Copyrighted 2009
Religion scholar Robert Ellwood sees the New Age as another return of Hermeticism which periodically surfaces in Western culture.(1) Hermeticism originated in Egypt in the second through fourth centuries C.E. and is the foundation of alchemy. Ellwood maintains that this underground tradition has periodically surfaced in Western culture, and its influence is apparent in the Renaissance, Freemasonry, Spiritualism and Theosophy. Robert Ellwood says that “the New Age is a contemporary manifestation of a western alternative spirituality tradition going back at least to the Greco-Roman world.” (2)
Ellwood says that this tradition has a general set of six major beliefs. First, it believes in a neo-Platonic hierarchical universe culminating in an impersonal, monistic Absolute. The Absolute operates in the universe in a lawlike way in which spirit and matter are thoroughly intertwined. Second, this intertwining of spirit and matter means there are linkages between the human and cosmic levels through astrology, mineral or crystal power, and quasi-mechanical manipulation of energy. Third, humans are a deep cosmic intermingling of matter, mind and spirit ,and so there is an emphasis on holistic and alternative healing. Fourth, at the same time there is a complementary movement in which the spirit is also affirmed as sovereign and independent. This independence results in an emphasis on reincarnation, out-of-body experiences and near-death experiences. Fifth, this emphasis on independent spirits leads to believing there are many intermediaries between the Absolute and humans, and thus they believe in the existence of masters, spirits and angels. Finally, the knowledge of the nature of reality is not easily accessible to most people, therefore, one needs intuition or a gnosis, which is best conveyed by those having it and best preserved in small groups.
The Hermeticism scholar Wouter Hanegraaff agrees with Ellwood’s point that the New Age movement is a secularized version of Hermetic esotericism. He says that even the ideas and activities the movement borrows from Asia it puts into a Western framework of focus on this world.(3)
Ellwood and Hanegraaff have an intriguing point. Many of the most prominent features of the New Age are similar to this alternative spiritual tradition. Nevertheless, this explanation fits Theosophy (Ellwood is a Theosophist) much better than the New Age movement. Unlike earlier manifestations of this alternative spiritual tradition such as alchemy, Rosicrucianism, and early Theosophy, the New Age movement does not claim to originate from this strand of ancient wisdom, and few New Agers are involved with it. Furthermore, this explanation does not encompass the significant business, psychological and New Science strands of the New Age, nor does it account for the significant Asian influence on the movement. The sixth point Ellwood makes about this alternative spiritual tradition, that it emphasizes small elite groups, surely does not explain the large conventions or workshops the New Agers often hold or their claim that everyone can learn their techniques. Moreover, Ellwood’s explanation does not explain why the New Age movement arose at this time. Finally Hermeticism significantly influenced the Romantic movement, and the similarities between the New Age movement and Hermeticism can better be understood by looking at the Romantic movement than by looking at Hermeticism.
Copyrighted 2009
This essay was written by Joseph Waligore. He dedicated his life to following the will of the Universe when he was 20. Seven months later he received a message from his Higher Self or inner connection to the divine to quit Dartmouth College. Through following a deep intuition in a dream and after many synchronistic experiences, he met his soulmate and married her. He and his wife followed their spiritual intuitions in their daily lives, including receiving messages to have children. For twelve years he stayed at home and raised his three children while his wife worked. Then, his wife told him he needed to make some money, so he got a Ph. D. in philosophy from Syracuse University. He currently has a part-time job teaching philosophy and religious studies at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. More information about him can be found at his MySpace profile. He also has a website with information about his own spiritual journey and his spiritual philosophy.
There is a Facebook group called Flowing. People interested in meeting other people who are interested in these ideas and/or participating in discussions about these ideas are invited to join the group.
Many people reach this site through keyword advertisements. It might be of interest that Joseph got the money for these ads through his daytrading profits.
FOOTNOTES
1. Robert Ellwood, “How New is the New Age?” in James R. Lewis and J. Gordon Melton, ed., Perspectives on the New Age (Albany: SUNY Press, 1992), p. 59.
2. Ibid., p. 60.
3. Wouter J. Hanegraaff, New Age Religion and Western Culture: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1996), p. 517-520.
Copyrighted 2009
My name is Joseph Waligore. I currently have a part-time job teaching philosophy and religious studies at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. More information about me can be found at my MySpace profile or my Facebook profile.
This website is one of four websites I have. At makingyourconnections.com I have a posted a significant portion of a self-help book I am currently writing. This book helps people succeed in the world by making their connections, the special people in their lives. Another website, www.followingtheflow.com is for spiritually oriented people and discusses very similar ideas from a more spiritually oriented perspective. Another one, www.josephwaligore.com is for academically or intellectually oriented people. It has my writings about spiritual philosophies such as Stoicism, Socrates, the Deists, the Enlightenment period, and the rise of modern science.
There is a Facebook group called Flowing. People interested in meeting other people who are interested in these ideas and/or participating in discussions about these ideas are invited to join the group.
Many people reach this site through keyword advertisements. It might be of interest that Joseph got the money for these ads through his daytrading profits.