Egoism, the 'Cult of Man' and the New Age Movement

Free Inquiry In Creative Sociology Volume 30 No. 2 November 2002 177 EGOISM, THE 'CULT OF MAN' AND THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT Gayle K. Berardi, University of Southern Colorado, and Thomas W. Segady, Stephen F. Austin State University Time, events, or the unaided individual ac charismatic or even paternalistic patterns tion of the mind will sometimes undermine (Mitchell1974). In contrast to the private be or destroy an opinion without any outward liefs and practices of those belonging to the sign of change ... No conspiracy has been New Age, Jacobs (1989 5) has further ar formed to make war on it, but its followers gued that widespread membership in alter one by one noiselessly secede. As its oppo native religions represents • ... the desire to nents remain mute or only interchange their ei<perience both the ideal family and the fa thoughts by stealth, they are themselves thering of a protective and loving male au unaware for a long period that a great revo thority figure." As opposed to more formally lution has actually been effected. based alternative religions, the New Age is also characterized by an amorphous body of This quote from Tocqueville's Democracy regular, sustainable, and even fully identifi in America is heralded by Marilyn Ferguson able communication. The lack of leadership, in her book The Aquarian Conspiracy (1980) absence of prescribed public ritual, and rou as the expression of the shibboleth and so tinized patterns of communication have led cial consequence of a new, loosely organized several observers to conclude that efforts to "spiritual revolution." This "silent conspiracy" capture the full range of meanings imputed of religious values and beliefs would soon to the New Age Movement is futile. For ex be termed the "New Age Movement" by all ample, Jones has remarked that those except, ironically, its practitioners. Cer tainly, very few bodies of beliefs, no matter ... whereas the New Age originally connoted how amorphous, have been as thoroughly [the] metaphysical and occult, the category mislabeled or misunderstood as being a truly has broadened to the point that it has be conspiratorial social movement. For ex come a 'catchall'. (1989 32) ample, Burrows writes: Even the expression "New Age" is largely The New Age Movement's collusion may misleading. As Carlson and Motsenbocker not be tightly organized, sharply focused, (1989 39) have noted: "To locate the New or bent on apocalyptic totalitarianism ... lts Age phenomena within a cultural character premises are not readily apparent and thus is o.ne task; to identify it with particular time not easily critiqued." It is the New Age referents is another." Several authors, for Movement's unobtrusiveness, its ability to example, Geisler (1987), Melton (1988) as conceal and not to offend, that has consoli well as Carlson and Motsenbacker (1989) dated its grip and assured its spread. With have asserted that New Age beliefs were pre out formal organization, it is difficult to net. figured in the writings of eighteenth-century Not bound by any tradition, it freely spins Swedenborgism. This view posited the ex its, mystical web in endless variations. (in istence of an invisible spiritual world, in Frost 1992 15) which "[e]verything in the visible material world corresponded to the spiritual world, CHARACTE~SnCSOFTHENEWAGE though as a lesser reality" (Melton, in Basil The "New Age Movement" is not, in any 1988 37). Even more closely aligned with sociological sense, a social movement.1 For contemporary New Age beliefs are the nine example, Smelser (1963) stipulated that a teenth-century writings of Madame Helena social movement requires both leadership Petrovna Blavatsky, founder of the Theosophi and some form of regular communication. cal Society. For example, in her book The No one has yet claimed leadership status in Secret Doctrine (first published in 1888), Ma the New Age, and this is not surprising, given dame Blavatsky outlined the basic principles the highly individualized nature of beliefs (Se of the Theosophy movement: bald 1984 109).2 This lack of leadership also clearly distinguishes the New Age from "al (1 )An Omnipresent, Eternal, Boundless and ternative religions" or cults, which center on Immutable Principle, on which all specula- 178 Volume 30 No. 2 November 2002 Free Inquiry In Creative Sociology tion is impossible, since it transcends the ing the entirety of beliefs under a single con power of human conception ... (2) The Eter ceptual category, in the manner of Troeltsch's nity of the Universe in toto as a boundless sect-denomination typology. Additionally, plane ... (3) The fundamental identity of all there are problems in classifying New Age Souls with the Universal Over-soul, the lat beliefs as essentially a 'formal' or 'informal' ter being itself an aspect of the Unknown religion. Contrary to the definition of informal Root; and the