Neo-Esotericism Introduction

Neo-esotericism Introduction

Jose´ Guilherme Cantor Magnani Neo-esotericism is one of several expressions Departamento de Antropologia, Faculdade used to describe a particular set of beliefs, rituals, de Filosofia, Letras e Cieˆncias Humanas, celebrations, corporal practices, and behaviors, Universidade de Saõ Paulo, Saõ Paulo, belonging to a field of spirituality that evokes Saõ Paulo, Brazil influences as uneven as Eastern traditions, indigenous cosmologies, and European occultism and at the same time is different from norms and Keywords hierarchies of institutional religions. New Age, contemporary mysticism, alternative communi- New age; Contemporary mysticism; Esoteric ties, Human Potentialities Movement, and urban circuits; Counterculture Age of Aquarius are some of the other terms commonly used to describe this phenomenon. I suggest the term neo-esotericism for it best Definition expresses this double quality: it points to a form of spirituality to be lived in small groups – it is Neo-esotericism refers to a wide set of beliefs, worth remembering that the term “esoteric” tech- rituals, celebrations, bodily techniques, practices, nically indicates rites known and followed within and behaviors which blends influences of Eastern a restrict circle of adepts, in a determinate initia- traditions, indigenous cosmologies, and Euro- tory system or sect, while the prefix “neo” allows pean occultism, diverging from norms and hier- for a distinction in regard to interdictions pre- archies of institutional religions. It arises from scribed by dogmas and liturgies of mainstream counterculture movements in the 1960s and religions. spreads in different branches, as diverse as There are other denominations of the phenom- so-called alternative communities withdrawn enon: “religious nomadism” or “moving syncre- from consumption society and urban circuits of tism” alludes to the transit of adepts between neo-esoteric facilities offering products, services, different options and to their lack of permanent and therapies up to individual choices. Despite its commitment or affiliation; “postmodern religion” diversity, it is possible to identify in the phenom- describes individual choices and personalized enon some regularities concerning spatial distri- development of rituals. This frame initially bution, calendar, institutional organization, and seems to be highly fragmentary; however it cultural frameworks. shows several regularities in respect to spatial

# Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015 H. P. P. Gooren (ed.), Encyclopedia of Latin American Religions, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-08956-0_47-1 2 Neo-esotericism insertion, calendar of activities, and underlying their practices, beliefs, and institutions already discourse, as revealed by a recent research carried transformed in certain ways but still inspired by out in the city of Saõ Paulo. Before presenting their millennial and traditional symbolic systems this new scenario, however, it is worth tracking of origin. its backgrounds. This process of spiritual renewal and search for alternative lifestyles is not, though, a mere product of countercultural effervescence: its Backgrounds roots go back to the North American transcen- dentalist stream of the twenty-ninth century (best The challenge posed to the “establishment” in the represented by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry 1960s, within the framework of what became Thoreau); the Theosophy developed by Helena known as counterculture, is usually seen as the Blavatsky, Henry S. Olcott, and Annie Besant; place of origin of the New Age movement, and and esoteric and occultist European streams. One even if it was more visibly manifested in the of its milestones was the World Conference of USA, reflections were seen throughout the West- Religions in Chicago in 1893, which was ern world. attended by Swami Vivekananda, one of the pro- The history of counterculture rebellion is well moters of spiritual culture of India in Western known: it starts in the 1950s with the Beatnik countries. movement, its poets and hitchhikers – the ruck- However, while getting in touch with counter- sack revolution, in the words of one of its most culture movement, this stream ended up reaching famous exponents, Jack Kerouac – and spreads in a wider public, increasing the flow between several directions in the following decade. The East and West, engendering new encounters, more salient political aspects are manifested in experiments, and goals. Hermann Hesse, Jiddu the protests against the War of Vietnam, in pac- Krishnamurti, Alan Watts, Aldous Huxley, Greg- ifist and civil rights movements, reaching a ory Bateson, Gary Snyder, Timothy Leary, climax in the 1968 protests in France and in the Paramahansa Yogananda, Daisetz Deitaru Prague Spring. A more individual perspective Susuki, and Srila Prabhupada are some of the finds in the use of drugs a way for liberation and folks which, each in their own time and at their turns itself to the experiment