New Age Spirituality

NEW AGE SPIRITUALITY "New Age Spirituality," or New Age Movement, is an umbrella term for a wide range of personal and individual beliefs and practices influenced primarily by eastern religions, paganism, spiritism, metaphysics, alternative medicine. This description attempts to look at viewpoints generally held in common. Some integrate aspects of New Age thinking into their established religion or church. Belief in Deity: God is the impersonal life force, consciousness, ultimate truth, and reality, the incorporeal, formless cosmic order, personified within all people and matter - God is all and all are God. Incarnations: Most believe there are no particular incarnations to worship as all in the universe are embodiments of God. Many of the world's prophets, including Jesus, are viewed as reincarnations of Christ. Origins of universe/life: The universe, life, and matter were not created by God but "are" God. The universe and life emerged out of the creative power of the eternal universal life force or energy. After death: Most believe in continual rebirth - no death, as life is a spirit. Some believe that our souls rest for a time before deciding on a new body (or bodies). Heaven and hell are not places but states of consciousness, self-imposed, due to ignorance of God as all. Many believe deceased loved ones exist as angels in a spirit world and can be contacted (usually through a psychic medium). Why evil? No original sin and no Satan and no evil. Most believe people make "mistakes" when they are ignorant of the power of goodness, which is God, within themselves and others. Some believe evil is perpetuated through the accumulation of past-life wrongs and spiritual ignorance. Negative energy, whether emanating from a segment of the population or all of the humankind or from individuals, can lead to suffering and destructiveness. Salvation: Salvation lies in the realization of oneness with the impersonal life force, thus unlocking one's healing potential. Loving spirits, souls, beings from outer space, living and deceased spiritual masters can guide and heal us if our energy is open to this experience. Some believe that connection to the universal spirit can be heightened through methods that induce altered states of consciousness, e.g. deep hypnosis, long meditation, drugs; and connections facilitated through intercession, e.g. use of crystals, tarot cards, amulets, fortunetellers and psychics, channeling. Most believe the salvation of Earth and humanity will occur when a critical mass is reached, as people converge at once in celebrating their oneness with God and with each other. This will herald a New World Order or new Planetary Order, a oneness of civilization and one-world government, peace, and harmony. Many believe that a newly evolved human is beginning to inhabit the Earth, clairvoyant and psychic children who will raise the entire planet's consciousness. Undeserved suffering: Individual and group negative energy and disharmony, such as fighting, pollution, pessimism, greed, jealousy, violence, hatred, and spiritual ignorance can lead to the suffering of individuals, humankind, and the planet. Negative energy from one's past lives can result in suffering in this lifetime. Suffering is sometimes viewed as occurring for a specific purpose, perhaps to further spiritual growth and learn a life lesson, e.g. the death of a young child may occur because the parents need to learn not to take life for granted. Some see suffering as illusory in that it results from attachment to bodily pleasure and pain, while only the universal life force within, God, truly exists. Removing energy blockages are believed to reduce suffering. Contemporary Issues: Abortion is generally not condemned, as there is no official doctrine. Generally, adherents are supportive of a woman's right to choose abortion. Homosexuality is easily accepted -- a reflection, perhaps, of the egalitarianism of the New Age of Aquarius. Nature is appreciated and often revered as Mother Earth. Conventional Western medicine is often eschewed, sometimes entirely, in favor of alternative practices, including massage, essential oils, natural foods and supplements, chiropractors, Naturopathy, homeopathy, yoga, Qigong, prayer groups, energy healing devices, aura readings, chakra balancing, astrology, etc. More important than the scientific validity of these practices is how the person feels, along with testimonials from others, "intuition," however scientific backing is often cited.