The New Age Movement This paper outlines the New Age movement as a social movement including their basic beliefs and goals, who they are, and what they do, as well as their place in society.

Essay by Tatum915University, Bachelor'sA, April 2002

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When the moon is in the Seventh House

And Jupiter aligns with Mars

Then peace will guide the planets

And love will steer the stars

This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius

The Age of Aquarius

Aquarius!

Aquarius!

Harmony and understanding

Sympathy and trust abounding

No more falsehoods or derisions

Golden living dreams of visions

Mystic crystal revelation

And the mind's true liberation

-Excerpt from the song "Aquarius" in the 1968 musical Hair.

These words from this song help to explain some of the beliefs and thinking that define the New Age movement. This movement started in the late nineteen-sixties among the younger, hippie generation. The use of mind-altering drugs like LSD opened their eyes to a greater reality that called for explanations that traditional religions could not give. Its concepts of God and Love were too narrow to accommodate the overwhelming experiences they had on their trips.

Self-realization, yoga, transcendence, meditation, all part of existing traditions, were being rediscovered and practiced.

Originally this movement had been given the name Age of Aquarius to signify the new era of spiritual enfoldment as foretold in astrology. This could be called a millennial movement because many followers believe that humanity is at a crossroads between two ages. We are now in the Piscean Age where Christianity rules and the occult is undervalued. The coming age, the Age of Aquarius, is going to be a new stage in human evolution, spiritually, psychologically, and socially, not physically. It will be a new golden era of peace, brotherhood, and progress and the occult will have a prominent place. (Kyle 8-9)

What is and is not considered "New Age" is hard to define. It is a vague term that encompasses many different experiences and worldviews. It is a highly eclectic movement with a wide...