Has the New Age movement failed you

[Avalon]

I don't know that you really want to know my experiences and thoughts on this but here goes...

For me, I think it was a combination of both.  I attended church on and off with my Dad (my parents are divorced) when I was a child.  I hated it.  I felt like I was "missing" something.  I was "unholy".  I was unworthy.  I could not GET what it was everyone was so interested in.  This is bible school I was attending.

I had experienced a lot of mean-spiritedness as a child from members of my own family who were Baptist.  Finally, I broke down one day and begged my Dad not to make me go.  He was completely bewildered.  He asked me why and I said "I don't want to read the bible anymore!!"  My father was a Deacon of his church.  He did not make me go, but I did have to sit with the congregation during services.  

Throughout the rest of my life, I pretty much ignored religion.  Never thought about it.  But eventually began questioning the meaning of life at about 16 yo.  I think I turned inward and became more philosophical than religious.  I lived that way for decades.

I reading about alternative religions.  I'm finding more congruencies in my thoughts with New Age.  The problem I most often experience is that I will find many reasons to "believe" in one thing or another but then find something negative that makes me discard my direction toward that religion.

My guess is that I think it's safer to not believe in anything specifically than to risk it and be disappointed?  I don't know if that's a good thing or not but right now, it's where I'm stuck.

Why did you delete your post about your thoughts?  You never know who might find something they can relate to and help them![]

[Mustardseed]

Ha good point why did I delete them. I am not sure. In a way it opened up for a lot of things I had not thought about for a long time. I think I had sort of "forgiven" but here was the reason to have my punch at them if you will. I dont know. I think I deleted it becourse I really have come to the realisation that I have forgiven them and no longer hold a grudge. When I do hold a grudge I am the one who suffer. If there had been a Church person who read it I might have left it to try to make a difference but there insnt so whats the point except spilling a lot of negative stuf. Maybe the ones who need to vent have not had a chance to work through it as I have. Anyway I thought your points were very valid and significant and your desisions were good. You seem to have a head on your shoulders and make your point well. I wonder if I in the past have been "that dad" . Sobering thought to ponder
Regards and all the best
Mustardseed

[MJ-12]

cvcial.

[wisp]

Hi Mustardseed,
You asked a question I couldn't resist. New Age didn't let me down, but it sure has given me some scares.

I'm a passive traditional christian. I keep my faith to myself.
Years ago I was living with my Aunt. She spoke daily of her belief which could only be described as New Age. I listened, I found it interesting. I first learned of Edgar Cayce from her. She had a picture of several figure heads hanging on her wall. Christ and Buddha were two them, I can't remember the others. I learned of her concepts and such.
One day in the nicest way, I asked her where Jesus fits in? I know/knew who Christ represented, but I didn't see Christ in a group. It didn't feel right in my belief. But, it didn't bother me too bad. It seemed after I approached her with my simple and friendly question, my aunt seem to change.  She began treating me badly. More and more she built up anger against me. It basically culminated in her going into a full brown psychotic episode.She thought I was a calculating, and cunning evil person.
I left there of course, but the whole thing left me with a fear of the New Age movement. I thought it had messed with her head someway.

I never heard too much more about this subject until I heard of end time ministries. I took it for what it's worth. It seemed like a good against bad drama. I didn't care for the paranoia and suspicion it seem to promote.

I listened to a few other kinds of ministries that had some great psychological aspects to them.

Some years later, one of my sisters informed me in an elusive or eluding way that she was practicing a new spiritualism. She had who she called a spirit guide in her life. She also met a fella (who ended up being bad news in the long run), they seem to share this same elusive spiritualism. She was never quite clear how this all worked for them. I figured it was along the same lines of New Age(new to me anyway).
At the time, religion without the traditional Jesus in it was a bit foreign to me. Well, the last time I saw her, she came to my house in some kind of psychotic rage (not like her at all). She treated me much like my aunt had several years before, maybe worse. Our dad had died just a few days before. I figured it had something to do with her grief and some unresolved issues. She had this delusion that I was Satan, or someone along the lines of evil. She could have easily killed me. I was left with issues myself after this. It took me about a year to conquer panic. I had unresolved anxiety issues before that, but this incident brought the panic disorder to the surface.

Since then, I've learned a lot more about all the various faiths. It's my family I don't understand. It's scary!  Would this be a coincidence that these psychotic reactions occured so close to these religious or spiritual things?
I wonder what "the family" and "belief systems" have to do with each other? Am I even asking the right question?  

MustardSeed, I would have enjoyed reading about your New Age experience.

