What is wrong with the new age movement?

[mewtwo]

So it seems at least to me that people dont like the new age movement. I was wondering what is wrong with it and what are the thought on this board about it?

[phore]

I personally like the new age movement.

at least thats the section of the book stores that i visit most frequently.

 

in my high school the new age movement was considered devil worship, so naturally the people who practiced it were made out to be crazy.

it is made out to be a fad practiced by social outcasts trying to fit in. the gothic kids so to speak.

 

the establishment often tries to make people who think for themselves look crazy people.

 

I would say that that image of a some kid adopting the title of wizard to seem cool, persists sometimes even in otherwise open minded people.

 

I myself avoided witchcraft for a long time while trying to sort out the jumble of thoughts and emotions that was my birthrite as a child born into a fundamental southern baptist community.

 

My mom has always been completely accepting of my taoist practice. she had a history of yoga and always likes to learn chi kung exercises from me, but she still held the prejudice against the new age. I think she has opened to it more now.

 

of course there are also some people who just jumped on the bandwagon and started selling new age books devoid of any real information in order to make money.

[shontonga]

LOL!

Oh shoot!

This is to hard to not reply to

could go on for days and days and days!

 

But this question is rather one sided also lets not forget.

 

 

So.

"So it seems at least to me that people dont like the new age movement.

I was wondering what is wrong with it and what are the thought on this board about it?"

 

The biggest problem with most "movements"

is when folks get stuck and stop moving.

(Not the movement it's self)

 

Lot's of ways to see that.

... and, yup, that's probably how i mean it.

Moving forward or back movement is growth.

 

Stay well,

Shon

[Sunya]

i think the biggest problem in the new age movement is the mixing of traditions. its like a soup of every spiritual tradition, completely over simplified, and there is a tendency of spiritual materialism (read the book by chogyam trungpa) collecting various doo-daa's like crystals and trinkets. but, even with these defects, i think the new age movement is beneficial and better than hopelessly clinging to scientific materialism

[Aetherous]

The problem I have with it, is that the people imagine too many things in an attempt to find the truth.

[Ryan T.]

I don't know so much about the new age "movement" as I do about those who talk about it.

 

Those who talk about it tend to have a shallow understanding of the ideas they speak of. Crystals, herbs, chants, talismans and such. These things can have great power but, IME, most people who speak of them tend to have generally smaller insight in their uses. Plus, the people who speak most about their usefulness tend to be the least together people I have known. Of course this is all anecdotal but anecdotal evidence can reveal a larger truth.

 

It is the same thing with life coaches. The vast majority of life coaches I have met seem to me to be the most in need of life coaches. It's like AA or something. They think by helping others(and calling themselves a life coach and charging for it) they will get their own life together.

 

I also agree with what mikaelz said. But I think the same thing happens to many of us on this board including myself. Many of us have a huge mix of traditions and practices. Many of them have not been given their due diligence. We are always looking for the better practice, the next martial arts form or what have you. If we all took even a year to focus on what we already have, even if it isn't the best practice, I believe we would find a much deeper and more profound understanding of ourselves. Not that many on here don't do this but many do not.

[sheng zhen]

The problem I have with it, is that the people imagine too many things in an attempt to find the truth.

Yes! New Age is a big soup of delusions. With a lot of illusions confirming eachother. Just look at the 2012-psychosis so many people are stuck in.

[JohnC]

Poor question. Its just a bashing thread on the new age movement.

Furthermore does it matter?

 

I think the point is, if it causes people to feel better about their lives, work harder, develop their psychology, its an overall positive thing.

 

John

Edited January 19, 2009 by JohnC

[baloneyx]

Yes! New Age is a big soup of delusions. With a lot of illusions confirming eachother. Just look at the 2012-psychosis so many people are stuck in.

I can't wait for 21 Dec 2012 just so the whole 2012 thing can either go away or be realised, I just want it out of the system

 

And what do you think could happen?

#1 Polar Shift

#2 Shift into 4D of Love

#3 ETs make contact

#4 Return of Atlantis ( this one makes me giggle , but it would be cool if it happened)

#5 Shambalas enlightened being make themselves known and hep us

#6 Portals open and being from other dimensions good or bad come rushing into our world

#7 NIBIRU!