of new psychoactive field, personally or through his works and insti- substances, such as LSD. Bob Dylan, Jimi tutions, were key figures in this process, whose Hendrix, and Janis Joplin express with their poles were the West Coast of the USA, the city of music both the protests and the youth preferences London, the religious centers of India and Tibet, of the time, which soon got universalized and and the Far East. assumed mass consumption patterns, whose One of the convergences that were mainly highest expression was the British group The responsible for consolidating the New Age in Beatles. the beginning of the 1970s occurred between the This antiestablishment stream affects sexual conceptions of two institutions, which were par- behavior and organization of family life, impacts amount to these changes: the Esalen Institute and the ways of living and dressing, and introduces the Findhorn Community. new consumption habits and communication The first, seated in California, was the irradi- forms: spiritual values, of course, would not go ating center of what has come to be known as the untouched. Rising up against dominant patterns Human Potentialities Movement, focused on of biblical Protestant American culture, new research and development of new techniques to paths are discovered by the movement: Eastern arouse the potentialities of the Self. The second, a philosophy and religions. Many are the ways communitarian experience in Scotland – a model which led the youth to meet with gurus, roshis, and inspiration for countless “alternative rural swamis, and bhikkhus, many of whom settled at communities” around the world – emphasized the centers of the Western world, bringing along that this “Self,” according to theosophical Neo-esotericism 3 principles, was in fact a divine spark in an eternal popular music. It is only since the 1970s, when search of its primordial source and origin. the democratic channels of participation were Many other innovative encounters and experi- closed and popular organizations were repressed ences covering almost every aspect of by the military dictatorship, that conditions to the life – personal, affectivity, family, and work rise of more spiritual and personal development relations – and fields of action such as healthcare, aspects of the hence called New Age movement environment, food production, alternative tech- were created. nologies, were identified as being part of a silent Many features usually associated to this but continuous and profound change of behaviors phenomenon – occultism, esotericism, and and attitudes on a planetary scale. orientalism – existed long before in Brazil. In a certain way, this frame is completed with There is a speculation about the presence of Tem- Fritjof Capra’s contribution. Capra is a high- plar Order members on ships of the Portuguese energy physicist who, in the bestseller The Tao explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500, when he of Physics (1974), aims to establish a parallel first landed on the shores of what is now known as between modern physics and Eastern mysticism. Brazilian state of Bahia. Nevertheless it is certain In his next book, The Turning Point (1982), he that some secret societies are present in Brazil at describes the epistemological basis of this pro- least since the eighteenth century. One of them is cess and the rupture it represents in the fields of the Masonry, whose first lodge was founded in medicine, psychology, and economics: according the state of Pernambuco in 1797 by the doctor and to the author, a “paradigm shift” is taking place. former friar Arruda Câmara. In Pelotas, a south- As a consequence, the movement ceases to be ern city of Rio Grande do Sul state, information seen as a hippie eccentricity and embodies other can be found regarding the founding, in 1902, of tendencies, including certain areas of the scien- the first theosophical lodge, although, officially, tific field, hence becoming a florescent branch of the opening of the first Brazilian section of the business, in the early 1980s. Theosophical Society, based in Madras, India, Last but not least, it is worth mentioning the occurs in 1919, in Rio de Janeiro. influence of the works of Carlos Castan˜eda, a In Saõ Paulo, the Esoteric Circle of the Com- controversial anthropologist whose learning munion of Thought was founded in 1909, becom- experiences with a Yaqui shaman from Sonora, ing, along with “The Thought” publisher and Mexico, known as Juan Matus, since 1961, bookstore and the eponymous magazine, an brought to the movement the contribution of important and pioneer channel for propagation indigenous cosmologies. of spiritualist ideas and philosophical systems. The Brazilian Anthroposophical Society, with followers in Porto Alegre since 1910, was offi- Neo-esotericism in Brazil cially founded in Saõ Paulo in 1935; the Brazilian Theosophical Society, settled in 1916 in Rio de Brazil was not isolated from these transforma- Janeiro, was renamed, in 1969, as “Eubiose”; tions. During the 1960s, there was also a political Rosacruz