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New Age

The term New Age describes a broad movement of late 20th century and contemporary Western culture Western culture

Western culture or Western civilization is a term used to refer to the culture [i]s of the people ... 

, characterised by an individual eclectic approach to spiritual exploration. Collectively, New Age has some attributes of an emergent religion Religion

Religion is a system of social coherence based on a common group of belief [i]s or attitudes concerning ... 

, but it is too diverse and diffuse to qualify. Many of the ideas of the New Age movement are elements of older spiritual and religious traditions, from both east and west, melded with modern ideas from science especially psychology and ecology. Out of the movement have come a wide-ranging literature on spirituality, new musical styles and even crafts - most visible in specialty shops and New Age fair Fair

A fair is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals... 

s.

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For the song, see New Age New Age

The term New Age describes a broad movement of late 20th century and contemporary Western culture [i], c ... 

.


The term New Age describes a broad movement of late 20th century and contemporary Western culture Western culture

Western culture or Western civilization is a term used to refer to the culture [i]s of the people... 

, characterised by an individual eclectic approach to spiritual exploration. Collectively, New Age has some attributes of an emergent religion Religion

Religion is a system of social coherence based on a common group of belief [i]s or attitudes concerning ... 

, but it is too diverse and diffuse to qualify.

Many of the ideas of the New Age movement are elements of older spiritual and religious traditions, from both east and west, melded with modern ideas from science especially psychology and ecology. Out of the movement have come a wide-ranging literature on spirituality, new musical styles and even crafts - most visible in specialty shops and New Age fair Fair

A fair is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals... 

s. The name "New Age" also refers to part of the LOHAS market segment in which its goods and services are sold to people in the movement.

Definitions

Though there are no formal or definitive boundaries for membership, those who are likely to sample many diverse teachings and practices and to formulate their own beliefs and practices based on their experiences can be considered as New Age.
Rather than following the lead of an organised religion, "New Agers" typically construct their own spiritual journey based on material taken as needed from the mystical Mysticism

Mysticism from the Greek [i] ?st???? "an initiate" is the pursuit of achieving communi ... 

 traditions of the worlds religion Religion

Religion is a system of social coherence based on a common group of belief [i]s or attitudes concerning ... 

s, also including shamanism Shamanism

Shamanism refers to a range of traditional beliefs and practices similar to Animism [i] that claim the ... 

, neopaganism and occultism.

Most New Age practices and beliefs may be characterized as a form of alternative spirituality or alternative religion. Even apparent exceptions, such as alternative medicine or traditional medicine practices, often have some spiritual dimension — such as a conceptual integration of mind, body, and spirit.

The term New Age is generally limited to a Western or modern context where the Judeo-Christian tradition and/or Positivism are dominant, so the use of "alternative" in New Age thought generally implies a contrast with these dominant religious and/or scientific beliefs. Hence, many New Age ideas and practices contain either explicit or implied critiques of organised mainstream Christianity Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic [i] religion [i] centered on Jesus of Nazareth [i] ... 

 —emphasis on meditation suggests that simple prayer and faith is insufficient. Belief in reincarnation Reincarnation

"Past Lives" redirects here.... 

  challenges familiar Christian doctrines of the afterlife.

History


The name New Age was popularized by the American mass media during the late 1980s 1980s

The 1980s [i] officially refers to the years from 1980 [i] to 1989 [i]. ... 

,
to describe the alternative spiritual subculture interested in such things as meditation Meditation

The term Meditation describes a variety of practices with a variety of goals.... 

, channelling, reincarnation Reincarnation

"Past Lives" redirects here.... 

, crystals Crystal power

Crystal power is a belief that crystal [i]s have healing [i], mystical [i] and paranormal [i] ... 

, psychic experience, holistic health, environmentalism, other fields associated with pseudoscience Pseudoscience

A pseudoscience is any body of alleged knowledge, methodology, belief, or practice that claims to be sci... 

 and anomalous phenomena, and various “unsolved mysteries” such as UFO Unidentified flying object

A UFO or Unidentified Flying Object is any real or apparent flying object which cannot be identifi... 

s, Earth mysteries and Crop circle Crop circle

Crop circles are areas of cereal [i] or similar crops [i] that have been systematically flat ... 

s. Typical activities of this subculture include participation in study or meditation groups, attendance at lectures and fairs; the purchase of books, music, and other products such as crystals or incense; and patronage of fortune-tellers, healers and spiritual counselors.


The New Age subculture already existed in the 1970s 1970s

The 1970s decade [i] refers to the years from 1970 [i] to 1979 [i], inclusive. ... 

, and arguably continued themes from the 1960s 1960s

The 1960s decade [i] refers to the years from 1960 [i] to 1969 [i], inclusive. ... 

 counterculture Counterculture

In sociology [i], counterculture is a term used to describe a cultural group [i] whose values and norms ... 

. Earlier generations would have recognized some, but not all, of the New Age's constituent elements under the practices of Spiritualism Spiritualism

Spiritualism is a religious movement [i], prominent from the 1840s to the 1920s, found primarily in Engl ... 

, Theosophy Theosophy

Theosophy, literally "knowledge of the divine", is a body of ideas which holds that all religion [i]s ar ... 

, or some forms of New Thought / the Metaphysical movement, all of which date back to the nineteenth century, as does alternative health. These movements in turn have roots in Transcendentalism, Mesmerism, Swedenborgianism Swedenborgianism

Swedenborgianism is the ecclesiastical organization [i] of beliefs developed from the writings of ... 

, and various earlier Western esoteric or occult traditions, such as the Hermetic arts of astrology Astrology

Astrology is a group of system [i]s, tradition [i]s, and belief [i]s in which knowledge of the relative ... 

