The New Age Movement

What is the New Age Movement? It is similar to New Age Spirituality, but different enough to warrant its own definition. The New Age Movement is a belief that the human race is all one. It is not about equality nor diversity. It is the idea that your gender, age, religion, race, nor sexual orientation makes you better or worse then anyone else. The New Age Movement is moving away from the US against THEM mentality. It is inclusive, open, detached from labels, and above all else, it's based in love not fear.

At our deepest level, there are only two motivators - love and fear. Fear breeds hate, anger, vengeance, greed, violence, selfishness, and alienates us from truly connecting with spirit and with each other. Love breeds compassion, understanding, forgiveness, charity, gentleness, partnership, and a sense of connectedness with spirit and with each other. One can focus on either motivator and see the logic behind it. Should you choose to see lack, poverty, and attacks towards your fellow man, it's easy to become fearful. It is part of the survival of the fittest. Fight or flight saved many a caveman to live another day and to breed more like himself. One can also argue that to see the beauty and tenderness that humanity is known to share with each other that it is logical to love thy neighbor and to turn the other cheek. There will always be intelligent arguments for both sides. We as a species have evolved enough to make our own decisions as to which will govern us as individuals.

The New Age Movement proposes that as a collective people we are also able to make an educated enlightened decision as to whether we will be controlled by our fears or by our loves. Will we be a society of angry divided hateful individuals? Or will we be a global community of loving supportive people who honor each other's right to choose their own path? Like all political, religious, and social movements there are zealots and extremists among the New Age Movement. In the same way that all Christians are not white supremacists and all Pagans are not Satan worshippers, all New Agers are not aging hippies sitting around getting stoned and playing with crystals. Those who endorse the New Age Movement are as diverse as any other group. Their one common belief is that love and true spirituality should lead us as a people, not fear and hatred of anything we deem as different from ourselves.

The New Age Movement embraces the teachings of Christ, the teachings of Buddha, the Native American teachings, the ancient Celtic Pagan teachings, and modern science's latest findings and teachings. We are explorers trying to understand spirituality on a deeper nuts and bolts level. It is not enough to be told by our parents that one religion is right and all others are wrong. We have a desire to understand and to choose for ourselves what is or is not spiritual. The result is that many New Agers have found themselves holding an eclectic view of religion. Many Native Americans have blended the teaching of Christ within their own beliefs. Many Pagans can see how much they have in common with the Native American beliefs. It is not unusual for Catholics to feel a deep connection to the Buddhist teachings. Forgive me for omitting so many other religions and beliefs but I am simply giving broad examples for the sake of making a point. The New Age Movement was birthed from this exploration of each other's beliefs. How can we hate someone so much like ourselves?

Christ did not teach blind hatred nor did he teach his followers to give their personal power away to the churches and governments. Only when the churches and governments took over his teachings did that all become part of being a 'good Christian.' He did not tell us to hate nor to judge. Bigotry and war is not Christ-like, nor Buddha-like, nor in keeping with the core teachings of any religion. All spiritual teachers taught the same message - love one another and do not harm each other nor the planet and the animals given to you. Take the politics out of religion and they all come down to the same wonderful teachings that have been trampled on by dogma, greed, and bigotry.

Most of America does not realize what a great event we have just experienced. This election was at its root a fight over fear and love. Which would govern us as a country? We are a country under attack. We are a country at war. It is only natural that people are afraid. One candidate ran his entire campaign on fear and hatred of others not like us. The other ran his campaign on love and fellowship. For us to come so close to winning during such a frightening time is marvelous! Were we not at war, I have no doubt that the American people would have chosen to be guided by a leader who chooses love and fellowship as his motivator rather then someone who teaches us to be afraid and to hate others. I have never been so proud or felt that the New Age Movement was so powerful as I do today.

Do not weep and worry about the next four years. Love has taken hold of this country and all will be well. We have covered so much ground towards our goals of tolerance, acceptance, and true spiritual brotherhood. During our great grandparents time, the Gays and Lesbians, the Pagans and Native Americans, the Women and Blacks never would have been allowed to even speak out. We are no longer a minority, those of us who believe that good still exists and that the country can be ruled by humanitarian principles instead of fear and egos ruling our governments. Fear is still strong, but love is finally voted as equal. Balance has been restored. All is well.

Copyright 2004, Skye Thomas, Tomorrow's Edge

About The Author

Skye Thomas is the CEO of Tomorrow's Edge, an Internet leader in inspiring leaps of faith. She became a writer in 1999 after twenty years of studying spirituality, metaphysics, astrology, personal growth, motivation, soulmates, and parenting. Her books, articles, and astrological forecasts have inspired people of all ages and faiths to recommit themselves to the pursuit of happiness.