Amorc dates from 1956 and Rosacruz and ideological frenzy, but the college students, Áurea from 1957, all of them with significant together with social movements and left-wing influence on the neo-esoteric scene. organizations, were more concerned with social Eastern-based religions, such as Buddhism inequalities than with the withering of prosperity and its several denominations which arrived in years and of academic modernism, which were the first decades of the twentieth century, were held to be responsible for disorientation of the first linked to immigrants, especially Japanese: postwar Baby Boom generation in the USA. the first Buddhist temple in Brazil, Templo Thus, a more political perspective was Koˆmeoˆji, was built in 1932, in Cafelândia, Saõ manifested in popular culture centers, new cin- Paulo. But it was only after World War II, during ema experiments, avant-garde theater, and the 1950s, that temples and associations were 4 Neo-esotericism consolidated and settled in different regions in mystical tropes in his compositions. Seixas and Brazil. The Sotoˆ Zenshuˆ Buddhist Community, his not yet internationally famous partner Paulo for example, was officially recognized on Coelho joined initiatory societies inspired by the November 30, 1955, and its first doctrine of the British esoterist Aleister Crowley. temple – Zengenji – was built in Mogi das Cruzes The titles of a couple of his albums – “Aeon” and (Saõ Paulo). The same occurred with the “Gita,” the latter of which included the song so-called New Religions: Seicho-No-Ieˆ in 1952, “Sociedade Alternativa” [Alternative Perfect Liberty in 1958, and Soka Gakkai, which Society] – are examples of this tendency. was formally initiated in 1960 but has adepts The police invasion of his house in 1974, since the 1950s. which forced him to leave the country – a fate Acupuncture practices, which were so far shared by Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, and restricted to Liberdade, which is known as an Chico Buarque, just to mention a few famous “oriental” neighborhood in Saõ Paulo, spread subjects – is a sample of the effects of the anos therefore beyond the sphere of immigrants and de chumbo (literally “years of lead”) of military their descendents: the disciples of the pioneering rule, signaled by the renowned verse “the dream teacher Frederico Spaeth establish the first is over,” by John Lennon. Many left-wing and Brazilian acupuncture association and, in 1961, cultural movements activists embarked on reli- created the first institutionalized clinic, the gious and alternative paths, like the writer and Brazilian Institute of Acupuncture. A similar pro- composer Roge´rio Duarte, a former member of cess had happened with some of martial arts the Popular Culture Center of the National Stu- modalities: in 1959 master Wong Sun Keung dents Union; the ex-activist and political prisoner started tai-chi-chuan classes at the Chinese Social Alex Polari, who became a director of “Cefluris,” Center, followed by Chan Kow Wai and Chiu a religious organization based on the consump- Ping Lok. The latter created in the city of Santo tion of ayahuasca beverage; the actress Odete Andre´ (state of Saõ Paulo), one of the first Lara, a zen Buddhist practitioner; and the play- recorded martial arts academies, the Tai Chi, wright Fauzi Arap, among many others. Yoga, and Kung Fu Academy, in 1969. In Rio This was also the time of an outburst of asso- de Janeiro, the Hermo´gemes Yoga Academy, ciations such as the International Society for created in 1962, is worth mentioning. Krishna Consciousness, which was established These and other elements, institutions, and in 1974 and in 3 years counted 18 urban temples practices, even though they were merged into and a rural community, New Gokula, in the city the new esotericism, did not trigger the phenom- of Pindamonhangaba, state of Saõ Paulo. The enon in and by themselves: the dissemination of same happened with the Ananda Marga group neo-esotericism relied upon certain circum- and with disciples of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh stances that, as noted above, arose after the polit- and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, among others. ical and cultural upheaval of the 1960s and What characterized the search for new paths expanded during the 1970s. At the time, a musi- was the proliferation of the so-called alternative cal and artistic movement called “Tropicalism” rural communities. These experiences, emphasiz- cleared way for a stance far closer to the libertar- ing an attitude of refusal of established values, ian and Dionysian position of counterculture. aimed to adopt a lifestyle based on other princi- One of Caetano Veloso’s most famous song ples, opposed to the so considered distortions of choruses – “sem lenço, sem documento, nada urban society of consumers: community life, fru- nos bolsos ou nas maõs” [with no hadkerchief gality, nature-linked spirituality, farming without and no papers, nothing in my pockets or pesticides, and natural diet based in macrobiotic