History UsefulNotes / NewAge

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!!Tropes associated with New Agers:

'''Note:'''The following is a list of tropes associated with new agers, but bear in mind that because they are a diverse bunch, most of them don't believe in or fit ''all'' of them:
* AGodAmI: Every now and then, someone with a god or messiah complex will wander onto a New Age forum and declare their awesomeness. They aren't taken very seriously by most. From time to time, some of the more charismatic have managed to garner small followings, occasionally spawning their own cults. Although mostly harmless, a rare few have managed to become quite significant for their fanaticism; including masterminding [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_Rajneeshee_bioterror_attack terror]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarin_gas_attack_on_the_Tokyo_subway attacks]] to forcibly usher in the new age. More often, the more extreme would-be messiahs simply isolate their followers in secure compounds or camps, which eventually fall apart from internal disillusionment and dissension. Abuse of followers (financial, physical or sexual) is common, as in many other cults. The [[http://www.tyob.info/public/archived_sites/users.on.net/~thefirstbruce/Ballards/index.html I AM Religious Activity]], [[http://tyob.info Church Universal]] [[https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/sociopol_brotherhoodss36.htm and Triumphant]] ([[http://www.blacksunjournal.com/elizabeth-clare-prophet Elizabeth Clare Prophet]]), and [[https://www.alternet.org/2014/06/ramtha-new-age-cult-leader-unleashes-drunken-racist-homophobic-rants-large-following/ Ramtha]] groups, among others, have been cited by ex-members as abusive in various ways. Keep in mind that this is a very different mindset from the common New Age assertion to "love yourself, you are God" which is much more like the "Thou art God" of ''Literature/StrangerInAStrangeLand'' -- taking responsibility for and being in charge of one's own destiny, and being aware that you are an intrinsic part of the universe and must seek to live in harmony with it.
* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Various alien species, including greys, reptilians, and Annunaki along with various secret societies allegedly controlled by the aliens like TheIlluminati and the Freemasons are this according to most in the movement who believe in them.
* AncientAstronauts: Let's just say that Erich Von Daniken and Zechariah Sitchen are rather popular in the movement.
* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: Some think that humanity will eventually do this, and that many people already have. Many believe in various "ascended masters" as well who have already done so (often this includes Jesus, Buddha and other religious figures) that have already done so and act as guides for the rest.
* {{Atlantis}}: New Agers often believe in lost continents such as Atlantis, Lemuria, and Mu. If you look, you can find transcripts of people allegedly channeling the spirits of these islands' former inhabitants.
* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: Was Jesus an alien? Or was he a human with all [[MagicGenetics 12 strands of his DNA activated?]] Was this celebrity or that scientist an Indigo?
* CatFolk: Lyrans and Sirians are often described as feline humanoids.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Many of them come off as this, partially because they use words and terminologies in ways that are utterly incomprehensible to the average person.
* ConspiracyTheorist: Many New Agers overlap with this. It's not uncommon to find New Agers believing in aliens or an impending New World Order caused by TheIlluminati conspiracy.
** ADHD/ADD and schizophrenia were "invented" to cover up genuine psychic powers. It's common for autism to be deemed as ''really'' characteristics of the aforementioned Indigo children too, with the truth obscured.
** The fact that aliens built the pyramids and other ancient wonders is being covered up.
** Actual Native Americans who oppose New Age use of Native traditions must be either racists or dupes for, you guessed it, [[ChristianityIsCatholic Rome]] or the Illuminati (assuming they're not deemed part of the same, overarching conspiracy).[[note]]Considering that Catholicism was responsible, among other things, for the cultural genocide of millions of Native people via the mission schools, this illustrates the ludicrous failure of this branch of New Age belief to look into the history of the people they're trying to emulate.[[/note]]
** The NESARA conspiracy is very, very popular with this crowd. It's a supposed law that was allegedly passed in secret in March of 2000 and would have gone into force in 2001 if not for 9/11 and UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror. The law would call for new elections, cancel all personal debt, abolishing the IRS, ending the Federal Reserve and declaring World Peace.
