Are most people critical of New Age?

[Mindmaster]

What are you talking about? It is not the least bit normal to be taking pills in your mid-40s. You are just Mr Average. I've only started taking a daily Vitamin D pill, at the age of 66, because of Covid 19, on the advice of my doctor brother.

Anyway, from that article, Reiki seems to be seen as classic woo.

The placebo effect is real, I grant you, so for those benighted souls that believe in it, it may help them a bit with certain things. But there is no way anyone should place any faith in this stuff for serious health conditions.

'

Apparently, you don't know many people from my generation. They're all on pills, lol.

Anxiety, depression, pain, heart, diabetes, you name it. People who are younger than 35 right now are even taking more. I take vitamins only as I don't like fish enough to eat them to get my omegas, but I don't think those are medications just general health maintenance. I've been taking them consistently since I was diagnosed with diabetes and haven't been sick in five years, lol.

You are not required to believe that the touted modality is legitimate, only that if it is a placebo then placebos work so it will. Day one of reiki school: You are not a medical professional you do not diagnose patients. You give them reiki that's all you do.

Reiki isn't a religion though it's a modality which means it doesn't incorporate a faith element just an idea that humans are surrounded by energy (we know this to be scientifically true) and that vibrations of one field can manipulate another through resonance and entrainment. (also known to be scientifically true) The purpose of Reiki on the self practice is to raise one's vibratory frequency to a high level and then do the same with others. That's it... Really, the whole thing. But, to simplify it: Ever walk into a room full of happy people and suddenly feel happy as well? Well, it's the same thing... The reiki practitioner is working on their own mind to make it stress free, humble, gracious, and loving. They only difference is they're doing this consciously and via a methodology rather than 'getting lucky'... Via whatever mechanism that it actually works (just as unknown to the practitioner as science at this point) after the practitioner purifies themselves they are able to help others do the same.

It's not really that weird to me... We have several treatments in medicine that we used long before we understood them. We had antibiotics from after WW2 and had no idea how they worked just that they did and they were black box tech until the 70's. Similarly, we had no idea how anti-depressants worked until the 90's, and still have no idea how anesthesia works we just know that they all do. Reiki is only 100 years old and poorly researched by academia -- often with the research being done by groups that are involved in the sale of competing therapies. I'd say on this one making up your mind on some source or article is foolish, especially when the first level of the practice is cheap or free to learn. Easy enough to make up your own mind via experimentation and find the value of it or not for you. It's also OK to leave it at, "hey, I don't know"... But, for some people this wounds their egos or something... lol.

 

[Rival]

My siblings are both into it. To extent they both try to pigeon hole me a Libra (my sister far more than my brother). And my sister has combined a whole bunch of various New Age stuff to Frankenstein her own morbid (but not tragic) creation, with an extremely high degree of internal inconsistencies and contradictions. And scarier yet, she's a physicians assistant. And she believes in the healing power of crystals.

Wow.

 

[Mindmaster]

My siblings are both into it. To extent they both try to pigeon hole me a Libra (my sister far more than my brother). And my sister has combined a whole bunch of various New Age stuff to Frankenstein her own morbid (but not tragic) creation, with an extremely high degree of internal inconsistencies and contradictions. And scarier yet, she's a physicians assistant. And she believes in the healing power of crystals.

Dunno, I never really was good enough with astrology to have a comment of it. I've tried it out, but it seemed like one of those books where you got every answer and you can just make it say anything.

Personal spiritual systems often evolve into 'frankensteins' and it's rather par for the course, but they eventually rectify themselves as soon as the person has more life experience. I'd not consider it a permanent affliction.

Crystals are amazing if used correctly, but from where I am I'm able to tell the difference where as someone untrained probably hasn't a clue. I sort of look at them as batteries or 'filters' like you'd use on a camera in regard to energy work. Used that way they're rather productive. If you're just wearing them as jewelry and not charging them up or using them as a part of a technique... Well there is no point to that, they're really doing nothing. It seems most people are in the 'I just wear it' crowd and yeah, that's pretty useless.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

Pills got brought up in this thread. I guess as a result of talking about the New Age community's approach to health. So I'd say...

I'm on four pills right now. Some are low doses and don't do much, but are useful. One is one I feel I need and it's HRT related.

 

[sun rise]

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.

