Improvement of the Self

         In the 1960s, a movement emerged based on the principles of enlightenment and spiritual fulfillment. It rejected the religious and traditional concepts set in place at the time and embraced more non-Westernized ideas. These people believed that a new age of peace and harmony was on the rise and it is still being practiced to day with as many as 60 million followers (Lipscomb 284). It takes on an attitude of a life-long journey of finding the highest version of yourself spiritually and emotionally. A lot of its belief stem from the beliefs of Hinduism and Buddhism. In New Age beliefs, there is more than one single truth and truths to every religion, which is why they are pantheistic. They also believe in the rise of a matriarchal society that will end create a more pure and innocent world. 

    In attainting the highest version of themselves, New Agers believe that we as a human race are all united as one, and that we have a spiritual connection with the world and nature. It is up to us to determine our own personal values on what is moral and right. New Agers strive to be connected with the world around them and focus on what connects us and the world to each other. There is a great concept of energy involved with the practices of New Agers. There is more than one realm or plane than the one we are on, and New Agers try to evolve past this realm to oversee themselves from a higher one.

    There is a great connection with the body and physical existence to the spiritual existence according to New Agers. This is a "holistic" belief meaning that the mind, body, and spirit are one (Lipscomb 287). Sometimes to solve one ailment, it is necessary to address another aspect of your being first. A great example of this connection is in Yoga and Meditation. Yoga and meditation are a form of spiritual and physical release. All of the motions and poses have a spiritual meaning that is believed to develop and trigger different chakras of the body. For example, the pose "upward dog" or "high cobra" is a stance that elevates the chest to the sky. This is what practicing Yoga enthusiasts might call a heart-opening pose, and this would be believed to connect with emotional energy and love in the heart chakra. 

    I have been a practitioner of Yoga myself, and I will hear the teachers guiding the class say this to all of those participating. I don't always know what it means because I think of myself as practicing Yoga and meditation for the health and stress relieving benefits. However, a lot of members belief that they are addressing parts of themselves that need emotional healing. I remember when I was going through a break-up in my late teens, I saw a lot of videos come up on my Tik Tok feed about connecting with my higher self, and that I would be able to get my ex back through certain New Age practices like the Law of Attraction. For awhile, my saddened and emotional state would find these ideas appealing. The Law of Attraction is the belief that through positive thoughts and affirmations being believed and said about yourself would become reality if you truly believed it. It sounded like magic to me and I had watched many videos on this of people swearing that it works. I would lay down at night and listen to "astral projection" music while envisioning my ex reaching out to me. Looking back on this experience, I don't think that what I was doing was necessarily the intended practices of the New Age people, but nonetheless, it was an interesting experience, especially going back and studying where what I was doing even came from. 

    I believe that people should constantly be on a journey of exploring things about themselves, and our environment really does influence how we act and how we develop as people. Do I necessarily believe that a Yoga pose can open my heart chakra to release trauma and heartbreak? Probably not, but it is an interesting concept to explore. The New Age beliefs have a positive message, and I think that their ideas can positively benefit a person who deeply believe in it.