What does it mean to be New Age? The nuances of such a sweeping consortium of ideas defy strict categorization, but a few general premises emerge from the amalgamation. First, its imago dei is limited to a general, abstract idea of God that resists calls to describe deity with anthropomorphic concepts or language. Generally, New Age adherents believe in a fertile spiritual realm, teaming with Ascended Masters, spirit guides, elementals, fairies, ghosts, etc. Many adherents believe in reincarnation, though – unlike their Buddhists or Hindu counterparts – do not necessarily see any end to the cycle of birth and rebirth. The concept of Synchronicity is common – the belief that all things are coordinated and that coincidences do not exist. It is commonly held that spiritual evolution is governed by Astrological cycles, and that we have recently left the Age of Pieces and entered the Age of Aquarius – which is touted to witness an increase in spiritual, intuitive, and psychic sensitivity and power.
So when it came time to face the implications of Hell head on, whereupon it dawned on me that it couldn't be love, couldn't be right, could not possibly mesh with what I needed God to be, the primacy of love as I understood it eventually calmed the protracted cognitive dissonance and dismantled my faith.
Read MorePlato posed a question centuries ago, in the dialogue Euthyphro, that still defies response. When we consider morality, it's usually in objective, codified terms, i.e., laws, rules, etc. When we think of morality in this way, Euthyphro's Dilemma cannot be answered. Is there a way to reframe morality, a Middle Way, that transcends the limitations of the question?
Read MoreI find karma to be a most impenetrable subject. If it exists, it only does so in the mind of God. I can't imagine it's measurable and wouldn't consider it wise even if it were. How do you reduce generosity or injury to a quantity that will come back to you proportionately at a future date?
Read MoreSome of the messages presented in modern New Age literature reek of commercialism. The Law of Attraction is promoted as a way to fulfill your desires and possess whatever you want. With such power, the ability to order reality to my whims, I fear widespread mastery of this spiritual discipline would reduce the universe to a theater of egotistical self-indulgence.
Read MoreI wonder about the nature of my pursuit, how to gauge if I'm on the right path. How will I know whether it's healthy? Like all things I've experienced in this world, I suspect spiritual energy can be used for good or for ill. In the absence of external guidance, I'm leaning heavily on my inner experience for truth.
Read MoreI've noted that religious or spiritual beliefs have an interesting knack for almost intruding upon the conscious mind in fully formed thoughts. It's as if the guts of the belief exist within the unconscious mind for some time before they ascend into the conscious mind like an impression. So I'm willing to agree that beliefs about God appear to materialize out of nowhere as an act of grace.
Read MoreIt's clear the demons we cast into the depths of our minds never actually go anywhere. They just stew in the darkness and occasionally erupt into the conscious landscape in dreams or compulsions. It's hard to know where to begin when it comes time to face something so deep and old that its history is inextricably woven into my very ideas about who I am.
Read MoreThe heart and the mind are not night and day, but more like sunrise and sunset. Under the right conditions, you can hardly tell the difference. Their stillness melds into one uniform experience, where the sun neither rises nor falls - a quiet, indescribable serenity where the difference no longer carries any meaning.
Read MoreSomething happened to me at the park for which there are no words...no words, but I have the feeling nothing in my life will ever be the same...
Read More