, magic, alchemy Alchemy

Alchemy refers to both an early form of the investigation of nature [i] and an early philosophical [i]... 

, and cabbala Kabbalah

Kabbalah literally means a "receiving", in the sense of a "received tradition".... 

.

In the English-speaking world, we should make special mention of study groups devoted to American trance-diagnostician Edgar Cayce Edgar Cayce

Edgar Cayce was an American psychic [i] who channeled [i] answers to question ... 

, who inspired many of today's channelers. The British neo-Theosophist Alice Bailey Alice Bailey

Alice A. Bailey , writer [i] and lecturer [i] on Neo-Theosophy [i], was born in England [i] in 1880 [i] ... 

's writings may have supplied the term New Age in reference to the transition from the astrological age Astrological age

An astrological age is a time period in astrology [i] which is believed to cause major changes in the Earth [i] ... 

 of Pisces to that of Aquarius. Another claimant for the term is the American artist mystic and philosopher Walter Russell spoke in an essay of "…this New Age philosophy of the spiritual re-awakening of man…" published in 1944. The Findhorn Foundation Findhorn Foundation

The Findhorn Foundation is a Scottish [i] charitable trust [i] registered in 1972 [i] to act as ... 

, an early New Age intentional community in northern Scotland founded in 1962 played a significant role. The movement in Russia has been heavily influenced by the legacy of Nicholas Roerich Nicholas Roerich

Nicholas Roerich, also known as Nikolai Konstantinovich Rerikh, was a Russian [i] painter [i] ... 

 and Helena Roerich, who taught in the Theosophical tradition. Another former Theosophist, Rudolf Steiner Rudolf Steiner

Rudolf Steiner was an Austria [i]n philosopher [i], literary scholar [i], architect [i], playwright [i] ... 

 and his anthroposophical movement Anthroposophy

Anthroposophy is a spiritual science [i] founded by Rudolf Steiner [i]. ... 

, is a major influence, especially upon German-speaking New Agers. In Brazil, followers of Spiritist Spiritism

Spiritism is a philosophical [i] doctrine [i] established in France [i] in the mid 19th Century [i] ... 

 writer Allan Kardec Allan Kardec

*The Spirits' Book [i]
... 

  blend with the Africanized folk traditions of Candomblé Candomblé

Candombl is an African religion [i] practiced chiefly in Brazil [i] but also in adjacent countries.... 

 and Umbanda.



Key moments in raising public awareness of this subculture include the publication of Linda Goodman's best selling astrology Astrology

Astrology is a group of system [i]s, tradition [i]s, and belief [i]s in which knowledge of the relative ... 

 books Sun Signs and Love Signs , the Harmonic Convergence organized by Jose Arguelles in Sedona, Arizona in 1987; and the wave of interest in the broadcast of Shirley MacLaine Shirley MacLaine

Shirley MacLaine is an Academy Award [i]-winning American [i] actress, well ... 

's television mini-series Out on a Limb . This was an autobiographical account of her mid-life spiritual exploration. Also influential are the claims of channelers such as Jane Roberts Jane Roberts

Jane Roberts was an American author, poet and psychic [i]. ... 

  and J.Z. Knight , as well as revealed writings such as A Course In Miracles  , , The Celestine Prophecy The Celestine Prophecy

The Celestine Prophecy is a 1993 novel by James Redfield [i].... 

  , Mutant Message Down Under , and Conversations with God .

The question of which contemporary cultural elements ought to be included under the name of "New Age" is quite vexing. New Age channelers have many points of similarity with Spiritualist mediums. Many spiritual movements, such as neo-paganism and transpersonal psychology partially overlap with it. Many groups prefer to distance themselves from the possible negative connotations of the "New Age" name such as the media hoopla, commercialism, and perhaps hucksterism. For example, key individuals in the New Thought Movement, such as Ernest Holmes, have focused on a more scientific approach and do not share New Age beliefs in reincarnation Reincarnation

"Past Lives" redirects here.... 

, magic, or channeling. Major attempts to present the New Age as a values-based sociopolitical movement included Mark Satin Mark Satin

Mark Satin is a U.S. [i] lawyer [i] and editor of the online political periodical Radica... 

's New Age Politics , Theodore Roszak's Person/Planet , Marilyn Ferguson's Aquarian Conspiracy , and Gordon Davidson and Corinne McLaughlin's Spiritual Politics . The New Age is a wide menu of ideas and activities, from which participants in the subculture select their own preferred streams to patronise or identify with.

Since around 2000 the New Age movement is sometimes referred to as the New Edge New Edge

New Edge was the name given to a style of automobile design [i] used by Ford Motor Company [i] for many ... 

.

Beliefs

Those categorizing themselves following as New Agers have multifarious beliefs; nevertheless, certain themes emerge.

All humanity—indeed all life, everything in the universe—is spiritually interconnected, participating in the same energy Vitalism

Vitalism, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is
... 

. “God” is one name for this energy . Spiritual beings exist, and will guide us, if we open ourselves to their guidance.

The human mind has deep levels and vast powers, which are capable even of overriding physical reality. “You create your own reality.” Nevertheless, this is subject to certain spiritual laws, such as the principle of cause and effect . The individual has a purpose here on earth, in the present surroundings, because there is a lesson to learn. The most important lesson is love. Death is not the end. There is only life in different forms. What some refer to as an afterlife does not punish us but teaches us, perhaps through the mechanisms of reincarnation Reincarnation

"Past Lives" redirects here.... 

 or near-death experiences Near-death experience

A near-death experience is the perception reported by a person who nearly died or who was clinically dead [i] ... 

.

