Ignorance to Enlightenment
A Critique of Religion, Non-Religion and the New Age
by Magenta Pixie
* VIDEO OF MAGENTA PIXIE READING THIS ARTICLE - CLICK HERE *
There are those that denounce the 'New Age', proclaiming it to be full of lies and twisted half-truths. Yet there is no such thing as the 'New Age'. This is not one community with a similar doctrine or belief. Those who would be placed by others into the category of 'New Age' do not necessarily take this label themselves, for they are very often aware that there is no such thing.
We have here such a diverse mixture of beliefs, doctrines and paradigms, that one simply cannot just lump them all into one category. Even within the presentation of what is seen as 'New Age' (things like channelling, meditation, angel card readings, crystal healing and working with chakras), there are extremely diverse and often opposing beliefs and teachings. The term 'New Age' therefore becomes meaningless when that diversity is seen, as it will be mistaken for inconsistency and contradiction within the same belief system or structure.
One could say that 'unity' or 'oneness' itself is the doctrine that holds this together as a movement or community. Yet even in the very expression of unity, there is diversity, mixed opinion and what is presented as contradictory teachings. Why is this? The reason is just as I have said. There is no community or movement that follows the same belief system, therefore the term 'New Age' as a construct or umbrella term for a demographic is meaningless. The only thing that would gel together is the individual search for meaning, truth, wisdom and enlightenment and this is to be found in every religion and philosophy throughout time itself. It is only some of those individuals who decide that they are part of a structure or belief system themselves (for example, Christianity) that look upon the 'New Age' as an opposing structure. This is also, in itself, a limited and distorted view. Christianity holds a plethora of different views and beliefs and those who proclaim themselves Christian, as someone who is a 'believer in Christ' or 'follower of Jesus', could not be more different in their understanding of scripture and their expressing that in their daily lives. Within the so-called 'New Age' are a great many 'Christians' who either choose that label for themselves or defiantly denounce it, yet they would fall into both categories by virtue of their belief systems. There are also those Christians who aggressively push the Christian religion upon others and by doing this, they undermine everything that Christianity stands for. As an interesting observation, this is rarely seen in anyone who would be perceived as being part of the 'New Age'. There are a great many individuals, and indeed leaders or influencers, in that 'New Age' perceived structure who vehemently deny they are part of such a movement. There are those who denounce 'channelling' and claim instead 'telepathy' or give their own inspiration and insight some other name to hold them apart from those in the 'New Age'. |
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There are those who teach 'New Age' concepts, write books that are sold under the 'New Age' category, who are themselves pointing the finger at or calling out the 'New Age' as if it is something completely set apart from their own beliefs and teachings.
The biggest issue here is that the majority of people classed as 'New Age' have no idea what it even means. Why? Because there is no set doctrine or belief system within a diverse movement of 'awakening souls' (or critical and expansive thinkers) who have been given a meaningless label to describe them, by others who do not understand them.
One thing that appears to be similar throughout this perceived community is the language used. Words such as 'ascension', 'enlightenment', 'lightworker,' 'starseed' and ever more complicated sounding words and phrases that present as some kind of secret code that others outside the movement are not privy to, giving this 'New Age' community an almost elitist slant.
This again is simply lack of understanding of what is occurring with these individuals. As one moves more and more into a spiritual union with self, or with the divine or whatever word you want to give to that experience, one finds that there are less and less 'words' or 'phrases' they can use with which to describe to others what they are going through. So those experiencers of these different phenomena strive to find words that are the closest match to their experience. They often end up with a conglomeration of religious and scientific terminology that they feel doesn't come from them or from their own minds, but from a force or personality elsewhere and outside of themselves. This is the experience they have and this is the very experience that countless and multiple souls have tried to explain since the beginning of time.
Every religion comes from this inner experience and the experiencer striving to explain it using their own words and phrases that they feel is the most appropriate. This then builds followers of that belief and movement, who then start using the same words, phrases and metaphors as the original experiencer. When you have two (or more) experiencers explaining what they feel/see/know in different ways, then you have what looks like opposing belief systems. Hence the battleground that religion and spirituality has become is born.
You then have others who see this taking place, know that humans, as they go through these experiences will all eventually come to a unified place and they do all they can to stop that unity, by fuelling the division through belief and understanding, deliberately and specifically.
Ultimately all these belief systems and paradigms are created as humans strive to explain their spiritual or metaphysical experiences, or they strive to find meaning for themselves through the experiences of others that they themselves have not yet had.
It is a spectrum of 'ignorance to expansion/awareness/enlightenment' and it is the journey every human individual takes. They may choose to take that journey through Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, science or through a unique and personal blend of their own expression which then cannot be categorised so gets lumped into the umbrella term of 'New Age'.