** Other popular conspiracy theories include the 9/11 Truth movement, autism and the anti-vaccination movement, and the medical-industrial complex suppressing cancer cures.
* CrackIsCheaper: Any number of services, including DNA upgrades, light language activations, and energy attunements can be found online for free, while just as many are offered at whatever the heck price the seller wants to charge, relying on the assumption that one has the income to afford the service, and is willing to keep buying these activations as an expensive hobby that could easily appear to others as throwing away large sums of money on nothing. Then there's all the books, [=CDs=], crystals, meditation retreats, live and online seminars, private sessions, classes, certifications, handmade enchanted jewelry, etc. None of this is strictly necessary given the underlying philosophy of non-materialism, non-physicality, non-attachment to a third dimensional reality, not relying on the external world for fulfillment, and the idea that most of these processes are supposed to take place naturally without requiring any expense. Yoga and meditation, for example, don't have to cost anything.
* EvolutionaryLevels:
** Some believe that the "next step" in humanity's evolution is some kind of spirit/{{energy being}}.
** Many of them outright believe Haeckel's Law. For those unfamiliar, Haeckel's Law is a discredited hypothesis that "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny", or that organisms repeat ancestral forms. Popular in BodyHorror (Lovecraft was fond of it.), it's weird to see it here.
** The belief that non-physical, etheric DNA is being activated and upgraded, evolving to become more crystalline.
** That various energies are being attuned to or downloaded to increase one's light quotient.
%%* GaiasVengeance
* HeinzHybrid: Alex Collier maintains that humans are a mix of 22+ different alien species, which makes us "genetic royalty" in the galaxy.
* HigherSelf: In New Age lingo, your higher self is the "you" which is eternal and timeless. It is the part of you that knows everything, keeps track of your reincarnations, and goes on after you die. Think of it like your physical body being the character in a video game, and your higher self being the player that controls it, though to a more subtle degree.
** For the record, if you see [[https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-omtj--TiDB0/XK3yhkBV8RI/AAAAAAAApoU/d6_W2KJE_UotjoCnMmw9feKi2O32hdWdQCLcBGAs/s320/Migthy%2BI%2BAM%2BPresence%2B1.jpg this illustration]] or anything close to it, you should know that the original poster was created by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Sindelar Charles Sindelar]] for the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%22I_AM%22_Activity I AM Religious Activity]] group in the 1930s. Originally released as "The Magic Presence", also known as "The Chart," it was appropriated without credit along with a lot of other material by subsequent New Age groups. Sindelar along with fellow devotee May [=DaCamara=] did most of the original paintings of Ascended Masters; he was later one of the defendants in the [[https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/708/united-states-v-ballard I AM mail fraud trial]]. [[http://www.tyob.info/public/archived_sites/users.on.net/~thefirstbruce/Ballards/index.html I AM's destructive effects on members]] have been well documented. They are not the only group to be so accused and you can find extensive information online about some of the more UsefulNotes/{{Cult}}-like groups.
%%* HumansAreSpecial: For far, far too many reasons to list. (How would anyone know why without listing reasons.)
* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: For polluting the Earth, oppressing each other, and all that jazz. There is a particular hatred for the medical industry, for supposedly being "anti-nature", and therefore promoting illness and suppressing magical "natural cures". Other branches of the faith are highly supportive of scientific advancement and research. The idea that some of the greatest medical discoveries can and will come from natural sources has some justification.
* ItMakesSenseInContext: Some new age beliefs make a ''lot'' more sense if you understand the lingo.
* {{Karma}}: A very popular concept in New Age thinking (nigh-universal in fact) along with other ideas borrowed from Eastern philosophies/religions. It often differs pretty significantly from the views in the East however.
%%* LifeEnergy
* MagicalAsian: For those with Eastern inclinations. As with the prevalence of the terms "chi," "reincarnation," and "karma," it's become a stereotype to see non-Asian twenty-somethings gush about how Hindu/Chinese/Japanese religion is so much "better" than boring/repressive/evil Western religions. Some Asians are greatly displeased at the commodification of their culture, while others are amused. Particularly objected to are Hindu or Buddhist chants considered sacred by practitioners of these faiths, used without proper reverence and understanding, or in inappropriate contexts (yoga sessions, for instance, sometimes have Hindu chants intoned).