New Age shares with many major world religions the idea that intuition or "divine guidance" is a more appropriate guide than rationalism, skepticism, or the scientific method Scientific method

Scientific method is a body of techniques for investigating phenomena [i] and acquiring new knowledge [i] ... 

. Western science wrongly neglects such things as parapsychology, meditation, and holistic health.
There exists a mystical core within all religions, Eastern and Western. Dogma and religious identity are not so important. The Bible Bible

The Bible , is the name used by Jews [i] and Christians [i] for their differing canons [i]... 

 is considered by some, but not all, to be a wise and holy book. Many important truths are found in the Bible, or are referred to only very obliquely. Some say that Jesus Jesus

Jesus,Some of the historians and Biblical scholars who place the birth and death of Jesus within this ra... 

 was an Essene, or that he traveled to India in his youth to study Eastern religions. Others say that Jesus was a later avatar Avatar

In Hindu [i] philosophy, an avatar, avatara or avatarim, most commonly refers to the incarnation [i] ... 

 of Buddha Buddha

In Buddhism [i], a Buddha is any being who has become fully awakened, has permanently overcome greed [i] ... 

.
Feminine forms of spirituality, including feminine images of the divine, such as the female Aeon Sophia in Gnosticism, are viewed as having been subordinated, masked, or obliterated by patriarchal movements that were widely practiced when sacred teachings were first committed to writing. A renaissance of the feminine is particularly appropriate at this time.

Meditation Meditation

The term Meditation describes a variety of practices with a variety of goals.... 

, yoga Yoga

Yoga, meaning union in Sanskrit [i], is a family of ancient spiritual practices, and also a school of sp ... 

, t'ai chi ch'üan, and other Eastern practices are valuable and worthwhile. A certain critical mass of people with a highly spiritual consciousness will bring about a sudden change in the whole population. See Hundredth Monkey.

Science and spirituality are ultimately harmonious. New discoveries in science, e.g. evolution Evolution

In biology [i], evolution is the change in the heritable [i] traits [i] of a population [i] ... 

 and quantum mechanics Quantum mechanics

Quantum mechanics is a first quantized [i] quantum theory [i] that supersedes classical mechanics [i] ... 

, when rightly understood, point to spiritual principles.

An appeal to the language of nature and mathematics, as evidenced by numerology in Kabbala Kabbalah

Kabbalah literally means a "receiving", in the sense of a "received tradition".... 

, gnosticism Gnosticism

Gnosticism is a term created by modern scholars to describe a collection of religious groups, many of wh... 

 etc., to discern the nature of god.
Some New Age writers influenced by Kabbala Kabbalah

Kabbalah literally means a "receiving", in the sense of a "received tradition".... 

 are moving away from the association of life and afterlife with karma and instead emphasizing our collective creative work and responsibility.

The food you eat has an effect on your mind as well as your body. It is generally preferable to eat fresh organic Organic food

Organic food is food [i] produced according to organic standards, which means crops grown without the us... 

 vegetarian Vegetarianism

Vegetarianism is the practice of not consuming meat [i], with or without the use of other animal derivat... 

 food.

Ultimately every interpersonal relationship has the potential to be a helpful experience in terms of our own growth. We learn about ourselves through our relationships with other people by getting to see what we need to work on ourselves and what strengths we bring to the other party in order to help them in their life. All our relationships are destined to be repeated until they are healed, if necessary over many lifetimes. As Souls seeking wholeness, our goal is eventually to learn to love everyone we come in contact with.

Ancient civilizations such as Atlantis Atlantis

Atlantis is the name of an island first mentioned and described by the classical Greek [i] ... 

 may truly have existed, leaving behind certain relics and monuments whose true nature has not been discovered by mainstream historians.
Certain geographic locations are believed to emanate special energy, which may be male or female in character. Many such places may have been considered sacred in the worlds religions or as healing places by indigenous native populations. Sacred places Rocks and crystals have special psychic energies and can be an aid to meditation and healing.

There are no coincidences . Everything around you has spiritual meaning, and spiritual lessons to teach you. You are meant to be here, and are always exactly where you need to be to learn from what confronts you. The mind has hidden powers and abilities, which have a spiritual significance. Dreams and psychic experiences are ways in which our souls express themselves. A positive attitude supported by affirmations will achieve success in anything.

There is a Cosmic goal. There is typically a belief that all entities are cooperating in some cosmic goal of achieving a "higher" or more complete coherence with a cosmic "consciousness" , often described as an evolutionary process or simply to learn. This underlying cosmic goal gives direction to all events, reducing the concept of coincidence to one of ignorance of hidden meaning.

Criticism

Major criticisms of the New Age have emerged from both philosophical and scientific views that seek to understand the nature of New Age notions. These often highlight the discrepancies between New Age's apparently irreconcilable mix of occultism and acceptance of the laws of physics. More extreme criticisms have emerged from evangelical Christians who reject all forms of occultism.

Religious and Spiritual Criticism

Some, including neo-pagans and particularly reconstructionist groups, who are frequently labeled as New Age, often find the term inappropriate since it appears to link them with beliefs and practices they do not espouse. Others think that the classification of beliefs and movements under New Age has little added value due to the vagueness of the term. Instead, they prefer to refer directly to the individual beliefs and movements. Indeed, use by religious conservatives, scientists and others has caused the term "New Age" to sometimes have a derogatory connotation.

Many adherents of traditional disciplines from cultures such as India India

India , officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia [i]. ... 

, China China

China is a cultural region [i] and ancient civilization [i] in East Asia [i]. ... 

, and elsewhere; a number of orthodox schools of Yoga Yoga

Yoga, meaning union in Sanskrit [i], is a family of ancient spiritual practices, and also a school of sp ... 

