Has the New Age movement failed you

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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![:)]
Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a  well  preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting,

". . . holy sh*t . . . what a ride!"

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
Words.....there was a time when I believed in words!

MJ-12


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! [:D]

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!! [:P]
(!!!Formerly known as Inguma!!!)
You are the Alpha and the Omega. You are vaster than the universe and more powerful than a flaring supernova. You are truly incredible!!

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.
https://ourultimatereality.com/
Vincit Omnia Veritas

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.
Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a  well  preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting,

". . . holy sh*t . . . what a ride!"

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.

*privacy is a physical illusion*

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
Become a Critical Thinker!
"Ignorance is the greatest of all sins."
                   --Origen of Alexandria

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


Become a Critical Thinker!
"Ignorance is the greatest of all sins."
                   --Origen of Alexandria

Tab

Hey, good call on the part of the early Christians. I decided a long time ago that the greatest evil is ignorance.

Beth

Tab,

If the world really knew what the "earliest Christians" were really talking about, then the regular members of this board would have A WHOLE LOT in common with them!!  

Christianity has changed SO MUCH since those early years...originally, it was still a message of hope and salvation--but "through individual transformation."  The church assumed the power for the "Collective Transformation" but this is where everything got messed up.  

The original plan was that a "collective transformation" would occur ONLY AFTER the members of that collective were "transformed individually."  They would then all join "together" as "A Transformed Group."  Transformation needed to be individually attained--groups of individuals did not transform "into anything" except a group of people that "agreed."

More specifically, in the early days of the "christian" message, everyone who participated "wanted to become a christ."  Becoming a "christ" was "being transformed"--just like Jesus was--and that was the hope of every early Christian. Unfortunately, at some point, someone got the idea that Jesus was the ONLY Christ, and well...the rest is history (YES, now THIS is REAL HISTORY!)  

So, until the original message is offered on a much wider scale, and until more people realize that they can and should be "transformed" for the betterment of their own individual "salvation" as well as the "salvation" of the planet...we will continue to go back and forth with this very backward and very tiresome argument.

Peace,
Beth
Become a Critical Thinker!
"Ignorance is the greatest of all sins."
                   --Origen of Alexandria

Mustardseed

Dear Beth and Wisp and all you others
Well I am finally back from a holiday. My daughter that I have not seen for 11 years is visiting and we are having a wonderful time. Astral Pulse activity comes in at a very distant 2nd place. Ha Well I am trying to catch up and it is almost impossible. This forum seems to morph every 7 days or so, but since the thread I started is still here and some one asked for my new age experience I will be glad to oblige. In a way I feel a bit awkward as I do not wanna vent nor do I want to "spout off Christian propaganda" so it will be a walk on a razors edge. Ha. Bear with me!!

First let it be said that my main problem seem to be with people and the way they USE New Age teachings to further their own course and fill their own pockets, making their gifts and knowledge a business and source of income. As for the doctrines I find them reaI and spiritual but mostly selfish. I grew up with every intention to find the truth. Always stood out from the crowd and was a bit of a nuisance to my teachers but a searching spirit never the less. I started my first OBEs at 4 and remember them well, though they never were anything special at that time. At 16 I started having sleeping paralysis and went on 3 memorable OBE trips to another level. I still haven't got the faintest clue where. It so gave me a desire for the spiritual that I hitchhiked to India at the age of 18 and lived there for 2 years meditating at a ashram as well as a Buddhist monastery on the border to Tibet. Throughout my travels I did some drugs, dropped 3 shots of acid but soon realized that the truth had to be found without drugs and stopped it altogether. I met every kind of new age doctrine available in those days from TM to Rajneesh. I did Tarot, meditated under the direction of very enlightened teachers, and  read as much as I could. I soon realized that all these things were avenues of contact to the spiritual. I had several encounters with Demons and Angels as well. At one point I was invited to a meditation by Buddhist monks in a temple adjacent to the abode of the "living God", in Kathmandu and after incantations and singing and the traditional calling of the Spirits . I was confronted by a entity covering the entire room in a lawyer of green sulphur smoke. The entity sought abode in me but I left the meeting rejecting the proposition. I walked home to my hotel to find on my door a giant 10 inch emperor moth. I read a lot of Castaneda in those days. My frustration was immense. I knew that the truth was somewhere and that the spiritual was real. It was only a choice to decide which path to follow. Well to make a long story short I finally met a girl who was a Christian. I never considered that even a remote choice. I was brought up socialist,. But this girl had something in her eyes that I had seen nowhere. She really loved me. I could feel it. She told me I could ask God (Jesus) into my heart by asking him to forgive my sin (missing the mark ) and I did and since then have been a Missionary trying my best to live the truth I read in the Bible. I never went to church, personally I feel I have nothing in common with 99% of Christians. I feel more at home with folks like you and still continue to have OBEs to this day. My beef with New Age is that of making merchandize of mens souls. Of hiding things, and covering up, making it a personal power trip.  Robert talked about wizards using their trainees to envoke different entities and I have seen it with my own eyes. New age seems to me to have become a good source of income. Well that was all I could think of I hope it is not offensive to anyone.
Gods Peace to you all
Regards Mustardseed
Words.....there was a time when I believed in words!

Tayesin


Dear Mustardseed,
Just read your last post on this thread and I have to say it was one of the best I have read, so honest and open !