#8 Battle of Armageddon and Rapture

#9 Sun Burns us to a crisp

#10 We nuke ourselves

#11 Other (please state )

#12 All of the above AND MORE!!!

#13 nothing.............................................................................. except the conformation 2012 was just another complete trip around the Sun

[mwight]

If you lump in wicca and witchcraft in with the newage movement, I'd have to say I am against it also. It's like spiritual crack, leading people to become irrational and believe because they preformed some ritual and chanted some spell instantly they are a god amongst men and can do anything via the power of magic. I really can't stand people like that. I also don't think much of the whole hippie vibe the newagers project, not one of these individuals has achieved anything notable, and yet they feel compelled to write more newage books.

Edited January 19, 2009 by mwight

[Adj]

So it seems at least to me that people dont like the new age movement. I was wondering what is wrong with it and what are the thought on this board about it?

 

People dont like the new age movement cause its corny. Some of it is truely wacky and down right scary. Some i dont understand to any degree. Some seems cultish and disturbing.

 

Honestly I like spirtuality, and exploring it from different perspectives but some of these dudes just put way too much effort into the whole thing and identify way too much with it and it just becomes really..... weird.

 

Some I like, Tolle for instance, whos insights are very rooted in reality, not the hippy acid trips that most of the new age movement seems to come from.

 

I bet new age comes from the trippy 'deep insights' of pot heads.

 

ANyway!!!!!!!!!!

 

Thats my opinion. Sorry if I offend any new agers. Or any hippies.

[zanshin]

I'd say the same thing that's wrong religious movements in general- thinking they are on to the one right way for everyone, taking themselves too seriously, attachment to their beliefs.

[Magda]

New Age is primary a way to make money. Such a niche is difficult to pass by for many people who understand that audience is very gullible.

 

The saddest thing is that some people who're sincere about it won't ever achieve anything substantial at any rate... New Age steals miscellaneous ideas from different traditions and mixes them, and it's done in a manner to please the mixer. It isn't founded on any objective truth or true knowledge, and whatever the result is, it has no chances to be a working method. If you mix ideas from things like astrology, ritual magic, qi gong, kabbala, buddhism in a random way without an inkling how any of these work... oh well. New Age only exists because people at large stopped caring for authenticity.

 

It's the main problem of New Age, it's founded on the spirit of "I know better". But life doesn't work that way. If there is some way to achieve, say, immortality, you can't dictate what way it is, you can only attempt to discover it somehow. If you think you know better and create your own imaginary way, it won't lead to anything. Some people think that creating new ways is a sign of independant thinking, but it's like wanting to construct an airplane in a wrong way and hoping that it's going to fly.

Edited January 19, 2009 by Magda

[gendao]

I love the New Age scene, it's like a candy store to me.

 

However, "quantum physics" has become about the most overused buzzword in there...

[Stigweard]

Everyone needs a place to start, everyone has the right to tread their own path, and everyone deserves respect and appreciation for their own unique expression of Universal Oneness.

 

[Sloppy Zhang]

Nothing wrong with the New Age movement per se..... A lot of people involved in it though are in it just to be in a fad or something. Not to say there aren't serious people involved with it, not to say they can't make something of themselves. As has been mentioned, it can be a good starting part. And like others have said, there are a lot of different traditions that are kind of mixed in, maybe not everything given the proper space and time as it needs.

 

But with any system, I say be honest with YOURSELF, that's the biggest part. If you're in some group mixing traditions and stuff like that, don't just do one ritual, then do the next, then the next, then the next unless you KNOW that you have learned the first one WELL. Be honest about the experiences you have. Did you really DO something? Or do you just THINK you did? Or did someone ELSE tell you something was supposed to happen?

 

The problem with lots of traditions is that people aren't honest with themselves, get off track, but talk themselves into thinking something. It just happens a lot with New Agers....