hands] – celebrates the refusal of establishment or vegetarianism. values. Many of those communities were inspired by Raul Seixas was the singer most akin to the teachings of a master or of a particular doc- neo-esoteric themes, explicitly developing trine, like the Hare Krishna. Some were Neo-esotericism 5 motivated by a prevention of an imminent catas- nowadays, has to do with sustainability issues. trophe such as the nuclear menace, while others Along the same lines and at the same time, were trying to contact extraterrestrial beings. other spaces were created, such as the Palas They spread all over the country, but some Athena Association and the bookstores Horus regions were preferred: south of the state of and Sipak, in Saõ Paulo. Minas Gerais, the Chapada [plateau] dos Although the phenomenon was localized and Veadeiros (state of Goiás), Chapada Diamantina stigmatized as a remnant of an old hippie model, (state of Bahia), Chapada dos Guimara˜es (state of in the latter 1980s and throughout the 1990s, as a Mato Grosso), and Serra [ridge] da Bocaıńa (state result of a process of consolidation, it diversified of Saõ Paulo). Those places were chosen for their and assumed a market scale: in the city of Saõ “telluric energy,” for their status as planetary Paulo, a survey carried out in 1992 listed more chakras, and for other reasons drawn from New than a thousand spaces dedicated to such activi- Age ideas. ties. The Seekers’ Guide in 1993 listed 775 places, A couple of community experiences, both in 1994 listed more than a thousand, and in 1996 founded by a notorious neo-esoteric character, listed 1300 places offering all kinds of products Jose´ Trigueirinho, must be highlighted: the or services linked to neo-esotericism. Centro de Viveˆncias Nazare´, founded in 1981 at In urban centers, in fact, the demand for prod- the city of Nazare´ Paulista (with the presence of ucts, such as food, herbs, accessories, and per- Sara Marriott whose experience in Findhorn was sonal hygiene items, produced according to crucial for the development of the community “natural” principles, which means the absence, after Trigueirinho’s exit in 1987), and Figueira in some cases, of pesticides and, in others, of Community, in Carmo da Cachoeira (MG), in products of animal origin, or manipulated follow- existence since 1988. ing a certain set of principles, like The spread and reach of those experiences Anthroposophy. may be assessed in the several national meetings The growing demand for a regular supply of of alternative communities, starting with the quality products could not rely on a sporadic, 1978 meeting in Gravataı´ (RS). In the sixth meet- domestic scale production. Organic product mar- ing, in Treˆs Marias (MG), in 1982, the Brazilian kets, vegetarian restaurants, alternative product Association of Alternative stores, and even some shelves in regular super- Communities – ABRASCA – was created, and markets started to receive products from bigger in 1985 there were over 70 communities. The production unities, endorsed by entities such as nineteenth meeting happened in 1995, in Serra the Organic Agriculture Association, or places Azul. The 2013 meeting happened in Formosa do maintained by religious associations, such as Rio Preto, Bahia. Korin agricultural (Mokiti Okada Foundation, This whole process was followed by a series of linked to the Messianic Church), or philosophical publications, among which stands out was associations, such as the Biodinamica Institute, in “Comum-Unidade,” the movement official press Botucatu (SP), inspired by anthroposophy. created in the fourth still meeting in 1980, as well Therefore, a new scale of production, con- as “Transe,” “Pensamento Ecolo´gico,” “Vida & sumption, and advertising emerged, with an infin- Cultura Alternativa,” “Planeta,” and countless ity of new products (publications, music and homemade bulletins, crucial in the setting of video records, implements for alternative thera- what was called “alternative culture.” pies and divination systems, decorative and cult The magazine Planeta was created in 1972 by objects, talismans) and services (congresses, the renowned writer Ignácio de Loyola Brandaõ, symposiums, lectures, shows, workshops, cele- based on the French Plane`te, owned by Louis brations, courses on body techniques, touristic Pauwels and Jacques Bergier. For a long time itineraries, etc.) identified to the different systems this publication has been the main medium of incorporated in the neo-esoteric universe. “alternative culture,” even if its main focus, 6 Neo-esotericism