Yet by virtue of that which I have expressed here in this text, everything and everyone can be called 'New Age', for the term is meaningless as those within it are too diverse from one another to be placed together into any kind of cohesion, even in their striving for, and understanding of, unity within themselves and their lives.
The lesson we can take from this is our own individuality and autonomy. It doesn't matter which religion or science you choose to follow, if you follow any at all. The issue here is how you express your beliefs to others. Do you dogmatically push your views onto others in an aggressive way, denouncing all other beliefs as wrong save your own? If so, the path you are taking, whatever it may be, has not brought you into cohesion with anything. You are still fragmented, traumatised and in ignorance. You may hold the intellect of a master scholar, yet if you force that dogma on others then you have learned nothing.
The true learning is not expressed by the mind, but the heart... and it is held as wisdom rather than knowledge. That statement, in and of itself, may indeed be very 'New Age', yet it is also ancient. As ancient as time itself, why? Because it is truth.
Truth expresses itself in multiple ways, yet there is only one truth. Call it 'unity' or 'source' or 'God' or 'Christ' or 'higher consciousness' or 'physics' or 'magic', whatever word you want to give it, it is the same thing and it is elusive. It is completely inaccessible to those who force their beliefs on others through righteous dogma and with anger and fear in their hearts. It is known only by those who become it, through humility and the balancing of their ego. Those souls who truly find unity, God, magic or physics, the ones who hold wisdom, are to be found in all walks of life, in all religions and in no religion at all.
Those who force others to bend to their will and their belief as right, forcefully denying anything other than their own misunderstood, scripted and intellectual dogma, are also to be found in all walks of life, throughout all religions and no religion.
The labels we give ourselves and our communities, whilst being a helpful guidance, are in effect meaningless when applied to a large demographic.
Yet the term 'New Age' is not offensive, it is quite pleasant, but it is so broad a term that it just cannot be categorised, much less attacked or ridiculed for being outside of truth... for it is not just one thing.
Next time you see one labelled community pointing the finger at or attempting to expose another, for presenting false teachings or misleading facts or misinformation, take it for what it is. An individual or group of individuals who are lost in ignorance, searching for meaning wherever they can find it. Only those who embrace others with love, compassion, forgiveness and understanding are the ones who have truly found the meaning and wisdom they are searching for. This is taught in every religion, philosophy and wisdom teaching throughout history, yet still humanity categorises itself into a 'them and us' scenario.
It is time now to rise above this in our own lives. To unify with the truly like-minded regardless of whichever label they give themselves and to accept the labels they choose for themselves, if any at all, rather than the ones foisted upon them by an ignorant or controlling society.
So in conclusion, it all boils down to one thing. That one thing is freedom. Freedom to express, freedom to be, freedom to choose. This must be fundamental in everything we say and every action we take.
There are those who would reply, "You cannot have autonomous freedom when your choices affect others. We must think of the whole. We must think of all humanity and take action for the whole, not just for ourselves for that is selfish."
They have this inside out and back to front. The real way to change society and all the communities and beliefs that emerge from that is to start with the self. If you take right action with self then the community will thrive naturally, all coming together in a cohesion of acceptance rather than a fragmented battleground.
This is the journey we are all on, both individually and collectively. It starts with the self. Autonomy and liberty with self. This is the most selfless action, not selfish. It is only ignorance that stands in the way of this.
More and more people are now taking this journey of autonomy, sovereignty and individual right action. These are the ones that will change the entire structure within family, community, civilisation and humanity and they come from all walks of life and take many labels and no labels.
Over the coming years, this will now be perceived at levels never yet seen before. It all starts with you.
The biggest issue here is that the majority of people classed as 'New Age' have no idea what it even means. Why? Because there is no set doctrine or belief system within a diverse movement of 'awakening souls' (or critical and expansive thinkers) who have been given a meaningless label to describe them, by others who do not understand them.
One thing that appears to be similar throughout this perceived community is the language used. Words such as 'ascension', 'enlightenment', 'lightworker,' 'starseed' and ever more complicated sounding words and phrases that present as some kind of secret code that others outside the movement are not privy to, giving this 'New Age' community an almost elitist slant.
This again is simply lack of understanding of what is occurring with these individuals. As one moves more and more into a spiritual union with self, or with the divine or whatever word you want to give to that experience, one finds that there are less and less 'words' or 'phrases' they can use with which to describe to others what they are going through. So those experiencers of these different phenomena strive to find words that are the closest match to their experience. They often end up with a conglomeration of religious and scientific terminology that they feel doesn't come from them or from their own minds, but from a force or personality elsewhere and outside of themselves. This is the experience they have and this is the very experience that countless and multiple souls have tried to explain since the beginning of time.
