New Age is NOT New Age

[McBell]

That actually doesn't bother me as much as it may other people. As an eclectic myself, I meld some odd cultures together, but it works just fantastically for me.

I know/knew a guy who's patron was Athena yet he called himself a druid, it certainly raised an eyebrow from me, but I was not about to tell him that he couldn't do it. As I like to say, there's very little that is outside of the realm of possibilities.

I think perhaps you misunderstood.
It is not the mixing and matching I have problems with.
It is the fact that he claims his beliefs are a system that is older than Christianity that I have a problem with.

 

[Gentoo]

I think perhaps you misunderstood.
It is not the mixing and matching I have problems with.
It is the fact that he claims his beliefs are a system that is older than Christianity that I have a problem with.

Ahh.. yes, I gotcha

 

[McBell]

I think perhaps you misunderstood.
It is not the mixing and matching I have problems with.
It is the fact that he claims his beliefs are a system that is older than Christianity that I have a problem with.

This is why I would like for the thread starter to present specific beliefs.
Because although there are several beliefs that do in fact go way back, the vast majority of the "New Age" religions are merely brand new religions put together by taking old beliefs from here and old beliefs from there, slapping them together, and then claiming that because the differing beliefs that are used are really really old, their brand new religion is also old.

 

[p_shift90]

I thought the term "New Age" referred to the Age of Aquarius, in which mankind will supposedly come to an era of spiritual enlightenment and peace. This could involve bringing back old holistic practices that for centuries or even millenia have been overlooked by most of society. These practices may not have died, but they might just be coming back under the spotlight.

 

[MissAlice]

Sorry I didn't follow with the threads but this has often baffled me. Paganism and polytheism are very ancient. I think it might have to do with the comebacks as at one time, people had no choice but to live in religious hiearchy. Now in most western societies, we are free to make our own choices regarding spirituality or non-spirituality without having our rights taken away. Even people back in the day were put on stakes if anything they practiced looked remotely like witchcraft or as I like to put it....attributes of paganism practice. That's not to assume that all who were burned to the stake were practicing paganism. Anything could be assumed as witchcraft or devil worshipping especially if you were female using holistic methods in helping the sick or attending to injuries and wounds.

 

[Ukonkivi]

Why do people insist on calling it "New Age", when the practices go back. thousands of years. Holistic medicine, spiritual exploration, mystisicm, etc... STOP CALLING IT NEW AGE.

Because for us, the revivalism is a new thing.
I also believe it's related to the term "New Thought".

Which I believe somewhere in the term implies a move to a "new spiritually enlightened age" type thing. Not that the spirituality is necessarily new.

 

[McBell]

Why do people insist on calling it "New Age", when the practices go back. thousands of years. Holistic medicine, spiritual exploration, mystisicm, etc... STOP CALLING IT NEW AGE.

Taking a bunch of beliefs and rituals from old religions and putting them together in a new religion does not make the new religion an old one.

For example:

I know a fellow who has taken an Egyptian Goddess, mated her with a Greek God, threw in some Norse and Gaelic things he liked and now claims that his religion is thousands of years old merely because he gathered up a bunch of old things to make his new religion.
​

 

[MoonShadow1]

Greeting's

And yet at one time in the late 1960's the facination with "Metaphysics" closesly parallels todays
extremely popular "New Age" studies ..... Is it accurate to compare the two or are their similarities to few by todays standards ..... Thanks M/S

 

[Eponabri]

Why do people insist on calling it "New Age", when the practices go back. thousands of years. Holistic medicine, spiritual exploration, mystisicm, etc... STOP CALLING IT NEW AGE.

Why does this bother you so much? What difference does it make what anyone calls themselves?

Just for the record.. I do consider myself a New Ager, and it's just one of many titles, labels, identifications I use under the umbrella name of an Eclectic Spiritualist Pagan. I'm sorry if that upsets you.

 

[geilander]

The is no New Age, because if you are honest you see thatthe world is not becoming a better place.
I mean environmental, distribution of wealth, and war and corruption, changing society, increasing bad manners and agression in traffic, etc....

 

[Azakel]

The is no New Age, because if you are honest you see thatthe world is not becoming a better place.
I mean environmental, distribution of wealth, and war and corruption, changing society, increasing bad manners and agression in traffic, etc....

I think you miss understand the meaning of New Age in the sense it's being used here. Maybe you should go back and read the OP and get an idea of what it means here.

 

[Lois]

I'm trying to figure out what the New Age

 

[Salad]

In regards to religion, this is what 'New Age' refers to:

The 'New Age' refers to the dawning of the Age of Aquarius. Each age lasts around 2000 years.

We were, or still are in the the Age of Pisces which is a time where religion plays an authoritarian role in society with emphasis upon the plural, 'us'.

The dawning of a new age simply means a transformation in the role that religion plays in society.

and the Age of Aquarius simply means that religion is focused upon the individual 'I', the central role seems to be the personal endeavour of spiritual development. Which is clear if you observe the adoption of Buddhist meditative practices into 'New Age' religion.

Of course there is little 'new' about 'new age' beliefs, the term basically comes from astrology, a way of marking the passage of time through the positioning of planets, stars and whatnots.

x

 

[Sunstone]

STOP CALLING IT NEW AGE.

Interesting stuff, New Age.

 

[zenzero]

Friend naresh,

Welcome to RF!
Best Wishes.

Thank you for the post and it appears to be right in as far about individual and religion is concerned as personally take religion to be personal and individual and this as you mentioned has evolved through ages with evolution.

Love & rgds

Love & rgds

 

[Mr Cheese]

you know that it's my fancy
to make it with frank and nancy, well

over the bridge they go
looking for love
over the bridge we go
looking for love
i'll come running to you now
baby, if you want me
i....i'll come running to you
baby, if you want me
i....i'll come running to you now
baby, if you want me
i....i'll come running to you
baby, if you want me
and something's got a hold on me
it's the beginning of the new age

thanks to Sally for interesting insight....

one must also remember that Theosophists such as Alice bailey also helped create the new age movement....

I think the key is a looking forward, hence NEW...

 

[Salad]

I think the key is a looking forward, hence NEW...

Wouldn't you agree that in 'New Age' beliefs, there is much emphasis on the present or very near future rather than the far future?

 

[zenzero]

Friends,

What is HERE-NOW, is NEW!
The past is old and gone. The future, yet to come so do not know; it is always that the PRESENT is which is alawys NEW.
"One can't step in the same river twice" - Heraclitus, Greek philosopher (540 BC - 480 BC)

Love & rgds

 

[Salad]

The past influences your being greatly, so essentially is it not that one's past will always be present?

 

[StevieHummingbird]

Why do people insist on calling it "New Age", when the practices go back. thousands of years. Holistic medicine, spiritual exploration, mystisicm, etc... STOP CALLING IT NEW AGE.

LMAO!
My friend says the same thing every time we walk into a book store.