Checks and balances

Now and again, I dip my toe into the New Age waters to see what's happening. Mostly I am foolishly hopeful to find, this time, some intellectual rigor, some psychological auditing, some genuine heart. Like in the Christian churches I find devotion, fellowship, transformation in people, and like in the Christian church, I find poor understanding, blind faith, exclusivity tactics. That is: "If you don't do it our way, WE'LL PRAY FOR YOU..."

Now I've done some research into the design and practice of ritual, I have been through the in-the-fold lifestyle. And I have to say, that the moment you have to bend your faith into blindness, you're in trouble. Whatever guru or organisation you've attached yourself to requires intense scrutiny from you. In new testament terms: test every spirit.

A teacher of mine gave me these guidelines:

• Does the person / organisation make a profit? ('No' is the correct answer)
• Is the person / organisation physically healthy? (First, make sure your own house is in order)
• What is the state of their relationships?

If these questions can convince you that you are not being taken advantage of, that the person / organisation practices what it preaches (to the benefit of all) and that they have content and practices that can relate to all people positively, helpfully, then you're in a good place.

I like to add something here - is there any way you can verify the material they are passing on to you? Are you aware of your own psychological and emotional processes that cause you to favour one set of ideas over another? Are you satisfying an emotional need or are you genuinely searching for truth?

I sigh. So much of the New Age content is just shallow. It lacks cohesion. So many people are channeling the same tired old set of high spirits, and their material and style don't add up. Please - do your research before you decide to believe something. Read the positive and negative reviews. Beware of the generalist language of the New Age that veneers everything it says with a throbbing pink and turquoise glow. (If I have to hear the word "amazing" describe one more thing...  Perhaps I'm too old now to be amazed by much.)

A last lesson for now:

Trust your body.

This means you need to learn how to listen to it. And once you have removed the noise caused by cravings for bad food, for adoration of the opposite sex, and poor health, you'll find that you can gauge the merits of any situation by listening to how your body responds.