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Aura (paranormal)

Aura (paranormal)

According to New Age, an aura is a set of cascading colored outlines emanating from the surface of a person or object. It is a result of the emergence of chakra and it mirrors the supernatural energy field that surrounds and penetrates everything. In addition, an aura can be viewed by the naked eye. Training can improve one's ability to see auras. Each layer of aura is separate and distinct yet connected to all the remaining layers. Many psychics, as children, such as Edgar Cayce assumed that everyone could see auras until they got older. In the books of Carlos Castaneda auras are referred to as luminous cocoons.

Science and Auras

Modern New Age metaphysics identify the aura as electromagnetic fields. The existence of electromagnetic fields around every object in the known world is a scientifically proven fact. What is debatable is whether or not humans can see these electromagnetic fields as colors with the naked eye. This claim enters the paranormal field. The reason this happens is that very sophisticated equipment exists, far more sensitive and precise than the human eye, that is actually able to pick up energy many times less than that which is supposed to exist in auras, yet none was ever recorded. However, these energy fields are sometimes claimed to be documented by a rare form of photography called Kirlian photography. These claims are vigorously denied by debunkers about paranormal activity. The magician James Randi, for example, has for many years (as of 2004) offered one million US dollars to any person capable of repeatedly detecting auras, no one has yet succeeded, (though at least one has tried and failed). The task would involve the aura reader to stand on one side of a room with an opaque partition separating them from a number of slots which may contain either actual people or mannequins. All that would have to be done is that the aura reader would have to consistently be able to tell which were real people and which were not.

The meanings of the Aura

The aura of a person is considered to be a way to read one's thoughts and to identify a liar when his words contradict the messages his aura says. There is no way to change one's aura, it is considered to be a universal spiritual signature. Only through conscious control can the aura be used to i)identify a malfunction of the body and ii)heal oneself. The emanating colors of the aura sometimes are tied to special or hidden meanings. Until now, the seven colors consisting the aura that emanate from the surface of the object are mystically tied to many other things, like the planets, days of the week, and the musical notes. Synesthesia as a phenomenon was tied to auras because the stimuli to one sense may generate a response to another sense, in this case the stimuli of another sense to generate a visual response, like a color, to the one who experiences synesthesia.

References

- Brennan, Barbara, Hands of Light : A Guide to Healing Through the Human Energy Field, Bantam, 1988, ISBN 0553345397.
- Brennan, Barbara, Light Emerging : The Journey of Personal Healing, Bantam, 1993, ISBN 0553354566.
- Cayce, Edgar, Auras, ARE Press, 2002, ISBN 0876040121.
- Kilner, Walter J., The Human Aura, Citadel Press, 1965, ISBN 0806505451.
- Krippner, Stanley and Rubin, Daniel, The Kirlian Aura: Photographing the Galaxies of Life, Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1974, ISBN 0385065744.
- Larson, Cynthia Sue, Aura Advantage, Adams Media, 2004, ISBN 1580629458.
- Leadbeater, C.W., The Chakras, Theosophical Publishing House, 1987, ISBN 0835604225.

External links

- [http://www.starstuffs.com/innerwisdom/3rdWisdom.html Exercises to See Auras for Energy Awareness]
- [http://skepdic.com/auras.html Auras in the "Skeptic's dictionary"]
- [http://skepdic.com/kirlian.html Kirlian Photography in the "Skeptic's Dictionary"]
- [http://www.experiencefestival.com/human_aura A selection of articles related to the human aura] Category:New Age

New Age

New Age describes a broad movement of late twentieth century and contemporary Western culture characterised by an individual eclectic approach to spiritual exploration. It has some attributes of a new, emerging religion but is currently a loose network of spiritual seekers, teachers, healers and other participants. The name "New Age" also refers to the market segment in which goods and services are sold to people in the movement. Rather than follow the lead of an organised religion, "New Agers" typically construct their own spiritual journey based on material taken as needed from the mystical traditions of all the world's religions as well as shamanism, neopaganism and occultism. Participants are likely to dip into many diverse teachings and practises, some mainstream and some fringe, and formulate their own beliefs and practices based on their experiences in each. No clear membership or rigid boundaries actually exist. The movement is most visible where its ideas are traded—for example in specialist bookshops, music stores, and fairs. Most New Age activity may be characterized as a form of alternative spirituality. Even apparent exceptions (such as alternative health practices) often turn out to have some spiritual dimension (for example, the integration of mind, body, and spirit). "Alternative" here means, with respect to the dominant Western Judeo-Christian culture. It is no accident that most New Age ideas and practices seem to contain implicit critiques of mainstream Christianity and reference to Jesus in particular. An emphasis on meditation suggests that simple prayer and faith is insufficient; belief in reincarnation (which not all New Age followers accept) challenges familiar Christian doctrines of the afterlife.

History

The name New Age was popularized by the American mass media during the late 1980s, to describe the alternative spiritual subculture interested in such things as meditation, channelling, reincarnation, crystals, psychic experience, holistic health, environmentalism, and various “unsolved mysteries” such as UFOs, Earth mysteries and Crop circles. Typical activities of this subculture include participation in study or meditation groups, attendance at lectures and fairs; the purchase of books, music, and other products such as crystals or incense; patronage of fortune-tellers, healers and spiritual counselors. Crop circle] The New Age subculture already existed in the 1970s, and arguably continued themes from the 1960s counterculture. Earlier generations would have recognized some, but not all, of the New Age's constituent elements under the practices of Spiritualism, Theosophy, or some forms of New Thought / the Metaphysical movement, all of which date back to the nineteenth century, as does alternative health. These movements in turn have roots in Transcendentalism, Mesmerism, Swedenborgianism, and various earlier Western esoteric or occult traditions, such as the Hermetic arts of astrology, magic, alchemy, and cabbala. In the English-speaking world, we should make special mention of study groups devoted to American trance-diagnostician Edgar Cayce, who inspired many of today's channelers. The British neo-Theosophist Alice Bailey's writings may have supplied the term New Age (or New Era). The Findhorn Foundation, an early intentional New Age community in northern Scotland founded in 1962 played a significant role. The movement in Russia has been heavily influenced by the legacy of Nicholas Roerich and Helena Roerich, who taught in the Theosophical tradition. Another former Theosophist, Rudolf Steiner and his anthroposophical movement, is a major influence, especially upon German-speaking New Agers. In Brazil, followers of Spiritualist writer Allan Kardec blend with the Africanized folk traditions of Candomblé and Umbanda. Umbanda Key moments in raising public awareness of this subculture include the Harmonic Convergence organized by Jose Arguelles in Sedona, Arizona in 1987; and the wave of interest in the broadcast of Shirley MacLaine's television mini-series Out on a Limb (also 1987). This was an autobiographical account of her mid-life spiritual exploration. Also influential are the claims of channelers such as Jane Roberts (Seth) and J.Z. Knight (Ramtha), as well as revealed writings such as A Course In Miracles (Helen Schucman), The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield), Mutant Message Down Under (Marlo Morgan), and Conversations with God (Neale Donald Walsch). The question of which contemporary cultural elements ought to be included under the name of "New Age" is quite vexed. New Age channelers have many points of similarity with Spiritualist mediums. Many spiritual movements, such as neo-paganism and transpersonal psychology partially overlap with it. Many groups prefer to distance themselves from the possible negative connotations of the "New Age" name such as the media hoopla, commercialism, and perhaps hucksterism. For example, key individuals in the New Thought movement, such as Ernest Holmes, have focused on a more scientific approach and do not share New Age beliefs in reincarnation, magic, or channeling. Major attempts to present the New Age as a values-based sociopolitical movement included Mark Satin's New Age Politics (orig. 1976), Theodore Roszak's Person/Planet (1978), and Marilyn Ferguson's Aquarian Conspiracy (1980). The New Age is a wide menu of ideas and activities, from which participants in the subculture select their own preferred streams to patronise or identify with.