[James S]

I have a real hard time coming to terms with a lot of new-agey concepts and people. I'm a very analytical person, so I like to see a bit of logic and reason brought into the mix. When I pick up books, lets say on auras - if the author displays a substantial knowledge of the mechanics and physiology of the eye, and how eysight works, and adds this into the explanations, this is good. When the the author shows they don't have a clue of how the eye works, but gives some airy-fairy flimsy explanation, or barely any explanation at all of how one goes about the process of seeing auras, forget it! They're a waste of time.

I like my new age concepts well grounded, not off with the fairies.

[travelinbob]

NEW AGE Movement failed back in the early 90's because people bagan to listen to other people's idea in preference to their own. All spiritual "movements" that become somewhat organized fail because spirituality is a personal search.

The last movement I belonged to failed me. That move ment was christianity. Too much emphasis on morality and not on spirituality.

As for the NEW AGE movement, I never "joined" because I like my Sweat & Sour Pork too much. I also like a nice glassful of Chivas, or a good bottle of Merlot. I do like incense though! []

[Rob]

A few years ago I actually read a couple of earliesh new agey books - "The Only Planet of Choice" (by Phyllis V. Schlemmer
) and another from the same story, cant remember name now. I kinda accepted them as true because I "liked" the things they weresaying (an idea which is pushed hard in New Age circles..). Later, but not much later, I read someone laying into them saying the books were BS. Going back, and over time re-analysing them, its quite blatent to me now that they are totally false, and contained nothing of any worth. One memorable part consisted of them calling Kissinger their "Messenger of Light" in the Middle East or something along those lines. Say, WHAT??? How interesting. I have also read that much of the New Age movement was intentionally started to mis-lead, by groups that wanted to stop people from getting to the light - a "Glass ceiling" if you like. Consipiracy you might think, but makes you wonder....

These books only validated themselves, which is I find a lot like much of the channaled info. I think I started really analysing them when I read RB's aticle "The popultar model conundrum". Channeled info is really the worst aspect IMO, its highly deceptive and infectios - no real substance to it but flowers and light and lies.

I guess I've come to the conclusion that New Age philosophy is really quite empty, and anything good that can be found from it can be found better, and deeper, looking in other places. Like going back to the real sources which were mish-mashed together and called "New Age".

Yet to come across any new age teachings/channelings that can refute this for me.....still looking....anyone mind enlightening me??

Er, I think thats most of it!! []

[Adrian]

Greetings everyone,

I would just like to point out that by calling something a "new age movement" it implies some sort of official doctrine or even belief system.  

This is exactly what we should avoid I would suggest. People tend to avoid situations which instantly labels them, and quite understandably so. Time and again I see the phrase "new age" used in the context of an insult by both religious people and occult people alike, not to mention Wiccans and other groups of people. While there are labels there will be stigmas, such as Catholic, Protestant, Jew, Muslim, Wiccan, new ager and so on. This is one of the absurdities of the situation in the world today, and one which clouds reality.

I believe that everyone should try to rise above all such labels and focus on what really matters; Spiritual progression and the path back to our Creator. With genuine Spiritual progression comes the peace and harmony which will one day, hopefully soon, transform the planet.

I personally rejected christianity at school when I was about 8 years old, (nearly 40 years ago), and announced it in the "religious education class" at school, taught by the local vicar; it didn't go down too well [] I have been seeking ever since, and found a much.

With best regards,

Adrian.

[Avalon]

Adrian, I was 9.  I've never been able to put into words why I felt the way I did about bible school.  I thought it was, for lack of a better word, idiotic.  I wasn't bored.  I remember looking around the room at everyone and wondering what all of it was relevant to.

Mustardseed, my Dad and I have gone head to head on the religious issue since.  My first boyfriend was a self-professed Athiest.I hope I've become an example to him in that religion doesn't make a person good or bad, successful or unsuccessful, loving or hateful.  It doesn't protect you from "making mistakes", we are human.  It also doesn't affect your idea of what makes you happy or sad or how you look at your life as a whole in those terms.

Despite being told so, I've never once felt that god would send me to hell for not being a believer.  I know I'm a good person and try to treat people fairly.  My god doesn't turn away any people with those qualities.

[wisp]

Adrian,
In a collective way it is a new age, a new movement, or what ever you want to call it. It may not be to you Adrian, but it is for a whole bunch of others. Definition of something is important of course. But shouldn't the list of words be established first?

What you reject earlier in your life, you must accept at a later time in your life (there is more to this than I care to get into, and it's gettin into my religion, not yours). This is what I believe. I also believe we can evolve totally in one life time, whereas others believe it takes more.

Maybe this board needs a glossary of terms section. There, a person can type in their own personal idea or thought of how they interpret that particular word or phrase.
 
