The ageless wisdom

New Age

The New Age movements are spread all over the world today and are altogether such a wide-spectrum phenomenon with so many layers and shades, that it may seem an almost impossible task to map all its aspects. As it is not a matter of an organized or systemic whole, however a common mentality, a spontaneous time signature or a collective trend, it should first of all be a matter of isolating the most immediate topics, which characterise the currents, in spite of the many differences and varying terminologies. But before that, would it then be possible to define which groups and movements may rightly be said to be part of the New Age? It can be very difficult, but nevertheless, below is a grouping that can be used as a guide:

a) Esoteric groups and cosmologies

In the heart of the New Age movement we find groups, associations and organisations, which in general can be called esoteric because they in a coherent and profound way give a general description of humanity and cosmos. They are variations of Philosophia perennis or the wisdom traditions and are based on meditative enlightenments and experiences in higher mental states. The ramified theosophical movement belongs to these groupings, which among others have H.P. Blavatsky and Annie Besant as central figures, the organisation the Lucis Trust established by Alice A. Bailey, the anthroposophy established by Rudolf Steiner, and the cosmology created by the Dane Martinus Thomsen. We have the Swedenborgian Church, The Liberal Catholic Church inspired by the theosophy and other Gnostic churches, just as there are many variations of spiritualistic communities, Masonic Orders, the ritual confraternities and the philosophical groups. There are the Fourth Way inspired by Ouspensky, the Druid and Wiccain inspired groups and the shamanistic variants. Correspondingly we have, as representatives for these overall systems, the many Rosicrucian ramifications, the various expressions of the Sufism mysticism, Far Eastern philosophies, Buddhistic movements – mainly Tibetan – and yogi schools with Hindu origin. Also the astrology and mythology with their archetypal structures and symbolic cycles belong to the cosmological aspects.