Beliefs

The following are some common — though by no means universal — beliefs found among New Agers: # All humanity—indeed all life, everything in the universe—is spiritually interconnected, participating in the same energy. “God” is one name for this energy. # Spiritual beings (e.g. angels, ascended masters, elementals, ghosts, and/or space aliens) exist, and will guide us, if we open ourselves to their guidance. # The human mind has deep levels and vast powers, which are capable even of overriding physical reality. “You create your own reality.” # Nevertheless, this is subject to certain spiritual laws, such as the principle of cause and effect (karma). # The individual has a purpose here on earth, in the present surroundings, because there is a lesson to learn. The most important lesson is love. # Death is not the end. There is only life in different forms. What some refer to as an afterlife does not punish us but teaches us, perhaps through the mechanisms of reincarnation or near-death experiences. # Science and spirituality are ultimately harmonious. New discoveries in science (evolution, quantum mechanics), rightly understood, point to spiritual principles. # It shares with many major world religions the idea that Intuition or "divine guidance" is a more appropriate guide than rationalism, skepticism, or the scientific method. Western science wrongly neglects such things as parapsychology, meditation, and holistic health. # There exists a mystical core within all religions, Eastern and Western. Dogma and religious identity are not so important. # The Bible is a wise and holy book. Many important truths are found in the Bible, or are referred to only very obliquely. Some say that Jesus was an Essene, or that he traveled to India in his youth to study Eastern religions. Others say that Jesus was a later, more advanced avatar of Buddha. # Feminine forms of spirituality, including feminine images of the divine, such as the female Aeon Sophia in Gnosticism, are viewed as having been subordinated, masked, or obliterated by patriarchal movements that were widely practiced when sacred teachings were first committed to writing. A renaissance of the feminine is particularly appropriate at this time. # Ancient civilizations such as Atlantis may truly have existed, leaving behind certain relics and monuments (the Great Pyramid, Stonehenge) whose true nature has not been discovered by mainstream historians. # There are no coincidences (see Synchronicity). Everything around you has spiritual meaning, and spiritual lessons to teach you. You are meant to be here, and are always exactly where you need to be to learn from what confronts you. # The mind has hidden powers and abilities, which have a spiritual significance. Dreams and psychic experiences are ways in which our souls express themselves. # Meditation, yoga, t'ai chi, and other Eastern practices are valuable and worthwhile. # Ultimately every interpersonal relationship has the potential to be a helpful experience in terms of our own growth. # We learn about ourselves through our relationships with other people by getting to see what we need to work on ourselves and what strengths we bring to the other party in order to help them in their life. # All our relationships are destined to be repeated until they are healed, if necessary over many lifetimes. # As Souls seeking wholeness, our goal is eventually to learn to love everyone we come in contact with.

