One of the strengths of the New Age movement is that no one set of beliefs are imposed instead people are free to "shop" for the beliefs and practices that they
feel most comfortable with:
- Monism: All that exists is derived from a single source of divine energy.
- Pantheism: All that exists is God; God is all that exists. Flowing from this is the concept of the divinity of the individual, that we are all Gods. Adherent so of this belief do not seek God in a sacred text or as exists in a remote heaven; they seek God within the self and throughout the entire universe.
- Panentheism: God is all that exists. God is at once the entire universe, and transcends the universe as well.
- Universal Religion: Since all is God, then only one reality exists, and
all religions are simply different paths to that ultimate reality.
Believers anticipate that a new universal religion which contains
elements of all current faiths will evolve and become generally
accepted worldwide.
- Reincarnation: After death, we are reborn and live another life as a human. This cycle repeats itself many times. This belief is similar to the concept of transmigration of the soul in Hinduism.
- Karma: The good and bad deeds that we do adds and subtracts from our accumulated karma. At the end of our life, we are rewarded or punished according to our karma by being reincarnated into either a painful or good new life. This belief is linked to that of reincarnation and is also derived from HinduismPersonal Transformation A profoundly intense mystical experience will lead to the acceptance and use of New Age beliefs and practices. Guided imagery, hypnosis, meditation, and (sometimes) the use of hallucinogenic drugs are useful to bring about and enhance this transformation. Believers hope to develop new potentials within themselves: the ability to heal oneself and others, psychic powers, a new understanding of the workings of the universe, etc. Later, when sufficient numbers of people have achieved these powers, a major spiritual, physical, psychological and cultural planet-wide transformation is expected.
- Ecological Responsibility: A belief in the importance of uniting to preserve the health of the earth, which is often looked upon as Gaia, (Mother Earth) a living entity.
- New World Order. As the Age of Aquarius unfolds, a New Age will develop. This will be a utopia in which there is world government, and end to wars, disease, hunger, pollution, and poverty.
Many practices are found among New Age adherents. Typically a practitioner will be active in only a few areas:
- Channeling A method similar to that used by Spiritists in which a spirit of a long dead individual is conjured up. However, while Spiritists generally believe that one's soul remains relatively unchanged after death, most channelers believe that the soul evolves to higher planes of existence.
- Crystals Crystals are materials which have their molecules arranged in a specific, highly ordered internal pattern. This pattern is reflected in the crystal's external structure which typically has symmetrical planar surfaces. They can be shaped so that they will vibrate at a specific frequency and are widely used in radio communications and computing devices. New Agers believe that crystals possess healing energy.
- Meditating A process of blanking out the mind and releasing oneself from conscious thinking. This is often aided by repetitive chanting of a mantra, or focusing on an object.
- New Age Music A gentle, melodic, inspirational music form involving the human voice, harp, lute, flute, etc. It is used as an aid in healing, massage therapy and general relaxation.
- Divination The use of various techniques to foretell the future, including I Ching, Pendulum movements, Runes , Scrying, Tarot Cards .
- Astrology The belief that the orientation of the planets at the time of one's birth, and the location of that birth predicts the individual's future and personality.
- Holistic Health This is a collection of healing techniques which have diverged from the traditional medical model. It attempts to cure disorders in mind, body and spirit and to promote wholeness and balance in the individual. Examples are acupuncture, crystal healing , homeopathy, iridology, massage, various meditation methods, polarity therapy, psychic healing, therapeutic touch, reflexology, etc.
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