When the phase of strong refusal of establish- The starting query of the research was raised ment values – a more defensive, psychedelic, and by an empirical finding: the presence – in places rural attitude – was overcome, the tendency was in Saõ Paulo as different as squares, shopping now heading toward the discovery and improve- malls, and middle-class neighborhood ment of inner potentialities, the search for a better stores – of certain practices such as spiritual life quality, configuring a real lifestyle recog- advice and oracle counseling that, so far, were nized and visible in the great urban centers land- offered only in private closed space, for they dealt scape, without being stigmatized. with people’s destinies, health, and pursuit of This tendency did not mean a depreciation of happiness. Now, however, those practices were rural experiences, but its integration in the urban offered in public spaces, in plain sight, and in context and the initiatives which there developed: places not surrounded by the expected atmo- it was increasingly common to use ranches near sphere of mystery and concentration. urban centers to carry out workshops and week- Besides this surprising visibility, the counsel- end experiences: the circuit grew and attracted a ing system had changed as well. The fortune wider public. teller in a dark room full of cabalistic objects located at a distant address gives way to a new The Time of Consolidation set of practices. Card playing, I Ching interpreta- Despite of or perhaps due to this expansion, the tion, chackras balancing, yoga practice, do-in reactions, especially of the press, were to con- application, and other practices associated with sider the neo-esotericism as a passing fad or as a the neo-esoteric universe were modernized. Their marketing strategy to sell certain followers mobilized equipment, conditions, and items – incenses, oils, goblin images, crystals, techniques – marketing, data processing, and pendulums, and self-help literature. For a public franchising – similar to other service activities more sensitive to the religious and philosophical in urban centers. Neo-esotericism turned into a systems operated by neo-esoteric adepts to under- business! gird their practices, this was an attempt toward Doubtless, these were profound changes, and, re-enchantment in a world far too secularized, at for many, the modernization and commercialism the dawn of the new millennium, in search of a involved the loss of the aura of mystery and of the new spirituality attuned to the postindustrial soci- sacred character of the movement. For research ety logic. purposes, though, there was a different issue: its The very experts in religious studies were hypothesis indicated more complex changes in surprised by this boom: used to investigate con- users’ behavior – as they assume openly and ventional religions – Catholicism, Protestantism, without prejudice to those practices, they were and Afro-Brazilian Religions – the neo-esoteric moving away from old patterns, when healers, practices, which seemed closer to magic than to shamans, and seers were sought with embarrass- religion, did not fit in their regular analysis ment and in a clandestine way and were seen as parameters: they were eclectic, without dogmas, regressions to primitive beliefs. or a hierarchal body of priests; many of them Moreover, what was going on was no longer were carried out by women, with rites considered listed as “alternative” activities: settled in well- as “pagan” and so forth. located spaces, within an ongoing institutional So, a research guided by an urban anthropol- legitimation process and covered by media, they ogy perspective revealed itself more fruitful than were already embedded in daily scenery of the one motivated by religious studies: the focus was great metropolis, creating what I have called a not on the origins or causes of dissemination of “neo-esoteric circuit,” where behaviors, con- neo-esoteric practices or even on principles of sumption agendas, and sociability constituted a doctrine but on the relations established with the very particular lifestyle. The first task of the city, its scenario, dynamics, and institutions. research was to classify the facilities according Neo-esotericism 7 to their purposes, operational rules, and merchan- Shops and Stores: Due to their clearly commer- dise, and as a result five groups were identified: cial nature, their relation to the neo-esoteric Philosophical-Spiritualists Institutions: Char- universe is more pragmatic than doctrinaire, acterized by the existence of a set of doctrines, even though their owners and staff may pre- rituals, and initiation levels, they are governed sent a genuine interest in the more by some sort of organization and an internal philosophical-spiritualist aspects of the prod- hierarchy, distinguishing at least the ucts on sale and in the buyers as well, by followers’ group from the leaders’ group. advising how to use the products, for instance. The established bonds are similar to those of Bookstores, homeopathic or herbal pharma- traditional religions. Many are franchises, cies, eco-esoteric touristic agencies, event adaptations, or local creations inspired by producers, “natural” food and hygiene prod- institutions founded abroad. ucts shops, and places that sell goblin images, Integrated Centers: These places join and orga- incenses, ornaments, talismans, and New Age nize, in a creative way, several practices such records are included in this group. as divinatory practices, therapies, formative The research