New Age:
A Paradigm Shift to Divine Consciousness and a Universal Philosophy

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by G. Kumar

The six main characteristics of New Age thinking are: (1) All is unity; (2) all is divine; (3) humanity is divine; (4) a change in consciousness; (5) all religions are one; and (6) cosmic evolutionary optimism. Basically dialectical integralism, New Age philosophy unites both matter and spirit.

Spirit shall see through matter's gaze; matter shall reveal the spirit's face!

The 13 main principles of New Age philosophy are:

(1) One global order -- one world government, one currency, one universal being.

(2) Universal Energy, universal matter, universal life, universal soul as God.

(3) An eternal universe -- uniform in space and unending in time.

(4) Divine practices -- astrology, yoga and other esoteric arts.

(5) Syncretism -- unity of all religions.

(6) The need for meditation -- for generating altered states of consciousness.

(7) Life is cyclical -- everything is cyclical, subject to the cyclical upheavals of time.

(8) Holistic medicine and vegetarianism -- the patient is more important than the doctor and alkaline diet.

(9) Pacifism -- antiwar activities.

(10) Reincarnation -- the law of conservation of soul.

(11) The evolution of humanity into divinity -- the latent life force evolving naturally to the divine.

(12) The union of humanity with the divine -- the merger of man into the infinite.

(13) Matter's illusoriness -- esse est percipii -- Perception is essence; mind is substance.

The practices of the New Age are psychic practices like: astrology, reiki, bioenergy, chi energy, chakras, Nirvana, Christ consciousness, spiritualism, Native American spirituality, Prajna, out-of-body/near-death experiences, reincarnation, yoga, meditation and the occult disciplines, as well as psychotherapeutic techniques and scientific applications of the healing powers of crystals and pyramids.

Some commonly used New Age terms are: quantum healing, transmutation, transfiguration, guided imagery, reincarnation, positive thinking, human potential, holistic, holographic, synergistic, unity, oneness, transformation, awakening, networking, communal sharing, one-world/globalism/new world order (i.e., one language, one government, one currency, one religion), cosmic consciousness, zodiac, etc.

Some New Age practices are: transcendental meditation, parapsychology, inner healing, biofeedback, yoga, I Ching, reflexology, therapeutic touch, transpersonal psychology, witchcraft, magick, Tai Chi, shamanism, hypnotherapy, acupuncture/acupressure, martial arts, Zen, relaxation, Silva Method (formerly Silva Mind Control), visualization; etc.

Some prominent New Agers are: Jeremy Rifkin, Norman Cousins, Elizabeth Clare Prophet, John Denver, George Lucas, Norman Lear, Alice Bailey, Alvin Toffler, Dr. Barbara Ray, Benjamin Creme, Levi Dowling, George Trevelyan, Fritjof Capra, Abraham Maslow, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Ruth Montgomery, Shirley MacLaine, J.Z. Knight, Marilyn Ferguson and David Spangler.

Soothing audio environments are created by New Age musicians, and they believe rightly that music has psycho-therapeutic properties. This concept is derived from the Vedic philosophy that all music is Samaveda, the fourth Veda of the Indians. Born of an interest in spirituality and healing in the late 1970s, it is often used as an aid in meditation.

Essentially meditative, New Age music is soothing to the soul. Isn't music defined as food for the soul? Harmonic consonance, uplifting themes, contemplative melodies and nonlinear song forms are the characteristics of New Age music. Even natural sounds or sounds from Nature and traditional electronic instruments are used by New Age musicians. With roots in classical music or Eastern Music, New Age music is often meditative. Prominent New Age musicians include vocalist Liz Story; harpist Andreas Vollenweider; electric violinist Jean-Luc Ponty; electronic-music pioneer Brian Eno; multi-instrumentalist Kitaro and solo-piano artist George Winston.

New Age practices have almost conquered the world. Athletes are using guided imagery. Graduate schools of business are invoking transcendental meditation, yoga, and tarot cards in teaching courses on creativity in business (e.g., Stanford Graduate School of Business). Based upon astrology, the science of time, stock market gurus employ Fibonacci numbers and "wave theory" in their forecasting.

We can summarize that the term New Age is an innovative term derived from the mother of all sciences, astrology, indicating that this earth is undergoing an evolutionary transitional phase from the Piscean Age of scientism to the Aquarian Age of divine wisdom, cosmic consciousness, knowledge and love.