Just an idea. []

I looked up New Age in the dictionary.
From the "Microsoft Encarta Dictionary" New Age is defined as, adj of a modern cultural movement emphasizing spirituality  n a style of music intended to induce serenity

From the Webster's Universal College Dictionary New Age is defined as adj. 1. of or pertaining to a movement espousing a broad range of philosophies and practices traditionally viewed as occult, metaphysical, or paranormal. 2. of or pertaining to an unintrusive style of music using both acoustic and electronic instruments and drawing on classical music,jazz, and rock. 3. the New Age Movement


After looking this up, I have to say, I agree with the difinitions given. I didn't know however, about the suggestions of it being "practices traditionally viewed as occult". I didn't know that, but it doesn't matter, because I understand occultism more now than I use to anyway.

[wisp]

quote:With genuine Spiritual progression comes the peace and harmony which will one day, hopefully soon, transform the planet.

I don't know one person that could or would dispute this statement.
[]

[LogoRat]

The word New Age is like a filter for many authors.

Alot of authors say something important and at the same time say something negative about New Age movements.

They might talk about their view on reality in an esoteric sense.
And at the same time say they are not part of the New Age by talking about the New Age movement in his own view what he "knows" about it.

Mostly they talk about it as something wayoff and that ppl that are in that movement are ignorant fools that only look at love peace and ignore the world around them like some retards.

And the funny thing is that when someone writes about that author they mention him as part of the new age movement.

So, New Age is like everything else.. It is what you think of it.
Alot of ppl would see everything that dont have todo with physical reality as new age.
Others would even see occult ppl as new age.

Personally i think its just a dirtyword that people use to discredit others, or to use it as a shield to filter out negative thoughts in readers.

[Beth]

Hey everyone!

In my opinion (!![]!!) the NEW AGE MOVEMENT is the 20th-21st centuries equivalent to "The Renaissance" or "RE" + "naissance" which means "Birth"=RE-BIRTH.  Websters defines it as: "a movement or period of vigorous artistic and intellectual activity." The Renaissance was a transition period during which the arts and sciences, as well as philosophy and theology blossomed in humanistic thought, in great part as a repsonse to centuries of the oppression of people and of thought. The Renaissance ushered in the Modern Period and the advent of many new modes of thought, including Modern Science.

To me, THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT is similar, in that it marks a transition between established modes of thought that resulted from the societal norms established during the past few centuries, (in specific, those modes of thought that institutionalized religions brought about,) and a more free-thinking, free-feeling society that is both intellectually superior (through mandatory educational norms) and more willing to explore other cultures and other religions.  I also "believe" that this is, in great part, a response to a widespread "Movement of the Spirit" which is propelling us toward a more inclusive and more spiritual existence.  

Peace,
Beth

[wisp]

My traumatic experiences which I mentioned might have been karma. Here is an anagram someone wrote, it certainly hit home for me.

Anagram of karma is "a mark"

A mark can be a symbol, sign, signature, brand, trait, standard, score, imperfection, target, curse, border, effect, and a turning point, and more.

Sayings in English, and seems to be related to karma

Marked by an experience
A mark by your name
Mark someone
A mark against you
Make your mark in the world
Easy mark
Marked man


A point of reference?
To locate a coordinate in the space-time continuum?
To take, make claim to, or claim ownership?

[Beth]

Interesting point with the anagram of karma wisp!!

quote:Sayings in English, and seems to be related to karma

Marked by an experience
A mark by your name
Mark someone
A mark against you
Make your mark in the world
Easy mark
Marked man

I made this post in another thread, but I think it may be pertinent here as well.  

The word "sin" is derived from the Greek word "hamartia" which means "missing the mark." In the common usage of the term, this would be like taking a bow and shooting an arrow toward a target--and then missing. In the biblical sense, this is "missing the mark" of whatever the tradition had prescribed, i.e. failing to do so correctly...For the early Church Fathers, there were many kinds of everyday sins less serious than those in the 10 commandments...These sins could range from just being lazy to being a jerk--even just occasionally. BUT, for the earliest Christians, the gravest of all sins was--believe it or not--ignorance. There was no way that anyone could "hit the mark" of anything without reason/knowledge. This reason/knowledge extended from intellectual reasoning to ethical reasoning. "Sin" came to be seen in many different manifestations, e.g., anything that was sophistry (a bunch of crap) to not loving one another...So, in order to avoid missing the mark, you had to put forth every effort "to hit the mark."

I guess then, that "karma" could be "hitting the mark" or "to be sin-less"??--Would this be a sensible analogy??

Peace,
Beth