revealed that there is a regularity courses, product sales, and collective experi- in the way those groups act, from the neo-esoteric ences. They neither feature their own doctrine consolidation and expansion phase (from nor follow a strict set of dogmas, even if they the beginning of the 1980s to the 2000s), on do undergird their choices by means of a more several levels. In regard to the special aspect, or less coherent discourse which combines besides the broader circuit of its settlement across several religious, philosophical-occultist, the city, specific circuits can be gnostic traditions. They are managed identified – acupuncturists, the “mancies” according to an entrepreneurial frame and (chiromancy, necromancy, numerology, astrol- based on the work of their own professionals ogy, runes, tarot, etc.), natural therapists, and (usually the owners) even though they host so on. permanent or occasional practices of guest The calendar presents another level which specialists. makes visible a certain regularity, despite the Specialized Centers: This category includes common sense view according to which the associations, schools, gyms, and clinics neo-esoteric movement consists of a bunch of focused on research and teaching of practices subjected to individual taste. Many neo-esoteric subjects, training, and uses of activities are offered periodically – yearly, specific techniques such as dances, martial monthly, weekly, and even daily – in certain arts, divinatory arts, and therapeutic practices cases, for instance, the celebration of the Black such as acupuncture, Ayurveda massage, Madonna, at “Paz Geia, Shamanic Research do-in, shiatsu, tui-ná, etc. Institute,” which coincides with the Brazilian’s Individualized Spaces: Places, where one or Catholic patron saint day, Nossa Senhora more neo-esoteric practices are offered, car- Aparecida, or the monthly celebration of full ried out by one or several persons but with no moon in many integrated centers, or trips to the sign or identification. These places do not “planet chackras” during vacation periods, or feature a plan or specific framing within the shamanic experiences and workshops on long neo-esoteric universe nor a business manage- weekends, conducted at small ranches outside ment, but only a common use of space, when the urban perimeter. more than one professional is involved. In regard to principles of doctrine, which are Home-based fortunetellers, seers and mas- seen as eclectic and even incoherent, it is even seuses, as well as autodidactic experts which possible, through the analysis of publications, do not use this field of knowledge as a mean of pamphlet handouts, course, and conference pro- living are included in this group. grams, to identify a basic discursive frame, made by those sources mentioned in the introduction: 8 Neo-esotericism oriental traditions, indigenous cosmologies, and Principle, the Nature, according to each version). European occultism. The history of humankind is this long wayfaring, flavored by every culture idiosyncrasy to establish Therefore, an idea of immanence is absorbed a full contact between the multiple and the one, from Hinduism, Taoism, and from several which is possible only because the former was branches and schools of Buddhism. Diverging always part of the latter. Considering thus the soci- from Judaic Christian belief in a transcendent etal character of human way of life, there is a tertius between individual and totality, the and personal God, neo-esoteric movement Community – depository and guardian of each recovers a superior and divine principle that is particular tradition and of the means that enables not apart from the world and humanity. their members, in every historical context, to reach A consequence of this choice is a “holistic per- their true nature. The ideal model, thus, assumes the individual in its integrality (body/mind/spirit) spective,” by which the whole and the parts are belonging and perfecting himself inside a commu- integrated, resulting in the nondivision of body, nity considered to be harmonic, both immerse and mind, and spirit; sin and guilt are replaced by a integrates in a more inclusive and whole reality, of self-improvement goal and inner knowledge is which one must become aware. more valued than revealed truths. It is a branch that, despite its identification with the East, has also occidental tradition roots, even in a Conclusion non-predominant way. The idea of a “divine spark,” for instance, which exists in the core of the human being, is present in gnostic branches of On January 23, 1997 there will be an exceedingly rare and archetypally appropriate planetary align- the early Christianity. ment, a moment in time expressed in the heavens as Reference can also be made to initiatory soci- a perfect six-pointed star. This pattern comes on the eties and occult-magic groups, considered to be exact day that three outer planets, Jupiter, Uranus the reservoirs of a universal wisdom, a sort of and Neptune are conjoined together for the first time in almost two hundred years. Not