New_Age_History

The New Age Movement has no central belief system or doctrine. Rather, it's a syncretic movement that allows for all faiths and spiritual expressions. However, there are many people that follow a particular religious path while adding New Age practices to their experience.

When did the New Age movement begin? It's really hard to say. The New Age movement is really "old" age in the sense that it borrows from many ancient Eastern traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism. However, there are also influences from Gnostic traditions, mystical sects of Christianity and Sufism, Theosophy, and even Paganism. The New Age movement is a spiritual buffet where you can take what works for you, and leave that which doesn't.

It seems that the New Age movement became popular in the 1970's when people were looking for answers to slake their spiritual thirst. Perhaps it was a result of the 60's counter-culture in America who were not finding answers within traditional Christianity or secular humanism. Instead of choosing one or the other, some chose neither, and set out for new spiritual territories and experiences that weren't on the proverbial menu. Thus, an "alternative" spiritual movement began to gain momentum.

Organized religions tend to have formalized religious practices and structures. God and truth are reached through a central path, spiritual figure, and/or sacred text. Members of organized religion look to their ministers, texts, and doctrines for cues as to "how am I driving"? Those who are in the New Age Movement tend to shy away from structured religion and dogma, preferring a direct spiritual experience with the Divine. There is a relativism and subjectivism within the New Age that is often the brunt of ridicule from scientists and fundamentalists alike. However, that is beginning to change as more people are discovering the connections between mind and body and spirituality and science. Even esoteric spiritual traditions offer astonishing prescience for scientific discoveries. In the late 1800's, Madame Blatavasky, founder of the Theosophical movement, commented "and can it be that light is also substance?", as well as other insights which show a foreknowledge of the wave/particular duality of light. This was, of course, quite contrary to the established science of the day.

Those within the New Age value intuition and personal experience above all, which is why they are relativists and subjectivists. As such, it's difficult to come up with a list of common practices and beliefs. Some people engage in quite a few New Age practices, while some just use a few in addition to a more formal religious path.

Here are some common beliefs and practices within the New Age:

1. Humanity is entering the Age of Aquarius. The New Age Movement and the Aquarian Age is virtually synonymous. Aquarius is a sign of the Zodiac known as The Water Bearer. The association with Aquarius is a servant of humanity pouring out the water of knowledge to quench the thirst of the world during a time of spiritual drought. In Astrology, the Earth passes into a new sign of the Zodiac every 2,000 years. Some believe that the Earth entered the constellation of Aquarius in the 19th Century, which means that the present era is the "dawning of the Age of Aquarius". What is interesting is that the previous 2,000 were spent in the constellation of Pisces. The symbol of Pisces is two fish swimming in opposite directions. The fish (ichthus) is a symbol of Christianity, and many link Christianity with the Piscean Age. In esoteric symbolism, the fish represent duality and cross purposes. It's a very "us vs. them" mentality, which includes struggles like church against state, science against religion, spirituality against materialism, right vs. wrong, evil vs. good, etc. In the Piscean age, there was a focus on the external. Many forgot they were spirit having a physical experience.

The Aquarian Age, however, is a re-membering of our essential nature as spirit. It's a deconstruction of destructive indoctrination and dogmatism, as well as a crumbling of material greed, Ego, and power struggles. It's discovering the Kingdom of God within, and looking inward to the Divine Spark for satisfaction, growth, and enlightenment. Service to humanity, love, and self-realization are some of the characteristics of Aquarius.

It's interesting to note that 4,000 BCE was the the sign of Taurus the bull, and worshipping the golden calf was common in the Middle East during that time. Aries the Ram, circa 2,000 BCE, was a time when Jews engaged in widespread ritual sacrifice of sheep and other animals in the temple. Enter the age of Pisces circa 1st century CE when many Jews walked away from animal sacrifice and instead embraced the teachings of Christianity.

Some believe that characteristics of the Piscean Age are "lower energies" such as greed, jealousy, ego, and ignorance, whereas the Aquarian Age will feature "higher energies" such as peace, love, truth, and self-less behavior. Instead of having an external source attempting to say what is right and wrong, humanity will evolve to the point that individuals and the collective will know intuitively right from wrong.

2. Metaphysics is the study of "first causes" and the study of being and knowing. Metaphysics explores the root causes and nature of physical reality, as well as the relationship between mind and matter.

3. A belief that everything is connected, that God is in all and among all, and thus, all is One.

4. One truth, many paths. We're all heading towards the top of the mountain, ultimately. The path you take there is irrelevant.

5. Love is the unifying force of the cosmos. God is love. Fear is the opposite of love, and the result of the illusion that we are separate from the Divine and each other.

6. There are no accidents. Everything happens for a reason. Synchronicity is meaningful coincidences that stems from the Jungian theory of causality.

7. Everything is energy and is in a constant state of movement. Rocks appear solid, but their atoms are just vibrating very slowly. The heavier the object, the slower the vibration. Likewise, emotions and thoughts have energy signatures. Emotions such as anger, jealousy and fear vibrate at lower rates whereas emotions such as love, peace, and joy vibrate at higher levels. Because mind and body are connected, it is believed that sickness arises because of lower level vibrations. Modern medicine is now acknowledging what mystics and spiritual masters have known for centuries: emotions such as fear and anger are not conducive to health. The Bible states "laughter does good like a medicine". Laughter, like other positive emotions, is healing.