Jesus and His Apostles would have been considered 'New Age.'

1. a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture, with an interest in spirituality, mysticism, holism, and environmentalism.
   "the New Age movement"

From one perspective, the "New Age" has been with us for aeons. We have the "second coming", Kalki Avatar, Jewish Messiah, Buddhist Maitreya and so forth who have been longed for to bring in a new world, a new age.

From another, we had the 60's where "Man in the Grey Flannel Suit" conformity was rejected by many who longed for something new, fresh and true.

And of course there were those who flocked to market to this people as well as the self-promoted gurus who offered words taken from ancient scriptures and dressed up with modern vocabulary.

During the budding of the idea, there were a lot of experiments including communes, playing with "magic" and so forth.

In recent times what I've observed in the growth of "spiritual but not religious" people who reject old structures and old strictures but continue to long for and work for something better. I also put in this group something that did not exist back then: social entrepreneurs and other efforts to improve people's lot in life. Such people are to me the "children" as it were of the 60's "new age" movement.

 

[Vinayaka]

From one perspective, the "New Age" has been with us for aeons. We have the "second coming", Kalki Avatar, Jewish Messiah, Buddhist Maitreya and so forth who have been longed for to bring in a new world, a new age.

From another, we had the 60's where "Man in the Grey Flannel Suit" conformity was rejected by many who longed for something new, fresh and true.

And of course there were those who flocked to market to this people as well as the self-promoted gurus who offered words taken from ancient scriptures and dressed up with modern vocabulary.

During the budding of the idea, there were a lot of experiments including communes, playing with "magic" and so forth.

In recent times what I've observed in the growth of "spiritual but not religious" people who reject old structures and old strictures but continue to long for and work for something better. I also put in this group something that did not exist back then: social entrepreneurs and other efforts to improve people's lot in life. Such people are to me the "children" as it were of the 60's "new age" movement.

Certainly nothing new about a lot of it. But as another poster said, often something is lost when you pick and choose from traditions, even offending some. There has to be compromise when that happens.

 

[Quintessence]

The New Age movement catches a lot of flak because it exists in a space where its concepts are not accepted by other major cultural movements. It gets spat on by both prevailing Western religious modalities (which are principally Christian) for various reasons, and it gets spat on by prevailing Western anti-religious modalities. It even gets spat upon by other alternative religious modalities sometimes. Some of this is deserved, much of it is not. As a movement, New Age is a far more authentic and traditional approach to religion (though they tend to call themselves "spiritual") than the overly-dogmatized/organized forms of religion that usually get that label these days. It tends to come far closer to providing meaningful, working mythologies in peoples lives that express their values and priorities; plus it heavily incorporates practice and ritual to empower folks.

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

I have to confess, I have found just about everything about "new age" to be nonsense. More than anything else, it has always felt like folks who simply didn't like the way things really are (or at least manifestly appear to be), and thought they could imagine themselves into something else that they'd like better.

It's kind of like so many unhappy people I've known in Toronto over my life (or some of you may have known in New York, or Boston or Chicago), who moved west to Vancouver, where they thought it would be warmer and they'd be happy. What really happened was that they were just as unhappy there as they were here (they carried that with them), but were now also wetter.

 

[Erebus]

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.

I haven't met many New Agers in person. Those I have met tended to be very "light" in their approach. They emphasised the beauty and harmony of nature, the general benevolence of the universe and the notion that goodness will always triumph.

It's irritating as hell.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Wow.

Another wow is my brother. I love him dearly, but he does believe in UFOs, weather control machines, that 9/11 was an inside job, covid is a hoax, and some other whacko-nuttery-nutters crazy things. And he's an informed debater. He's not one of those redneck hicks who seep their scientific ignorance as they speak. For example, he's a welder and knows so much about metals and all that I don't like debating 9/11 with him because I don't know those details he does. Chemtrails, show him articles explaining how they are actually "con-trails," and then at that point I very much doubt there has been a more stubborn person ever. No joke. I'm stubborn. Next to him I'm highly submissive and very cooperative. And sometimes I really want to slap him around some, lol.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

Another wow is my brother. I love him dearly, but he does believe in UFOs, weather control machines, that 9/11 was an inside job, covid is a hoax, and some other whacko-nuttery-nutters crazy things. And he's an informed debater. He's not one of those redneck hicks who seep their scientific ignorance as they speak. For example, he's a welder and knows so much about metals and all that I don't like debating 9/11 with him because I don't know those details he does. Chemtrails, show him articles explaining how they are actually "con-trails," and then at that point I very much doubt there has been a more stubborn person ever. No joke. I'm stubborn. Next to him I'm highly submissive and very cooperative. And sometimes I really want to slap him around some, lol.

