New Age Belief
Systems
Some of the basics of
beliefs that the followers of New Age Movement follow
liberally:-
Beliefs in New Age ideas
are found among diverse individuals, including some who graft
additional beliefs onto a traditional religious affiliation.
Some individuals who hold any of its beliefs may not identify
with the term "New Age", and that term may be applied as a
label by outsiders to anyone they consider inclined towards its
world view.The New Age movement includes elements of older
spiritual and religious traditions from both East and
West.
Karma: The good and bad
deeds that we do adds and subtracts from our accumulated
record, our 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
Hinduism.
Even given the
diversity and transitory nature of the New Age Movement, there
are still a number of major tenets generally held in common by
most groups within this movement.
An Aura is believed to be an
energy field radiated by the body. Invisible to most people, it
can be detected by some as a shimmering, multi-colored field
surrounding the body. Those skilled in detecting and
interpreting auras can diagnose an individual's state of mind,
and their spiritual and physical health.
Personal
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.
When the tenets of the New Age
Movement are examined, they are not really new at all. The New
Age is really old occultism in new linguistic garb. Many of
these concepts can be found in basic form in Genesis 3. Notice
these statements made to Eve in the Garden: "You will be like
God" (pantheism), "You will not surely die" (reincarnation),
"Your eyes will opened" (change of consciousness), and "Did God
really say" (moral relativism)
Universal Religion: Since all is God, then only one reality
exists, and all religions are simply different paths to that
ultimate reality. The universal religion can be visualized as a
mountain, with many sadhanas (spiritual paths) to the summit.
Some are hard; others easy. There is no one correct path. All
paths eventually reach the top. They anticipate that a new
universal religion which contains elements of all current
faiths will evolve and become generally accepted worldwide.
bullet 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. Gender, racial, religious and other forms of
discrimination will cease. People's allegiance to their tribe
or nation will be replaced by a concern for the entire world
and its people.
The "forces", and everything else, are
energized by a mystical power that exists in
varying degrees in all things. Power is transferable, through
physical contact, sensory perception, or mere proximity. Power
may be accumulated or depleted in a person or object through a
variety of mechanisms, including fate and esoteric practices.
This power is held to be physically observable as
"auras" and "psi energy";
and when encountered in great concentration, may even be
dangerous.
The Age of Aquarius is a reference to
the precession of the zodiac. The earth passes into a new sign
of the zodiac approximately every 2,000 years. Some believe
that the earth entered the constellation Aquarius in the 19th
Century, so that the present era is the dawning of the age of
Aquarius. Others believe that it will occur at the end of the
20th century. It is interesting to note that the previous
constellation changes were:
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