What is the New Age? How is it defined? Some people describe it as the ecology movement. However, taking care of the earth is not a new concept. Some say it is the Eastern influence like karma, meditation, yoga, tai chi. Again, none of these are new practices. Some believe it is the outcropping of new religions like the Bahai, Scientology, Unity or Unitarian. There is nothing new here either.
Perhaps what is ‘new’ about the New Age is the integration of intellect, capitalism, materialism, greed and the shadow side of reality. Whenever a light source is cast upon a solid object be it the sun or a lamp, it casts a shadow. So it is with the New Age. Wherever there is light there is also darkness.
With each new and positive movement, a darker side emerges. There is always a back and a front. The bigger the back the bigger the front. As more and more adults seek meaning to life devoid of emotion and spiritual fulfillment, there are those who capitalize on this void as nature abhors a vacuum.
In the animal kingdom, the lion seeks out the weak, vulnerable, sick and open as its prey. The “New Age’ is no different. Any psychologist knows that creating caring, nurturing environments whether it is momentary or prolonged, promotes individuals to drop their guard or walls, to become open and vulnerable, open hearted, out stretched hands. Those with stealth and cunning are using these moments for not so honorable motives.
Over the last 20 years, I have seen a dramatic increase in the number of clients, friends and family who have fallen prey to these vultures and predators. Some have lost their fortunes and life savings, others their health or virginity, and some their lives. What is needed here is the difference between discrimination and discernment skills.
In the search for compassion, kindness, hope, belief, trust, faith in the world, throughout the search, the ability to discriminate those that would hurt us and those that help us, is imperative to our emotional, spiritual, mental and physical well being. Giving ourselves totally to a leader is playing into the hands of Jim Jones.
It is the hope of this author in these excerpts taken from actual events that the reader will awaken from gullibility to sensibility when encountering the spiritual search of the seeker. No one is perfect. We can trust that everyone is human with human frailties and weaknesses. The only think we must learn to trust is what is true for us and take control of our own lives. We come to life as emotional, spiritual, mental and physical cripples in one form or another. The challenge of life is to determine our purpose, help others along the way and find true happiness, joy, contentment in the process.
The key to the New Age is not to acquire more crutches or feed the emotional and/or spiritual void but to find our own truth, center, purpose that fulfills. To question authority and gurus, to ask why, when, how, without fear of any kind. This is the key to the New Age take control of our personal power not give it away to others.
Environment ripe for predators;
1) school, authoritarian and adult control- no questioning or dialogue, follow like sheep/cattle
2) corporate predators- fear of loss of job, no entrepreneurial spirit, crush small, bigger is better, quality vs. quantity
3) follow the money- meaningless life
4) success= fame, fortune therefore happiness
5) total faith and trust in religious leaders
6) protecting our children- lots it- give up to day cares, school, doctors, kids no bonding, X generation, Pepsi generation, not family ties but capitalism…
Contents;
Concepts of the New Age- faith, hope, trust, unconditional love
1) Honor Thy Father….rape catholic, enemas
2) Honor Thy Mother…sold to sex slavery for food
3) Indian Gurus…sex and money
4) Unconditional Love…chained to loom
5) Trust…land mines
6) Holistic Psychologist…hypnosis sex
7) Institute Personal Trans…pathological liar, sociopath, embezzler
8) Technology….give money
9) Network Marketing…support group concept, money quick
10) Artistic man, gentle, sensitive…herpes, free love, women in ports
11) Psychic- Fortune Teller….control and manipulate others
12) Free love- venereal disease, unwanted single moms, irresponsible men
13) Blind Faith…money to investment groups
NEEDS
To be touched, played with
Intuition is distorted by perception and life experiences (psychic)
As human beings, we have unfulfilled needs. Events arise to fill those deficiencies. What we do with these events determines our course and direction in life.
Bipolar phenomena- split brain- on the planet has been evolving over the past 50 years. Our highest values and inner knowledge conflict with Western views. East meets West.
NEEDS
Part of whole….separate of whole
Light, joy, laughter, rest, slow
Self-realization, self-acceptance
Love, acceptance, heard, listen to, admired, visible, touched, understood, belong, alone, solitude, recapitulate, harmony, trust, faith, belief, hope, live forever, youthful, young, self-control, responsibility