“New Agers” through the ages

As we have seen here beliefs incorporate repeating elements. And so it is with so-called “New Agers” – a term that gained recognition in the 1970’s. But if we assume one definition that describes New Agers as people who adopt features of the ancient worldview and interlace them with science and knowledge insights current at a particular time to describe their perception of reality, a rich heritage from ancient times unfolds.

A question frequently asked is “if the writers of the Bible or the Qu’ran knew what we now know, would the texts have been inspired differently?” The answer, of course, is that we don’t know.

But let’s delve back a little and start with the very first epic poem written (in c 2100 BC) that describes the prowess of Gilgamesh, the fifth ruler in the city of Uruk in Sumeria in c 2600 BC. As a conduit through which the city’s gods spoke, he would himself after death become a godlike figure to whom prayers and sacrifices were likely offered.

For a taste of 19th/20th century AD New Agers, fast forward to the Existentialists who accepted the lack of order and disorientation in an apparently meaningless world, and proposed that each individual (not society nor religion) is solely responsible for giving meaning to life and living it authentically.

Following is a kaleidoscope of current new age topics:

• Life force particles and “the law of attraction” activated by positive and negative vibrational energy
• Hearing voices (quite normal, but can also be a sign of schizophrenia)
• Channelling from extra-terrestrial beings and some associated charlatan cults
• “The secret” and a multi-universe existence with power to shape a future you desire
• Being “in the present moment,” the practice of meditation (or, narrower, “mindfulness”) and the “power of now”
• For those desperate to reorient their relationships with others, breakthrough experiences using, for example, hypnotic sessions with NLP or a “quantum collapse process” (refer to this role based diagram that uniquely illustrates the dynamics of the process described in tabular form by the author)

• The concept of “pain bodies” affecting persecuted nations that persist over generations
• Scientific evidence showing that beliefs can affect the behaviour of body cells
• There is no separate Divine; we are all Divine and integral with the universe through energies.

In critiquing New Agers, it is beneficial to view developments through a specific lens that carries both evidential and experiential weight. Accordingly, your link to reflections from a Christian perspective delivered is here.

In it the author, David Welbourn, comments that New Agers are very keen on the idea that a single cosmic energy is permeating us all.

He adds that New Agers invariably adopt a pick and mix approach to their beliefs, testing out a succession of options to identify some mix for the present moment that offers hope.








Composed by Metisa .... www.metisa.net

Published on LinkedIn at:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/new-agers-through-ages-david-meggitt?published=t