There are a few really smart people in my distant family and they're mostly all the same way.

 

[SeekerOnThePath]

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?

There's really no "New Age Movement" these days, but there are lots of different groups with a "New Age approach" towards their syncretic spirituality.

I think people are critical of the "New Age" groups because they have a strong tendency towards orientalist interpretation and mixing of traditions in a manner that is often considered very disrespectful towards the traditions they borrow from.
I like the creativity many newagers have, though I don't disagree with such criticisms of them. I think it's largely an outgrowth of fringe Protestant Christianity culminating in Spiritist Christianity, in accordance with the "New Thought" Movement. These things became useful proponents in underground social movements which extend towards spirituality.

Newage thought though does tend to be very cynical towards dogmas, orthodoxies and notions of tradition. It is rather towards it's own detriment in many ways though, because in all spiritual traditions esotericism and mysticism is justified by it's outward exoteric and literal dogmas. The juice comes from it's paradoxical and seeming immovability.
People who are solely on the exoteric and dogmatic side do not understand how this works, neither do newagers and those who claim to solely "spiritual" paths without any legislative and literal sense somewhere in the make up of their path.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Nope. Thank goodness I'm getting old, because Old Age is back in fashion. Finally, I'm hip.

First rule of old age : don't talk about hips. They're too often problematic.

 

[Jainarayan]

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?

I’m usually a live-and-let-live sort when it comes to religions and spirituality but some New Age is way too “woo” and makes want to hurt myself. Especially when its followers adopt, co-opt, appropriate, repurpose, reinterpret (usually incorrectly) and redefine concepts from established religions.

As if that weren’t bad enough, it’s worse when these redefinitions and reinterpretations are passed on as if they are canon. I think you all can guess what I’m driving at... I’m particularly sensitive to concepts and beliefs from Hinduism being treated thus. Buddhism seems to escape these treatments.

I alternately want to laugh, cry, snarl, hit someone when I read or hear about people opening and cleansing their “shockras”; that every other person has had a kundalini awakening and release; “how do I work with [deity name]?”

What is “work with”? Like on a committee? Work with the deity on a project plan? Are we equals? What the Alabama is “work with”?

On the other hand there are concepts I’m on board with... crystals energies (quartz for example); multiple planes of existence and multiverses existing side by side just outside our perception; astral projection; non-linear time; etc.

 

[Jainarayan]

Pretty sure it's still a thing. There are niche communities with hundreds of followers across the world.

Yes, there is one active forum site that has a number of subforums specifically dedicated to different New Age beliefs in addition to traditional religions.

 

[Jainarayan]

Nope. Thank goodness I'm getting old, because Old Age is back in fashion. Finally, I'm hip.

Everything old is new.

 

[Jainarayan]

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.

There’s a popular and thriving chain of New Age stores in the NJ/PA/NY area. East Meets West I’ve gotten most of my deity statues and other items, especially incense, there.

 

[Quintessence]

I haven't met many New Agers in person. Those I have met tended to be very "light" in their approach. They emphasised the beauty and harmony of nature, the general benevolence of the universe and the notion that goodness will always triumph.

It's irritating as hell.

Irritating? Perhaps, especially to the cynics. Quite frankly, these days we could do with a lot more the "love and light" attitude. I'd rather be drowning in that than the dripping cynicism and hatred that is blasted in our ears by the media all the time right now.

 

[Erebus]

Irritating? Perhaps, especially to the cynics. Quite frankly, these days we could do with a lot more the "love and light" attitude. I'd rather be drowning in that than the dripping cynicism and hatred that is blasted in our ears by the media all the time right now.

I was being somewhat tongue in cheek That doesn't always translate well on the internet.

It is true though that my own approach is decidedly not based on love and light. Each to their own.

 

[PearlSeeker]

It is based on qi ("chi"), which practitioners say is a universal life force, although there is no empirical evidence that such a life force exists.[2][3]

What about this guy?