I agree with your wrap up on the new-age movement too.  For a few years I have been wondering why it went down the standard road of human endeavour, meaning, the pursuit of Personal Wealth.  That really saddens me.  I had hoped many years ago, as it was slowly gaining momentum, that it would be the avenue for everyone to find spiritual growth.  It has done that in a smaller way than I had hoped, as it is aimed mainly at the top end of the market so the poor are unable to get the things from these people that can help them.

Personally, I am trying to provide services to help people and do so at no charge because I figure if it is ever going to change it has to start somewhere!  But, you would not believe the opposition I am facing from doing this, mostly from the ingrained New-agers too.  They use terminology like, "You have a lack consciousness and that is why you don't want to be wealthy",  all the while ignoring me saying that I know the Creator provides all my needs.

Well, if it is going to change then each of us need to be involved in making it change, so you can count me in.

Love Always.[:)]

James S

Hi Mustardseed,

Great post, loved it! Not only have you given us a good insight into where you're coming from, you've really pinned down the "rampant comercialism" aspect of New Age.

Recently I was trying to get more of a handle on the whole deal with the Pleiadians. Now that I have a guide that has told me she's Pleiadian, I wanted to do a bit of research and find out what I could about her lot. Well, it seems that anybody that has anything to do with them, the first thing that have to do is go and publish a book about it. Couldn't find out anything about the Pleiadians unless I was willing to part with hard earned cash to read some questionable literature about them.

In just about every shopping centre around here are Living Energy stores, that sell lots of little crystal trinkets for hideously marked up prices, have the obligatory Dalai Lama books staring at you, and genuine Native American dream catchers, that have genuine tags on them saying "Made in Taiwan". You're likely to be greeted in one of these shops by a shop assistant who looks like a reject from the local Fashionably Hip Witches coven. She will talk to you in a serene if not vapid manner when trying to sell you something that compliments your aura, just before she goes into the back room and swears her face off at the clumsy junior assistant who just put the plastic Sri-Lanken artifacts on the wrong shelf.

James.

Tayesin

James,
I hope your post was meant to be Satirical, because I laughed my butt off.

Thanks [:P]

Love Always.[:)]

Mustardseed

Yeah that just about summs it up James. Seen too much of that stuf. Another aspect that I maybe did not cover and that is the more problematic aspect is, that allthough much of the New Age stuf (I realise it is like putting it all in the same basket but nevertheless) well , it seems real BUT, I still believe it is potentially dangerous, and should be treated with care. My experience has taught me that there is good and bad. there are two poles, night and day male and female and so on. I found out through my searching that there exists a personified evil. Not just ignorance or sort of generalised "evil attitudes". I believe I have been shown that evil is like a current that you can tap into. A negative force if you will. I learned about that long long before I came to understand the nature of God. He/She/It is a positive lifegiving force and it is also possible to tap into that. In essence God exists and the Devil exists too, and this is where most of us seem to part ways. I find that most NA life views negates this personified evil and attributes it to "self". Well I wont go into it too much you all know basically what I believe, but this is a aspect of NA that I am very frustrated with, and feel is very negative, a leading astray if one could call it that, saying that sharks are basically harmless and only eat fish. I think this misinformation could encourage some to make some very bad desisions.[;)]
Regards Mustardseed
Words.....there was a time when I believed in words!

wisp

Beth, what you said about karma rings true to me. Thanks. I guess I didn't see the same thing in the other thread.

What I've come to learn about my two bad experiences may have been karma. I didn't understand it back then.

What I have come to know from this is a little frightening.
My sister is my mother, and my aunt is my father (for now, anyway).
My mother is living, and so is my sister.
My aunt is alive, but my father has since died.
I can only learn how my sister and aunt are doing through someone else. I pay attention to who brings them up.
My mother brings up my sister fairly often. I haven't heard how my aunt is for many years, but my father knows.

I have to pay attention to my father(at various levels in various ways). This is my religion. I can't say or know how anyone else sees it, or understands it.

Now I know the above may sound psychotic (not understood), but it makes sense to me. I think many people cannot understand what is not given to them to understand. But I also think many people can understand if not blocked by barriors.

The "psychosis" represents not understanding.
I can make many uses of this symbol. I can also replace the word with evil.

The unfolding of reality happens this way for me. If psychosis didn't have such a bad reputation [:)], maybe it could be used or understood more. I think I was projecting my lack of understanding onto my aunt. My sister was projecting her lack of understanding on me. And it ends up working two ways, hopefully to the good of all.

I see misunderstandings in society. I definitely see the seemingly influence and imbalance of money and wealth.
I think it's many people working and living at different levels. Balancing of family needs and work can get real crazy.

I sometimes try to think of ways to solve the world's problems. I find living my life gets in the way of that. [:)]
I sometimes think religion isn't the priority, society wise. I wonder if on this level, it shouldn't be, focusing on home vs work issues?




kakkarot

from what i've seen of stuff that claims to be new age, new age is: part ancient truth modified to "fit the times" + WHOLE LOT O' FLUFF = not useful except by those people who have low self-esteem and need something to boost it.

i like the really old stuff better.[|)]

~kakkarot

Tony M.

Why does everything have to have a name? I am spiritual but I don't call myself a member of some sort of movement. I just read a lot and the things that really make sense to me are integrated in my view. I don't have a name for it and I'm very flexible in this. I don't say this is the truth and that's that. I'm always open for other stuff and like to integrate that.
"You should always tell the truth, even when you lie."