Quotations

In [http://www.dianebrandon.com/index_files/page0022.htm Experiential Spirituality and Contemporary Gnosis] Diane Brandon writes: : "And this emphasis on spirituality and consciousness reflects an acknowledgment that we are, in essence, spiritual beings - and beings of pure energy, as consciousness is a form of energy - even though we are "in the body." As Wayne Dyer says, :"We are spiritual beings having a human experience." This is a paraphrase of an idea first developed by Christian theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. As Deepak Chopra says, :"...our bodies are contained within our consciousness, not our consciousness contained within our bodies."
Lifestyle
The following subjective description of a New Age lifestyle illuminates the sociological dimension of the New Age movement. Note the references to the "inter-connectedness" of all things: "people feeling somehow, mysteriously, they have met before or known each other from a distant time" and an implicit cosmic goal "two people meet and sense there may be a hidden meaning, or reason why". Rather than reliance on social forms such as regular church attendance, New Agers "recognize" each other through their mutual perception of shared values, and the shibboleths of New Age terms and usages: :New Age lifestyles can be observed anywhere that people meet, congregate, and visit. To an outside observer, the eventful outcome of this meeting differs from other similar meetings she may have seen before, because something changes. Something clicks in people's behavior making them exchange information, almost always with everyone getting more out of the event than was individually put into it. This often happens in New Age lifestyles, becoming so common one would think the new age has already left a mark on the mainstream! At one time before the New Age lifestyle silently, without any fanfare, changed western society, the outcome of interaction was: someone wins and the other loses. Although this is an overly simplistic view of social intercourse, it did exist in general, at large. New Age introduced a think tank style of social interaction, which results in a synergy--all involved in a meaningful event are left with more clarity, higher and more focused than before. Again, this is an overly simplisitic view. People may not even believe they are New Agers, though they fit the general pattern. :A typical conversation may begin in groups or in pairs, where the subject involves insights, deeply held truths, or even revelations, from a known or unknown origin. The result of this interaction may bond the people involved who share similar visions or outlooks. Feelings of déjà vu may occur, with people feeling somehow, mysteriously, they have met before or known each other from a distant time in history. :Shopping at a store dealing in herbal supplements, two people meet and sense there may be a hidden meaning, or reason why they just happened to be purchasing ginseng tea at that particular moment, in that particular place, at the same time. Rather than overlooking the event, tucking it away as a mere coincidence, they talk, more often about themselves to each other, and interact, a key component of this lifestyle.
Underlying assumptions
Judging by its name, the New Age movement ought to involve millenarian claims, perhaps of a glorious future age which is about to begin. As such it could theoretically be traced back to the time of Zoroaster, or to biblical apocalypticism. While such expectations are encountered often enough—e.g., the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, pole shifts and paradigm shifts, the imminent end of the Mayan calendar—the predominant themes of the New Age are mystical rather than apocalyptic. Hence the widespread interest within this subculture in the mystical traditions within the world’s various religions, especially Vedanta, Yoga, Tibetan Buddhism, Zen, Sufism, Taoism, Shamanism, Kabbalah, Gnosticism, and mystical forms of Christianity. Globalisation was and still is an important social phenomenon of the 20th and early 21st centuries, with religious syncretism inevitably being one consequence. New Age religious developments are eclectic, hence multifarious. Some synthesize Christian ideas with beliefs involving many gods or goddesses, pantheism, include aliens, reincarnation, or the use of drugs, together with other spiritual beliefs from different parts of the world. Likewise, the movement may incorporate differing beliefs about, or attempts to practice, magic. Though many New Age terms are associated with Eastern religions, they should not be considered as being identical with the concepts and practices of those religions. Ancient traditions such as Hinduism, Taoism, and Buddhism can hardly be referred to as New Age religions. It just so happens that the New Age movement has 'adopted' many of the ideas of eastern religions, incorporated them into their own beliefs and practices. The gnostic approach of experiential insight and revelation of truth may be closest to the New Age methodology of prayers and spirituality. In keeping with a relativist stance, New Agers believe they do not contradict traditional belief systems, but rather some of them say that they are concerned with the ultimate truths contained within those systems, separating these truths from false tradition and dogma. On the other hand, adherents of other religions often claim that the New Age movement has a vague or superficial understanding of these religious concepts, leaving out that which may seem "negative" or contradict contemporary Western values and that New Age attempts at religious syncretism are vague and self-contradictory. Some people within the New Age movement claim a particular interest in Buddhism, Hinduism, Sufism, and Taoism — however eclectic or in-depth such an interest may be depends arbitrarily upon each individual's pursuit and focus. New Age is syncretic in nature and has roots as a counter-cultural phenomenon. Thus New Age adherents tend to emphasize a relativist approach to truth, often referring to the Vedic statement of "one truth, but many paths," the mainstay of Hinduism, which idea is also found in the later Zen Buddhist spiritual dictum of "many paths, one mountain". This belief is not only an assertion of personal choice in spiritual matters, but also an assertion that truth itself is defined by the individual and his or her experience of it. This relativism is not merely a spiritual relativism, but also extends to physical theories. Reality is considered largely from an experiential and subjective mode. Many New Age phenomena are not expected to be repeatable in the scientific sense, since they are presumed to be apparent only to the receptive mind; for example, telepathy may not be achievable by a skeptical mind, since a skeptical mind is not pre-conditioned to expect the phenomenon to exist. The New Age worldview typically involves a mysticism-based (rather than experiment-and-theory-based) view of describing and controlling the external world; for example, one might believe that tarot card reading works because of the "interconnectedness principle", rather than regarding the success (or failure) of tarot card reading as evidence of the interconnectedness principle. The various New Age vitalist theories of health and disease provide further examples. Some New Age practices and beliefs could make use of what British anthropologist Sir James George Frazer termed magical thinking, in The Golden Bough (1890). Common examples are the principle that objects once in contact maintain a practical link, or that objects that have similar properties exert an effect on each other. In contrast to the scientific method, the failure of some practice to achieve expected results is not considered as a failure of the underlying theory, but as a lack of knowledge about (hidden) extenuating circumstances. This stance has led some skeptics to pronounce the New Age movement to be primarily anti-intellectual in nature. The emphasis on subjective knowledge and experience is a connection between New Age beliefs and postmodernism. The shift to a feeling of control over one's expression of spirituality reflects a trend towards personal responsibility, as well as personal empowerment. Its populist origins help characterize the New Age approach. This emphasizes an individual's choice in spiritual matters; the role of personal intuition and experience over societally sanctioned expert opinion and an experiential definition of reality.
Language
Many adherents of belief systems characterised as New Age rely heavily on the use of metaphors to describe experiences deemed to be beyond the empirical. Consciously or unconsciously, New Agers tend to redefine vocabulary borrowed from various belief systems, which can cause some confusion as well as increase opposition from skeptics and the traditional religions. In particular, the adoption of terms from the language of science such as "energy", "energy fields", and various terms borrowed from quantum physics and psychology but not then applied to any of their subject matter, have served to confuse the dialog between science and spirituality, leading to derisive labels such as pseudoscience and psychobabble. This phenomenon is additionally compounded by the propensity of some New Agers to pretend to esoteric meanings for familiar terms; the New Age meaning of the esoteric term is typically quite different from the common use, and is often described as intentionally inaccessible to those not sufficiently trained in the area of their use. See the following list:-
- Forces. It is commonly held that there exist certain forces, independent of spiritual beings or agencies, and also distinct from forces as defined by science (e.g., gravitation, electro-magnetism, etc.). These forces are elemental in nature; and are held to operate in an automatic fashion as part of the natural order (for example, the force which causes seeds to sprout, grow, and bloom).
- Power. The "forces", and everything else, are energized by a mystical power that exists in varying degrees in all things. Power is transferable, through physical contact, sensory perception, or mere proximity. Power may be accumulated or depleted in a person or object through a variety of mechanisms, including fate and esoteric practices. This power is held to be physically observable as "auras" and "psi energy"; and when encountered in great concentration, may even be dangerous.
- Energy. In some belief systems, "forces" and "power" may seem to merge; e.g., in the concept of "vital force" that exists in so many traditional belief systems, and finds its expression in New Age concepts such as the alleged "energies" in Therapeutic Touch and Reiki, and ideas of flowing streams of power in Earth, like "leylines" in Britain and Europe and earth energies addressed in the Chinese geomantic system of feng shui. The New Age use of the word "energy" should obviously not be confused with the scientific one.
- Spirit. All beings (particularly sentient beings) are accompanied by a specific, intentional "energy" which corresponds to their consciousness, but is in some way independent of their corporeal existence. This energy typically is more primary than the physical entity, in the sense that it remains in some form after the physical death of that being.
- Holism. A coherent, interconnected cosmos. Everything in the cosmos is actually or potentially interconnected, as if by invisible threads, not only in space but also across time. Further, it is held that every thing and every event that has happened, is happening, or will happen leaves a detectable record of itself in the cosmic "medium" such as the Akashic Records or the morphogenic field.
- Cosmic goal. There is typically a belief that all entities are (willingly or unwillingly) cooperating in some cosmic goal of achieving a "higher" or more complete coherence with a cosmic "consciousness" (or some other goal state of "goodness"), often described as an evolutionary process or simply to learn. This underlying cosmic goal gives direction to all events, reducing the concept of coincidence to one of ignorance of hidden meaning.
Critiques of the New Age
Major critiques of the New Age have emerged from rational philosophical and scientific views that seek to understand the nature of New Age notions. These often highlight the discrepancies between New Age's seemingly irreconcilable mix of occultism and acceptance of the laws of physics. Rather more extreme views have emerged from evangelical Christians who reject all forms of occultism; from skeptics suspicious of paranormal claims and woolly beliefs in general; and from New Agers themselves. Some, including neo-pagans, who are frequently labeled as New Age, might find the term inappropriate since it appears to link them with beliefs and practices they do not espouse. Others think that the classification of beliefs and movements under New Age has little added value due to the vagueness of the term. Instead, they prefer to refer directly to the individual beliefs and movements. Indeed, use by religious conservatives, scientists and others has caused the term "New Age" to sometimes have a derogatory connotation. Many adherents of traditional disciplines from cultures such as India, China, and elsewhere; a number of orthodox schools of Yoga, Qigong, Chinese Medicine, and martial arts (the traditional Taijiquan families, for example), groups with histories reaching back many centuries in some cases, eschew the Western label New Age, seeing the movement it represents as either not fully understanding or deliberately trivializing their disciplines. New Age detractors also say that a true understanding of reason and empiricism produces just as rich an experience as the New Agers claim for themselves, but with emotions and feelings based on thinking and logic instead of the other way around. They also point out that the definition of empiricism is: "the view that experience, especially of the senses, is the only source of knowledge." Much of the strongest criticism of New Age eclecticism has come from Native American writers and communities. The Declaration of War Against Exploiters of Lakota Spirituality [http://puffin.creighton.edu/lakota/war.html] is one of the strongest statements of disapprobrium from traditional tribal religious leaders. Other Natives who have issued statements against "white shamanism" include Wendy Rose, Leslie Marmon Silko and Geary Hobson. The Native argument is that New Age shamans profit from tribal beliefs in a way that is fundamentally inconsistent with those beliefs, while ignoring the communal aspects of tribal religious belief and practise.
Medicine
Many people with a New Age perspective also adopt complementary and alternative medicine. Some rely on New Age related treatments exclusively, while others use them in combination with conventional medicine. This is completly compatible with New age belief in the unity of mind body spirit and the emphasis on things natural. Some techniques worthy of mention are herbal medicine, Ayurveda, acupuncture, homeopathy, iridology, auras and the use of crystals in healing therapy. Some New Age writers have taken the belief that You create your own reality and applied it to disease with the conclusion that illnesses have a metaphysical origin and can be treated by a deep evaluation of long held negative emotional and spiritual attitudes. This has a parallel in the Christian notion that "it is done unto you as you believe." Notably, Louise Hay has published books containing lists of diseases and the associated negative belief, accompanied by the correcting positive belief. A cure may be sought by repeating the correcting positive affirmation. This approach has its origins in Christian Science. It has been criticised as seeming to blame the sufferer for causing the condition. Its supporters claim the intent is to enlighten the individual so that he or she can change the thinking that exacerbates the condition. Some followers of New Age thought may also believe certain individuals have the ability to heal, in a similar way to the healing practices reported to have been used by Jesus of Nazarath in the New Testament. It should be noted that, when considered purely as medical techniques, most of these systems of treatment are viewed with extreme skepticism and even as quackery by most scientific professionals. When tested using the same types of regimens as those applied to pharmaceutical drugs and surgical techniques (for example, double blind clinical studies), these systems may not yield demonstrable improvements over standard techniques, and some may even produce harm. However, one benefit of New Age medicine's popularity, and its criticism of conventional medicine, has been to encourage many medical practitioners to pay closer attention to the entire patient's needs rather than just her or his specific disease [http://www.sfms.org/sfm/sfm199f.htm San Francisco Medical Library]. Such approaches, termed "holistic medicine", are now becoming more popular. Conventional medicine has recognised that a patient's state of mind can be crucial in determining the outcome of many diseases, and this perception has helped recast the roles of doctor and patient as more egalitarian. Critics of New Age medicine continue to point out that without some kind of testing procedure, there is no way of separating those techniques, medicinal herbs, and lifestyle changes which actually contribute to increased health from those which have no effect, or which are actually deleterious to one's health. The National Institutes of Health, in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, are at 2005 carrying out research on determining which of these practices may be useful in support of conventional medical practice.
Music
See a longer description at the New Age music article Although more rock than new age in genre the 1967 successful musical Hair with its opening song "Aquarius" and the memorable line "This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius" brought the New Age concept to the attention of a huge world wide audience. The first actual mention of the term was by American rock and roll band The Velvet Underground in their not-so-optimistic 1969 song "New Age". A large percentage of music described as of New Age genre is instrumental, and electronic. Arguably, this music has its roots in the 1970s with the works of such free-form jazz groups recording on the ECM label such as Oregon, the Paul Winter Group, and other pre-ambient bands; as well as ambient performers such as Brian Eno and easy listening artists like Solomon Keal. The Greek artist Yanni, one of the "superstars" of the New Age genre, relies heavily on synthesizers and instrumental "world music" sounds. Vocal arrangements are also common. Enya, although claiming her music is not of this genre, has won a New Age Grammy for her music which utilizes vocals in a variety of languages, including Latin. Less well known is Medwyn Goodall, who relies mainly on electronic keyboard effects, and includes acoustic guitar as well. Music labeled New Age often has a vision of a better future, expresses an appreciation of goodness and beauty, even an anticipation, relevant to some event. Rarely does New Age music dwell on a problem with this world or its inhabitants; instead it offers a peaceful vision of a better world. Often the music is celestial, when the title names stars or deep space explorations. Ennio Morricone wrote the entire score for the movie Mission to Mars, and while the credits flash we hear All the Friends, New Age orchestral style. The titles of New Age music are often illuminating, because the words used by the artists attempt to convey their version of truth, in a few short words. On listening to the music, one may understand the idea within the title. Examples of titles: Bond of Union, Sweet Wilderness, Shepherd Moons, Animus Anima. Other genres like psytrance/goatrance are not associated with New Age in their philosophies they can be called another New Age perspective. Psytrance is especially biased towards mysticism, technology, spiritualism, and a view that thoughts create reality.
See also

- Philosophical
- Syncretism, Postmodernism, Karma, Vedas, Spirituality, Synchronicity, Myths, Mysteries, Aquarian Age, Transcendence, Multi-dimensionality, Odic force
- Meditative
- Qi, Qigong, Prayer, Tantra, Meditation, Kundalini, Mandala, Trance
- Music
- New Age music, Circle dance, Grammy Award for Best New Age Album
- Spiritual/Religious
- A Course In Miracles, Angels, Anthroposophy, Christian anarchism, Dances of Universal Peace, Goddess Worship, Hinduism, Jesus, Kabbalah, Kardecist Spiritism, New religious movements, New Thought Movement, Rosicrucian, Scientology, Shamanism, Spirit guides, Sufism, Theosophy, Zen,
- Contemporary new age teachers
- Andrew Cohen, Michael Sharp, Benjamin Creme, Barry Long, Da Free John, Ram Dass, Louise L. Hay, Caroline Myss, Marianne Williamson, Leonard Orr, Carlos Castaneda, Rajneesh, Khwaja Shamsuddin Azeemi, Wayne Dyer, Mary Manin Morrissey, Tony Samara, Deepak Chopra
- Health
- Acupuncture, Aromatherapy, Ayurveda, Biorhythms, Brainwaves, Breatharians, Crystals, Chakras, Color Therapy, Fruitarianism, Iridology, Kirlian photography, Reiki, Pyramid power, Self-help, Veganism, Vegetarianism, Visualization
- Social Movements
- Encounter group movement, LGATs, MLMs, Rebirthing, Hundredth Monkey,