, Tantra, Qigong, Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda Ayurveda

Ayurveda or ayurvedic medicine is a form of alternative medicine [i] in use primarily in the Indian subcontinent [i] ... 

, and martial arts Martial arts

Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for combat [i]. ... 

 , groups with histories reaching back many centuries in some cases, eschew the Western label New Age, seeing the movement it represents as either not fully understanding or deliberately trivializing their disciplines or out right distortions.

Much of the strongest criticism of New Age eclecticism has come from American Indian Indigenous peoples of the Americas

The term Indigenous peoples of the Americas encompasses the inhabitants of the Americas [i] before the European discovery of the Americas [i] ... 

 writers and communities. The Declaration of War Against Exploiters of Lakota Spirituality is one of the strongest statements of disapprobrium from traditional tribal religious leaders. Other Natives who have issued statements against "white shamanism" include Wendy Rose, Leslie Marmon Silko and Geary Hobson. A dominant Native American argument is that New Age shaman Shamanism

Shamanism refers to a range of traditional beliefs and practices similar to Animism [i] that claim the ... 

s profit from tribal beliefs in a way that is fundamentally inconsistent with indigenous people Indigenous peoples

The term indigenous peoples has no universal, standard or fixed definition.... 

s' worldviews, while ignoring the communal Community

A community usually refers to a group [i] of people who interact and share certain things as a gr ... 

 aspects of indigenous people Indigenous peoples

The term indigenous peoples has no universal, standard or fixed definition.... 

s sacred beliefs and practices, such as among the Urarina Urarina

The Urarina are an indigenous people [i] of the Peruvian [i] Amazon [i] who inhabit the Chambira [i], Ur ... 

 of the Peruvian Peru

Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America [i], bordering Ecuador [i]... 

 Amazon. In the US, part of the criticism leveled at the New Age movement has also been the perpetuation of Native racial stereotyping , cultural fetishism and the distortions of historic and anthropological Anthropology

Anthropology consists of the study of humanity [i] . ... 

 insights into Native Americans' multiple and diverse ways of life and spirituality. This is abundantly clear when one contrasts the customary practice of ayahuasca Ayahuasca

The widely used Quechua [i] name ayahuasca has two highly interrelated yet distinc ... 

 shamanism Shamanism

Shamanism refers to a range of traditional beliefs and practices similar to Animism [i] that claim the ... 

 among the Urarina Urarina

The Urarina are an indigenous people [i] of the Peruvian [i] Amazon [i] who inhabit the Chambira [i], Ur ... 

, with New Age shamanism Shamanism

Shamanism refers to a range of traditional beliefs and practices similar to Animism [i] that claim the ... 

.

Rationalist and Academic criticism

Some critics of New Age also say that a true understanding of reason and empiricism produces just as rich an experience as the New Agers claim for themselves, but with emotions and feelings based on thinking and logic instead of the other way around. They also point out that the definition of empiricism is: "the view that experience, especially of the senses, is the only source of knowledge."

Strong criticism of new age beliefs comes from adherents of scientific skepticism. Adherents of scientific skepticism hold that one should question the veracity of claims, especially paranormal or extraordinary claims, unless such claims can be empirically tested. As scientists say science has been unable to find strong evidence of any paranormal activity, or to find ground for new-age beliefs, they sometimes take offense at the use of scientific terminology to promote what are considered unprovable religious beliefs.

Response to criticism

New Age proponents defend their beliefs by claiming that New Age philosophy and religions are not special and unique in having their beliefs overrule logic and reasoning. They point out that Christianity and all other major religions demand no less. New Age philosophy, however, does not come so much into conflict with science, as the major religions do. The New Age might not be scientific, but it actively tries to embrace, adapt and incorporate modern scientific theory into its beliefs.

Underlying assumptions

Judging by its name, the New Age movement ought to involve millenarian claims, perhaps of a glorious future age which is about to begin
.
As such it could theoretically be traced back to the time of Zoroaster Zoroaster

Zarathustra , sometimes referred to in English as Zoroaster was an ancient Iranian [i] ... 

, or to biblical apocalypticism. While such expectations are encountered often enough—e.g., the dawning of the Age of Aquarius Astrological age

An astrological age is a time period in astrology [i] which is believed to cause major changes in the Earth [i] ... 

, pole shifts and paradigm shift Paradigm shift

Paradigm shift is the term first used by Thomas Kuhn [i] in his 1962 [i] book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions [i] ... 

s, the imminent end of the Mayan calendar—the predominant themes of the New Age are mystical Mysticism

Mysticism from the Greek [i] ?st???? "an initiate" is the pursuit of achieving communi ... 

 rather than apocalyptic. Hence the widespread interest within this subculture in the mystical traditions within the world’s various religions, especially Vedanta, Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism is the body of religious Buddhist [i] doctrine and institutions characteristic ... 

, Zen Zen

Zen is a branch of Mahayana [i] Buddhism [i] which strongly emphasizes the practice of moment-by-moment ... 

, Sufism Sufism

Sufism or Irfan is a mystic [i] tradition [i] of Islam [i].
... 

, Taoism Taoism

Taoism is the English name for:The English word "Taoism" is used to translate the Chinese [i] ... 

, Shamanism Shamanism

Shamanism refers to a range of traditional beliefs and practices similar to Animism [i] that claim the ... 

, Kabbalah Kabbalah

Kabbalah literally means a "receiving", in the sense of a "received tradition".... 

, Gnosticism Gnosticism

Gnosticism is a term created by modern scholars to describe a collection of religious groups, many of wh... 

