The idea that our world is currently in a process of transition from one ‘Age’ to another has many sources of inspiration. For some it is primarily an astrological event – the movement of our planet relative to the heavens so that we are increasingly coming under the influence of the sign Aquarius, rather than its precursor Pisces. For others it implies wider changes in the spiritual impulses that affect us, of which the signs of the zodiac are but a partial symbol.

Some see it as having a religious aspect involving the re-interpretation of the teachings of the great religions by a spiritual master or masters, perhaps also involving the return of the Christ or the Lord Maitreya of the Buddhist tradition. Others begin with the perception of a need for a radical change within the human heart to overcome the obvious challenges of nuclear proliferation, environmental degradation, population explosion and rampant materialism, and simply have faith in divine intervention and their own creative potential to build the world anew. For many individuals the notion of a New Age includes all of these things.

However, it is not an organised movement with a specific membership or set of rules, and this has inevitably led to different interpretations of the nature as well as the origin of the concept. Indeed the term ‘New Age’ has come to mean many different things, some of them more the product of advertising agencies than spiritual reflection[1]. We use it in this Community to describe an idea which inspires those who believe that humanity is at a point in history when significant cultural and spiritual changes are occurring. Whatever their origin, these changes are mostly concerned with a transition from one set of beliefs which insist on racial, national and religious separations towards another set which emphasises our common identity and the divinity within all life. In short, the idea is concerned with a transformation of consciousness and a resultant more positive future for us all.

Even more succinctly, if there is a single word which can be used to illuminate the concept of the New Age it is perhaps wholeness. The past epoch of recorded history has been one where differences have been emphasised; not only distinctions between groups within the human family, but also separation between for instance humanity and nature, body and soul, masculine and feminine aspects of the personality and so on.

We believe that the future will be largely concerned with re-discovering and re-building our connectedness to each other, with nature, and to the unseen spiritual realms, so that we may become whole as individuals, as a species, even as a planet. In fact, this search for wholeness or connectedness has already had a powerful impact on many areas of our culture.

It is now commonplace for physicists to compare their findings about the nature of matter with the experiences of eastern mystics. Biologists have become increasingly concerned with ecological systems in addition to the behaviour of individual animals or species. Mathematicians have discovered chaos theory with all its implications about the delicate balance between our own activities and the cycles of the natural world such as weather patterns.

There is a growing interest in complementary medical techniques such as homeopathy, acupuncture and clairvoyant healing, all of which rely on premises which are not exclusively scientific, and which tend to emphasise intuitive diagnoses and treatment of the whole person rather than a specific symptom or condition.

Change has been less dramatic in politics, economics and religion to date, but even here it is obvious that the future will not be a mere extrapolation of the past. In the North, the great political power bloc divisions of the mid-twentieth century have vanished and been replaced by a system of mutual acceptance and co-operation, albeit often still offered grudgingly. Indeed we have grown so used to hearing of Russian requests for western assistance that we are in danger of forgetting just how extraordinary the idea would have appeared to a citizen of the 1980s.

Tragic events in the former communist countries notwithstanding, the rule of international law and order is slowly making it less and less likely that nations will use military force against one another in a way that has been commonplace throughout history. Hope is on the horizon in both the Middle East and South Africa.

Vision and value-driven, as opposed to profit-driven businesses are becoming more common in the west. The tragedies of poverty and deprivation in the South, or Third World may seem as intractable as ever, but the globalisation of the world economy is slowly bringing a measure of wealth and dignity to parts of South East Asia. Recent advances in information technology are likely to reverse the flow of capital from the South to the North[2], so gradually creating a more level ‘playing field’. Who knows what further developments are in store?

The Green movement may have failed to gain any significant political power, but few politicians can ignore the environmental agenda, even if it is still often on a level of expressed sympathy and concern rather than action. Recycling of resources is now a widely accepted and approved activity.

Within religious life the inter-faith movement is gaining ground, and it is no longer surprising to hear senior figures from one religion suggesting co-operation with adherents of other faiths. Although it is by no means universally welcomed, the ordination of women in the Anglican church is a symbol of the upheavals being experienced by religious organisations everywhere.

Yet for all this drama the concept of a New Age is something of a misnomer. It may prove to be a period of dramatic change, but the underlying motive forces are essentially spiritual ones, and the eternal verities of spiritual life are not new at all! All that is different is our growing ability to understand those truths and to put them into action in novel ways.

Of course, the New Age is not without its critics, not least from some of its most prominent enthusiasts who frequently query the excesses perpetrated under this banner. Its very eclecticism makes it an unpalatable philosophy for those with fundamentalist religious views of any persuasion. It is also seen as a threat by many ordinary Christians – a theme which is explored further in Section 7. However we do not see our movement as a religion. Rather, it is a context within which all aspects of life, including religious observance, must take place.

From a western religious point of view perhaps the two most consequential hallmarks of this change will be:
An open view of spiritual seeking which tolerates the use of ideas and practices from more than one tradition rather than a closed system in which individuals are tied to a single all-purpose philosophy.

An emphasis on experience as well as faith. Our view is that we are entering a time when spiritual insight is not just given to a few theologians, adepts, priests or shamans, but is available to all[3].

 

[1]The description by journalists of some groups of British travelling people as ‘new age’ adds to the confusion. As far as we know these groups do not espouse any spiritual cause at all. Similarly, descriptions of the fundamentalist Christian sect who came to such a tragic end in Waco, Texas in 1993 as ‘new age’ seem simply mischievous.
[2]Payments on Third World debt currently result in the poorest countries of the world being net contributors of wealth to the richest countries.
[3] These two features of openness and experience are more commonly part of eastern religious practices (for example. most of the world’s 30 million practitioners of Shinto are also Buddhists), hence the widespread view that the New Age movement is mainly concerned with the integration of eastern ideas into western theology. However, the impact of the unfolding energy patterns that are bringing these changes to the west are also having a profound impact on the east too, although in very different ways.