* MagicalNativeAmerican: So you wanna earn a living selling New Age faith? Just offer the whiteys sweat lodges, [[VisionQuest vision quests]], and teach them how to find their "totem animal." Better yet, write books claiming to "pass on" the wisdom of "the ancestors." You might say that actual Native Americans -- particularly the Plains peoples -- are ''not'' amused.
** This has caused rifts within some Native societies. Native people who have undertaken to teach sincere non-Indians the proper way to do sacred things, have been labeled "New Age frauds" and "twinkies" by their own people.
* MagicGenetics: [[http://www.dnaperfection.com/ 12-strand DNA activation, anyone?]]
* MightyWhitey: A whole lot of New Age people are taking heat for not only appropriating other cultures' religions, but outright claiming to have a ''better'' version that they cobbled together from different paths.
* NewAgeRetroHippie: The New Age movement of the '60s was popular with hippies. It hasn't lost this association, and a good chunk of them are what you'd call hippies. In particular, hippie New Agers popularized ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Urantia_Book The Urantia Book]]'', probably written in the 1920s and ([[https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book/read-urantia-book-online which you may read in its entirety here]]). Among those who have said they found Urantia interesting or useful are [[Music/TheGratefulDead Jerry Garcia]], Music/JimiHendrix, [[Music/WeatherReport Jaco Pastorius]], Stevie Ray Vaughan and [[Music/{{Kansas}} Kerry Livgren]].
* NobleSavage: A lot of the views on past civilizations/cultures fall into this territory. This is often not viewed favorably by descendants of said peoples, to say their least, and most particularly since their beliefs are appropriated and syncretized with others by New Agers.
* NoSuchThingAsWizardJesus: Notably averted -- as New Age believers typically believe that Jesus, Buddha, and other important religious figures were supernaturally gifted in some way. They emphasize that any human can acquire such gifts by study and practice.
* OurAngelsAreDifferent: They aren't limited to helping those who strictly follow one of the Abrahamic religions. A lot of people who seem to be just walking around everywhere actually are angels, and might not even realize it themselves.
* PowerCrystal: Crystals can apparently be used to induce healing, increase your luck, and all sorts of neat things.
* {{Precursors}}: Our ancient ancestors were far more spiritual and in-tune with nature than us. Most of the world's problems stem from our having all but forgotten the wisdom of our ancestors and whatnot.
%%* ThePowerOfLove
%%* PsychicPowers
* {{Reincarnation}}: A very popular idea in New Age circles. However, it often is portrayed far more positively than in most religions that have this belief (e.g. Hinduism and Buddhism).
* SadlyMythtaken: A point of contention for many people, particularly Native Americans, who have had their spirituality misappropriated by self-proclaimed new age gurus. Also, if they believe in karma, they likely as not view it quite differently from traditional believers in the concept.
* SecretCircleOfSecrets: Or OmniscientCouncilOfVagueness. The Ascended Masters, which the New Age borrowed (along with a ton of other stuff) from Theosophy. They are human beings who are just somewhat more evolved and now serve as spiritual teachers or "elder brothers". If you hear a New Ager talking about Kuthumi, Maitreya, St. Germaine or Djwhal Khul, these are the names of some of the Ascended Ones. Jesus and Mary are also counted among them.
%%* ScienceIsBad / ScienceIsWrong: When it occurs, it may overlap with ConspiracyTheorist. (Only one trope per example. Choose one.)
* SpiritAdvisor: Comes in various forms, such as angels, your "higher self," animal spirit guides, Ascended Masters, etc...
* SufficientlyAdvancedAlien: Many believe that aliens are interacting for humanity, some for better and some for worse. The "good" aliens tend to be PerfectPacifistPeople.
* WesternZodiac: It's kind of where the whole "Age of Aquarius" concept comes from.
* WideEyedIdealist: The movement has often been accused of this by its critics, who claim that this movement does not focus on the wrongs going on in the world but rather focus on "unrealistic" love and positive messages. Some adherents, though, emphasize that saving the earth and working for change are ''especially'' a New Age responsibility. Even Brad Steiger, who popularized the ''Starseed'' (some humans are descendants of or related to aliens) idea, wrote in ''Star Born'' that they must not expect returning alien relatives to clean up the environment, but do it beforehand. [[https://www.bohemian.com/northbay/new-age-of-new-age/Content?oid=2171339 Musician Georgia Kelly, who channels a lot of her music, explains here.]]
* YourMindMakesItReal: Reality ''itself,'' that is. Once you realize this... [[RealityWarper Whoa, nelly!]]

