The New Age movement is
old news to most people, which
isn't necessarily good news for those associated with it. Brought to light by the television adaptation of Shirley MacLaine's book on her past-life experiences, most critics soon began saying that the whole movement
was way "Out on a Limb." But if New Ageness is just a trend, based
on flaky leaders and ideas, then why are so many people turning to it?
    Certainly New Age books, tapes
and seminars have become commercial commodities, which show that there's a huge market
of seekers out there. The media
even jumped on the bandwagon
by giving the 1987 Harmonic Convergence celebrations
plenty of press.
    To understand why people are turning to New Age modes of
thought, we must first determine exactly what is meant by the term. Even those firmly entrenched in
this way of life can offer no clear-
cut definition. New Age beliefs
seem to encompass a wide range
of ideas and practices. Most of
these ideas aren't new at all: the ancient science of astrology,
Eastern mysticism and Carl Jung's work in psychology all have been lumped into the New Age category. Media attention to the New Age seems to center primarily on channelers and crystals but physics and alternative forms of medicine such as acupuncture and homeopathy are also practices that New Agers embrace.
    While there is no absolute definition, the "New Age" practices tend to revolve around a holistic way of life that integrates the mind, soul and body while promoting the health of all three.
    There are probably as many reasons for turning to these beliefs
as there are people who turn to
them. One of the most cited reasons
is that traditional religions have
failed to change with the mores of our society. Especially
after the sexually permissive
1960s, many people found that
strait-laced dogma was just too
hard to swallow and even those
who wanted to believe couldn't
find a way to honestly integrate
the outdated notions into their lives.
   People are now, more than ever, seeking direct experiences of God.
In a world of instant gratification,
the promise of heaven is too far in the future to inspire some people
to live a spiritual life today. Meditation, visualization tech-
niques and flotation tanks often provide avenues to get in touch
with a different experience of divine consciousness. Just as a picture is

worth a thousand words, one direct spiritual experience can be worth a thousand promises of the hereafter
to an aspirant.
   Unfortunately, these types of practices sometimes are linked to cults. I overheard one Christian woman saying that meditation opens people up to evil and makes them vulnerable to the devil's influences. I am not attempting
to defend meditation, however, the belief that man is inherently evil and responsible for original sin, is another reason that draws people to a New Age way of thinking. This Biblical concept, espoused by many religious leaders, no longer resonates with people seeking enlightenment.
   Where Christianity maintains that humans are separate from God, most New-Agers, and certainly many Eastern philosophies, teach that humans are part of God. God is not separate, they say, but a state that should be attained. In other words, God is at the root of the deepest state of consciousness that humans can experience.
   This can best be illustrated by imagining the ocean. The avatar would say that while God is the still, unchanging ocean, humans are the rolling waves. Waves come from and are a part of God but are not God themselves. This is perhaps one of the most controversial concepts of New Age thinking and is not necessarily a belief promulgated by all New Agers.
   Because a person identifies with parts of the New Age culture doesn't mean that they buy into all or any of the beliefs mentioned above. Many in the New Age movement consider themselves Christians, Catholics, Buddhists and atheists or agnostics. Where most religions say they teach the "one true way," most New Agers seek to integrate and find the truth expressed in all great philosophies, religions and branches of science.
   Scholars such as Joseph Campbell argue that when one reads religious doctrines, they all symbolically express a truth and many of those truths overlap. Campbell spent his life studying the predominant myths that have surfaced in all recorded cultures. He has found that although the stories differ, the same themes surface again and again.
    This is yet another reason that
people turn to this nonjudgmental way of thinking. The New Age movement seems to offer a belief system that one can rely on without excluding religions that people have been raised to accept.