New Age
The New Age ("New Era") is a wide spiritual-cultural movement that emerged in the West in the second half of the 20th century, characterised by the syncretic combination of multiple spiritual traditions (Eastern, Western, indigenous, esoteric), interest in personal growth, alternative medicine, ecological consciousness and the spiritual-energetic vision of life. Its peak was the 1980s-1990s.
Origin and history
The roots of the New Age go back to 19th-century theosophy (Helena Blavatsky), the Western occultism of the 19th-20th centuries (Eliphas Levi, Crowley, Dion Fortune), the analytical psychology of Jung, the introduction of Eastern spirituality in the West (Vivekananda in the 1893 Parliament of Religions, Suzuki bringing Zen, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi with Transcendental Meditation in the 1960s, gurus arriving en masse with the hippies of the 60s), and the parapsychology and human potential of the mid-20th century (Esalen Institute in California from 1962).
The term "New Age" became popular in the 1970s-1980s with figures such as Marilyn Ferguson (her book The Aquarian Conspiracy, 1980), Shirley MacLaine (her bestseller Out on a Limb, 1983, channelled spirituality), James Redfield (The Celestine Prophecy, 1993), and the broad publishing wave of crystals, angels, channellings, holistic healing. It was supposed to coincide with the supposed entry of humanity into the "Age of Aquarius" (precessional zodiac change of about 2,000 years).
Characteristic themes
The New Age is a heterogeneous mosaic that includes: spirituality (channellings, ascended masters, angels, akashic records, karma and reincarnation, law of attraction); holistic healing (Reiki, lithotherapy, acupuncture, aromatherapy, vibrational therapies); personal growth (positive psychology, NLP, transpersonal coaching); alternative spiritualities (modern Wicca, neo-shamanism, Goddess movements); vegetarianism and ecology; UFOs and extraterrestrial spirituality (less universal but present in certain currents).
The valuable contributions of the New Age include: 1) spiritual democratisation (each person has direct access to the divine, no longer needs traditional priestly intermediaries). 2) Religious tolerance (multiple paths can be valid). 3) Bridge between psychology and spirituality. 4) Recovery of marginalised feminine from organised religion. 5) Holistic awareness of body-mind-spirit. 6) Awareness of ecological interconnection. 7) Inclusion of non-Western traditions in Western public discourse. They are real and valuable contributions.
Critical considerations
The New Age also has critical aspects: 1) commodification of the spiritual (everything becomes paid product); 2) cultural appropriation of indigenous traditions without respect for their context; 3) magical thinking that denies medical and material reality (anti-vaccines, alleged miraculous cures that delay real treatments); 4) spiritual narcissism (use the spiritual for ego); 5) shallow eclecticism (taking a little of everything without depth in any tradition); 6) spiritual bypassing (avoiding real psychological work hiding behind spiritual phrases). The wise navigation of the New Age extracts the valuable (spiritual openness, holism, personal access) while staying lucid before the empty parts (charlatanism, narcissism, naive denialism).
Also known as
- New era
- Aquarian movement
- Holistic spirituality