[Ya Mu]

In addition to some of the points that have been brought up, a couple of things that I constantly deal with are:

 

1) Oh, is that some of that New Age stuff you are doing? Of course what I am doing when they say that is some of the "oldest age" stuff that exists.

 

2) Oh, you do "energy work".

I absolutely do not resonate with this one. No, I do medical qigong. It actually has a basis.

Just what the heck does "energy work" mean? (yes, I know what the word qigong means)

Well, in the massage therapy field it means usually quite a lot of New Age nonsense with maybe a couple of valid things thrown in. Take a weekend workshop and now you are qualified to do "energy work". &^%$#@^#!

[asanjuan2008]

Poor question. Its just a bashing thread on the new age movement.

Furthermore does it matter?

 

I think the point is, if it causes people to feel better about their lives, work harder, develop their psychology, its an overall positive thing.

 

John

 

 

I tend to agree with this. If it helps people and hurts no one, it's good. There is a lot of soul searching and angst floating around out there. In the USA and Europe, the usual mainstream religions are failing to provide the spiritual uplift that people need, and if they want to turn to alternative faiths, why not?

 

On the other hand, I have nothing but disdain for the people who try to gyp others of their hard-earned money through hoaxes.

[mewtwo]

Well in posting this question i was trying to find out what thet new age movement was all about mabye a better question would have been what is right about the new age movement? or just what is the new age movement all about? Thanks for all of your replies.

[Mal]

[Pranaman]

the new age movement is a good door. but you can see it let people forget about their physical bodies.

[rookie]

So it seems at least to me that people dont like the new age movement. I was wondering what is wrong with it and what are the thought on this board about it?

 

What is the new age movement?

Anything that doesn't fit into any other classification?

 

Or just any new idea?

[phore]

i think the new age movement, refers the esoteric practices in a religion

meditation, healing, qigong, ritual magic, yoga, ect..

 

it refers to mankind moving away from limiting beliefs into a new age of unlimited possibilities.

Edited January 20, 2009 by phore

[shontonga]

What is the new age movement?

Anything that doesn't fit into any other classification?

 

Or just any new idea?

 

LOL, Kind of?

 

Wiki says this

 

It's a term that encompasses~ science, medicine, religions and philosophies.

It tends to be old ideas and practices (newly discovered by some)

that allow people to see things in a more holographic mode rather than "I/Me/Mine".

If I went into all that it is I WILL offend Many.

LOL, I wouldn't mind that but don't feel like having to keep up on posts

with the limited time i get to spend on here!

 

Not many new ideas that I've seen, LOL!

 

Most are very old and have been practiced for ... ever?

 

 

Most stuff that's heard about is very superficial .

Was a post recently about chakras for instance(could of been a good thread?)

was mentioning in it the "7 chakras"

(He called it in the thread "the 7 house wife chakras", I think, LOL, thought that was great!)

Was mentioning how many chakras there really are, inside and outside the body.

Hundreds and hundreds! Think how old a science it is!

But most folks hear there are 7.

Rainbow colored at that!

Why?

When there so many just focus on a few?

There are many Good reasons to!

Mostly it is for the learning though, so much easier to teach 7.

Then if they start to investigate most folks will realize there is more going on.

Start to find more than one spot for the heart chakra,

it might be one of the 7 heart chakras or one of

those 7's companion chakras... but most folks don't want to go that far into it.

For those who don't

just knowing the 7 "house wives chakras"

is a life time of study in it's self if one wants it to be.

 

 

LOL, a lot of new age stuff is just simple seeds.

Plant them and some will grow deep roots of understanding.

Others with fizzle out soon enough!

Some grow distorted?

Some blow in the wind and produce a plant never expected!

 

These seed make for a good introduction for people.

How far they want to go to learn and understand is up to each individual.

 

 

It's a way for folks to try and find the common thread that connects us all

and all to all.

No different than what people have always searched for.

Conection.

 

Shon

[soundhunter]

I used to work in music retail, we had to categorize record albums and cds according to popular genres and categories, even though the categories where more often than not, inadequate. I think of the term New Age as being the same thing, a category that is an inadequate label for the huge range of stuffings that go under it.