since the “philosophia perennis et universalis,” and fruit Renaissance have all five outer-most planets been from a long and uninterrupted tradition liminal to so harmoniously arrayed. On January 23rd, this the dominant philosophical and religious cluster of planets will center on the first degrees systems. of Aquarius, joined by the Sun, with the Full Moon opposite them all. Thus, perhaps this pattern may Indigenous cosmologies and traditional sha- also be a symbolic representation of the long manic systems inspire the reappraisal of nature, heralded dawning of the Age of Aquarius. (Gaia which, regarded as sacred, is blended with an Mind Project – http://www.gaiamind.com) immanent perspective as described above: all This Internet message called of a collective beings participate in the same cosmic movement. simultaneous moment of prayer and meditation, This branch combines with some ecological in the period between 17:30 and 17:35 (GMT) of notions which, far from considering nature as an this day. It had called its participants to visualize object of human subjugation, presuppose a wider a white light and therefore enter in a global reso- process of fusion which, in its most spiritualized nance, waiting for great changes that would result versions, is not distinguished from the divine in the emergence of a “self-reflexive conscious- principle. The triangular-shaped matrix can be ness of living Earth.” described as follows: According to the appeal, the year of 1997 At one end is the Individual, in its several denom- could become, for the 1990s, what 1968 inations and grades of depth – “inner self/superior represented to the 1960s, but with a shift: if the self”, “personal legend”, inner spirituality, self- spirituality, inner voice; at a second end, the pole counterculture years signaled a Dionysian explo- whence the individual evolved, which it belongs sion, the 1990s, as a time of dissolution, would be and whither this individual tends: the Totality a decade ready for a spiritual change. The perfect (Transcendence, Absolute, Cosmos, the Superior mandala represented by the planetary alignment Neo-esotericism 9 indicated this possibility, and it was necessary to dances, the care of the sacred foods, and the use set in motion an intentional process to speed the of objects, clothes, and props in the ceremonies. dawning of planetary consciousness. A class barrier cannot be dismissed: while the If the expected radical break of old patterns neo-esotericism has spread mainly among the and the beginning of a new paradigm did not middle classes, the African-Brazilian cults are occur, it is undeniable that the movement that historically more linked to the popular classes, we are calling neo-esotericism helped the dissem- with strong presence among the black population. ination of a certain lifestyle, characterized by the Nevertheless the prestige that Candomble´ has search of a newly framed spirituality and a better come to achieve, in the last decades, within quality of life. The elements for this lifestyle academic, intellectual, and artistic circles, the consisted, among others, of awareness of “inner dialogue with neo-esotericism is still limited. self” processes; knowledge and application of There are some examples in the closer relation techniques of relaxation; meditation and nature between some branches of Umbanda and contemplation techniques, in order to achieve a Spiritism: the points of contact are, among others, “cosmic harmony”; valorization of a healthier the doctrine of reincarnation, of karma, and of diet; search for a balance between “physical, spiritual evolution. mental, and spiritual” levels; and defense of envi- The second observation relates to the ronmental policies. neo-esotericism’s relations with cosmologies Regarding the institutions that integrated the and rituals of indigenous peoples, resulting in neo-esoteric circuit, it is worth mentioning that, what ended up being known as “urban shaman- when the thrill was gone, many service places, ism.” At first this relationship was preferably akin stores, and academies with precarious logistical to rituals of the Indians of the North American or conceptual support were closed. The ones with continent plains, as well as peoples of the Andean more secure structure and tradition, or which had highlands, the Yucatan peninsula, and North of more successfully adapted to the new conjunc- Mexico: the sweat lodges or temazcales, talk ture, characterized by more social and collective sticks, and invocations of Pachamama, among agendas like sustainability instead of the empha- others elements, appeared in experiences offered sis on the development of personal potentialities, by neo-esoteric spaces; the “witchcraft” of indig- were able to maintain their activities. enous peoples of Brazil, however, was virtually Some entities turned to the propagation of unknown. traditional knowledge, especially by the activities Later, however, the traditions of the peoples of of indigenous leaders with high presence in the the Amazon basin, especially those using