, and Esoteric Christianity of Christianity Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic [i] religion [i] centered on Jesus of Nazareth [i] ... 

.

In keeping with a relativist stance, New Agers believe they do not contradict traditional belief systems, but rather some of them say that they are concerned with the ultimate truths contained within those systems, separating these truths from false tradition and dogma. On the other hand, adherents of other religions often claim that the New Age movement has a vague or superficial understanding of these religious concepts, leaving out that which may seem "negative" or contradict contemporary Western values and that New Age attempts at religious syncretism are vague and self-contradictory. Some people within the New Age movement claim a particular interest in Buddhism, Hinduism, Sufism Sufism

Sufism or Irfan is a mystic [i] tradition [i] of Islam [i].
... 

, and Taoism — however eclectic or in-depth such an interest may be depends arbitrarily upon each individual's pursuit and focus.

New Age is syncretic in nature and has roots as a counter-cultural phenomenon. Thus New Age adherents tend to emphasize a relativist approach to truth, often referring to the Vedic statement of "one truth, but many paths," the mainstay of Hinduism Hinduism

[i]
... 

, which idea is also found in the later Zen Buddhist Zen

Zen is a branch of Mahayana [i] Buddhism [i] which strongly emphasizes the practice of moment-by-moment ... 

 spiritual dictum of "many paths, one mountain". This belief is not only an assertion of personal choice in spiritual matters, but also an assertion that truth itself is defined by the individual and his or her experience of it.

This relativism is not merely a spiritual relativism, but also extends to physical theories. Reality is considered largely from an experiential and subjective mode. Many New Age phenomena are not expected to be repeatable in the scientific sense, since they are presumed to be apparent only to the receptive mind; for example, telepathy may not be achievable by a skeptical mind, since a skeptical mind is not pre-conditioned to expect the phenomenon to exist.

The New Age worldview typically involves a mysticism-based view of describing and controlling the external world; for example, one might believe that tarot card reading works because of the "interconnectedness principle", rather than regarding the success of tarot card reading as evidence of the interconnectedness principle. The various New Age vitalist Vitalism

Vitalism, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is
... 

 theories of health and disease provide further examples.

Some New Age practices and beliefs could make use of what British anthropologist Sir James George Frazer James Frazer

* The Golden Bough [i], 2nd edition
... 

 termed magical thinking, in The Golden Bough The Golden Bough

The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion is a wide-ranging comparative study of mythology [i] ... 

. Common examples are the principle that objects once in contact maintain a practical link, or that objects that have similar properties exert an effect on each other.

In contrast to the scientific method Scientific method

Scientific method is a body of techniques for investigating phenomena [i] and acquiring new knowledge [i] ... 

, the failure of some practice to achieve expected results is not considered as a failure of the underlying theory, but as a lack of knowledge about extenuating circumstances. This stance has led some skeptics to pronounce the New Age movement to be primarily anti-intellectual Anti-intellectualism

Anti-intellectualism describes a sentiment of hostility towards, or mistrust of, intellectual [i]s and intellect [i]... 

 in nature.

The emphasis on subjective knowledge and experience is a connection between New Age beliefs and postmodernism. The shift to a feeling of control over one's expression of spirituality reflects a trend towards personal responsibility, as well as personal empowerment. Its populist origins help characterize the New Age approach. This emphasizes an individual's choice in spiritual matters; the role of personal intuition and experience over societally sanctioned expert opinion and an experiential definition of reality.

Language

Many adherents of belief systems characterised as New Age rely heavily on the use of metaphors to describe experiences deemed to be beyond the empirical. Consciously or unconsciously, New Agers tend to redefine vocabulary borrowed from various belief systems, which can cause some confusion as well as increase opposition from skeptics and the traditional religions. In particular, the adoption of terms from the language of science such as "energy", "energy fields", and various terms borrowed from quantum physics and psychology but not then applied to any of their subject matter, have served to confuse the dialog between science and spirituality, leading to derisive labels such as pseudoscience Pseudoscience

A pseudoscience is any body of alleged knowledge, methodology, belief, or practice that claims to be sci... 

 and psychobabble.

This phenomenon is additionally compounded by the propensity of some New Agers to pretend to esoteric meanings for familiar terms; the New Age meaning of the esoteric term is typically quite different from the common use, and is often described as intentionally inaccessible to those not sufficiently trained in the area of their use. See the following list:-



  • Forces. It is commonly held that there exist certain forces, independent of spiritual beings or agencies, and also distinct from forces as defined by science . These forces are elemental in nature; and are held to operate in an automatic fashion as part of the natural order .


  • Power. The "forces", and everything else, are energized by a mystical power that exists in varying degrees in all things. Power is transferable, through physical contact, sensory perception, or mere proximity. Power may be accumulated or depleted in a person or object through a variety of mechanisms, including fate and esoteric practices. This power is held to be physically observable as "auras" and "psi energy"; and when encountered in great concentration, may even be dangerous.


  • Energy. In some belief systems, "forces" and "power" may seem to merge; e.g., in the concept of "vital force Vitalism

    Vitalism, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is

... 

" that exists in so many traditional belief systems, and finds its expression in New Age concepts such as the alleged "energies Vitalism

Vitalism, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is
... 

" in Therapeutic Touch, Reiki or IRECA method and ideas of flowing streams of power in Earth, like "leylines" in Britain and Europe and earth energies addressed in the Chinese geomantic system of feng shui. The New Age use of the word "energy" should obviously not be confused with the scientific one.

  • Spirit. All beings are accompanied by a specific, intentional "energy" which corresponds to their consciousness, but is in some way independent of their corporeal existence. This energy typically is more primary than the physical entity, in the sense that it remains in some form after the physical death of that being.