* AGodAmI: Every now and then, someone with a god or messiah complex will wander onto a New Age forum and declare their awesomeness. They aren't taken very seriously by most. From time to time, some of the more charismatic have managed to garner small followings, occasionally spawning their own cults. Although mostly harmless, a rare few have managed to become quite significant for their fanaticism; including masterminding [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_Rajneeshee_bioterror_attack terror]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarin_gas_attack_on_the_Tokyo_subway attacks]] to forcibly usher in the new age. More often, the more extreme would-be messiahs simply isolate their followers in secure compounds or camps, which eventually fall apart from internal disillusionment and dissension. Abuse of followers (financial, physical or sexual) is common, as in many other cults. The [[http://www.tyob.info/public/archived_sites/users.on.net/~thefirstbruce/Ballards/index.html I AM Religious Activity]], [[http://tyob.info Church Universal]] [[https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/sociopol_brotherhoodss36.htm and Triumphant]] ([[http://www.blacksunjournal.com/elizabeth-clare-prophet Elizabeth Clare Prophet]]), and [[https://www.alternet.org/2014/06/ramtha-new-age-cult-leader-unleashes-drunken-racist-homophobic-rants-large-following/ Ramtha]] groups, among others, have been cited by ex-members as abusive in various ways.

The dark side of the New Age movement is that it has attracted a glut of self-proclaimed gurus who appropriate and exploit aspects of other cultures' spiritualities, most glaringly [[http://www.newagefraud.org Native American]], and has pushed sufferers of chronic illness and cancer away from scientifically-proven (and therefore [[AppealToNature anti-nature and evil]], in their minds) treatments, and into the arms of snake-oil salesmen and quacks peddling useless, and often harmful, "cures". Like neopaganism, it has also historically had issues with [[ThoseWackyNazis far-right]] infiltration, especially in the late 2010s with the rise of the [=QAnon=] movement that explicitly combines New Age themes and imagery with SatanicPanic UsefulNotes/ConspiracyTheories and Christian fundamentalism, as well as [[PathOfInspiration abusive]] or [[ScamReligion fraudulent]] religious movements, {{commune}}s, and outright {{cult}}s.

** For the record, if you see [[https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-omtj--TiDB0/XK3yhkBV8RI/AAAAAAAApoU/d6_W2KJE_UotjoCnMmw9feKi2O32hdWdQCLcBGAs/s320/Migthy%2BI%2BAM%2BPresence%2B1.jpg this illustration]] or anything close to it, you should know that the original poster was created by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Sindelar Charles Sindelar]] for the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%22I_AM%22_Activity I AM Religious Activity]] group in the 1930s. Known as "The Chart," it was appropriated without credit along with a lot of other material by subsequent New Age groups. Sindelar along with fellow devotee May [=DaCamara=] did most of the original paintings of Ascended Masters; he was later one of the defendants in the [[https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/708/united-states-v-ballard I AM mail fraud trial]]. [[http://www.tyob.info/public/archived_sites/users.on.net/~thefirstbruce/Ballards/index.html I AM's destructive effects on members]] have been well documented. They are not the only group to be so accused and you can find extensive information online about some of the more UsefulNotes/{{Cult}}-like groups.

* YouKeepUsingThatWord: A large portion of criticism comes from the fact that they keep misusing words like "quantum" and "energy." In some cases "energy" is being used in a spiritual sense and not a scientific sense, but that often isn't clear, or it gets conflated.

The dark side of the New Age movement is that it has attracted a glut of self-proclaimed gurus who appropriate and exploit aspects of other cultures' spiritualities, most glaringly [[http://www.newagefraud.org Native American]], and has pushed sufferers of chronic illness and cancer away from scientifically-proven (and therefore [[AppealToNature anti-nature and evil]], in their minds) treatments, and into the arms of snake-oil salesmen and quacks peddling useless, and often harmful, "cures". Like neopaganism, it has also historically had issues with [[ThoseWackyNazis far-right]] infiltration, as well as [[PathOfInspiration abusive]] or [[ScamReligion fraudulent]] religious movements or {{commune}}s or outright {{cult}}s.