- New age travellers
- Consciousness
- Astral projection, Angels, Dakini, Auras, Consciousness, Elementals, Near-death experience, Out-of-body experience, Reincarnation, Soul travel, Past life regression, Double bodies
- Special Abilities
- Automatic writing, Charismatics, Clairvoyance, Dreaming, ESP, Levitation, Oracles, Psychic phenomenon, Psychokinesis, Remote viewing, Palmistry, Sorcery, Telepathy, Channeling, Long life
- Geographic Energy Centers
- Avalon, Sacred sites, Bermuda Triangle, Atlantis, Lemuria, Ley lines, Machu Picchu, Mount Kailash, Stonehenge, Portals, Power spots
- Systems involved in control, prediction, or description of the physical world
- Alchemy, Astrology, Chaos magic , Magick, Numerology, Odic force, Tarot, Feng Shui, Vastu
- Aliens
- Alien abduction, Alien implants, Crop circles, Cattle mutilation, Area 51, UFOs
- Miscellaneous
- Ancient civilizations, Underground civilizations, Time travel, Forteana, Living Enrichment Center
- Marketing
- LOHAS
New Age communities
Significant New Age communities exist in the following places:
- Arcosanti, Arizona, USA
- Auroville, Tamil Nadu, India
- Boulder, Colorado, USA
- Byron Bay, Australia
- Christiania, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Damanhur, Italy
- Dornach, Switzerland
- Esalen at Big Sur, California
- Findhorn, near Forres, Scotland
- Glastonbury, Somerset, England
- Monte Verità near Ascona, Switzerland
- Mount Shasta, California, USA
- Sedona, Arizona, USA
- Totnes, Devon, England See also the Global Ecovillage Network article.
References

Academic study of the New Age

- Albanese, Catherine L. (1990) Nature Religion in America; From the Algonkian Indians to the New Age, University of Chicago Press, Chicago & London.
- Barna, George , (1996) The Index of Leading Spiritual Indicators, Word Publishing, Dallas TX.
- Bloch, Jon P., (1998) New Spirituality, Self, and Belonging: How New Agers and Neo-Pagans Talk About Themselves, Praeger, Westport, Connceticut & London.
- Drane, John, (1999) What is the New Age Still Saying to the Church? Marshall Pickering, London.
- Ferguson, Marilyn (1982) The Aquarian Conspiracy, Paladin, London.
- Godwin, Joscelyn, (1994) The Theosophical Enlightenment, State University of New York Press, New York.
- Hanegraaff, Wouter J., (1998) New Age Religion and Western Culture: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought, State University of New York Press, Albany, New York.
- Heelas, Paul, (1996) The New Age Movement, Blackwell, Oxford.
- Heelas, Paul and Linda Woodhead (2004) The Spiritual Revolution: Why Religion is Giving Way to Spirituality, Blackwell, Oxford.
- Kemp, Daren, (2004) New Age: A Guide. Alternative Spiritualities from Aquarian Conspiracy to Next Age, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.
- Kohn, Rachael, (2003) The New Believers: Re-Imagining God, HarperCollins, Sydney.
- [http://www.csj.org/rg/rgessays/rgessay_newage.htm What Is “New Age?”] Retrieved 26 Aug 2005
- Lewis, James R. and J. Gordon Melton (eds). (1992) Perspectives on the New Age, State University of New York Press, Albany, New York.
- Melton, J.Gordon , (1995) Whither the New Age? Chapter 35 of T. Miller's , America's Alternative Religions, SUNY Press, Albany, NY .
- Michael, June, (2000) Path to Truth: A Spiritual Guide to Higher Conciousness, Writers Club Press, New York.
- Naisbitt J. & Aburdene P., (1990) Megatrends 2000, William Morrow & Company, New York, NY.
- Pike, Sarah M., (2004) New Age and Neopagan Religions in America, Columbia University Press, New York.
- Roof, Wade Clark (1999) Spiritual Marketplace: Baby Boomers and the Remaking of American Religion, Princeton University Press, Princeton.
- Rothstein, Mikael (ed). (2001) New Age Religion and Globalization, Aarhus University Press, Aarhus, Denmark.
- Saliba, John A., (1999) Christian Responses to the New Age Movement: A Critical Assessment, Geoffrey Chapman, London.
- Sutcliffe, Steven & Marion Bowman (eds). (2000) Beyond New Age: Exploring Alternative Spirituality, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.
- Sutcliffe, Steven J., (2003) Children of the New Age: A History of Spiritual Practices, Routledge, London and New York.
- York, Michael, (1995) The Emerging Network: A Sociology fo the New Age and Neo-Pagan Movements, Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, Maryland.
External links

New Age belief

Movements and organisations

- [http://www.celestinevision.com The Celestine Prophecy]
- [http://www.acim.org A Course in Miracles]
- [http://www.findhornroots.com Findhorn Roots, a history]
- [http://www.michaelteachings.com The Michael Teachings]
- [http://www.nlp.com/ Neurolinguistic programming]
- [http://www.zyworld.com/jamus/NewAge.htm New Age of Aquarius]
- [http://www.rosicrucian.com/zineen/magen119.htm Rosicrucian Age of Aquarius]
- [http://www.scientology.org/ Scientology](this is not New Age - more like a cult!)
- [http://www.traininginpower.org/ Training in Power - Official Website]
- [http://www.spirithistory.com/newage.html What is the New Age?]
- [http://www.spiritwritings.com/kardecspiritstoc.html The Spirit's Book] by Allan Kardec
- [http://www.radicalmiddle.com/new_world_all.htm New World Alliance] The Radical Middle
- [http://www.bodysoulspiritexpo.com The Body Soul & Spirit Expo & Online Community]A quickly growing newage lifestyle expo, conference & tradeshow featuring alternative health, intuitive arts, and many other facets of the new age, and significant online community, directories, discussions, news and articles
Leading Personalities

- [http://www.anthonyrobbins.com Anthony Robbins' Official website]
- [http://www.castaneda.com/ Carlos Castaneda official website]
- [http://www.enya.com Enya official website]
- [http://www.leonardorr.com/english.php Leonard Orr- Rebirthing]
- [http://www.marianne.com Marianne Williamson official website]
- [http://www.adishakti.org/age_of_aquarius.htm Mataji Nirmala Devi]
- [http://www.mgmusic.ltd.uk/default.asp Medwyn Goodall official website]
- [http://www.radicalmiddle.com/newagepolitics.htm Mark Satin] Author of 'New Age Politics'
- [http://www.chopra.com/] Deepak Chopra's official website
Personal websites by individuals
A sample of the range of spiritual beliefs held by New Agers.
- [http://www.starstuffs.com Healing Mind, Body and Spirit : New Age, Ancient Concepts]
- [http://www.members.tripod.com/tathagata2000 New Age Enlightenment]
- [http://www.feeltheforce.org A Path to Enlightenment]
- [http://www.abundance-and-happiness.com Attracting Unlimited Abundance and Happiness Through Belief]
- [http://www.xs4all.nl/~wichm/newage3.html Roots of New Age Movement - Dutch homesteader site]
- [http://www.new-age-spirituality.com New Age Spirituality]
- [http://observationsnperspectives.blogspot.com New Age Perspectives- A Spiritual blog for the New Age]
- [http://www.muraqaba.netfirms.com/ Spiritual Vision]
- [http://www.hippy-life.co.uk Information on new age beliefs and ways of living]
- [http://swami-center.org/ Divine Way of Spiritual Heart]
New Age metaphysics

- [http://www.starstuffs.com/physcon2/ Physics of Consciousness]
- [http://www.users.bigpond.com/phdaley/ Metaphysics for the New Age]
- [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gnosticist_since_20050101/ Possibilities and Gnosis for Metaphysics]
- [http://www.ascensione.com School of Global Ascension]
- [http://www.pathtotruth.com Path to Truth]
New Age critics

- [http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_20030203_new-age_en.html A Catholic Christian Reflection on the New Age]
- [http://www.sram.org/ The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine]
- [http://www.quackwatch.org Quackwatch]
- [http://logosresourcepages.org/Occult/na-dict.htm Christian Logos Brief Dictionary of New Age Terminology]
- [http://www.csicop.org/si/2001-11/alternative.html Magical Thinking in Complementary and Alternative Medicine]
- [http://www.csicop.org/si/2004-05/new-age.html A New Ager's path to becoming a skeptic]
- [http://www.stelling.nl/simpos/simpoeng.htm Dutch skeptic website with articles and links to criticism of a range of New Age topics]
- [http://www.randi.org/ James Randi, skeptic debunker of New Age and occult claims.]
- [http://watchman.org/ Watchman Fellowship, a ministry of Christian Discernment.]
New Age academic studies

- [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0SOR/is_3_61/ai_66498057 “Who Buys New Age Materials? Exploring Sociodemographic, Religious, Network, and Contextual Correlates Of New Age Consumption” Mears and Ellison 2000]
- [http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/newage.html "Beyond Millennialism: The New Age Transformed" Melton, Institute for the Study of American Religion]
- [http://nccam.nih.gov National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine]
- [http://www.xs4all.nl/~wichm/newage3.html Roots of New Age Movement, a history]
- [http://www.religioustolerance.org/newage.htm Religious Tolerance.org, has a list of academic references and survey sources] Category:New Age Category:Pseudoscience Category:Postmodernism ko:뉴에이지 ja:ニューエイジ

Chakra

:See also chakram, a disc-like weapon wielded by the Hindu god Vishnu.

