Tag: New Age Movement

New Age Revelry

The Ubiquity of Spirituality without Religion

The sovereignty of the individual is ultimately supported by the Higher Authority of G-d. We are guided by lasting principles that enable us to direct our autonomy toward a worthy goal. We work in tandem with His guidance, recognizing that ultimately, He should be L-rd over our lives.

 Yet, today, in the chaotic postmodern world, where spirituality abounds, devoid of a connection to a transcendent G-d, man raises himself up as the highest authority. Indeed, many, who are steeped in New Age spirituality view themselves, and all humankind as part and parcel with the divinity of G-d, irrespective of His transcendent nature. In other words, they view themselves as divine, without recognizing a higher authority.

As shocking as this may sound to anyone who holds a traditional religious worldview, it should be noted that the separation of spirituality from religion is gaining ground in the world. As people move away from traditional concepts of G-d and religion, the yearning for something other than the mundane compels many to fill the void in their lives with anything under the sun, except the idea of a G-d who has moral expectations of us.

The main tenets of monotheistic faith, in particular, are replaced by alternatives that have less of a demand for responsibility to a moral order, and more of a subjective, experience-based spirituality without a particular moral code. Thus, any conception of an absolute authority that can guide our lives is substituted with the individual being the highest form of authority.

Where will this rift between religion and spirituality lead? There seems to be a growing consensus that religion is too binding upon the freedom of an individual; hence, the embracing of a myriad diversions from the revealed truth at Sinai, encompassing subjective experiential pursuits. Worse than worshiping other gods, many within the New Age Movement are worshipping themselves.

Mental Balance

I behold the world through the eyes of the Perceiver; and, I look upon what is perceived by Him. Only for a moment, do I share His perspective, akin to Moshe who saw G-d’s back, not His face. That is to say, by way of one interpretation explains that when Moshe saw H’Shem’s back, he was actually facing the same direction as G-d. Therefore, this is an allusion to Moshe being able to perceive what G-d perceived, while he was shielded in the cleft of a rock.

I believe that this is the nature of what appears as intuition, today, for us moderns, who strive to connect with G-d. Therefore, only for a moment do we get a glimpse of His perspective, if that is His will for us to experience. Otherwise, there is no claim to divinity, that can be made on the part of the beholder, because we are clearly only human beings. Thus, with this mentioned, I have no recompense towards the New Age belief, that originates from Hinduism, that claims man is G-d. Besides, this would be a gross oversimplification, anyway, of the actual Hindu concept of atman, whereof there is only a “spark” of G-d within an individual. (This concept is also found in Judaism).

This “inner spark” exemplifies our connection to G-d, since we are all created in His image. Yet, for the most part, mankind does not live up to the image of G-d. In other words, we do not fully meet the expectations and requirements that he has clearly related to us through the commandments, and the words of the prophets. This is why there will be a judgment day, whereof all of our days will be called into question, and an account must be made of our thought, speech, and behavior. Therefore, sin exists, unlike the New Age claim that all chaos and confusion in the world results from ignorance. This is also a Hindu claim.

Ultimately, unmasking the New age Movement for what it actually is, irrespective of its mystical and spiritual lure, will free your soul, if you have been caught up in the beliefs of this movement, like I had once been. Then, you can begin to see as the L-RD intended from the beginning. Aside of subjective experience, there is a transcendent G-d. He has established His Creation, and given commandments for humankind to follow, for our own good. When we err in adherence to those commandments, we may turn to Him through teshuvah (repentance). He is a forgiving G-d, Who acknowledges our own weaknesses, and would like to demonstrate His compassion towards us through the blessings that He extends to us.

Through the fulfillment

of Your mitzvoth and guidelines,

man ascends higher.