What is New Age? Are you into shamanic tantra, holistic massage and the alchemy of breath? Your gaze lingers into people eyes for 3 seconds more than average and you love, really love a hug. Your name is Prem or Ananda, vegan and gluten free, you might think we’re all one and might be open to universal love or polyamory.
Minimalism, world travel and the seeking of personal development, knowledge and, why not, peak experiences of connection and bliss bring you to spiritual gatherings and like-minded people you call “community”.
If some of the above rings true, you might be New Age and, in my opinion, you should be proud of it.
New Age itself is a concept with a certain history and decades old roots that are not well defined or understood. Scholars studying the subject have bundled in a number of different teachers and philosophies and trace its modern birth back to the counterculture of the 1960s which included the U.S. Civil Rights Movement and from Wikipedia, “widespread social tensions also developed concerning (…) human sexuality, women’s rights, traditional modes of authority, experimentation with psychoactive drugs, and differing interpretations of the American Dream”. Isn’t it fascinating? The hippie movement, The Beatles, I can relate to that.
Yet the term “New Age” today carries a negative connotation and is sometimes used as a pejorative. Why might this be? Counterculture spread rapidly to all major Western cities including London, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome and Milan, Copenhagen and West Berlin, as well as San Francisco and New York. It brought with it a myriad of positive cultural changes to mainstream society, “the conforming normals”, a particularly critical friend of mine would say. Everyone was able to enjoy more personal freedom and human rights as a result of these, frankly brilliant, New Age pioneers.
Non religious spirituality or mind-body-spirit holism is still very much alive and kicking. Not just in Koh Phangan, Arambol or East London, but across the modern world. Alternative medicine (also a term that many don’t like), is bigger than ever and despite the hegemony in healthcare of pharmaceuticals and conventional medicine, the huge need for preventative and natural means to rebalance and take care of people isn’t going away and likely increasing after this disastrous 2020.
The need for spiritual connection and practices that help us feel the Soul is innate in humans. Institutionalized religions monopolised the space, like pharma companies monopolise healthcare, providing structure, ethics, meaning and some forms of mysticism, or practices for self-transcendence. They also brought control and a brand of conservatism which our parents were grown with and seems really appalling to many of my generation. Think of the official policy of the Catholic Church with regards to homosexuality for instance.
I think creativity is spirituality in itself. Having time for a creative pursuit might be essential for human development and good health. What’s more creative than building an entire New Age persona? Mixing yoga with qigong, pranayama with reiki? Who says society needs more accountants and corporate project managers? Don’t we need more holistic teachers, energetic body workers and sound healers instead? Artists, performers and comedians? Free spirits, philosophers and genuine human rights activists – in substance rather than form -, considering the current draconian limitations on individual freedoms and the strange turn this might result in the way we live?
The philosophies of relativism and determinism are often part of the mindset of the modern New Age. Objective reality might be there but not really within individual grasp. Our perception of the world is naturally biased and you can make your own reality, to a certain extent. The official narrative from the media is usually spinned and highly processed. Karmic forces are always at work and a level of acceptance of oneself brings tolerance and limits the harsh judgement of others.
An alternative lifestyle, not linked to monotonous 9 to 5 suburban routines, is dreamed by many and done by few. Paths to self discovery and transcendence are difficult to embrace when you’re tired and depleted at the end of a long work day. A New Age lifestyle seems a lot more fun to be had and the brand of 21st century minimalism includes a MacBook, daily almond milk lattes and yes, Tantric massage exchange with Chloe.
Living for today vs sacrificing the present moment for the future is a big subject of analysis for me, only equal to finding balance between the individual needs of the self and the serving of society. What is the right, happy medium here? Can we enjoy the wonders and experiences of an alternative lifestyle while retaining some basic financial security? Live more on our own terms, resiliently and for the long run, in the face of increasing conditioning and pressure to conform?
That’s what some of my alternative friends in Koh Phangan want. The (near) perfect balance of being and doing, Soul and matter, today and tomorrow. Call me New Age, but I believe this balance is achievable and, alongside many of my fellow international, cosmopolitan and open minded neighbours, that’s what I desire for myself too.
DISCLAIMER: If you are a square, please apply some sense of humor when reading the above. Peace and Love. And more Love.