Introduction

In Hinduism and its spiritual systems of yoga and in some related eastern cultures, as well as in some segments of the New Age movement -- and to some degree the distinctly different New Thought movement -- a chakra is thought to be an energy node in the human body. The word comes from the Sanskrit cakra चक्र meaning "wheel, circle", and sometimes also referring to the "wheel of life". The pronunciation of this word can be approximated in English by chuhkruh, with ch as in chart and both instances of a as in yoga (the commonly found pronunciation shockrah is incorrect). right The seven main chakras are described as being aligned in an ascending column from the base of the spine to the top of the head. Each chakra is associated with a certain color, multiple specific functions, an aspect of consciousness, a classical element, and other distinguishing characteristics. The chakras are thought to vitalise the physical body and to be associated with interactions of both a physical and mental nature. They are considered loci of life energy, or prana, which is thought to flow among them along pathways called nadis. Traditional Chinese medicine also relies on a similar model of the human body as an energy system. The New Age movement has led to an increased interest in the West regarding chakras. Many in this movement point to a correspondence between the position and role of the Chakras, and those of the glands in the endocrine system. Some people in New Age also claim that other chakras, besides the above, exist — for instance, ear chakras. The chakras are described in the tantric texts the Sat-Cakra-Nirupana, and the Padaka-Pancaka, in which they are described as emanations of consciousness from Brahman, an energy which comes down from the spiritual and gradually crudifies, creating these distinct levels of chakras, and which eventually finds it's rest in the Muladhara chakra. They are therefore part of an emanationist theory, like that of the kabbalah in the west, or neo-platonism. The energy that was unleashed in creation, called the Kundalini, lies coiled and sleeping, and it is the purpose of a tantric yogi to arouse this energy, and cause it to rise back up through the increasingly subtler chakras, until union with god is achieved in the Sahasrara chakra at the crown of the head. Apart from this primary text from India, different western authors have tried to describe the chakras, most notably the Theosophists. Many new age writers, such as the Danish author and musician Peter Kjaerulff in his book, The Ringbearers Diary, or Anodea Judith in her book Wheels of Life, have written their opinions about the chakras in great detail, including the reasons for their appearance and their functions. The seven chakras are said by some to reflect how the unified consciousness of man (the immortal human being or the soul), is divided to manage different aspects of earthly life (body/instinct/vital energy/deeper emotions/communication/having an overview of life/contact to God). The chakras are placed at differing levels of spiritual subtletly, with Sahasrara at the top being concerned with pure consciousness, and Muladhara at the bottom being concerned with matter, which is seen simply as crudified consciousness.

The Seven Basic Chakras

The following table sets forth some of the concepts associated with each chakra:

Chakra	Color	Primary Functions	Associated Element
Root mūlādhāra, मूलाधार	red	instinct, survival, security	earth
Sacrum (Hara) svādhiṣṭhāna, स्वाधिष्ठान	orange	emotion, sexual energy, creativity	water
Solar plexus maṇipūra, मणिपूर	yellow	mental functioning, power, control, freedom to be oneself, career	fire
Heart/Lung anāhata, अनाहत	emerald green or pink	devotion, love, compassion, healing	air
Throat viśuddha, विशुद्ध	blue	speech, self-expression	life
Third eye ājñā, आज्ञा	indigo	intuition, Extra-sensory perception	time
Crown (just above the head) sahasrāra, सहस्रार	violet; may assume color of dominant chakra	connection to the divine	space

For a discussion on chakra petals see Petal (chakra) Additionally, there is a Transpersonal chakra above the crown chakra. There are also many minor chakras, for example between the major chakras.

Origins and Development

The earliest known mention of chakras is found in the later Upanishads, including specifically the Brahma Upanishad and the Yogatattva Upanishad. These vedic models were adapted in Tibetan Buddhism as Vajrayana theory, and in the Tantric Shakta theory of chakras. It is the shakta theory of 7 main chakras that most people in the West adhere to, either knowingly or unknowingly, largely thanks to a translation of two indian texts, the Sat-Cakra-Nirupana, and the Padaka-Pancaka, by Sir John Woodroffe, alias Arthur Avalon, in a book entitled The Serpent Power. This book is extremely detailed and complex, and later the ideas were developed into what is predominant western view of the Chakras by the Theosophists, and largely the controversial (in theosophical circles) C. W. Leadbeater in his book The Chakras, which are in large part his own meditations and insights on the matter. That said, many present-day Indian gurus that incorporate chakras within their systems of philosophy do not seem to radically disagree with the western view of chakras, at least on the key points, and both these eastern and western views have developed from the Shakta Tantra school. There are various other models of chakras in other traditions, notably in Chinese medicine, and also in Tibetan Buddhism. Even in Jewish kabbalah, the different Sephiroth are sometimes associated with parts of the body. In Islamic Sufism , Lataif-e-Sitta ( Six Subtleties ) are considered as psychospiritual "organs" or faculties of sensory and suprasensory perception , activation of which makes a man complete . Attempts are made to try and reconcile the systems with each other, and notably there are some successes, even between such diverged traditions as Shakta Tantra , Sufism and Kabbalism, where chakras , lataif and Sephiroth can seemingly represent the same archetypal spiritual concepts. In Surat Shabda Yoga, initiation by an Outer Living Satguru (Sat - true, Guru - teacher) is required and involves reconnecting soul to the Shabda and stationing the Inner Shabda Master (the Radiant Form of the Master) at the third eye chakra.

Chakras and the endocrine system

Parallels have often been drawn, by supporters of the existence of chakras, between the positions and functions of the chakras, and of the various organs of the endocrine system. Image:Illu_endocrine_system.jpg Image:bodyChakras.jpg The highest crown chakra is said to be the chakra of consciousness, the master chakra that controls all the others. Its role would be very similar to that of the pituitary gland, which secretes hormones to control the rest of the endocrine system, and also connects to the central nervous system via the hypothalamus. The thalamus is thought to have a key role in the physical basis of consciousness. The Ajna Chakra, or third eye, is linked to the pineal gland. Ajna is the chakra of time and awareness and of light. The pineal gland is a light sensitive gland, that produces the hormone melatonin, which regulates the instincts of going to sleep and awakening. It also produces trace amounts of the psychedelic chemical dimethyltryptamine. (Note: some argue that the pineal and pituitary glands should be exchanged in their relationship to the Crown and Brow chakras, based on the description in Arthur Avalon's book on kundalini called Serpent Power) The throat chakra, Vishuddha, is said to be related to communication and growth, growth being a form of expression. This chakra is paralleled to the thyroid, a gland that is also in the throat, and which produces thyroid hormone, responsible for growth and maturation. The heart chakra, Anahata, is related to love, equilibrium, and well-being. It is related to the thymus, located in the chest. This organ is part of the immune system, as well as being part of the endocrine system. It produces T cells responsible for fighting off disease, and is adversely affected by stress. The solar plexus chakra, Manipura, is related to energy, assimilation and digestion, and is said to correspond to the roles played by the pancreas and the outer adrenal glands, the adrenal cortex. These play a valuable role in digestion, the conversion of food matter into energy for the body. The sacral chakra, Swadhisthanna, is located in the groin, and is related to emotion, sexuality and creativity. This chakra is said to correspond to the testes or the ovaries, that produce the various sex hormones involved in the reproductive cycle, which can cause dramatic mood swings. The base or root chakra, Muludhara, is related to security, survival and also to basic human potentiality. It is said the kundalini lies coiled here, ready to uncoil and bring man to his highest spiritual potential in the crown chakra. This centre is located in the region between the genitals and the anus. Although no endocrine organ is placed here, it is said to relate to the inner adrenal glands, the adrenal medulla, responsible for the fight and flight response when survival is under threat. In this region is located a muscle that controls ejaculation in the sexual act. A parallel is drawn between the sperm cell and the ovum, where the genetic code lies coiled, and the legendary kundalini, ready to express itself as a fully developed human being..

