“The New Age movement is a religious or spiritual movement that developed in Western nations during the 1970s. Precise scholarly definitions of the movement differ in their emphasis, largely as a result of its highly eclectic structure….The New Age movement evolved from an array of earlier religious movements and philosophies, in particular nineteenth-century groups such as the Theosophical Society and Gurdjieff. It also incorporates strands from metaphysics, perennial philosophy, self-help psychology, and various Indian teachings such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Yoga[1] In the 1970s, it developed a social and political component.[2] Its central precepts have been described as “drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational psychology“.[3] The term New Age refers to the coming astrological Age of Aquarius.[4]” (Wikipedia)
There is nothing new under the sun, folks – the philosophies and practices of the New Age are pre-existing or ancient and derive from many different traditions. The “Age” part of the title has everything to do with astrology – entering the (New) Age of Aquarius after exiting the (Old) Age of Pisces (it may be more accurate to call it the “Next Age” since these epochs keep coming around and around…). I have heard several viewpoints from many different astrologers as to whether or not we have entered this Age – most say that we are in transition. I compare this in-between phase to the experience of giving birth – the pregnancy or gestation stage is over but people are (and have been) experiencing these labor pains (intense physical and psychological healing) for several years now. You (and me) just have to keep riding these waves of pain until it’s done.
Aquarius is fundamentally the humanitarian sign of the zodiac – looking out for others, accepting people for who they are, and so on (Aquarius also rules electricity and technology – more on this below). Humanity, generally speaking, is very far removed from these positive aspects of Aquarius. Unfortunately, most of what is espoused in the popular version of the New Age movement is either antithetical to, or a distortion of, this way of being because these philosophies and practices have been co-opted by TPTSNB (The Powers That Should Not Be). There are varying theories as to who these ‘powerful’ people are. I recommend that you do some research and reach your own conclusions because, in my opinion, no-one has a monopoly on the truth about TPTSNB. When you are reading the works of alternative historians/researchers, conspiracy theorists etc., keep the following in mind: they were not actually there historically speaking, nor are (or were) most of them a part of these elite/secret controlling groups; many of the historical records have been hidden, destroyed or distorted, so that the whole story is not readily available. This means, that they have to fill in the gaps with their own beliefs or theories about what happened, and, how it has led to what is occurring now. Then you have the shills whose job it is to spread disinformation by mixing truth with lies (usually a little more of the former and less of the latter in order to convince those who do not have a clue). In the end, you are left with your own rational and intuitive faculties – use them wisely.
What IS evident however, is that you – or me or anyone else not in positions of social power both public and private – do not have a say in the way every aspect of society is set up: law; politics; economics; education; religion; medicine; mass media; language and so on. All of these areas have a direct – mostly disempowering – impact upon you. TPTSNB are not here to serve you or ‘the masses’. They have everything to lose if people discover how pervasive their enslavement is, and then get angry enough (anger is the best catalyst for change after you discover that you’ve been so thoroughly screwed over) to do something about it. The best case scenario is to make this system obsolete by creating something new based on Aquarian principles. Unfortunately, the New Age movement is being used to thwart the creation of such a humanitarian social structure.
My frustration with this state of affairs reached its peak two years ago when I decided to remove the term “New Age” from my company name. This decision lasted only a few minutes as I began to remember my experiences from several years prior which led to the creation of my business to begin with: a dream where three different versions of the name were presented to me – each one contained the term “New Age”; spontaneous trance-like experiences where I was shown, my company logo, other diagrams and theories that are now part of my self-help books (some have yet to be written). I was reminded of what I am here to do…hence the title of this article which has been two years in the making, “The Real New Age” – this is a way for me to separate myself from the mainstream version of it, and is essentially, my mission statement. My version involves getting real; getting real requires constant journeys to the truthful, painful, or, the dark side which, more often than not, involves confronting evil (yeah, there it is in bold type, one of the most dreaded and avoided words/concepts in the New Age arena).
In this article, I will focus my discussion on the positive and negative aspects of three characteristics of the Aquarian Age that, I believe, are the most relevant: Detachment; All-Togetherness; Technology. (Hint: the negative aspects are the ways in which TPTSNB are subverting the shifting of the Ages.)
DETACHMENT
Aquarius is an air sign – this element represents the mental/thinking aspect of the self, which includes communication on that level (i.e. talking, writing – Aquarians are, usually, very talkative, sociable people). The more you are in your head, the more emotionally and physically detached (from your body) you become. The positive aspect of emotional detachment is that it can assist you to avoid being overwhelmed by intense situations. It also allows for greater analytical ability, especially the ability to see things from many different points of view.
The dark side of this is not being able to feel, or, finding it difficult to feel, or express emotion. So much that is espoused by New Agers, focuses on the mental level (i.e. positive thinking), largely bypassing emotions, especially the darker ones. Hence, the emphasis on ‘love and light’. To cut off completely from negative emotion, disconnects you from the full experience of the positive ones too, which ultimately, separates you from your humanity. Emotions are felt via your body, so this adds to the disconnection from self. The body also knows what is going on in the physical world via your senses – touch, sound, taste, smell, sight. Therefore, detaching from your body disconnects you from your environment, too.
You cannot heal when cut off from your emotions and your body. You also become easier to control or fool when you are not fully embodied in this material reality.
ALL-TOGETHERNESS
Typically, Aquarians accept people from all walks of life. They will acknowledge you for who you are no matter how weird anyone else thinks you are. In fact, they are considered the weirdest of all. Being an individual is important to them, and they are often eccentric, freedom-loving individuals. They rarely condemn people on superficial criteria. So many New Agers will shun those who choose to eat animal products, not partake in Yoga or follow the advice of the latest guru. This is one of the most un-Aquarian states there is. Being your truest self, is one of THE most Aquarian states there is because they hold individuality in very high esteem.
