remarkable resemblance to the Universal Religion
that H.G. Wells predicted would one day take over the world.
The six main characteristics of New
Age thinking are: (1) All is Unity; (2) All is Divine (3) Humanity is
divine (4) A change in Consciousness; (5) All religions are One; and
(6) Cosmic Evolutionary optimism.
Basically Dialectical Integralism,
New Age Philosophy unites both Matter and Spirit.
Spirit shall see through Matter's
gaze
Matter shall reveal the Spirit's face
!
The 13 main principles of New Age
Philosophy are:
(1) One Global Order - One World
Governement, One Currency, One Universal Being.
(2) Universal Energy, Universal
Matter, Universal Life, Universal Soul As God
(3) An Eternal Universe - Uniform in
Space and Unending in Time
(4) Divine practices ( Astrology Yoga
& other esoteric arts)
(5) Syncretism ( Unity of all
Religions ).
(6) The need for Meditation ( for
generating altered states of Consciousness );
(7) Life is Cyclical- Everything is
cyclical, subject to the cyclical upheavals of Time.
(8) Holistic Medicine &
Vegetarianism (The patient is more important than the Doctor &
Alkaline diet)
(9) Pacifism ( Anti-war activities);
(10) Reincarnation; ( The Law of
Conservation of Soul )
(11) The Evolution of Man into
Divinity; ( The latent Life Force evolving naturally to the Divine )
(12) The Union of Man with the
Divine; ( Merger of man into the Infinite )
(13) Matter's Illusoriness; - Esse
est percipii - Perception is Essence; Mind is Substance.
The practices of the New Age are
psychic practices like : Astrology, Reiki, Bioenergy, Chi energy,
Chakras, Nirvana, Christ- Consciousness, Spiritualism, Native American
Spirituality, Prajna, Out-of-body/near- death experiences,
Reincarnation, Yoga, Meditation and the occult disciplines, as well as
psychotherapeutic techniques and scientific applications of the
healing powers of crystals and pyramids.
Some commonly used New Age terms are:
Quantum Healing, Transmutation, Transfiguration, Guided Imagery,
Reincarnation; Positive Thinking; Human Potential; Holistic;
Holographic; Synergistic; Unity; Oneness; Transformation; Awakening;
Zetworking; Communal Sharing; One-world/globalism/new world order
(i.e., One language, One Government, One currency, One religion);
Cosmic Consciousness; Zodiac, etc.
Some New Age practices are:
Transcendental Meditation, Parapsychology, Inner healing; Biofeedback;
Yoga; I Ching; Reflexology; Therapeutic Touch; Transpersonal
Psychology; Witchcraft; ; Magick; Tai Chi; Shamanism; Hypnotherapy;
Acupuncture/Acupressure; Martial arts; Zen; Relaxation; Silva Method
(formerly Silva Mind Control); Visualization; etc.
Some prominent New Agers are: Jeremy
Rifkin, Norman Cousins, Elizabeth Clare Prophet, John Denver, George
Lucas, Norman Lear, Alice Bailey, Alvin Toffler, Dr. Barbara Ray,
Benjamin Creme, Levi Dowling, George Trevelyan, Fritjof Capra, Abraham
Maslow, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Ruth Montgomery, Shirley MacLaine, J.Z.
Knight, Marilyn Ferguson and David Spangler.
Soothing audio environments are
created by New Age musicians and they believe rightly that Music has
psycho-therapeutic properties. ( This concept is derived from the
Vedic Philosophy that All music is Samaveda, the 4th Veda of the
Indians ). Born of an interest in spirituality and healing in the late
1970s, it is often used as an aid in meditation.
Essentially meditative, New Age Music
is soothing to the Soul. Isnt Music defined as the food for the Soul ?
Harmonic consonance, uplifting themes, contemplative melodies &
nonlinear song forms are the characteristics of New Age music. Even
natural sounds or sounds from Nature and traditional electronic
instruments are used by New Age musicians. With roots in classical
music or Eastern Music, New Age music is often meditative. Prominent
New Age musicians include vocalist Liz Story; harpist Andreas
Vollenweider, electric violinist Jean-Luc Ponty , electronic-music
pioneer Brian Eno, multi-instrumentalist Kitaro & solo-piano
artist George Winston.
New Age practices have almost
conquered the world. Athletes are using guided imagery. Graduate
schools of business are invoking T M, Yoga, and Tarot cards in
teaching courses on creativity in business (e.g., Stanford Graduate
School of Business). Based upon Astrology, the Science of Time, stock
market gurus employ Fibonacci numbers and "Wave Theory" in
their forecasting.
We can summarize that the term New
Age is an innovative term derived from the mother of all sciences,
Astrology, indicating that this earth is undergoing an evolutionary
transitional phase from the Piscean Age of Scientism to the Aquarian
Age of Divine Wisdome, Cosmic Consciousness , Knowledge and Love.
Since the New Age is a conglomeration
of spiritual practices, let us analyze the basic principles of N A M
1. The Divine Source of Authority.
New Agers do not claim any source of authority -- Only Inspiration by
the Divine. By the Divine we mean a principle within, the Divine Spark
or the Self and many are there who receive the revelations of the Self
within or the intuitive insights of the Self.
2. The Lord. - Since Matter and
Energy can neither be created or destroyed and the sum total energy in
the Universe is an absolute constant ( Universal Being ), the Lord did
not create the world, He became the world. Monism --( "All is
Unity" ) avers that there is only One Essence in the universe,
everyone and everything being a part of that essence. The Self is an
utter Being and all these are its Becomings. New Agers view God as an
Impersonal Life force, Consciousness, or Energy (e.g., the "Star
Wars Force") mainly but they also believe in His personal aspect,
as the Ocean ( which is Formless ) can take the form of an iceberg!