  • Holism. A coherent, interconnected cosmos. Everything in the cosmos is actually or potentially interconnected, as if by invisible threads, not only in space but also across time. Further, it is held that every thing and every event that has happened, is happening, or will happen leaves a detectable record of itself in the cosmic "medium" such as the Akashic Records or the morphogenic field.

Medicine

Many people with a New Age perspective also adopt complementary and alternative medicine. Some rely on New Age treatments exclusively, while others use them in combination with conventional medicine. This approach is regarded as completely compatible with New age belief in the unity of mind, body, spirit, and the emphasis on things of a natural origin. Some noteworthy New Age techniques are herbal medicine Herbalism

Herbalism, also known as Herbal medicine and phytotherapy, is folk and traditional medicinal [i] ... 

, Ayurveda Ayurveda

Ayurveda or ayurvedic medicine is a form of alternative medicine [i] in use primarily in the Indian subcontinent [i] ... 

, acupuncture Acupuncture

Acupuncture or in Standard Mandarin [i], zhen jiu is a technique of inserting and manipulating needles ... 

, homeopathy Homeopathy

Homeopathy from the Greek words ?????, hmoios and p????, pthos , is a therapy that strives to ... 

, iridology Iridology

Iridology, also known as iridodiagnosis, is an alternative medicine [i] practice in which patterns ... 

, auras, and the use of crystal Crystal power

Crystal power is a belief that crystal [i]s have healing [i], mystical [i] and paranormal [i] ... 

s in healing therapy.

Some New Age writers have taken the belief that You create your own reality and applied it to disease with the conclusion that illnesses have a metaphysical Metaphysics

[i] concerned with explaining the nature of the [[World_|world]... 

 origin and can be treated by a deep evaluation of long held negative emotional and spiritual attitudes. This has a parallel in the Christian notion that "it is done unto you as you believe." Notably, Louise Hay has published books containing lists of diseases and the associated negative belief, accompanied by the correcting positive belief. A cure may be sought by repeating the correcting positive affirmation. This approach has its origins in Christian Science. It has been criticised as seeming to blame the sufferer for causing the condition. Its supporters claim the intent is to enlighten the individual so that he or she can change the thinking that exacerbates the condition.

Some followers of New Age thought may also believe certain individuals have the ability to heal, in a similar way to the healing practices reported to have been used by Jesus of Nazareth in the New Testament.

It should be noted that, when considered as actual medical techniques, most of these systems of treatment are viewed with extreme skepticism and even as quackery Quackery

Quackery is a derogatory term used to describe the unethical practice of promising health-related benefi... 

 by most scientific professionals. When tested using the same types of regimens as those applied to pharmaceutical drugs and surgical techniques , these systems rarely yield demonstrable improvements over standard techniques. Direct harm can result from a treatment such as acupuncture , from poorly prescribed herbal medicine or from an untrained person self-administering herbal medicines. Indirect harm can result when a person seeks new age treatment as a replacement for a proven scientific treatment, and in some cases this has resulted in death.

However, one benefit of New Age medicine's popularity, and its criticism of conventional medicine, has been to encourage many medical practitioners to pay closer attention to the entire patient's needs rather than just her or his specific disease . Such approaches, termed "holistic medicine", are now becoming more popular. Conventional medicine has recognised that a patient's state of mind can be crucial in determining the outcome of many diseases, and this perception has helped recast the roles of doctor and patient as more egalitarian.

Critics of New Age medicine continue to point out that without some kind of testing procedure, there is no way of separating those techniques, medicinal herbs, and lifestyle changes which actually contribute to increased health from those which have no effect, or which are actually deleterious to one's health. The National Institutes of Health, in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, are at 2005 carrying out research on determining which of these practices may be useful in support of conventional medical practice.

Music

See a longer description at the New Age music article

Although more rock than new age in genre, the 1967 successful musical Hair Hair

Hair is a filamentous outgrowth from the skin [i], found mainly in mammal [i]s.
... 

 with its opening song "Aquarius" and the memorable line "This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius" brought the New Age concept to the attention of a huge worldwide audience. The first actual use of the term in pop music was by American United States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., a... 

 rock and roll band The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground

The Velvet Underground was an American [i] rock [i] band first active from 1965 to ... 

 in their pessimistic 1969 song "New Age".

A large percentage of music described as of New Age genre is instrumental, and electronic. Arguably, this music has its roots in the 1970s 1970s

The 1970s decade [i] refers to the years from 1970 [i] to 1979 [i], inclusive. ... 

 with the works of such free-form jazz groups recording on the ECM label such as Oregon, the Paul Winter Group, and other pre-ambient bands; as well as ambient performers such as Brian Eno Brian Eno

Brian Peter George St. Jean le Baptiste de la Salle Eno is an English [i] electronic music [i]i ... 

. The Greek artist Yanni Yanni

Yanni,, is a Greek [i] keyboardist [i] and composer [i]. ... 

, one of the "superstars" of the New Age genre, relies heavily on synthesizers and instrumental "world music" sounds.

Vocal arrangements are also common. Enya Enya

Enya, birth name Eithne N Bhraonin , is the Republic of Ireland [i]'s best-selling solo artist and ... 

, although claiming her music is not of this genre, has won a New Age Grammy Grammy Award

The Grammy Awards , presented by the Recording Academy [i] ... 

 for her music which utilizes vocals in a variety of languages, including Latin. Less well known is Medwyn Goodall, who relies mainly on electronic keyboard effects, and includes acoustic guitar as well.