In the 80s and 90s, belief that some human beings were "Star People", related to or descended from well-intentioned alien visitors, was a common New Age speculation. Brad Steiger, who spent his life researching claims of paranormal phenomena, wrote a popular series of ''Star People'' books after meeting and marrying a woman named Francine who made such claims. [[note]]''The Aquarian Revelations'', about [[WillingChanneler Willing Channelers]] communicating with aliens, was photocopied and passed around college dorms for years. His other Star People books are ''Gods of Aquarius'' (1976), ''Star People'' and ''Revelation, the Divine Fire'', about experiences of Cosmic Consciousness (both 1981), ''The Seed'' (1983) and ''Star Born'' (1992).[[/note]] There are now many "Star People" checklists online; [[http://www.sanandaseagles.com/pages/walk-in.html Brad Steiger's original Starbirth Questionnaire is on this page]] along with some others.

The New Age movement more or less originated in the late 18th century, but took fire in the 1960s among [[NewAgeRetroHippie hippies]] and other young idealists. It went mainstream in TheEighties with the CatchPhrase "Create Your Own Reality", the writings of Creator/ShirleyMacLaine and her film ''Out On A Limb'', which enshrined an assortment of [[WillingChanneler Willing Channelers]]. The core of the New Age movement developed as an offshoot of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theosophy Theosophy]], particularly the syncretistic variation propounded by 19th century mystic [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_Blavatsky Helena Blavatsky]].

Likewise, their views on the divine vastly differ. Early New Age teachings focused on incorporating elements of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Gnosticism. More recent New Agers may be Christian, neopagan, deist, [[UsefulNotes/{{pandeism}} pandeist]], pantheist, or even agnostic. Most often, their spirituality is a hodgepodge of concepts from various faiths, philosophies, and superstitions, for better or [[SadlyMythtaken for worse]]. The word "syncretistic" is used by them a lot.

The dark side of the New Age movement is that it has attracted a glut of self-proclaimed gurus who appropriate and exploit aspects of other cultures' spiritualities, most glaringly [[http://www.newagefraud.org Native American]], and has pushed sufferers of chronic illness and cancer away from scientifically-proven (and therefore [[AppealToNature anti-nature and evil]], in their minds) treatments, and into the arms of snake-oil salesmen and quacks peddling useless, and often harmful, "cures". Like neopaganism, it has also historically had issues with [[ThoseWackyNazis far-right]] infiltration, as well as [[PathOfInspiration abusive]] or [[ScamReligion fraudulent]] religious movements or communes or outright cults.

* AGodAmI: Every now and then, someone with a god or messiah complex will wander onto a New Age forum and declare their awesomeness. They aren't taken very seriously by most. From time to time, some of the more charismatic have managed to garner small followings, occasionally spawning their own cults. Although mostly harmless, a rare few have managed to become quite significant for their fanaticism; including masterminding [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_Rajneeshee_bioterror_attack terror]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarin_gas_attack_on_the_Tokyo_subway attacks]] to forcibly usher in the new age. More often, the more extreme would-be messiahs simply isolate their followers in secure compounds or camps, which eventually fall apart from internal disillusionment and dissension. Abuse of followers (financial, physical or sexual) is common, as in many other cults. The [[http://www.tyob.info/public/archived_sites/users.on.net/~thefirstbruce/Ballards/index.html I AM Religious Activity]], [[http://tyob.info Church Universal]] [[https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/sociopol_brotherhoodss36.htm and Triumphant]] ([[http://www.blacksunjournal.com/elizabeth-clare-prophet Elizabeth Clare Prophet]]), [[https://www.alternet.org/2014/06/ramtha-new-age-cult-leader-unleashes-drunken-racist-homophobic-rants-large-following/ Ramtha]], and [[https://www.heraldextra.com/lifestyles/jach-pursel-has-turned-channeling-for-an-entity-he-calls/article_2fe5dccb-47e9-57cf-87b0-029281c54f2b.html Lazaris]] groups, among others, have been cited by ex-members as abusive in various ways.