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From Magick to New Age

© M. Williams.

It's time for a change. One of the fundamental precepts of magick is that the universe is never stagnant, and in keeping with the changing nature of things, Magick and Divination has evolved into a new phase. It has metamorphosed, if you will, into an expanded exploration of the universal flow upon which it is based.

There are no endings, only changes, and Magick and Divination has become too confined and confining a topic in the face of the wonderful experiences and teachings offered by the New Age movement. It is, I believe, better presented as part of that greater whole to which it ultimately belongs.

But what is thing called New Age? It is a term not easily nailed down as it encompasses a wide variety of beliefs and practices. The Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines New Age as "a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture, with interest in spiritual matters, mysticism, holistic ideas, environmentalism, etc." But this definition is as open-ended as the term itself seems to be, and the "etc." leaves plenty of room to maneuver.

A web search on the subject yields some varied and highly interesting pronouncements on the subject. One site quite rightly points out that "New Age explores the nature of being, reality, and so forth", but again we have the elusive "so forth" to deal with.

The Theosophical Society states that "the New Age movement imposes no dogmas, but points toward the source of unity beyond all differences. Devotion to truth, love for all living things, and commitment to a life without personal judgment of others." This is a fair statement, to be sure, but in itself it does not embody the entire range of New Age thought.

New Age, it seems, is a personal process that defies any complete, concise definition. It is concerned with things esoteric, philosophical, metaphysical, spiritual and transformational, and above all, its emphasis is on the individual truths to be found within its teachings. About the best we can do is to list examples of those things commonly thought of as products of New Age thought.

We can reasonably say, for example, that New Age is about expanding our awareness, our cosmic consciousness and the co-creation of our shared reality. It's about the human spirit and the inner life of man, and it's about personal transformation. We can say that it concerns the unity of mind, body and soul and our ultimate connection to the divine, and the acceptance of the notion that many paths can lead toward this connection. Further, we can say that it encompasses any number of non-traditional practices such as meditation, reincarnation, spirit guides, alternative healing, auras, and even magick and divination-the list, of course, goes on.

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