James Parker of The Phoenix takes a look at the “new” New Age movement. Parker’s main claim is that the movement – once the haven of dippy former hippies – has become increasingly apocalyptic and conspiratorial in tone.

“The sins of the old New Age, of course, are still with us: Celtic muzak, little polished rune-rocks, bumper stickers that say THE GODDESS IS ALIVE AND MAGIC IS IN THE AIR! Seeking balm for the psychic wounds they had sustained in the ’60s, ex-hippies opted en masse for a sort of consoling and watered-down paganism: ancient energies were domesticated, to the point where almost anyone could have a print from the Mahbarata on their kitchen wall, or an Odinist living downstairs. “The original New Age was a little bit on the flimsy side,” says Pinchbeck…What most viscerally separates the New New Agers from the old is their crisp and eager apprehension of imminent system crash – what our inheritors, stumping for food in the poisoned mud flats, may well call The Great Unraveling.”

According to Parker, the hip new vanguard of this trend is the magazine Arthur a ’60s loving culture magazine that has nurtured rising New Age stars like Shamanism guru Daniel Pinchbeck and environmental activist Derrick Jensen (famous in some circles for his criticisms of non-violent activism). As the movement lurches towards 2012 (a date that signals either a shift in human consciousness or eco-doom depending on who you ask) it remains to be seen if these spiritual radicals will have any lasting effect on our larger culture.

Tags: Paganism