Various models

Chakrology is a neologism sometimes employed by Alternative Medicine practitioners or esoteric philosophers for the study of chakras. There are many different chakrologies, some of them based on ancient Indian Hindu Tantric esoteric traditions, New Age interpretations, or Western occult analyses, as well as ancient Greek and Christian references. Croatian esoteric philosopher and physicist Arvan Harvat notes that it would be very difficult to develop a unified coherent chakra science that would integrate all the elements of the various present chakrologies.

The Tantric Chakras

Tantra (Shakta or Shaktism) describes eight primary inner chakras: # Sahasrara (Sanskrit: सहस्रार) # Ajna (Sanskrit: आज्ञा) # Vishuddha (Sanskrit: विशुद्ध) # Anahata (Sanskrit: अनाहत) # Manipura (Sanskrit: मणिपूर) # Swadhisthana (Sanskrit: स्वाधिष्ठान) # Muladhara (Sanskrit: मूलाधार) # Bindu (Sanskrit: बिन्दु)

Hesychastic centres of prayer

Hesychasm specifies four centres: # Cerebrofrontal centre: Positioned between the eyebrows (compare with Ajna). # Buccolaryngeal centre. # Pectoral centre: Positioned in the upper and median region of the chest. # Cardiac centre: Positioned near the upper part of the heart (compare with Anahata). This compares notably with Tibetan Buddhism, in which the sequence of centres is very similar, beginning with the eyebrows and going down to the heart, which symbolizes the highest consciousness. Varying Tibetan systems, however, use different numbers of centres, typically between 3 and 7, as appropriate for the practice in question. It is alleged by modern mystics that in Hesychasm, the centres of prayer were points of concentration or meditation on the body to be used during the hesychastic prayer. This terminology, however, is not used in Orthodox Christianity and is not and has not been part of hesychastic prayer as practiced within the Orthodox Churches.

Scientific basis

The idea of chakras as understood in Eastern philosophy does not exist in Western medical science. In Eastern thought, the chakras are thought to be levels of consciousness, and states of the soul, and 'proving' the existence of chakras is akin to 'proving' the existence of a soul. A mystic deals with these metaphysical concepts on the metaphysical plane, as a model for their own internal experience, and when talking about 'energy centres', they are generally talking about subtle, spiritual forces, which work on the psyche and spirit, not about physical electrical or magnetic fields. The primary importance and level of existence of chakras is therefore posited to be in the psyche and in the spirit. However, there are those who believe that chakras have a physical manifestation as well. Although there is no evidence that Indian mystics made this association themselves, it is noted by many that there is a marked similarity between the positions and roles described for chakras, and the positions and roles of the glands in the endocrine system, and also by the positions of the nerve ganglia (also known as "plexuses") along the spinal column, opening the possibility that two vastly different systems of conceptualization have been brought to bear to systemize insights about the same phenomenon. By some, chakras are thought of as having their physical manifestation in the body as these glands, and their subjective manifestation as the associated psychological and spiritual experiences. Indeed, the various hormones secreted by these glands do have a dramatic effect on human psychology, and an imbalance in one can cause a psychological or physical imbalance in a person. Whether these changes in body state have a bearing on spiritual matters is a subject of dissent even among the Indian theorists, and the different systems of conceptualization, Indian and Western, make only a partial convergence in this case. Perhaps the most psychologically dramatic and potent secretion of these glands is the psychedelic drug DMT (which is synthesized by the pineal gland, corresponding to the brow chakra). At least in the West, some individuals have sought spiritual breakthroughs through the use of such chemical aids, occasionally referred to as entheogens in this context. (See for example: Aldous Huxley, The Doors of Perception, a classic of new-age spirituality.)

References in Fiction

Monks in the videogames Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XI can use chakra for healing and restoring HP or MP. In the manga/anime Naruto, chakra is the mystical internal energy used to perform ninja techniques. In the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies, both Dr. Kaufman and his protege Mr. Stamper practice 'Chakra Torture".

Reference Material and Books

External links

- [http://www.starstuffs.com/chakras/index.html Human Energy System for Spiritual Awareness]
- [http://healing.about.com/cs/chakras/a/alignchakras.htm Aligning Your Chakras] Chakra resources at About Holistic Healing
- [http://chakracises.com Chakracises] Actions you can take to help get your chakras functioning optimally
- [http://www.starstuffs.com/chakras/earthchakras.html Earth Chakra Correspondences: Rays, Colors, Planets, Locations]
- [http://www.robertmorgen.com Kundalini Awakening with Robert Morgen]
- [http://www.kheper.net/topics/chakras/ Introduction to Chakras]
- [http://www.starstuffs.com/chakras/aroma_therapy.htm Aromatherapy for The Chakras]
- [http://www.healer.ch The Brofman Foundation for the Advancement of Healing - Uses the chakras as a map for consciousness and physical illnesses]
- [http://www.kheper.net/topics/chakras/no_unanimity.html The difficulty of a unified chakra science]
- [http://www.kheper.net/topics/chakras/chakras-earlydoctrines.htm Early chakrologies]
- [http://www.quranichealing.com Boost your Chakras]
- [http://www.kheper.net/topics/christianmysticism/Hesych-centres.htm The Hesychastic centres of prayer]
- [http://www.adishakti.org/subtle_system.htm Human Subtle System]
- [https://www.cihs.edu/whatsnew/research.asp Update on research] on Apparatus for Meridian Identification at California Institute for Human Science
- [http://www.sacredcenters.com/articles/chakrahistory.html]
- [http://www.reikiflow.com/chakra_healing_method.htm Simple method to open, clear and heal the chakras]
- [http://www.sanatansociety.org/chakras/chakras.htm Tantric Chakras]
- [http://www.religiousbook.net/Books/Online_books/Ec/Ecology_35.html Cleansing and development of chakras and meridians]
- [http://amanecerespiritual.tripod.com/capitulo1_en.htm Spiritual Dawn - Morality and Philosophy Essay - Chakras]
- [http://www.wingmakers.co.nz/The%20Twelve%20Major%20Chakras.html Twelve Major Chakras]
- [http://www.spiraloflight.com/ls_sacred.html Sacred Geometry & Images] by Mika Feinberg Category:Yoga Category:Concepts in Hinduism Category:New Age Category:Sanskrit terms Category:Shabd paths

Carlos Castaneda

Carlos Castaneda (previously Castañeda) was born in Peru on December 25, 1925 and died in Los Angeles on April 27, 1998. In the US, he wrote a controversial series of books that claimed to describe his training in traditional Native American shamanism (ancient Toltec sorcery). Castaneda claimed to have met a Yaqui shaman named Don Juan Matus in 1960. Castaneda's experiences with don Juan allegedly inspired the works for which he is known. He claimed to have inherited from don Juan the position of nagual, or leader of a party of seers. He also used the term "nagual" to signify that which is unknowable, neither known nor knowable; implying that, for his party of seers, don Juan was a connection in some way to that unknowable. The term has been used by anthropologists to mean a shaman or sorcerer who is capable of shapeshifting, or changing to an animal form, and also to mean the form to which such a person might shift. Castaneda's works contain descriptions of paranormal or magical experiences, several psychological techniques, Toltec magic rituals, shamanism and experiences with psychoactive drugs (e.g. peyote). Carlos Castaneda's works have sold more than 8 million copies in 17 languages.

Biography

He wrote that he was born in São Paulo, Brazil on Christmas Day in 1931, but immigration records show that he was born 6 years earlier in Cajamarca, Peru. He anglicized his name by changing the "ñ" (in Castañeda) into "n". He moved to the United States in the early 1950s and became a naturalized citizen in 1957. He was educated at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) (B.A. 1962; Ph.D. 1970). His first three books, The Teachings of don Juan: a Yaqui way of knowledge, A Separate Reality and Journey to Ixtlan were written while Castaneda was an anthropology student at UCLA. Castaneda wrote these books as if they were his research log describing his studies under a traditional shaman he identified as don Juan(used the name Juan Matus, but not the man's 'real' name). Castaneda was granted his masters and doctoral degrees for the work described in these books. In Castaneda's first two books he describes that the Yaqui way of knowledge also required the heavy use of powerful psychoactive or entheogenic plants, such as peyote and datura. Many young people used the apparent authoritative endorsement of psychoactive drug use to justify their own use of psychoactive drugs. In his third book, Journey to Ixtlan, he essentially reverses his emphasis on 'power plants'. In this book he describes don Juan telling him he only needed to use drugs with Carlos because Carlos was so dumb. In this book the way of knowledge that don Juan describes was perceived by some as resembling the newly popular New Age movement. Castaneda, however, emphatically denied any real similarity between them in several lectures. Castaneda was a popular enough phenomenon for Time magazine to do a [http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,903890,00.html cover article] on Castaneda on March 5 1973 (Vol. 101 No. 10) that was five or six pages long. His fourth book, Tales of Power, ended with Castaneda leaping off a cliff marking his graduation from disciple to man of knowledge (actually a leap from the tonal into the unknown). Some writers thought this must necessarily mark the end of his series. They were very surprised to see he continued to produce more books. Despite an increasingly critical reception Castaneda continued to be very popular with the reading public. Castaneda went on to write fourteen books in all, and release 3 videos. In 1997 Castaneda launched a law suit against his ex-wife, Margaret Runyon Castaneda, over her book, A Magical Journey with Carlos Castaneda; but this was dropped when Castaneda died. The official story is that Castaneda died on April 27 1998 from liver cancer. Little is known about his death. There was no public service, Castaneda was apparently cremated and the ashes were sent to Mexico.