obligatory pilgrimage for ev religion, many of the adherents to New Age ery soul. beliefs see these beliefs (such as alterna tive medicine or reincarnation) as central to Those who are familiar with contempo their worldview and that they are not tangen rary beliefs or writings of the New Age would tial or transitory convictions. The direction of find that these ideas are not unfamiliar. With influence, in fact, appears to be reversed. its movement into America, the Theosophi Instead of New Age beliefs becoming formal cal Society divided into three groups (Ellwood ized as a new religion, several of these be 1973). The most important of these was liefs are increasingly being adopted by prac headed by Alice Bailey, who founded the Ar titioners of various formal religions, particu cane School in New York, with its Full Moon larly among those holding more liberal theo meditation groups. In the writings of Ameri logical beliefs (Donahue 1993). More Ameri can Theosophy, it is possible to detect in cans, in fact, are discovering increasing com creasing strains of scientism and eschato patibility between more traditional and New logical beliefs consistent with those of cur Age beliefs. Wuthnow (1998), quoting an Au rent New Age beliefs. Bailey was the first ex gust 5, 1990 Gallup poll, found that 15 per plicitly to mention the advent of a •new age" cent of those polled described themselves in her book Discipleship in the New Age as holding New Age beliefs, and another 12 (1944), and it was Bailey's channeling of an percent expressed interest in learning more entity who prophesied the imminent coming about New Age beliefs. of a great spirit (called Maitrya), who in turn Thus, these same beliefs do not often find was destined to issue in a new world order. expression in formal settings with accom However, the number of adherents to the panying hierarchies and patterned rituals. As various branches of the Theosophical Soci a result, there have been several attempts to ety has not grown appreciably since the end find an adequate means to categorize these of the Second World War (Ellwood 1973). beliefs. Groothius (1986), for example, has Since that time, the beliefs espoused by argued that there are several basic beliefs these groups have become more diffuse. held by adherents to the New Age Movement: Many of those who hold these beliefs are not that 'all' is 'one,' and this 'one' is God; all likely to claim allegiance to or even have religions are thus essentially one; a change knowledge of these early spiritual associa in consciousness is not only possible but tions. It was not until the upheaval of the necessary to apprehend this oneness; and 1960's that religious beliefs, tinged with that the cosmos is steadily evolving toward scientism and popular culture, again found this consciousness. Associated with these a significant audience (Hess 1993). Many of abstract beliefs, there are a number of con these now belong to a category often referred crete convictions, including reincarnation, to in sociology as New Religious Movement, beings existing beyond the known world, or more commonly as NRM's (Chalfant, practices involving meditation or other con Beckley & Palmer 1994; Roberts 1995; John sciousness-changing techniques, and ho ston 2001; McGuire 2002). The 'New Age' is, listic health practices. Olds (1989 62-69) has by contrast, less capable of definition be identified central New Age beliefs as: self cause its boundaries are less like those of authenticating revelation; the immanence of traditional religions. ·There is," as Barker God; emphasis of the metaphysical teach (1989 189) succinctly remarks of the new ings of Eastern religions; a unification of age, •no central organization." 'masculine' logic and 'feminine' sensitivity, This further expansion of beliefs and ad and a reliance on the evolution of scientific herents, however, has not resulted in a uni knowledge as a means of revealing the new fied organization or leadership. From a so world order. The New Age body of knowledge ciological perspective, the diffuse nature of may extend from highly technical writings, the New Age has led to difficulties in captur- such as Capra's two works The Turning Point Free Inquiry In Creative Sociology Volume 30 No. 2 November 2002 179 (1982) and The Tao of Physics (2000; first place practitioners of the New Age well within published in 1975), and Goswami's The the boundaries of what is defined as reli Self-Aware Universe (1995) to popularized gion.3 quasi-scientific technologies such as astrol Geertz places the essence of religion at ogy and crystal healing. Melton (1990) has the level of meaning, and quotes Santaya stressed the importance of individual and na's (1905) essay entitled "Reason in Reli social transformation within New Age beliefs, gion" as capturing the essence of what a while Hargrove (1989 96) has asserted that religion is: the New Age Movement " ..

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