The down-side of this inclusiveness is that it allows for so many unscrupulous people to take advantage of anyone this accepting. It is so naïve and dangerous to assume that everyone is ultimately good, or, safe to be around. Narcissists and psychopaths are people to be avoided if you can recognize them in advance but even if you don’t ‘see’ them right away, run to the hills when you do. The former are excessively self-absorbed and more likely to perpetrate psychological violence than the physical or sexual varieties, which are more the forte of psychopaths. Psychopaths don’t change because they are incapable of feeling remorse (or, any human emotion, for that matter) – they are evil incarnate.
Narcissists, in particular, have infiltrated the New Age arena. The self-empowerment and self-love that is espoused in the movement (which I support in its healthy manifestation), has been co-opted and turned into a pseudo-individuality that is really grandiosity. This involves the demeaning, or, bullying, of those who do not toe the New Age/Narcissistic party line. Three of the most enforced party policies are:
• The forgiveness (i.e. absolution or condonation) of every form of atrocity under the sun (most of them are committed, or, aided and abetted by, TPTSNB).
• The banning of any kind of judgment. That is, the expression of an opinion, especially when it is unpopular in the movement, or, it exposes some unpleasant reality. (They fail to realize that as soon as they label a person as ‘judgmental’ they are themselves being judgmental. To make a judgment is to make a decision based on whatever it is that you value. Everyone does this. It is another inherent aspect of being a human being.)
• The avoidance of every ‘negative’ emotion as this negates the ‘higher’ spiritual state of emotional detachment. That is, you must suppress the full expression of your humanity in order to ‘evolve’.
If you stand up for yourself they will attempt to silence you with the statement “you’re coming from your ego” as if what you have just attempted to do is coming from the vilest aspect of yourself. The ego is necessary for survival and the establishment of an individual identity on this earthly plane. It is yet another aspect of your humanity that they need to obliterate. Narcissistic New Agers are the new breed of (psyop) foot soldiers for TPTSNB.
Another attempt to eliminate your individuality, is the New Age tenet of ‘oneness’ that is supposed to bring humanity together. This is really about enforcing conformity as it is an effective way to control large numbers of people. In fact, psychiatry (a vital cog in the machine of TPTSNB), has turned non-conformity into a mental illness called, “Oppositional Defiant Disorder” (ODD). Some of the ‘symptoms’ of this disorder: questioning authority; defiance; argumentativeness; negativity; easily annoyed (note: these are the same qualities that are demonized by Narcissistic New Agers…I would like to add here that Narcissism is no longer classified a personality disorder by psychiatrists – this is because they want to ‘normalize’ this type of ‘personality’: self-absorption, lack of empathy for others – again, this is un-Aquarian). This is a basic description of intelligent and independent people. Conspicuously missing from this list are some of the positive qualities that such people often possess: integrity, compassion, open-mindedness and courage. Individuals like this would accept, and even celebrate, differences that did not harm other people. This would make for a cooperative existence – the hallmark of true humanitarianism.
TECHNOLOGY
The Internet and iPhones/Smartphones have connected people in ways that were considered science-fiction during my childhood (1970s & ’80s). This kind of mass connection is very Aquarian. Facebook is a perfect example of this because referring to people as “friends” that you have never met, or, will likely ever meet, is basically what Aquarians do (i.e. every person that they have ever had some contact with, is their ‘friend’).
Instantaneous communication with people from all over the world as well as quick and easy access to information, is both amazing and addictive. The addictive aspect is where the problem lies with the overuse of this technology – disconnection from self, other people and your environment. Speaking from personal experience, spending too much time on any form of digital media leads to my feeling “out of it”. My mind is not clear, I am not feeling any emotion, nor am I aware of the real, organic world around me. In other words, I am experiencing the excessive detachment that I described earlier in this article. Pay attention to your state of being when you spend too much time on digital media (keep in mind that TV and motion pictures have now gone digital, too).
Communicating with others via this technology is superficial because you don’t see their facial expressions or hear the tone of their voice (unless you are on Skype or FaceTime and these can become distorted if you have a weak wifi connection). A smiley emoticon and ‘lol’ are poor substitutes for real laughter – so too, are all of the other emojis and expressions inadequate representations of human emotion. In addition, the potential for miscommunication increases drastically when you don’t have visual cues since the majority of human communication is non-verbal. The replacement of face-to-face communication with cyber-socializing is a distortion of Aquarian sociability. It has become more ‘sociable’ to be on social media than to socialize with those sitting, standing or lying next to you.
The more time you spend in the virtual world, the more real it will become for you – more authentic than the natural world. It may actually become your entire world (almost) which is something I see happening to people under the age of twenty. They have grown up with this technology and could not possibly imagine life without it. It seems to me, that they have trouble relating to others far more so than children of my generation. An entire generation of people that lack social skills – very un-Aquarian, indeed…and disturbing…
This kind of emotional and physical detachment from self, others and the organic world disconnects you from your humanity – your soul, or, whatever it is that you think makes you the unique individual that you are. If you don’t know and care about yourself, you are less likely to know or care about anyone or anything else. If you allow yourself to be co-opted you become an automaton, easy to manipulate, to program. Is this the kind of existence that you desire? If not, what are you going to do about it?
The New Age Revolution will not be televised.
The New Age Revolution will not be collectivized.
The New Age Revolution will be INdividualized (Aquarian-style).
Helen
© New Age Power (Helen Papadopoulos)
Permission is granted to copy and redistribute this article on the condition that the content remains intact, full credit is given to the author and that it is distributed freely ~ www.newagepower.net