HMMM Well its heard to believe in a concept coined "New Age" when really every moment is a new time.... but yes I've been known to bounce around in a positively progressive fashion. Hoping that people get back to roots!

Politics sort of freaks me out, especially when it comes to social issues where a group of people, even when a majority, determines what should apply to an individual in a societal context. Few things disturb me as much as this.

I believe in trying to model my values and letting them speak for themselves, and letting other people make of them what they will. I also believe in rules of engagement for times when my views may come into conflict with others ~ that usually begins with "ask first, judge later" ~ you can't really react properly to anything if you don't know what it is. I think that is consistent with having an Aqua moon.

There are a variety of aspects of the New Age Movement that seem to me to be back-handed attempts at social control, and some are more obvious than others. Certainly, that sort thing is not exclusive to the New Age Movement, nor does it mean that all things New Age involve back-handed attempts at social control. Some aspects of the New Age Movement seem to me to be desirable ~ such as an interest in the beliefs of the ancients and of the aboriginal peoples. I was a History major, after all. However, I find that many people following the New Age Movement do not look into these things but in the most superficial way, thereby leaving themselves open to a variety of difficulties, ranging from personally misinterpreting those beliefs to leaving themselves open to mind control ~ brain washing ~ when leaving the interpretations of those beliefs to others who then misrepresent them. The responsibility of understanding lies with the individual, which is true of any sphere of thought, and there is, frankly, no substitute for doing the work of that yourself. Superficial thinking in the New Age Movement specifically is, to my way of thinking, its most frequent and prevalent hobgoblin.

I grow very weary of repeating to people who equate "survival of the fittest," for example, as the precept of Darwin's theory of Natural Selection. His actual precept was called "the struggle for existence," which is a far cry from the implied natural superiority the prior term connotes. "Survival of the fittest" is actually a concept that came from Social Darwinism. I become impatient with these sorts of misrepresentations when the accurate information is no farther away than Google, and can be found on the very first entry there.

Mental laziness seems far too prevalent in the New Age Movement where a knowledge of the histories of just about everything is essential to functioning within the Movement with any true credibility at all. Hence, the New Age Movement is often equated with being "superstitious," "deluded," "airy fairy," "mystic," and just outright ignorant. Unfortuately, it seems to be coming by that reputation for some very good reasons. It is too bad that the New Age Movement, which can be taken as a impetus for education, too often becomes just another method whereby people resort to not thinking at all.

"If you do, would you say that you see the answer more in being active politically, or in bringing about change in the way people think?
If so, are you - ahem a New Ager?
If so, and you are into astrology/counselling/teaching, how does this influnece the way you work? "


I was never interested in politics. However lately I have become more politically aware. I used to never see any difference between one political group and another, in my mind, both just want power and the dividing line was thin to the point of non-existent....at least in the UK and Ireland. I am starting to lately see some more subtle differences to the point that I will probably vote for the first time in the next general election. I have never voted before and will turn 24 in a couple of months.

I also consider myself 'New Agey' in that I study astrology, practice tarot and even enjoy palm reading. I believe somewhat in reincarnation, I believe that there are energy wheels called chakras and I have an intellectual interest in Kabballah. All of these things fall under the New Age umbrella. Obviously none of these things are new, more like a renaissance.
I don't consider myself New Agey when it comes to the 'authors' of new age books. I have never read Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, The Secret, The Celesitine Prophecy etc. etc. and from researching them somewhat, I don't see what they have to add. They seem to me, a 'cashing in' on older insights, only without the understanding or the subtlety of the original message. For all their talk of 'give up the ego' an "don't be attached to money", I have no doubt that the authors of these books have made themselves very wealthy. Contrast this to the 'truly' spiritual figures such as Jesus and the Buddha, who not only preached that message but had the good grace to lead by example also. Have any of these new age books anything to add that Jesus or the Buddha has not already added? My personal view is no.

It seems people flock to these books like one would a bible and see it particularly so in people who lack genuine spiritual understanding or foundation. It seems, based on the followers of these believers, that the people who do often seem to lack the ability to differentiate between 'reality' and 'fiction'. In fact I'd go as far as to say that some of these books are actually spiritually dangerous. I apologise if this is harsh, and obviously I'm not saying EVERYONE is like this. But in my experience, the majority are. In fact in a lot of situations, these books try to affiliate themselves with having scientific recognition bringing in all sorts of notions such as quantum theory. Whilst these claims may in the fullness of time be recognised as legitimate, we should always remain sceptical. My experience is that many of the people who buy these books and attend workshops based on them etc, have an almost cult-like inability to be sceptical about it. I even think that in some cases these beliefs can often lead to mental illnesses. The idea of 'no ego' sounds great in terms of no egoTISM, but that is not what happens. How is it that so many people can forget that we actually NEED an ego, a sense of self. Without it we become sheep.