To read more of her articles and to sign up to receive her free weekly newsletter, go to www.TomorrowsEdge.net. To download free previews of her books, go to www.SkyeThomas.com.

Skye@TomorrowsEdge.net

In The News:

Yahoo! News: Top Stories

Palestinians pray over the bodies of  people killed near a United Nations school Tuesday, during their funeral in the Jebaliya refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009. Israel's military paused its Gaza offensive for three hours Wednesday to allow food and fuel to reach besieged Palestinians, and the country's leaders debated whether to accept an international cease-fire plan or expand the assault against Hamas. With criticism rising of the operation's spiraling civilian death toll and Gazans increasingly suffering the effects of nonstop airstrikes and shelling, Israel's military said it opened 'humanitarian corridors' to allow aid supplies to reach Palestinians.(AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)AP - Israel resumed its Gaza offensive Wednesday, bombing heavily around suspected smuggling tunnels near the border with Egypt after a three-hour lull to allow in humanitarian aid. Hamas responded with a rocket barrage.



President-elect Barack Obama gestures during a news conference at his transition office in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009, where he introduced Nancy Killefer, right, to the newly created position of chief performance officer. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)AP - Pointing with concern to "red ink as far as the eye can see," President-elect Barack Obama pledged Wednesday to tackle out-of-control Social Security and Medicare spending and named a special watchdog to clamp down on other federal programs — even as he campaigned anew to spend the largest pile of taxpayer money in history to revive the sinking economy.



Illinois U.S. Senate Appointee Roland Burris, left, meets with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)AP - Senate Democrats beat a hasty retreat Wednesday from their rejection of Roland Burris as President-elect Barack Obama's successor, yielding to pressure from Obama himself and from senators irked that the standoff was draining attention and putting them in a bad light. Burris said with a smile he expected to join them "very shortly."



President-elect Barack Obama is welcomed by President George W. Bush for a meeting at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009, with former presidents, from left, George H.W. Bush, Bill  Clinton, and Jimmy Carter.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)AP - Confronting a grim economy and a Middle East on fire, Barack Obama turned Wednesday to perhaps the only people on the planet who understand what he's in for: the four living members of the U.S. presidents' club.



In this photo provided by the Washington State Department of Transportation, water rushes past a washed out road near Blewett Pass on U.S. highway 97 in Washington State on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009 in Washington State. (AP Photo/Washington State Department of Transportation)AP - Rain and high winds lashed Washington state Wednesday, causing widespread avalanches, mudslides, flooding and road closures as the heavy snowfall that has buried parts of the state began to rapidly melt.



Workers put bullet proof glass on President-elect Barack Obama's Inaugural Reviewing Stand on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)AP - The upcoming inauguration of Barack Obama is an attractive target for international and domestic terrorists, but U.S. intelligence officials have no information about specific threats to the Jan. 20 event.



AP - You've heard of making cheese from goats' milk, but prescription drugs? In what would be a scientific first, an anti-clotting drug made from the milk of genetically engineered goats moved closer to government approval Wednesday after experts at the Food and Drug Administration reported that the medication works and its safety is acceptable.

Christian Bale accepts the favorite action movie award for 'The Dark Knight' at the 35th Annual People's Choice Awards on Wednesday Jan. 7, 2009 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)AP - Holy, People's Choice Awards, Batman! "The Dark Knight" soared away with every trophy it was nominated for Wednesday at the 35th annual fan-favorite CBS ceremony. The caped crusader flick won five awards, including favorite cast, superhero, action movie and on-screen matchup for Christian Bale's Batman and the late Heath Ledger's Joker.



Harvard's Jeremy Lin (4) drives for the basket in front of Boston College's Rakim Sanders in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)AP - Jeremy Lin scored 27 points to lead Harvard to an 82-70 upset over No. 17 Boston College on Wednesday night, three days after the Eagles upset previously top-ranked North Carolina.



In this  Sept. 28, 2008 file photo, New York Jets coach Eric Mangini gestures on the sidelines during the third quarter of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The Cleveland Browns have agreed to hire Eric Mangini as their head coach, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun, File)AP - Eric Mangini is the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns, a week after being fired by the New York Jets. A person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press that Mangini will be introduced Thursday at a news conference at the team's headquarters in Berea.