Music labeled New Age often has a vision of a better future, expresses an appreciation of goodness and beauty, even an anticipation, relevant to some event. Rarely does New Age music dwell on a problem with this world or its inhabitants; instead it offers a peaceful vision of a better world. Often the music is celestial, when the title names stars or deep space explorations. Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone

Ennio Morricone is an Italian composer [i] especially noted for his film score [i] ... 

 wrote the entire score for the movie Mission to Mars Mission to Mars

Mission to Mars is a 2000 U.S. [i] made movie [i] directed by Brian de Palma [i]. ... 

, and while the credits flash we hear All the Friends, New Age orchestral style. Additionally, instrumental albums often come with "liner notes" encouraging the music's use in meditation, and many albums have been recorded with specific design for this purpose.

While other genres like psy-trance Psychedelic trance

Psychedelic trance, often referred to as psytrance, is a form of electronic music [i] that develop ... 

/goa trance Goa trance

Goa trance is a form of electronic music [i] and is a style of trance music [i]. ... 

 are not associated with New Age in their philosophies they can in some ways be likened to a New Age perspective. Psy-trance, especially, suggests a fusion of transcendental feeling and the individual's connectedness with the cosmos. This experience and the dance culture surrounding it may carry cultural memes about technology, parapsychology, artificial intelligence, as well as a view that thoughts may in fact determine reality.

See also

  • Philosophical
    • Syncretism, Postmodernism, Karma, Vedas, Spirituality, Synchronicity, Myths, Mysteries, Aquarian Age Astrological age

      An astrological age is a time period in astrology [i] which is believed to cause major changes in the Earth [i] ... 

      , Transcendence, Multi-dimensionality, Odic force, Fanaa, Baqaa, Esoteric cosmology, Integral thought, Integral theory


  • Meditative
    • Qi, Qigong, Prayer Prayer

      Prayer is an active effort to communicate with a deity [i] or spirit, including a monotheist [i] ... 

      , Bhakti, Tantra, Meditation Meditation

      The term Meditation describes a variety of practices with a variety of goals.... 

      , Kundalini Kundalini

      Kundalini is a Sanskrit [i] word meaning either "coiled up" or "coiling like a snake." There are a ... 

      , Mandala Mandala

      Mandala is of Hindu [i] origin and is also used in most Dharmic religions [i], such as Buddhism [i] ... 

      , Trance, Muraqaba, Dhikr Dhikr

      Dhikr , ??? is the remembrance of God [i] commanded in the Qur'an [i] for all Muslims [i]. ... 




  • Music
    • New Age music, Circle dance, Grammy Award for Best New Age Album, Qawwali, Sufi whirling, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

      The Hare Krishna mantra [i], also referred to as the Maha Mantra [i], is a sixteen-word Vaishnava [i] ... 

      , Nambassa Nambassa

      ----

Nambassa was the name of a hippie [i]-conceived festival, held between 1976 and 1981 on large farms ... 



  • Spiritual/Religious
    • A Course In Miracles, Angel Angel

      An angel is a supernatural [i] being found in many religion [i]s. ... 

      s, Anthroposophy Anthroposophy

      Anthroposophy is a spiritual science [i] founded by Rudolf Steiner [i]. ... 

      , Christian anarchism, Cosmic Ordering Cosmic Ordering

      ... 

      , Dances of Universal Peace, Eckankar Eckankar

      Eckankar, Religion of the Light and Sound of God emphasizes the value of personal experiences as the mos... 

      , Goddess Worship, Hinduism Hinduism

      [i]

... 

, Jesus Jesus

Jesus,Some of the historians and Biblical scholars who place the birth and death of Jesus within this ra... 

, Kabbalah Kabbalah

Kabbalah literally means a "receiving", in the sense of a "received tradition".... 

, Spiritism Spiritism

Spiritism is a philosophical [i] doctrine [i] established in France [i] in the mid 19th Century [i] ... 

, New religious movements, New Thought Movement, Rosicrucian Rosicrucian

The Rosicrucian Order is a legendary and secretive Order publicly documented in the early 17th century.... 

, Scientology Scientology

Scientology is a body of teachings and related techniques developed by American [i] author ... 

, Shamanism Shamanism

Shamanism refers to a range of traditional beliefs and practices similar to Animism [i] that claim the ... 

, Spirit guides, Sufism Sufism

Sufism or Irfan is a mystic [i] tradition [i] of Islam [i].
... 

, Theosophy Theosophy

Theosophy, literally "knowledge of the divine", is a body of ideas which holds that all religion [i]s ar ... 

, Zen Zen

Zen is a branch of Mahayana [i] Buddhism [i] which strongly emphasizes the practice of moment-by-moment ... 

,

  • Contemporary new age teachers
    • Andrew Cohen, Michael Sharp, David Spangler, Benjamin Creme, Barry Long, Da Free John, Ram Dass Ram Dass

      Dr. Richard Alpert, later known as Baba Ram Dass, was a professor of psychology [i] at Harvard University [i] ... 

      , Louise L. Hay, Caroline Myss, Marianne Williamson Marianne Williamson

      Marianne Williamson

is a spiritual activist, author, lecturer and founder of the , a grass roots campa... 

, Leonard Orr, Carlos Castaneda, Rajneesh Rajneesh

Rajneesh Chandra Mohan Jain, better known during the 1970s [i] as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and later ... 

, Khwaja Shamsuddin Azeemi, Wayne Dyer, Mary Manin Morrissey Mary Manin Morrissey

Mary Manin Morrissey is a New Thought [i] minister from Oregon [i], U.S.A [i]. ... 

, Tiziano Terzani Tiziano Terzani

Tiziano Terzani was an Italian journalist and writer.... 

, Tony Samara, Deepak Chopra Deepak Chopra

Deepak Chopra, M.D. [i], is a medical doctor and writer in the United States [i] on spirituality [i], synchronicity [i] ... 

