Page 64 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - October / November 2018

64 New Age Woo Wooism

New Age

Woo Wooism

Continued on From 61

Origins

New Age traces back to the Spiritualism
movement of the 19th century and Helena
Blavatsky's Theosophy, as well as the Order of
the Golden Dawn and Swedenborgianism. It
may occasionally borrow from or share ideas
with still older esoteric movements such as
Freemasonry and Rosicrucianism, from which
the Order of the Golden Dawn was derived.
Alice Bailey's Theosophy-influenced occult
writings of the 1930s and 1940s are sometimes
cited as the origin of the modern New Age
movement; some Alice Bailey followers, most
notably Benjamin Creme, were influential in
popularizing New Age ideas in the 1980s and
giving the movement its modern form.
Other early possible progenitors include
the Urantia Book (1955) and Aquarian Gospel of
Jesus the Christ (1908), both consisting of
allegedly channeled material mixing
Christianity with Eastern religious thought (and
in the case of Urantia a cosmology of
Widespread usage of the term New Age began in promoted by mass-market books and TV shows
extraterrestrial spirit beings); the channeled
the mid-1970s (reflected in the title of monthly like In Search Of. Later in the '70s, a sci-fi
"readings" of Edgar Cayce; and the practicies of
periodical New Age Journal) and probably influence and interest in extraterrestrial life
Spiritism which included such things as table
influenced several thousand small metaphysical (including interest in the Roswell crash) was
rapping, Tarot cards, and the Ouija board, which
book- and gift-stores that increasingly defined heralded by films such as Star Wars and Close
later re-emerged in popularity among the hippie
themselves as "New Age bookstores." Encounters of the Third Kind.
movement. The Findhorn Foundation in
As traditional belief systems (including The New Age came into its own in the
Scotland (founded 1963) and the Esalen Institute
religions and political ideology) were seen as 1980s offering a smörgåsbord of spiritual
in California (founded 1962) are also cited as self-limiting, some aspects of this movement choices to the seeker, by then largely devoid of
origins of the New Age.
veered into freethought, but much of the its early roots, and often characterized by a
The actual term "New Age" was used as
movement took a simultaneous interest in complete lack of skepticism and by an annoying
early as 1809 by William Blake (a popular figure
developing new spiritual outlooks and it was stylistic vagueness and slick marketing. Notable
in New Age circles) who described a coming era
quickly overshadowed. Spiritual movements events popularizing the New Age term, and
of spiritual advancement in his preface to Milton
which flourished around the same time included beliefs, included full-page newspaper ads placed
a Poem by stating: "When the New Age is at
Transcendental Meditation, the Hare Krishna (circa 1982) by Benjamin Creme's groups
leisure to pronounce, all will be set right." A
sect, and esoteric Christian sects such as the heralding the arrival of "Maitreya," a purported
weekly journal of Christian socialism titled The
Unification Church, the evangelical "Jesus New Age avatar or "Christ"; the "Harmonic
New Age was published as early as 1894. It has Freaks and Crystal Healing. "The Human Convergence" when in August 1987 New Agers
been held to be a significant influence on
Potential Movement of the 1960s and 1970s was gathered at alleged sacred sites around the world
modernism in literature and the arts during its
originally a secular movement rooted in pop to herald a new era of world peace and spiritual
heyday. Psychoanalysist Carl Jung was a
psychology and the existentialist philosophy transformation, based on a loose interpretation
believer in a coming "Age of Aquarius." In a
popular at the time, and not at first given to of the Mayan calendar (sound familiar?); the rise
letter to his friend Peter Baynes, dated 12
much interest in spiritual matters; typical of this of New Age bookstores and free advertising the
August 1940, Jung wrote a passage: "This year
era were Erhard Seminars Training and smörgåsbord of activities available; and the
reminds me of the enormous earthquake in 26
Lifespring seminars, popular self help books popularity of crystals, trance channeling, "aura"
B.C. that shook down the great temple of
such as Psycho-Cybernetics (1960) and I'm OK, photography, runes, and similar woo.
Karnak. It was the prelude to the destruction of You're OK (1969), and primal scream therapy.
all temples, because a new time had begun. 1940
The Human Potential Movement taught the (Continued on Page 65)
is the year when we approach the meridian of
achievement of "self-actualization" through a
the first star in Aquarius. It is the premonitory
variety of means, often based on freeing oneself
earthquake of the New Age." Following Jung,
from negative scripts imposed on ones life by
Alice Bailey published the book Discipleship in
other people (such as parents or peers), or during
the New Age (1944), which used the term New
early childhood.
Age in reference to the transition from the
By the 1970s, a fusion of the secular
astrological age of Pisces to Aquarius. Another
with the spiritual was inevitable, most notably
early usage of the term was by the American taking on influence from Zen, Hinduism, some
artist, mystic, and philosopher Walter Russell,
forms of liberal Christianity, and belief in
who spoke of "this New Age philosophy of the
supernatural phenomena. Popular books such as
spiritual re-awakening of man...Man's purpose
Richard Bach's Jonathan Livingston Seagull
in this New Age is to acquire more and more
(1970) successfully combined the promise of
knowledge" in his essay "Power Through
unlimited potential and self-actualization with
Knowledge," which was also published in 1944.
spirituality. This was followed by an increasing
interest in "unexplained phenomena," such as
Into the mainstream Bigfoot and the Bermuda Triangle, as well as the
alleged mystical powers of pyramids, often