When a person is " New Age " type. . . what does that mean to you ?

Question

A person might be " New Age ". . . OR . . . there are " New Age " bookstores...ways of thinking...era of time. . .What do you feel a " New Age " person to be like...their style of thinking and/or mindset ?

When you hear the phrase " New Age " . . . what thought comes to mind. And...where did the phrase stem from...it's been around awhile.

I've very aware that ' labels ' are not of importance...yet I do wonder what, more specifically, certain words or phrases mean when expressed.
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" Yogi " . . . Yours is about the 12th reply shared here...your avatar name was showing earlier...yet is not showing right now. Computer glitches happen...oh well.

Anyway...In reading your reply...I had not said that I myself was "New Age" type person...I'm actually simply Spiritual...no 'attached' concepts.

My wonder was of the phrase "New Age" as that phrase seems to get floated around much these days...So, I was wondering of others thoughts of that phrase.

Appreciated yours and others replies here.

Thanks.
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Answer 1

New Age is the term commonly used to designate the broad movement of late 20th century and contemporary Western culture, characterised by an eclectic and individual approach to spiritual exploration. The New Age is a diverse movement of individuals including many who graft new age beliefs onto a traditional religious affiliation. Recent surveys of U.S. adults indicate that around 20% of Americans hold at least some New Age beliefs. New Age practices and beliefs may be characterized as a form of alternative spirituality or alternative religion. Even apparent exceptions, such as alternative medicine or traditional medicine practices, often have some spiritual dimension — such as a conceptual integration of mind, body, and spirit. emphasis on meditation suggests that simple prayer and faith is insufficient, and beliefs such as reincarnation. interested in such things as meditation, channelling, reincarnation, crystals, psychic experience, holistic health, environmentalism, other fields associated with pseudoscience and anomalous phenomena, and various “unsolved mysteries” such as UFOs, Earth mysteries and crop circles. Typical activities of this subculture include participation in study or meditation groups, attendance at lectures and fairs; the purchase of books, music, and other products such as crystals or incense; and patronage of fortune-tellers, healers and spiritual counselors. Those who categorize themselves as New Age followers have multifarious beliefs; nevertheless, certain themes emerge.[1][2] An individual who identifies with the New Age may subscribe to some or all of these, depending on their own sense of what is right and wrong.

* All humanity—indeed all life, everything in the universe—is spiritually interconnected, participating in the same energy. “God” is one name for this energy.[13]

* Spiritual beings (e.g. angels, ascended masters, elementals, ghosts, and/or space aliens) exist, and will guide us, if we open ourselves to their guidance.[14]

* The human mind has deep levels and vast powers, which are capable even of overriding physical reality. “You create your own reality.”[15] Nevertheless, this is subject to certain spiritual laws, such as the principle of cause and effect (karma).

* Children are being born today with a more highly developed spiritual power than earlier generations. See Indigo Children.[16][17]

* The individual has a purpose here on earth, in the present surroundings, because there is a lesson to learn. The most important lesson is love.[18]

* Death is not the end; there is only life in different forms. What some refer to as an afterlife does not punish us but teaches us, perhaps through the mechanisms of reincarnation or near-death experiences.[19]

* Intuition or "divine guidance" is a more appropriate guide than rationalism, scientific skepticism, or the scientific method.[20]

* Western science wrongly neglects such things as parapsychology, meditation, and holistic health.[1][2]

* There exists a mystical core within all religions, Eastern and Western. Dogma and religious identity are not so important. The Bible is considered by some, but not all, to be a wise and holy book. Many important truths are found in the Bible, or are referred to only very obliquely. Some say that Jesus was an Essene, or that he traveled to India in his youth to study Eastern religions. Others say that Jesus was a later avatar of the Buddha.[21][22]

* Feminine forms of spirituality, including feminine images of the divine, such as the female Aeon Sophia in Gnosticism, have been subordinated, masked, or obliterated by patriarchal movements that were widely practiced when sacred teachings were first committed to writing. A renaissance of the feminine is particularly appropriate at this time.[1][2]

* Meditation, yoga, t'ai chi ch'üan, reiki, and other Eastern practices are valuable and worthwhile.

* A certain critical mass of people with a highly spiritual consciousness will bring about a sudden change in the whole population. See Hundredth Monkey.[23][24]

* Science and spirituality are ultimately harmonious. New discoveries in science, e.g. evolution and quantum mechanics, when rightly understood, point to spiritual principles. See The Great Story[25][26]

* An appeal to the language of nature and mathematics, as evidenced by numerology in Kabbala, gnosticism etc., to discern the nature of god.[27]

* We have a responsibility to take part in positive creative activity and to work to heal ourselves, each other and the planet.[28][29][30]

* The food you eat has an effect on your mind as well as your body. It is generally preferable to eat fresh organic vegetarian food which is locally grown and in season.[31][32][33][34] Raw food and sprouted seeds have a particularly spirit enhancing quality.[35][36]

* Fasting can help you achieve higher levels of consciousness.[37]

