New Age Religión and Western Culture: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular ThougthRecent years have seen a spectacular rise of the New Age movement and an ever-increasing interest in its beliefs and manifestations. This fascinating work presents the first-ever comprehensive analysis of New Age Religion and its historical backgrounds, thus providing the reader with a means of orientation in the bewildering variety of the movement. Making extensive use of primary sources, the author thematically analyses New Age beliefs from the perspective of the study of religions. While looking at the historical backgrounds of the movement, he convincingly argues that its foundations were laid by so-called western esoteric traditions during the Renaissance. Hanegraaff finally shows how the modern New Age movement emerged from the increasing secularization of those esoteric traditions during the 19th century. This ground-breaking publication is compulsive reading for all those involved or interested in the New Age movement. |
Contents
Introduction 137 | 1 |
Part | 20 |
CHAPTER TWO Healing and Personal Growth | 42 |
Shakti Gawain Sanaya Roman Henry ReedEdgar Cayce Jean | 55 |
CHAPTER THREE New Age Science | 62 |
gogine Erich Jantsch Rupert Sheldrake Fritjof Capra Ken Wilber | 70 |
CHAPTER FOUR Neopaganism | 77 |
Starhawk Zsuzsanna Budapest Marian Green Caitlín | 89 |
CHAPTER ELEVEN Visions of the Past | 302 |
CHAPTER TWELVE The New Age | 331 |
The Shift from Old to New | 344 |
CHAPTER THIRTEEN Towards a Historical Perspective on New Age Reli | 365 |
CHAPTER FOURTEEN A Historical Framework | 384 |
A Clash of Worldviews | 406 |
CHAPTER FIFTEEN The Mirror of Secular Thought | 411 |
B Carl Gustav Jung | 496 |
Part | 108 |
CHAPTER SEVEN MetaEmpirical and Human Beings | 182 |
CHAPTER EIGHT Matters of the Mind | 203 |
CHAPTER NINE Death and Survival | 256 |
CHAPTER TEN Good and Evil | 276 |
The Positive | 296 |
The New Age Movement and | 514 |
New Age as Culture CriticismNew Age as Secularized Esotericism | 521 |
531 | |
559 | |
571 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Age authors Age believers Age movement Age religion Agers Aquarian basic belief Bochinger Capra Cayce century channeling chapter Christ Christian concept consciousness context cosmic created creative criticism cultic milieu culture David Bohm David Spangler described discussion distinction divine domain earth ECMM Edgar Cayce emergence emphasize Erich Jantsch esoteric esotericism evolution evolutionism example existence experience Faivre Fritjof Capra gnosticism Hanegraaff healing Hermeticism higher historical holistic holographic human idea implies important inner interpretation Jung's Ken Wilber living magic Matthew Fox ment Mesmerism metaphysical mind modern mysticism nature Naturphilosophie neopaganism occultism occultist Oriental paradigm perspective philosophy physical popular present psychology Ramtha RBNA reality referred regarded reincarnation religious result Romanticism scientific secular sense Seth Shirley MacLaine soul spiritual Starhawk suggest Swedenborg theory Theosophical Theosophical Enlightenment tion traditional transpersonal ultimate unconscious universe vision western esotericism whole Wicca Wilber worldview