An Israeli soldier stands next to blindfolded Palestinian prisoners after they were arrested during an Israeli military operation in the northern Gaza Strip January 7, 2009, in this picture released by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday she had pressed Israel to seriously consider an Egyptian ceasefire plan as the U.N. Security Council weighed action to end Israel's attack on Gaza. (IDF/Handout/Reuters)Reuters - Israeli warplanes bombed the Gaza Strip on Thursday and tanks pounded Palestinian guerrillas on the ground as U.S. backing for a proposed truce raised expectations of an end to the offensive.



A share trader reacts while checking share prices in front of the German share price index DAX board at the German stock exchange in Frankfurt, December 18, 2008. (Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters)Reuters - A fresh wave of profit warnings and job cuts soured investor sentiment on Thursday after an employment report suggested U.S. job losses in December could be the worst in almost 60 years.



Senate-designate Roland Burris talks with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Reid's office on Capitol Hill, January 7, 2009. (Larry Downing/Reuters)Reuters - In an abrupt switch, Democratic leaders began talks on Wednesday to swear in Roland Burris, appointed by embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate.



President Bush greets President-elect Barack Obama at the White House, November 10, 2008. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters)Reuters - The U.S. budget deficit will swell to a record $1.186 trillion in fiscal 2009, congressional forecasters said on Wednesday, the result of an economic recession that has cut tax receipts and caused massive government bailouts of banks and automakers.



Reuters - U.S. cities are vulnerable to an attack like the gun-and-grenade assault that terrorized Mumbai for three days and killed 179 people, the White House homeland security adviser said on Wednesday.

Ali al-Marri, who has been held for 5-1/2 years at a U.S. military prison in South Carolina, is seen in this undated photograph released to Reuters on January 6, 2008. An early test for President-elect Barack Obama will be the case of suspected al Qaeda 'sleeper' agent Marri, which will force Obama to take a position on his predecessor's claim that anyone the president deems a national security threat can be imprisoned indefinitely without charges in the United States. (Handout/Reuters)Reuters - The case of Ali al-Marri, accused of being an al Qaeda "sleeper" agent and held for 5-1/2 years at a U.S. military prison in South Carolina, will be an early test for President-elect Barack Obama.



Eggs are stacked up at an egg farm in San Diego County, July 29, 2008. (Mike Blake/Reuters)Reuters - An outbreak of salmonella food poisoning has made 388 people sick across 42 states, sending 18 percent of them to the hospital, U.S. health officials said on Wednesday.



Bernard Madoff is escorted in a vehicle from Federal Court in New York, January 5, 2009. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)Reuters - Accused swindler Bernard Madoff should be jailed for violating a court order by mailing $1 million worth of diamonds, watches and other jewelry to friends and family, U.S. prosecutors told a court on Wednesday.



A Palestinian protestor flashes the V for 'victory' sign in front of an Israeli soldier near Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's old city. Israeli warplanes bombed suspected arms-smuggling tunnels in southern Gaza early Thursday, as diplomats worked to secure a ceasefire in an offensive that has killed 700 Palestinians.(AFP/Ahmad Gharabli)AFP - Israeli warplanes bombed suspected arms-smuggling tunnels in southern Gaza early Thursday, as diplomats worked to secure a ceasefire in an offensive that has killed 700 Palestinians.



A woman looks at a manometer set on a gas pipe at a compressor station in the Ukrainian city of Boyarka. Envoys from Russia and Ukraine go to Brussels on Thursday for emergency EU-brokered talks to resolve a bitter gas fight between the two ex-Soviet giants that has engulfed Europe in a major energy crisis.(AFP/File/Sergei Supinsky)AFP - Envoys from Russia and Ukraine go to Brussels on Thursday for emergency EU-brokered talks to resolve a bitter gas fight between the two ex-Soviet giants that has engulfed Europe in a major energy crisis.




Learn How to Solve Problems With a Feng Shui Mirror

A mirror, when becoming a feng shui mirror, can be used to... Read More

Tarot Cards Demystified: The Suit of Cups

There are many ways to interpret the symbolism found in Tarot Cards.... Read More

Marcus Garvey: A Symbol for Black Nationalism

My first kid's father named my son Marcus after legendary Marcus Garvey.... Read More

Brazil--Comments by a Gilliam Fan a Little Too Late

Either I am one of the darkest people ever or this was... Read More

Family, Incest, and Law

Family Values in Ancient Times:Many people of the present make some very... Read More

Astrology Refuted: They Should Have Seen It Coming

A comedian once showed a newspaper to his audience. The headline read,... Read More

Shakespeare and Human Nature

Isn't it peculiar how human nature evolves through environmental and socialogical conditions?... Read More

The Wandle Trail - Announced Regeneration Project

The River Wandle is sourced from the North Downs above Croydon, surfacing... Read More

Babel vs. the PC

Imagine a time when mankind was young. Migration led many to the... Read More

Astrology : A Science or Superstition?

