Paganism and New Age

[The Hammer]

New Age - Wikipedia

Paganism - Wikipedia

Do you consider Paganism to be a part of the New Age Spiritual movement?

Does Pagan/Neopaganism draw on various aspects of New Age concepts, or do you utilize New Age concepts in your Pagan path?

I would consider Paganism to be a distinct branch of the New Age movement, but one that focuses more on Indigenous Revival worldviews, although it can also lean on things such as Magick, Occultism, Numerology and other Esoteric beliefs.

Thoughts?

 

[VoidCat]

Eh I think it's more of a labeling thing. I don't consider myself new age. Some pagans do I don't. Mostly cuz I don't know much about new age.

 

[The Hammer]

Mostly cuz I don't know much about new age.

That...... That's what the wiki link was for.

 

[VoidCat]

That...... That's what the wiki link was for.

I read it. But I'm sure there's a lot of stuff on the topic that one wiki article can't summerize

 

[The Hammer]

I read it. But I'm sure there's a lot of stuff on the topic that one wiki article can't summerize

True

 

[VoidCat]

Is there any possibility of them being two different views but with some overlap and some folks just describe themselves as both?

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

New Age - Wikipedia

Paganism - Wikipedia

Do you consider Paganism to be a part of the New Age Spiritual movement?

Does Pagan/Neopaganism draw on various aspects of New Age concepts, or do you utilize New Age concepts in your Pagan path?

I would consider Paganism to be a distinct branch of the New Age movement, but one that focuses more on Indigenous Revival worldviews, although it can also lean on things such as Magick, Occultism, Numerology and other Esoteric beliefs.

Thoughts?

in my experience, paganism is not at all close to new age...I find paganism much less "esoteric" than new age and much more pragmatic.

I'm sure others' mileage varies, but I don't see much overlap, and there aren't many ideas from new age that play a role in my practice...

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

No. They're unrelated. New Age is a syncretism of Christianity, watered down Hinduism and Buddhism, Theosophy and "Age of Aquarius" millennialism. That has nothing to do with the revival or continuation of indigenous folkways and worldviews.

 

[The Kilted Heathen]

Do you consider Paganism to be a part of the New Age Spiritual movement?

Not entirely, no. Modern Wicca is keen to implement several elements of the New Age movements and philosophies, but Paganism as a whole does not. Because Wicca is what I refer to as "buffet Paganism" (taking from various cultures in an excess of eclecticism) other branches tend to get folded into this mentality; for example a Norse Wiccan or a Seax Wiccan might associate topaz or tigers eye with Freyja and swear by it, and as a result a Heathen (Norse Pagan) will have that same assumed of them, that topaz is somehow "Freyja's crystal". When really it's just a Wiccan New Age thing and crystals don't really have a prominent presence in Norse spirituality.

 

[The Hammer]

Not entirely, no. Modern Wicca is keen to implement several elements of the New Age movements and philosophies, but Paganism as a whole does not. Because Wicca is what I refer to as "buffet Paganism" (taking from various cultures in an excess of eclecticism) other branches tend to get folded into this mentality; for example a Norse Wiccan or a Seax Wiccan might associate topaz or tigers eye with Freyja and swear by it, and as a result a Heathen (Norse Pagan) will have that same assumed of them, that topaz is somehow "Freyja's crystal". When really it's just a Wiccan New Age thing and crystals don't really have a prominent presence in Norse spirituality.

I will agree that crystals seems to have little to do with any Pagan branch I've seen, and that aspect of the New Age has always been odd to me.

What about other occult aspects? Would mixing Divination, and/or Magick make ones practice to akin to "buffet Paganism" as you say?

Say a Norse Pagan, who uses runic divination and numerology, as well as Seidr? It seems like some of these things cross back and forth between "New Age" and Pagan (but that could just be because of Wicca).

 

[The Kilted Heathen]

Not really, because every culture past and present have had methods of divination and magic. Runic divination is a modern practice built on old notions (as best we can tell), but it's not quite "New Age".

 

[Sirona]

Is there any possibility of them being two different views but with some overlap and some folks just describe themselves as both?

As a Hindu with casual interest in New Age, may I join in? I have posting rights in this forum, but I never used them before.

First, I would define (modern, commercial) New Age rather as a general approach or marketing strategy rather than a fixed belief. In other words, New Age sells whatever currently is popular. Sort of anything goes. I’d describe New Age as a “salad bowl” rather than a fixed belief, and IMHO the salad bowl approach becomes most obvious in what they refer to as “ascended masters”, which are, among others, pagan deities from Aengus to Zeus. I think in this regard, New Age stands for tolerance, even though this tolerance is kept to please customers rather than for the sake of a consistent philosophy.

If you want to get an impression, Angels And Masters is a website about ascended masters with texts that are similar to “standard work” written by former New Age star Doreen Virtue, Archangels and Ascended Masters.

Moreover, New Age touches upon aspects of paganism like shamanism, “The Celtic Tree Horoscope”, rituals for the twelve nights of Christmas (called Rauhnächte, the rough nights, in German, when the Wild Hunt is said to occur) etc. Some works presumably addressed to a female audience invite you to discover your “inner goddess” with goddesses from culture X, or with goddesses from various cultures. (Curiously, I’ve never seen any “discover your inner god” literature. I wonder why. )

However, New Age often waters down aspects of religions. For example, in Archangels and Ascended masters, she recommends to offer "food" to Krishna, whereas in Hinduism, only vegetarian food can be offered to this god.

 

[The Kilted Heathen]

New Age touches upon aspects of paganism like shamanism

New Age "Shamanism" is basically nothing more than colonized "plastic shamanism", not representative of what Shamanism actually is.

 

[Sirona]

New Age "Shamanism" is basically nothing more than colonized "plastic shamanism", not representative of what Shamanism actually is.

Thanks for the info. I'm no expert on shamanism but I think in my last post I clearly stated that New Age tends to water down religions out of commercial interest.

 

[Callisto]

New Age - Wikipedia

Paganism - Wikipedia

Do you consider Paganism to be a part of the New Age Spiritual movement?

Does Pagan/Neopaganism draw on various aspects of New Age concepts, or do you utilize New Age concepts in your Pagan path?

I would consider Paganism to be a distinct branch of the New Age movement, but one that focuses more on Indigenous Revival worldviews, although it can also lean on things such as Magick, Occultism, Numerology and other Esoteric beliefs.

Thoughts?

There's an old Neopagan joke,

Q: What's the difference between New Age and Paganism?
A: About $500. a weekend

While Neopaganism began to flourish at the same time as the New Age movement, they're not synonymous. There can be, depending on the given practice, some overlap like a Venn diagram. But generally, there are more differences than similarities, especially with the steady increase of polytheistic reconstructions within the past few decades.

 

[1137]

Whatever I am is definitely not New Age. Polytheism certainly, paganism I'd argue, but not new age.