Scroll through TikTok. See a few Instagram posts. Watch a few Youtube Short videos.
You can see clearly that our generation of young adults, Gen Z, is full of black sheeps - people who deviate from the cultural norms American society has built itself on and instead look up to queer spiritual classics that are known to be esoteric and occult in nature
I used to be a part of that magical stream of the New Age.
Towards the beginning of my spiritual practice, before I became a Buddhist Practitioner, I used to devote myself to teachings like Scandinavian Paganism, Witchcraft & Wizardry, Light and Dark magic, and the many occultic arts that I can possibly get my hands on. Watching people online practice these things, I found myself to be a completely new person because of it.
Trying out holistic medicine, wearing amethyst, rose quartz, and obsidian jewelries while sun or moon gazing, and going out to nature without a shirt off for most of my days had changed me to live my life feeling more lightweight and alive.
No wonder why everybody’s doing it.
There’s a little corner in the vast ocean of content found within social media that describes details of average, normal-looking people living the impossible and becoming superhuman. Stories of poor families becoming rich in less than a month, “being woke” after finding out that most of the food we eat is unhealthy, or giving lectures all over the world after an extraterrestrial encounter are stories all too common for me to find out as I scroll through my For You page.
It’s a common theme for our new generation to go against societal norms and cause change within the current paradigm we’re in. Just look at the CounterCulture movement of the late 1900’s: the hippie movement, the growing popularity of psilocybin, DMT, or mescaline, and the emergence of “Self-help gurus” like Baba Ram Dass, Jiddu Krishnamurti, or Alan Watts.
Another interesting thing to remember is the important goal New Age Spiritual people they have in mind: they seek to project energies necessary, through personal growth and healing, to usher in a new age of peace that aligns with any astronomical changes that reflects this worldwide phenomenon. According to them, we are currently in the “Age of Aquarius” where spiritual growth and enlightenment are the new attitudes for Planet Earth (Melton, 2024).
Some of these movements are now growing in popularity, with people like Tony Robbins, Russell Brand, Andrew Tate, or the late Bob Proctor taking on the front lines of the movement.
These people and what they left behind has shaped at least two generations in molding the culture of young adults and the way they live. It has certainly helped me accomplish goals for myself that I otherwise thought impossible to do; healing trauma, learning to regulate emotions, and refining my attention to set out goals.
That shouldn’t stop you to contemplate about the potentially dangerous impacts it might have in one’s thinking, though.
You see, it can be a useful tool to aid the individual in personal expansion but a tool to do the opposite as well. One can argue that there are some reasons as to why one should be wary of New Age Spirituality:
Nowadays most young adults suffer from mental health and might lean towards this culture and its contributors as a solution. It is now confirmed that young adults from 18 to 25 suffer from mental health the most (Goodman 3). Unfortunately, Self-help Gurus see this and most of which requires one to pay for their services. Knowing you're depressed, they will use that to their advantage.
Getting exposed to different ideas to push a certain agenda without even realizing it should be considered as a form of indoctrination. It has reached a point where New Age Spirituality has become a normal aspect of one’s culture. Cultural phenomena like the confirmation of extraterrestrials, seeing our favorite movie protagonist discussing esotericism, or hearing politicians humorously joking about conspiracy theories seem to be household topics one hears now. We’re seeing this collective culture, the Woke Agenda, play out before our eyes without even accounting for what we want to experience.
Lastly, we can see this collective culture turning into a weapon. The Woke Agenda can create change in such a way that can bring drastic changes to the types of thoughts that citizens may have: expose a republican politician through whistleblowing to be in the democratic party’s favor. Have an actress become “spiritual” to influence her fans to mirror what she’s doing. Hire a bunch of social media stars to get them to talk about conspiracy theories so that people would follow your beliefs.
I’m not saying you should listen to both arguments I’m trying to make. A New Age Spiritual lifestyle has benefited me in ways that got me out of my own personal mess. I’m only expressing my opinion: the way it is now evolving itself, now in 2024, does not guarantee solutions to mental health.
I’m not saying you should listen to me. I'm saying that you should take a deep observation on many aspects of culture within our society.
Pay close attention to your favorite movies and shows. Pay close attention to what big celebrities are saying in social media. Pay close attention to various commentators found on the Internet. Are they saying things that deviate from the norm? It might be part of the Woke Agenda.
If self-help gurus use your depression to make money by giving “the solution”, are they really trying to help you? If you hate the life you are living, does that mean you must become someone else in order to cause change in it? If miracles happen all the time, do you think you are in need of a miracle?
I know I needed a miracle and I’m so happy and grateful that I had mine. But I realized that perhaps the solution already lies within me, not some rich millionaire trying to make more money off me.
Perhaps I can make my own miracles.
Just remember this important truth before you seek help: You already know what you have to do.
Works Cited:
Duszynski-Goodman, Lizzie. “Mental Health Statistics and Facts.” Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024, https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/mental-health-statistics/
Ligonier Editorial. “What is the New Age Spirituality?” Ligonier, 3 July 2023, https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/field-guide-on-false-teaching-new-age-spirituality
Melton, J. Gordon. “New Age Movement.” Britannica, 1 April 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/New-Age-movement