Castaneda's account of Toltec knowledge

There are three main elements to Castaneda's description of Toltec beliefs:
- a. mastery of awareness - nagual (2nd attention) and tonal (1st attention), art of dreaming, description of the seers perception of luminous energy and bubbles of energy around living things (luminous cocoon) and ultimately the source of these energetic lines which are consciousness itself.
- b. art of self-stalking - dealing with the world and actions in it.
- c. mastery of intent - dealing with the primary force of the universe or the spirit or the means to move the assemblage point. Castaneda's books can be read as a philosophical/pragmatical text that express a world view by which a person can live one's life. There is a movement world-wide of practitioners of this philosophy, applying Castaneda's published ideas either independently or through consultation with Castaneda's associates. This school of applied shamanism, sometimes called "nagualismo", purports to be unlike either traditional Western or Eastern culture. Castaneda's ideas, insofar as they can be called a "system", share some similarities with Eastern mysticism, Zen, Taoism, or Tibetan Buddhism in terms of the inherent order (or chaos) of the universe, disciplines taught and techniques used, but the underlying structure is fundamentally different. According to Castaneda, the most significant facts in a person's life are his possession of awareness and its impending termination at death. The primary goal of a Toltec "Warrior" is the continuation of his awareness after bodily death: to "dart past the Eagle and be free", in the words of the tradition, where the Eagle is the force which consumes the awareness of all living beings. To cheat death in this way requires all of the discipline and procedures that constitute the Warrior's way of life. These practices are devised to maximise the Warrior's personal power, or energy. The condition of not wasting this energy is known as "impeccability". Sufficient personal power leads to the mastery of awareness, chiefly the controlled movement of what is known as the "assemblage point". This is an artifact of the tradition's description of another world underlying what we perceive as ordinary reality. In this description men are glowing cocoons of awareness inhabiting a universe consisting of the Eagle's "emanations", described euphemistically as all-pervading filaments of light. Humans' cocoons are intersected throughout by these filaments, producing perception, but they filter our perceptions by concentrating on only a small bundle. The assemblage point is the focusing lens which selects from the emanations. In its accustomed position, the assemblage point produces what humans perceive as everyday, 'normal' reality. Movement of the assemblage point permits perception of the world in different ways; small movements lead to small changes in perception and large movements to radical changes. For example, dreaming is presented as the result of a movement of the assemblage point; "power plants" such as Peyote, used in the early stages of Castaneda's apprenticeship, produce powerfully altered states of mind through such movement. Castaneda describes complex and bizarre worlds experienced through the controlled movement of the assemblage point in dreaming; his premise is that the world of the dreams of a warrior is no less real than the world of daily life. This follows logically from the description of both worlds as being simply the result of positions of the assemblage point. He depicts complex interactions with unearthly beings in dream worlds and describes his fear of being physically trapped by these malicious but charismatic beings. Amongst the various practices of a warrior, Tensegrity, a series of meditative stretching and posing techniques, is introduced in Castaneda's final works. The term is borrowed from architecture—"tensional integrity". Tensegrity is promoted by [http://www.cleargreen.org/ Cleargreen, Inc.], a company founded in the 1990s, closely affiliated with Castaneda, which runs workshops and sells various materials relating to Castaneda's work. There are many individual and group practitioners around the world. Tensegrity and much of Castaneda's other work are the subject of a variety of recurring disputes.

Brief Description of Books

# Teachings of Don Juan - description of plant allies and way towards knowledge: mescalito (peyote cactus)- the protector of man, seeing beings as liquid colors; mushrooms- learning to handle, fly, and perceive as animal form; datura (weed)- female spirit, hard to handle, gives strength, lengthy procedure. This book was unique of the series in that the last part included a detailed scholarly "Structural Analysis" of the teachings. # Separate Reality - idea of will # Journey to Ixtlan - lessons about the warriors way, or stalking the world, routines, personal history, self-importance, death as an advisor, not-doing, dreaming # Tales of power - description of points of perception in body or luminous cocoon, tonal or toñal (1st attention, known, right side awareness, left-brain) and nagual (2nd attention, unknown, left side awareness, right-brain), dreaming double # Second Ring of Power - describes events after don Juan's departure, experiences with the women warriors of the original nagual's party, 2nd attention (second ring of power), losing human form, human mold, dreaming, gazing # Eagle's gift - description of the force that creates, destroys, and rules the universe (or at least the 48 bands of earth), also source of emanations themselves, description of the eagle's command to man, the rule of the nagual, various levels of petty tyrants, and way towards freedom, self-stalking and dreaming, power spots. Note that don Juan described the energy-structure/entity called eagle a thing that is not what we call an eagle, but rather a thing so vast as to be incomprehensible. # The Fire from Within - step by step (actually chapter by chapter) elucidation of the mastery of awareness or the new seers knowledge: everything is energy (eagles emanations or luminous emanations), the luminous cocoon and assemblage point(glow of awareness), the known (1st attention or tonal), unknown (2nd attention or nagual), unknowable (outside luminous cocoon), petty tyrants as a way to move assemblage point and foster warriors way, twin worlds of organic and inorganic ( more correctly matter-beings and non-matter-bound beings -- carbon-based/not carbon based wasn't what was meant), shifting the assemblage point and other bands of awareness, bundles of emanations that are the basis for the different species source of awareness and forms/molds, the human mold, the rolling force or tumbler (that hits luminous cocoon), the death defier, self-stalking, intent, and dreaming. # Power of silence - stories about essentially the mastery of intent, set into what were called sorcery cores. # Art of dreaming - steps to mastering control and consciousness of dreams, called gates. # Magical passes - tensegrity, sets of magical passes with pictures # Active side of infinity - recapitulation, making a log of significant life events (as seen by the spirit)

Interpretation and criticism (the Castaneda controversy)

Many critics doubt the existence of don Juan, citing inconsistencies in don Juan's personality across the books and in the sequence of events in the books. Many Castaneda supporters claim in turn that the very fact of handling awareness and perception accounts for this; and that the actual existence per se of don Juan is irrelevant, since the important matter is the theme that don Juan presents. What is easily understood is the fact that the writing style changes greatly from the first to the last of the "don Juan" books. The Teachings of Don Juan is an anthropologist's journal containing a lot of seemingly irrelevant, non-fiction information. The quasi-journalistic or academic tone of the earliest books disappears definitively in Castaneda's fifth book, The Second Ring of Power. This book marks a significant change in the character of the series. In addition to introducing a large cast of new characters, the later Castaneda books present don Juan's shamanism in far greater complexity than in the earlier books. The Eagle's Gift (eighth book) is a novel-like work with specific characters on a journey towards what they call "Total Freedom", and where the words of don Juan seem more like those of a scientist. This could be the result of changes in the mind of Carlos Castaneda. As Castaneda was very elusive, and because his works were taken up by young people at a time when mystical and shamanic traditions were in fashion, many professionals cast doubt on the authenticity of contents of his works. When he followed up The Teachings of Don Juan with a series of equally popular books, including A Separate Reality (1971), Journey to Ixtlan (1972), and Tales of Power (1975), even more questions were raised as to how much of his work was true anthropology and how much was his own creation. Another way to read the books is as a sort of game, almost like a detective novel. Depending upon one's approach, they could be either accepted at face-value in their entirety, or discarded. Some of the material could be considered true, some fictional; and some of the events described probably appeared to be real at the time, but could be interpreted as hallucinations. The vividness and plausibility of Castaneda's early works argue for their essential truth. Accounts of Castaneda'a early life[http://www.sustainedaction.org/Chronologies/Castaneda_early_years.htm] and the memoir "A magical journey with Carlos Castaneda" [http://sustainedaction.org/Explorations/margaret_runyan_bookreview.htm], by his former wife Margaret Runyan Castaneda, exhibit many conflicts with what Castaneda said about himself, and point the other way.