aya- neo-esoteric circuit. Many of them organized huasca, began to be present in workshops on associations in Brazilian legal terms (social orga- integrated and specialized centers. This nizations, public interest social organizations, substance – made of a vine and a leaf grown and culture spots), which allowed them to receive prepared in the state of Acre, Brazil, and used public resources. since the 1930s as the foundation of practices that Finally, a note on two aspects is directly were institutionalized in religions such as Santo related to the neo-esoteric scene in Brazil. First Daime, Uniaõ do Vegetal, and Barquinha – has is the absence of African-Brazilian cults, espe- spread by the southern cities since the 1970s. cially of Candomble´. The neo-esoteric practices Some institutions linked to neo-esotericism have maintained little contact with this rich tradition, maintained contact with these religions, while despite the numerous aspects that could serve as a others use the beverage for their psychoactive dialogue with many of neo-esotericism pro- powers to induce altered states of consciousness. posals: the relationship between deities and More recently ayahuasca, whose use is permitted nature forces and aspects, the importance of ritual by Brazilian law in spaces and in the context of 10 Neo-esotericism those religions, begins to be used in therapeutic time and others estimate that real change took procedures, especially in the treatment of drug place at the turn of the millennium; all agree, addicts. In addition, some research shows its however, that changes are already underway and introduction into villages and communities of that they run deep. This had to do, in short, with indigenous peoples whose rituals and cosmolo- which occur from time to time, to produce syn- gies not originally included the use of these thesis, to establish a more general order, and to plants. provide an explanatory principle in the face of the To conclude, let us return to what was argued unpredictability caused by extreme situations of in the introduction of this article on the different conflict and disruption. In this case, one is in the denominations gathered here by the name face of the exhaustion of the hitherto dominant neo-esotericism. The original sense of one of model questioned by the incipient manifestations them, New Age, comes from the astrological of the late 1950s which burst in the 1960s and field: it refers to a shift, caused by the so-called inaugurating what was known as postmodernity. precession of the equinoxes, in the apparent path Against the hegemony of the great narratives rose of the solar system in the zodiac along which the the voices of minorities, civil rights activists, the stars appear to move, performing certain cycles. feminist movement, and religious experiences Astrologists believe that we are currently enter- outside the mainstream, among others. ing a “new era,” a moment that always announces The consequences of all this global movement or brings important changes for humanity. were felt in different ways in regional and According to this schema, the Age of Taurus national contexts – as we tried to show in this corresponded to the Mesopotamia civilizations, text, with reference to the Brazilian case. And if the Age of Aries to the Judaic-Mosaic religion, the expected paradigm shift did not occur in all its and the Age of Pisces, which began with the rise extension, as announced, there is no denying that of Christianity, has brought to the edge, the experiments inside the neo-esoteric groups and values identified with the Western way of life. spaces left their prints. One result has been the At its end, after 2,000 years, a New Age is the legitimacy of a world view and lifestyle that, beginning: the Age of Aquarius is bringing and despite the emphasis on the development of announcing deep changes for humankind in its personal potential and community type of expe- way of thinking, feeling, acting, and relating to riences, made room for issues such as each other, to nature, and to the supernatural eco-sustainability, exhaustion of natural sphere. In a general way, these changes were resources, and collective responsibility for the understood as a rebalance between preservation of the environment. After all, poles – body/mind, spirit/matter, masculine/fem- according to a catchphrase of that time, “we are inine, science/tradition, and so forth – since now all Earth ship’s crew ....” opposites and in conflict. It is worth remembering, regarding this aspect, the famous musical Hair, premiered in 1967, which portrays that Cross-References clash of values: one of its songs is “Aquarius” and the chorus repeated: ▶ Alternative Therapies ▶ This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius Counterculture The Age of Aquarius ▶ New Age Aquarius! Aquarius! ▶ Urban Shamanism There is controversy in astrological circles surrounding the actual beginning of the era: some consider that we have been in it for some Neo-esotericism 11

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