 Meditation in the New Age Movement
It’s a bit difficult to define the New Age movement, since there are many disciplines, groups, and factions that claim the name. Most of them accept the existence of other groups with the “New Age” label, while others claim they’re the only one worth of the name and reject all other groups. Nevertheless all groups have several ideas and practices in common, such as alternate healing methods, rejection of traditional spiritual dogmas, natural and healthy eating habits, and, of course, meditation.
Meditation is a very important aspect of the New Age movement, and is considered necessary to achieve personal growth and development. It is one of the ancient practices that the New Age has taken from ancient religions and philosophies and brought back to vogue, recognizing its value and the practical results it brings to the lives of people.
There are many schools of meditation in the New Age movement. Some of them are very simple to follow and are meant to make you feel relaxed and at ease, while others promise you extraordinary results. For example, some schools of meditation claim that they can make you get in touch and speak with higher forms of life or with spiritual beings, heal from incurable diseases, and even gain psychic powers.
Regardless of whether you believe or not in the possibility of getting these results, if you’re a beginner, it’s better to set humbler goals for your first meditation sessions. For example, you can aim at controlling your mind and making it focus in a single object, or you can try to eliminate worries, anxieties, and fears in order to find inner peace. If you’re unsure of what you need, you can always consult your meditation guide or trainer. Also, New Age centers usually have books or manuals on meditation that you can read to understand what meditation can do for you.
New Age centers prefer that their members go to their premises for their meditation sessions. In addition, most of the centers will require you to wear some type of clothes when you attend your sessions. It might be something simple like “comfortable clothes and no shoes,” or something very complex, involving very specific colors, fabrics, and forms. You might also be asked to bring or buy some items for your sessions, such as candles, a mat, a pillow, etc. Some centers use music or scents for meditation, although they usually provide it themselves. If you plan to have meditation sessions at home, you should get some of your own as well.
Finally, you can opt to meditate in your own house. Since one of the main beliefs of the New Age movement is that it’s better to personalize spirituality than accept established dogmas, this is a practice that is accepted and even encouraged by most New Age centers. Just keep in mind that it’ll require some basic learning from a guide at first and a good amount of discipline in order to have long lasting effects.
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