* Ultimately every interpersonal relationship has the potential to be a helpful experience in terms of our own growth. We learn about ourselves through our relationships with other people by getting to see what we need to work on ourselves and what strengths we bring to the other party in order to help them in their life. All our relationships are destined to be repeated until they are healed, if necessary over many lifetimes. As Souls seeking wholeness, our goal is eventually to learn to love everyone we come in contact with.[1]

* Ancient civilizations such as Atlantis may truly have existed, leaving behind certain relics and monuments (the Great Pyramid, Stonehenge) whose true nature has not been discovered by mainstream historians.[38]

* Certain geographic locations emanate special energy, which may be male or female in character. Many such places may have been considered sacred in the worlds religions or as healing places by indigenous native populations.[39]

* Rocks and crystals have special psychic energies and can be an aid to meditation and healing.[40]

* There are no coincidences (see Synchronicity). Everything around you has spiritual meaning, and spiritual lessons to teach you. You are meant to be here, and are always exactly where you need to be to learn from what confronts you.

* The mind has hidden powers and abilities, which have a spiritual significance.

* Dreams and psychic experiences are ways in which our souls express themselves.[41]

* A positive attitude supported by affirmations will achieve success in anything.[42]

* There is a cosmic goal. There is typically a belief that all entities are (willingly or unwillingly) cooperating in some cosmic goal of achieving a "higher" or more complete coherence with a cosmic "consciousness" (or some other goal state of "goodness"), often described as an evolutionary process or simply to learn. This underlying cosmic goal gives direction to all events, reducing the concept of coincidence to one of ignorance of hidden meaning.

* This is a time of great transformation for the Earth and human consciousness. Certain dates have a special significance in these changes. 1986 and the Harmonic Convergence was one, and there are others to come in 2011 or 2012

I hope this information gives you some insight to the "New Age" Spiritual Person : )

Twelve Signs of a
Spiritual Awakening


1. An increased tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.
2. Frequent attacks of smiling.
3. Feelings of being connected with others and nature.
4. Frequent overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
5. A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than from fears based on past experience.
6. An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
7. A loss of ability to worry.
8. A loss of interest in conflict.
9. A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
10. A loss of interest in judging others.
11. A loss of interest in judging self.
12. Gaining the ability to love without expecting anything in return.


Love & Blessings
Milly

Answer 2

New Age is the term commonly used to designate the broad movement of late 20th century and contemporary Western culture, characterised by an eclectic and individual approach to spiritual exploration The New Age is a diverse movement of individuals including many who graft new age beliefs onto a traditional religious affiliation.

Answer 3

Hmmm.

In my personal experience, when someone says they are "New Age", they mean that they are concerned with techniques/theories rather than with a religious context in which to practice those techniques/theories. They also tend to view enlightenment or advancement as something that can be bought and sold, rather than something that comes through hard work and long searching. I have never yet met a serious Neo-Pagan who self-described as "New Age".

Allow me to tell a little joke.

Q: What's the difference between Neo-Pagan and New Age?

A: About $200/hour.

Answer 4

To me, a new aged person is someone who enjoys things that are spiritual and unknown, such as crystals (of which i have a huge collection myself), u.f.o's, auras, and angels to name but a few. And i agree with you in saying that, i too am not in any category, but just interested in spirituality.

Answer 5

A generally nice, if confused, person who would actually send money to someone advertising (in the back of a woo-woo New Age magazine) "remote aura acupuncture"...and thinks it will work.

Answer 6

That someone has a problem accepting the fact bad things happen, and that they've clouded their mind with a whole bunch of white light. That they spend too much money on rocks that they think will give them wealth, and fame. That they think they are uber-psychic.

Essentially, I think of a really stupid pacifistic hippy. IE: I think they are silly.

Answer 7

i think of a group of people that are probably in their teens that are getting into paganism to draw attention to themselves.

to me new age is simply a light form of Paganism. and if it works for you that is great.

i see it as all happy and perfect and we all live in perfect love and perfect trust. and nothing bad will evr happen ....

basically the crap that you read in every waldenbooks new age section.

i think of hollywood witchcraft and all of the people that think that they are high priests and priestesses after watching the Craft one to many times. i think of the movies that sell the religions to pre teen kids with the promise of popularity and beauty and love spells to find your perfect mate.

Paganism is a wonderful way of life. but it is not all pretty and it is not all easy. in 2 months i will probably be going on a vision quest. to sit naked on top of a mountain for 4 days with no food or water. my entire coven will be at the bottom of the mountain to support me and my quest. they will eat and rest for me. if they fail i could easily die of exposure or dehydration. many of us do very hard things to further our connection with out gods. and to me the new age thing id pretty much a commercialized religion that takes some of the useful aspects from the old religions such as magic and energy usage . and downplays the struggle to focus them and to use them wisely.

as i said though if that world for you be at ease i am glad for you. but to me nothing worth doing is that easy.

Answer 8

1

Answer 9

multi cultural religion, hippie dippy rain sticks and voodoo dolls, drum circles and moon chants, books on lucid dreaming. This hodge podge of unique (to us/them) cultural practices. almost forgot crystals.

Answer 10

Of original thought sometimes, sometimes over the top in paganism.

Answer 11

The person is into metaphysics. I think of someone who is an occult wannabe. Confused but not really intellectually challenged.