, Neale Donald Walsch Neale Donald Walsch

Neale Donald Walsch was born in Milwaukee [i] september 10, 1943, USA [i], and brought up as a Roman Catholic [i] ... 

, Carlos Seeker, Hisham Kabbani Hisham Kabbani

Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani claims to be a prominent Sufi Muslim [i], and a scholar of mainstream, tr ... 

, Kabir Helminski, Linda Goodman, Ken Wilber Ken Wilber

*Andrew Cohen [i]
  • Huston Smith [i]

... 

,Abraham-Hicks Esther Hicks

Esther Hicks is an American [i] spirit channeller [i], motivational speaker [i], an ... 



  • Health
    • Alternative medicine, Acupuncture Acupuncture

      Acupuncture or in Standard Mandarin [i], zhen jiu is a technique of inserting and manipulating needles ... 

      , Aromatherapy, Ayurveda Ayurveda

      Ayurveda or ayurvedic medicine is a form of alternative medicine [i] in use primarily in the Indian subcontinent [i] ... 

      , Biorhythms, Brainwaves Electroencephalography

      Electroencephalography is the neurophysiologic [i] measurement of the electrical [i] act... 

      , Breatharians, Crystals Crystal power

      Crystal power is a belief that crystal [i]s have healing [i], mystical [i] and paranormal [i] ... 

      , Chakra Chakra

      In Hinduism [i] and in some related Asia [i]n cultures, a chakra is thought to be a nexus of metaphysical [i] ... 

      s, Color Therapy Chromotherapy

      Chromotherapy, sometimes called colour therapy or colourology, is an [[alternative medicine]... 

      , Fruitarianism Fruitarianism

      Fruitarians are a subgroup of vegans [i] who eat mostly or only the fruit [i] of plant [i]s.

... 

, IRECA method, Iridology Iridology

Iridology, also known as iridodiagnosis, is an alternative medicine [i] practice in which patterns ... 

, Kirlian photography, Lotus Birth, Menstrual cup Menstrual cup

A menstrual cup is a type of cup or barrier worn by a female inside the vagina [i] during menstruation [i] ... 

, Reiki Reiki

Reiki is a form of spiritual healing [i] and spiritual practice [i] proposed for the treatment of physical [i] ... 

, Pyramid power, Self-help, Veganism Veganism

Veganism is a philosophy [i] and lifestyle [i] that avoids using animals and animal products for food, ... 

, Vegetarianism Vegetarianism

Vegetarianism is the practice of not consuming meat [i], with or without the use of other animal derivat... 

, Visualization

  • Native Religions
    • Shamanism Shamanism

      Shamanism refers to a range of traditional beliefs and practices similar to Animism [i] that claim the ... 

      ,


  • Social Movements
    • Encounter group movement, Large Group Awareness Trainings , MLMs, Rebirthing, Hundredth Monkey,
    • New age travellers New age travellers

      New age travellers or Peace Convoy are a peculiarly international social phenomenon consisting of ... 




  • New Age communities
    • Significant New Age communities exist in the following places: See New Age communities.


  • Consciousness
    • Astral projection, Angel Angel

      An angel is a supernatural [i] being found in many religion [i]s. ... 

      s, Dakini Dakini

      A dakini is a Tantric Buddhist [i] concept particularly prevalent in Tibet [i]. ... 

      , Auras, Consciousness Consciousness

      Consciousness is a quality of the mind [i] generally regarded to comprise qualities such as subjectivity [i] ... 

      , Elementals, Near-death experience Near-death experience

      A near-death experience is the perception reported by a person who nearly died or who was clinically dead [i] ... 

      , Out-of-body experience Out-of-body experience

      An out-of-body experience is an experience that typically involves a sensation of floating [i] outside o ... 

      , Reincarnation Reincarnation

      "Past Lives" redirects here.... 

      , Soul travel, Past life regression, Double bodies, anomalous phenomena


  • Special Abilities
    • Automatic writing, Charismatics, Clairvoyance, Dream Dream

      A dream is the experience of envisioned images, voices, or other sensations during sleep.... 

      ing, ESP, Levitation Levitation

      Levitation is the process by which an object is suspended against gravity [i], in a stable position, by ... 

      , Oracles, Psychic phenomenon, Psychokinesis, Remote viewing, Palmistry Chiromancy

      Chiromancy or cheiromancy,, is the art of characterization and foretelling the future through the ... 

      , Sorcery, Telepathy, Channeling, Longevity


  • Geographic Energy Centers
    • Avalon, Sacred site List of holy cities

      This is a list of cities that various groups regard as holy [i]. ... 

      s, Bermuda Triangle Bermuda Triangle

      The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a geographical area in the Atlantic Ocean [i]... 

      , Atlantis Atlantis

      Atlantis is the name of an island first mentioned and described by the classical Greek [i] ... 

      , Lemuria, Ley line Ley line

      Ley lines refer to hypothetical alignments of a number of places of geographical [i] interest, ... 

      s, Machu Picchu Machu Picchu

      Machu Picchu is a well-preserved pre-Columbian [i] Inca [i] ruin located on a high mountain [i] ... 

      , Mount Kailash Mount Kailash

      Mount Kailash is a peak in the Gangdis mountains, the source [i] of some of the longest river [i]s in As... 

      , Stonehenge Stonehenge

      Stonehenge is a Neolithic [i] and Bronze Age [i] megalith [i]ic monument [i] located near Amesbury [i] i ... 

      , Portal Portal

      Portal may refer to:... 

      s, Power spots


  • Systems involved in control, prediction, or description of the physical world