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I must confess that I was very keen on the New Age from about
1975 onwards (from when I was, say, 25). Now 27 years later, I
have to look back, slightly regretfully, and certainly with more
self-consciousness.
I am regretful and disappointed because:- we have not built the
New Jerusalem yet (and, in fact, world circumstances at the moment
seem to be about to destroy the old one entirely), King Arthur
and Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table have not re-emerged
and re-established Camelot, the Christ does not seem to have re-appeared,
and neither do we seem to have entered a new era of peace and
love. Perhaps my dreams in ’75 were unrealistic ! I’m slightly
embarrassed about it all, in fact, but I want to write honestly
about it.
I am deeply disappointed whenever I go to a new age festival
(tinged with guilt, because I myself played a big part in the
Findhorn shop, which supported the developing commercial ‘new
age’). The number of products available, the claims made for them,
the ‘great new products’. Everyone has their book to market, their
living to make, their stuff to sell (my book comes out soon !
– you must buy it – it has all the answers !), their workshops,
their place on the lecture circuit.
I am particularly unhappy with channellings from ‘higher realms’,
‘new age music’ and the way crystals are sold, but the whole movement
itself is the problem …… I feel it is actively mis-leading to
newcomers,and it is commercial and exploitative of everyone involved.
But, I don’t think this is the full picture. There is some really
good stuff there that people generally need, and I think some
of the keys to my 'positive' ('clear') New Age are as follows
:-
- Some form of Group Consciousness is possible, some element
of ‘the whole is greater then the sum of the parts', and that
a group of equals can create new patterns and projects of great
power.
- A new synthesis is possible of the best (useful) bits of all
the different schools of thought
- A new personal centering is possible, with a re-integration
of the self around a new centre
- New potentials can be sensed and reached for the self and
also for society. (They were always there, but they were hidden
or 'difficult to find'
And so on. Unfortunately, none of these are saleable products
! (though I can let you have a few grains of new potential if
you want), although there are some very useful techniques which
I recommmend and list in my Psychology
links
Is the New Age (astrologically) arriving anyway ? Did it arrive
and I didn’t notice it ? Who is in a position to say so anyway
? How can you tell the diference ?
The New Age movement seems to me mostly unchanged from 20 years
ago, but things are changing elsewhere:-
I can communicate in this way over the internet - this indicates
real progress to something new !
I have phoned people on mobile phones in Greece, India, China
and Saudi Arabia
I can come to Belgium to live and 'become a European'
I also very much value that I can now come from 'my direction'
and have the opportunity to do a Masters in ‘policy and thought’
type of issues. This type of door has opened in a way that didn't
seem to exist before.
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