PoetPhilosopher
Veteran Member
Are most people critical of the New Age movement even in cases where other-religion bias doesn't come into it, and even in cases where it isn't confused with spiritualism and spiritualism's cash-grabbing?
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Are most people critical of New Age?
- Thread starter PoetPhilosopher
- Start date
Secret Chief
Veteran Member
Is that still a thing? I thought it had all but gone.
PoetPhilosopher
Veteran Member
Pretty sure it's still a thing. There are niche communities with hundreds of followers across the world.
exchemist
Veteran Member
I think there is a fair amount of scepticism and ridicule about the term New Age, due to its association with pseudoscientific woo and crystals-and-****.
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PoetPhilosopher
Veteran Member
There are. New Age people often try alternative health stuff.
One thing which I think defines New Age, at least modern New Age, is that while most theists probably see their gods as beacons of light... New Age people seem to see themselves more as a possible beacon, rather than just seeing the whole beacon being gods.
So the New Age is out of fashion now? So, is there a New and Improved New Age to replace it?
NuNu Age?
PoetPhilosopher
Veteran Member
Maybe the New Age has been new more times than the Death Star in Star Wars?
Wandering Monk
Well-Known Member
My hope is that humanity will outgrow ALL religious delusion.
It always was very much a catch-all phrase that included a lot of diverse beliefs and practices. Personally, I see it one aspect at a time, and try not to view it as a single entity. But generally, I think it is viewed critically by the mainstream, just as much stuff outside one's box is. It takes a while for things to get mainstream, if they ever do.
Nope. Thank goodness I'm getting old, because Old Age is back in fashion. Finally, I'm hip.
Most people, meaning the majority of human beings on Earth, are likely skeptical of the very specific "New Age" movement, but most people on Earth are various superstitious, have some strange beliefs and tendencies that may resemble ideas advocated by or practiced by people who identify themselves with the "New Age", but when it comes down to people saying "this crystal will send in love energy to your heart and suck out bad vibrations that have accumulated over time and polluted your channels" most people in the world might be skeptical, but may even say "what the hay, lets go for it and give it try" but probably wouldn't be very intensely convinced that such is true just because someone said so in an ooey gooey voice.
exchemist
Veteran Member
In my case? Nope, just Old Age.
P.S. Bugger! Ninja-ed by our friend Mr Willow Tree On Fire.
Secret Chief
Veteran Member
A few years ago New Age was all over the place - crystals, potions, music...
It's disappeared at least as a marketing term. The local large New Age shop has long since become a shoe shop.
I understand the skepticism (though scepticism seems to have something to do with blood infections
). But, I'll put it simply: There are a lot of people who make money on being skeptics, and many of their opinions would be debunked by even a basic personal investigation of a subject matter. I'm not saying they're all wrong, but I'm saying there is an industry based on debunking things and not everyone is telling the truth. I work with reiki and crystals and I assure you after less than a month one hour / day practice anyone can feel what's going on and make up your own damn mind whether these things are real or not. I don't ask people to believe me I ask them to try to do it themselves. They think, so they make it real for them. It's not exactly the same as trying to do the thing and having knowledge from your own experimentation. Essentially, what they think is rubbish.
Yes, they do a lot of alternative health because there are spiritual philosophies that are involved in each that they feel are helping them. For example, reiki and qi jong work with the same medium but have very different understandings of the microcosm-macrocosm relationship, etc. Most people involved with these practices are involved because they're looking for a vehicle to explore spirituality at a personal level sans dogma. For many, that's the whole point. There are many alternative health modalities that I haven't tried, but almost all of them have to be done to be understood. Just speaking from what I'm involved in reiki & crystal work there is a long process of training your senses before you know what's really going on. At first, it's just sort of belief or faith that makes it work for you but that's not the truth once you are getting further along. Many 'authorities' on reiki dismiss it without even going that far... That doesn't make them an authority at all.
A new person to reiki, for example, might be working purely from some belief or faith as they're unable to perceive what is going on themselves. A second rank or master has a direct sense awareness of what they're doing. (To me that's fine, you have to start somewhere...) Most energy work (and I'd include crystals in that area of the new age 'pie') takes some dedication to gain the awareness of what's happening. I think anyone approaching these subjects without an experience are going to be in danger of missing the point. If the reiki 1 student doesn't necessarily have a perception of what's going on, and they're trained I doubt any random off the street is going to be in a position to evaluate the modality. My only refutation to any skeptical person is simple: Have you tried it? Ok, now shut up.
We accept skeptical or critical views far too regularly without testing processes ourselves, and it's never to our advantage, IMHO. Believing in a skeptical position w/o testing something is religion pretending to be science.Re: cosmological issues. There is no common 'new age' understanding of the world, and reiki doesn't have one. So, I can only explain if from my own understanding. Yes, I view ourselves as beacons at least in common understanding -- but, I don't view 'ourselves' as separate disconnected beings but rather part of a continuous infinite organism of consciousness which animates us all and holds everything together. Our bodies bear the battle scars of our environments, but our spirits are very similar and completely interconnected. All that makes us unique in my view is the random events in our lives which have made these marks upon our form, but in the spiritual levels we are one in the same... One continuous consciousness inhabiting many MANY bodies. However, I should qualify that I don't hold that belief based on something I've read, but rather my life experiences. So, no faith is involved... I really have none of that nor any capacity to do so. =D
PoetPhilosopher
Veteran Member
A few years ago New Age was all over the place - crystals, potions, music...
It's disappeared at least as a marketing term. The local large New Age shop has long since become a shoe shop.
A book store in my town is like 40% New Age stuff. But I guess since it's a small business, maybe they choose their stock based on the interests of the owner.
I concur, and I also believe that none of this will really ever be completely mainstream due the fact that most of the new age modalities are oriented to practices or training in spirituality that lie outside the norm. The norm is: adhere to some dogma and do that, or decide arbitrarily it's all garbage because you're pissed at group X. All of these require a great deal of work and that's not popular in the fast food society we have now. Reiki is a lifetime practice -- to really get it you have to do it until your last day. (most others are the same... ) That's certainly NOT for everyone... (although, some dabbling certainly can tell you whether it's right for you or not...)