Human beings have always been curious to know their future. Whenever someone... Read More

Creating a Virtual Art Gallery

To the online artist, it might seem a paradox, at first glance,... Read More

A Short Biography on Some of Europes Most Loved and Hated Monarchs - Pt2 (Mad) King George III

King George III who suffered from porphyria, a maddening disease, was born... Read More

A Defense of Cultural Intelligence

When humans set off to address fundamental issues about what and how... Read More

Painting Philosophy of Peruvian Artist

LifeI paint with an emphasis on expressing LIFE (the spirit and the... Read More

What is Feng Shui, and How Does It Work?

Feng shui (say "fung shway"), often called the art of placement, could... Read More

The Trickster of Folklore

Folklore includes a traditional trickster figure, the subject of many stories in... Read More

What Sets Chinese Painting Apart From Western Painting

Because of different instruments, materials and cultural background, Chinese paintings have their... Read More

American Citizenship

Can We Pass The Test?American CitizenshipI'm the daughter of an American soldier... Read More

The Man Who Loved Jail

Around my twentieth birthday life became a series of incredible events. Perhaps... Read More

Mexican Living: So You Want To Expatriate?

Expatriate wannebees often ask us how we managed our expatriation to Guanajuato,... Read More

Debussy and Gamelan According to a 150 Year Old Man

Hello!If you haven't been transported by the mesmerizing sounds of Gamelan yet,... Read More

Basic Chinese Pinyin Rules

* Make sure you set your browser encoding correctly to read Chinese... Read More

Marilyn Monroe and Mary Jo Kopechne

I doubt Marilyn Monroe was anything but a confused star-struck drug-using individual... Read More

The Five Feng Shui Elements and Their Characteristics

Feng shui handles five main elements in order to achieve harmony and... Read More

Bits of Heritage, Whose Heritage

Change is the only inevitably constant aspect of life in this world... Read More

Saturn: Your Challenge to Become An Expert

The true meaning of Saturn is that he is the teacher of... Read More

Native American Art Thunderbird

The thunderbird has been one of the most dominant icons in Native... Read More

The New Age Movement

New Age - A Paradigm Shift to Divine Consciousness & a Universal... Read More

How to Create a Multi-Artistic Piece (Article 1 of 2)

In the late 19th century the music world was graced by an... Read More

Michael Jacksons Latest Album Has Flopped

One month after being cleared of sex assault charges, Michael Jackson's latest... Read More

Some Villain Thoughts About a Container Village

Preview: "Shipping containers" have yet nothing to do with "housing" in Romania.... Read More

Fictions Galore

FABULOUS: - Many 'fabulous' personages and concepts are created by man. Some... Read More

Mexican Living: Issues of Life

This morning when I got out of bed, I had some severe... Read More

The Symbolism Behind an Anchor Tattoo and Anchor Tattoo Design

Anchor tattoos were all the rage for sailors. It was often the... Read More

The American Melting Pot Myth

Most myths have some element of truth in them. The 'melting pot'... Read More

Insider Tips to Quadruple Your Art Show Sales

At a recent art show, I could not help but notice that... Read More

The Masked Fool

The FoolMy first direct experience of the fool in masking was watching... Read More

Masking European Animism

The ancient peoples of Europe were more fond of masks and religious... Read More

Precious Stones The Big Five-Part 5 The Pearl

Since pearls are so rare and possess such a high degree of... Read More

What About Those Pyramids?

'Mr. Rhodes aspired to be the creator of one of those vast... Read More

Mexican Living: Doctors, Doctors, Doctors

I am sick. I don't know what's wrong nor if what I... Read More

A Short Biography on Some of Europes Most Loved and Hated Monarchs - Pt 5 Charles II

Born in 1630, Charles II was the second eldest son of Charles... Read More

Feng Shui Monsters Under Your Bed

Good feng shui often requires making wise decisions based on your specific... Read More

The Original Nobility: Patricians and Knights

By "nobility" I refer to that class in society which once had... Read More

Arthur Koestler

ARTHUR KOESTLER:Humanitarian, historian and scientist are just a few of the labels... Read More

The Monsters Mother

Somewhere in the world, every eight seconds, a mother is throwing her... Read More

African Masks The Art of Creation

With western eyes we tend to view a tribal mask as a... Read More