Every religion comes from this inner experience and the experiencer striving to explain it using their own words and phrases that they feel is the most appropriate. This then builds followers of that belief and movement, who then start using the same words, phrases and metaphors as the original experiencer. When you have two (or more) experiencers explaining what they feel/see/know in different ways, then you have what looks like opposing belief systems. Hence the battleground that religion and spirituality has become is born.
You then have others who see this taking place, know that humans, as they go through these experiences will all eventually come to a unified place and they do all they can to stop that unity, by fuelling the division through belief and understanding, deliberately and specifically.
Ultimately all these belief systems and paradigms are created as humans strive to explain their spiritual or metaphysical experiences, or they strive to find meaning for themselves through the experiences of others that they themselves have not yet had.
It is a spectrum of 'ignorance to expansion/awareness/enlightenment' and it is the journey every human individual takes. They may choose to take that journey through Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, science or through a unique and personal blend of their own expression which then cannot be categorised so gets lumped into the umbrella term of 'New Age'.
Yet by virtue of that which I have expressed here in this text, everything and everyone can be called 'New Age', for the term is meaningless as those within it are too diverse from one another to be placed together into any kind of cohesion, even in their striving for, and understanding of, unity within themselves and their lives.
The lesson we can take from this is our own individuality and autonomy. It doesn't matter which religion or science you choose to follow, if you follow any at all. The issue here is how you express your beliefs to others. Do you dogmatically push your views onto others in an aggressive way, denouncing all other beliefs as wrong save your own? If so, the path you are taking, whatever it may be, has not brought you into cohesion with anything. You are still fragmented, traumatised and in ignorance. You may hold the intellect of a master scholar, yet if you force that dogma on others then you have learned nothing.
The true learning is not expressed by the mind, but the heart... and it is held as wisdom rather than knowledge. That statement, in and of itself, may indeed be very 'New Age', yet it is also ancient. As ancient as time itself, why? Because it is truth.
Truth expresses itself in multiple ways, yet there is only one truth. Call it 'unity' or 'source' or 'God' or 'Christ' or 'higher consciousness' or 'physics' or 'magic', whatever word you want to give it, it is the same thing and it is elusive. It is completely inaccessible to those who force their beliefs on others through righteous dogma and with anger and fear in their hearts. It is known only by those who become it, through humility and the balancing of their ego. Those souls who truly find unity, God, magic or physics, the ones who hold wisdom, are to be found in all walks of life, in all religions and in no religion at all.
Those who force others to bend to their will and their belief as right, forcefully denying anything other than their own misunderstood, scripted and intellectual dogma, are also to be found in all walks of life, throughout all religions and no religion.
The labels we give ourselves and our communities, whilst being a helpful guidance, are in effect meaningless when applied to a large demographic.
Yet the term 'New Age' is not offensive, it is quite pleasant, but it is so broad a term that it just cannot be categorised, much less attacked or ridiculed for being outside of truth... for it is not just one thing.
Next time you see one labelled community pointing the finger at or attempting to expose another, for presenting false teachings or misleading facts or misinformation, take it for what it is. An individual or group of individuals who are lost in ignorance, searching for meaning wherever they can find it. Only those who embrace others with love, compassion, forgiveness and understanding are the ones who have truly found the meaning and wisdom they are searching for. This is taught in every religion, philosophy and wisdom teaching throughout history, yet still humanity categorises itself into a 'them and us' scenario.
It is time now to rise above this in our own lives. To unify with the truly like-minded regardless of whichever label they give themselves and to accept the labels they choose for themselves, if any at all, rather than the ones foisted upon them by an ignorant or controlling society.
So in conclusion, it all boils down to one thing. That one thing is freedom. Freedom to express, freedom to be, freedom to choose. This must be fundamental in everything we say and every action we take.
There are those who would reply, "You cannot have autonomous freedom when your choices affect others. We must think of the whole. We must think of all humanity and take action for the whole, not just for ourselves for that is selfish."
They have this inside out and back to front. The real way to change society and all the communities and beliefs that emerge from that is to start with the self. If you take right action with self then the community will thrive naturally, all coming together in a cohesion of acceptance rather than a fragmented battleground.
This is the journey we are all on, both individually and collectively. It starts with the self. Autonomy and liberty with self. This is the most selfless action, not selfish. It is only ignorance that stands in the way of this.
More and more people are now taking this journey of autonomy, sovereignty and individual right action. These are the ones that will change the entire structure within family, community, civilisation and humanity and they come from all walks of life and take many labels and no labels.
Over the coming years, this will now be perceived at levels never yet seen before. It all starts with you.
Article written by Magenta Pixie, 2022. Picture captions and fictional book cover 'NEWAGE SEWAGE' created by Catzmagick.