They averr that every human has a divine spark within him because all
created beings are reflections of the Divine Idea. The eternal state
is called by various terms among different New Age groups, i.e.,
God-consciousness, Universal Love, Self-Realization, the I AM, Higher
Self, Brahman, Nirvana, etc.
2. The Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Christ
Consciousness or the Divine Consciousness is what the New Age
advocates mean by Christ. . In other words, Christ is a Divine
Principle rather than an individual, such as Jesus. This idea of
Christ Consciousness asserts that Jesus was only one of the Christs,
but that He equipped Himself to receive the Christ Consciousness
(i.e., He was a great Master who attained Christ Consciousness), as
did other prophets like Buddha, Krishna, and Mohammed. New Agers
believe Dr Paul Brunton who stated the Jesus spent 18 years in India
absorbing Indian Mysticism and that he was initiated into the highest
esoteric doctrine.
3. Human Destiny. Man is the measure
of all things and is more divine than the animals & hence the
salvation of the world depends upon Man. Cleansing the negative
elements from the collective subconscient should be the aim of
humanity. Once Negativity is cleaned from the collective subconscient,
the human positive energy will shine forth and the noble ideals of the
New Age will be actualized in an era of Enlightenment. Since man is
intrinsically divine and perfect, his only real problem is ignorance
of that fact. Gnosis means experiential knowledge and Salvation in the
New Age is for man to become enlightened through this Divine Gnosis.
New Age groups offer various spiritual techniques to enable
individuals, and ultimately the world, to evolve into this Unitive
Consciousness . These techniques may include psychotechnologies for
attaining altered states of consciousness - Transcendental Meditation,
Yoga, Zen, Attunement , Channeling (Spirit guides), Psychics,
Acupuncture, etc.
4. The Ethical Opposites, Good &
Evil - Believing in the Oriental philosophies, New Agers make the
distinction between good and evil. All wickedness is weakness and Evil
is imperfection. By the method of Trial and Error, we come to know
what is good and what is bad for the world and we have to transcend
the dualities.
5. Reincarnation. New Agers believe
in the ancient Vedic philosophic concept of Reincarnation -- that
through a long process of rebirths, man can eventually attain Divine
perfection. They also teach the Universal Law of Karma --(( The Law of
Cause and Effect ( Every effect has a cause ), the Law of Action and
Reaction, the Law of Retribution ))- that what a person sows , he
shall reap. This is also the doctrine of God's non-responsibility,
that the Self is not responsible and it is the Ego which experiences
bitter & sweet mental experiences due to its own Karma.
6.Salvation is Self-Actualisation and
Sin is Ignorance - Some theoreticians taught the concept of Man's
Original Sin. New Age exponents teach the concept of man's essential
goodness. Instead of systems which emphasized the human negative
aspect and sin, New Age highlights that every man is essentially
divine and it is a sin to call man a sinner ! However, New Agers speak
of troublesome desires which are natural impulses which retard human
evolution and make the Ego move away from the Self. Sin is merely
ignorance of man's essential divinity. The atrophied spiritual
consciousness of the normal man who lives in ignorance of his Divine
Self is Sin. Like the Law of Conservation of Energy which states that
Energy cannot be created or destroyed, the Law of Conservation of Soul
states that the Soul can neither be created nor destroyed. Matter
exists in 3 states, liquid, gaseous and solid and matter cannot be
created or destroyed. Nothing ever begins to be. Similarly Life does
not at physical birth begin to be. It merely enters physical
conditions and assumes physical guise. It merely undergoes a parallel
transformation into conditions which preexisted in other conditions.
The Soul is reincarnated in different bodies in a continuous
succession of lives. The good or bad Karma earned in the present
lifetime determines one's subsequent incarnation. Attaining higher
states of Consciousness should be our aim. There are many different
paths to the goal of Divine perfection and we should be tolerant of
other paths.
The divine Aurobindo predicted that
spiritual influences from India will trigger off a global spiritual
movement. There will be Mass Incarnations ( many people divinely
inspired ) who will work for World Peace and Universal Love !
I saw them cross the twilight of the
Age
The massive barrier breakers of this
world
The sun-eyed children of a marvelous
dawn
The architects of immortality
Carrying the magic Word, the mystic
Fire
Carrying the Dionysian Cup of Joy !
The four systems of Philosophy which
triggered the N A M are Hinduism, a product of 5,000 years of
development, Buddhism, circa 560 B.C., Taoism, circa 500 B.C &
Druidism, circa 300 B.C, the religion of the Celts, which extended
upto the Middle Ages.
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About The Author
Article by G Kumar, Astrologer & Epistemologist of www.astrologiavedica.com,
www.eastrovedica.com
& www.astrognosis.com.
Recently he was awarded a Certificate by the Planetary
Gemologists Association ( www.p-g-a.org ) as a Planetary Gem
Advisor. He has 25 years psychic research experience in the
esoteric arts. To subscribe to his Free ezine, the Z Files,
click here. mailto:zodiac20@vsnl.com?subject=subscribe.
He is contactable at zodiac20@vsnl.com.
Address of his physical shop is Zodiac Computers, 3/528 Tkss
Bldgs, East Nada, Guruvayur Kerala, India 680101. Office Phone
+91 0487-552851. Home Phone +91 0487-422060. He has compiled
Free Ebooks on AstroNumerology, Vedic Astrology & Pranic
Therapy
zodiac20@vsnl.com |
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