Significant characters In Castaneda's works

This is a list of characters, claimed to be real persons, mentioned in Castaneda's works. Castaneda makes it clear that these are not the persons' real names (ostensibly to protect their identity). In denoting their function within each generation of practitioners, terms are used which can only be understood by reading Castaneda's writings: Generation of practitioners peer to Castaneda (Compact group for "three-pronged Nagual")
- Florinda Donner-Grau -- "Northerly" "dreamer" in Castaneda's generation of practitioners
- Taisha Abelar -- "Westerly" "self-stalker" in Castaneda's generation of practitioners
- Carol Tiggs -- "nagual woman" in Castaneda's generation of practitioners Generation of practitioners peer to Castaneda (Original group for "four-pronged Nagual")
- Nestor -- the "scholarly man" in Carlos' generation of practitioners
- Benigno -- the "master of intent" in Carlos' generation of practitioners
- Eligio -- a "courier" who ultimately joined previous generation due to Carlos' lack of ability to follow his explorations of awareness, apparently a manifestation of Carlos not being a four-pronged nagual
- La Gorda -- "Northerly" "dreamer" who was originally thought to be the "Southerly" "dreamer", this was apparently a manifestation of Carlos not being a four-pronged nagual
- Rosa -- "Northerly" "dreamer" in Carlos' generation of practitioners
- Lidia -- "Easterly" "dreamer" in Carlos' generation of practitioners
- Josephina -- "Westerly" "dreamer" in Carlos' generation of practitioners
- Doña Soledad -- "Northerly" "self-stalker" in Carlos' generation of practitioners Generation of practitioners preceding Castaneda
- Don Juan Matus -- leader or nagual man to a generation of practitioners, teacher to Castaneda
- Genaro Flores -- the "man of action" and "master of awareness" in Don Juan's generation of practitioners, benefactor to Castaneda
- Vicente Medrano -- "scholarly man" and herbalist in Don Juan's generation of practitioners
- Silvio Manuel -- "master of intent" and purported to be permanently in a state of "heightened awareness" in Don Juan's generation of practitioners
- Juan Tuma -- "scout" in Don Juan's generation of practitioners
- Florinda Grau -- "nagual woman" and "Northerly" "dreamer" in Don Juan's generation of practitioners
- Nelida Abelar -- "Northerly" "self-stalker" in Don Juan's generation of practitioners
- Marta -- "Southerly" "dreamer"? in Don Juan's generation of practitioners
- Zoila Abelar -- "Westerly" "self-stalker" in Don Juan's generation of practitioners
- Zuleica Grau -- "Westerly" "dreamer" in Don Juan's generation of practitioners
- Delia Abelar -- "Easterly" "self-stalker" in Don Juan's generation of practitioners
- Celia Grau -- "Easterly" "dreamer" in Don Juan's generation of practitioners Generation of practitioners preceding Juan Matus
- Julián Osorio -- leader or nagual man to a generation of practitioners, teacher to Juan Matus Generation of practitioners preceding Julián Osorio
- Elias Ulloa -- leader or nagual man to a generation of practitioners, teacher to Julián Osorio, and to Juan Matus as well. Significant event in the lineage
- The nagual Sebastian's encounter in the 1700s with an ancient seer, the "death defier", also referred to as the "tenant". That encounter dramatically altered their lineage and was what separates the "new" seers from the "old" seers. Castaneda stated that the death defier met with every nagual since Sebastien, including with Carlos. The death defier also met and possessed Carol Tiggs. Capable of taking male or female form, existing or not existing corporeally in this world.

Related authors

Two other authors, Taisha Abelar and Florinda Donner-Grau, have also written books in which they claim to be from Don Juan Matus' party of Toltec warriors. Both Abelar and Donner-Grau were endorsed by Castaneda as being legitimate students of Don Juan Matus, whereas he has dismissed many other pretenders. Another author of note is Victor Sanchez; Sanchez claims to have had similar teachings, and met Castaneda, but emphasizes in his books that Castaneda does not endorse his work. Martin Goodman claimed to have met a "reconstituted" Carlos after the death of Carlos in his book "I Was Carlos Castaneda".

Notable works

- The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge (1968) ISBN 0-520217578
- A Separate Reality: Further Conversations with Don Juan (1971) ISBN 0-671732498
- Journey to Ixtlan: The Lessons of Don Juan (1972) ISBN 0-671732463
- Sorcery: A Description of the World (1973)
- Tales of Power (1975) ISBN 0-671732528
- The Second Ring of Power (1977) ISBN 0-671732471
- The Eagle's Gift (1981) ISBN 0-67173251X
- The Fire from Within (1984) ISBN 0-671732501
- The Power of Silence: Further Lessons of Don Juan (1987) ISBN 0-67173248X
- The Art of Dreaming (1993) ISBN 0-06092554X
- Readers of Infinity: A Journal of Applied Hermeneutics (1996) Number 1/2/3/4
- Magical Passes: The Practical Wisdom of the Shamans of Ancient Mexico (1998) ISBN 0-060928824
- The Active Side of Infinity (1999) ISBN 0-06092960X
- The Wheel Of Time : The Shamans Of Mexico (2000) ISBN 0140196048

Books by other authors

- Shabono: A Visit to a Remote and Magical World in the South American Rain Forest by Florinda Donner[-Grau] (1992) ISBN 0062502425 This book was originally published before Witch's Dream which was published in 1985.
- Being-In-Dreaming: An Initiation into the Sorcerers' World by Florinda Donner-Grau (1992) ISBN 0062501925
- The Sorceror's Crossing by Taisha Abelar first published in 1992 in hard back (1993) ISBN 0140193669
- The Witch's Dream by Florinda Donner-Grau first published in 1985 ISBN: 0671551981 current re-print(1997) ISBN 0140195319
- The Don Juan Papers: Further Castaneda Controversies by Richard de Mille (1973)
- Carlos Castaneda: Academic Opportunism and the Psychedelic Sixties by Jay Courtney Fikes (1993)
- The Sorcerer's Apprentice: My Life with Carlos Castaneda by Amy Wallace (2003)
- The Art of Stalking Parallel Perception - The Living Tapestry of Lujan Matus by Lujan Matus (2005) ISBN 1412049849
- [http://www.FourYogas.com The Four Yogas Of Enlightenment: Guide To Don Juan's Nagualism & Esoteric Buddhism] by Edward Plotkin (2002) ISBN 0972087907
- [http://thenagualbook.com Encounters with the Nagual: Conversations with Carlos Castaneda] by Armando Torres (2002) Spanish (2004) English ISBN 9685671044
- Clear Light of Bliss by geshe Kelsang Gyatso ( geshe roughly translates as doctorate of spiritual-studies ) (1992) ISBN 0948006218. . describes the same irreducible energy-structure that Carlos Castaneda describes ( several close-to-each-other concentric-balls of energy-spokes, with a very few spokes going inward ), but from the inside-out ( a central-channel, with energy-spokes curving out, and after reaching a distance, splitting each into a "thousand" spokes -- eastern euphemism for many ). Carlos gives some of the description of the irreducible human energy-structure in The Fire from Within, and the point about some spokes/fibres going inward ( and possibly the bit about it being multiple concentric spheres, rather-than merely a single-sphere ) is in Second Ring of Power when "la Gorda" gives that information to him.

External links

- [http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/awakening101/carlos.html THE INFORMANT AND CARLOS CASTANEDA]
- [http://users.pandora.be/gohiyuhi/nafps/articles/art03.htm A biography] published shortly after his death.
- [http://www.enlightenment.com/media/interviews/sanchez/sanchez.html Sanchez Interview] (interview with Victor Sanchez focusing on Castaneda)
- [http://www.prismagems.com/castaneda/ Carlos Castaneda's Don Juan's Teachings] (This 117,500 word book was compiled from Carlos Castaneda's ten books)
- [http://www.castaneda.com Carlos Castaneda's Tensegrity] (site maintained by ClearGreen Inc., the direct apprentices of Carlos Castaneda, who also inherited his estate and currently conduct Tensegrity seminars and classes)
- [http://www.sustainedaction.org Sustained Action] (a website devoted to analysis and discussion of evidence and controversy about Carlos Castaneda)
- [http://www.castanedamovie.com Castaneda documentary film] A site created by the producer/director of a movie documenting the life and ideas of Carlos Castaneda, which was originally scheduled for release early 2004.
- [http://www.skepdic.com/castaneda.html The Skeptic's Dictionary on Castaneda]
- [http://www.parallelperception.com Parallel Perception] The website of the author, Lujan Matus.
- [http://p104.ezboard.com/bparallelperception Parallel Perception Forum] A Dialogue with Lujan Matus.
- [http://www.phacelift.co.uk/carlos-castaneda.html Carlos Castaneda bibliography] Castaneda, Carlos Castaneda, Carlos Castaneda, Carlos Castaneda, Carlos Casteneda, Carlos Casteneda, Carlos Casteneda, Carlos Casteneda, Carlos Castaneda, Carlos Castaneda, Carlos Castaneda, Carlos Castaneda, Carlos

Paranormal

An anomalous phenomenon is an observed phenomenon for which there is no suitable explanation in the context of a specific body of scientific knowledge (for example, astronomy or biology).

Introduction

Out-of-body experiences, near-death experiences, extrasensory perception, ghosts, demonic encounters, unseen physical forces such as poltergeists, as well as sightings of UFOs and alleged alien abductions are not widely accepted as real by mainstream scientists, some of whom go as far as calling the study of them pseudoscience. As the body of knowledge available expands, some anomalies are incorporated into an explanatory framework and lose their standing as unexplained phenomena. For instance, while the idea of stones falling from the sky was long ridiculed, meteorites are now acknowledged and well understood. Often used as a synonym, but actually a subclass, are the paranormal phenomena studied by parapsychology. Paranormal phenomena can be divided into three main classes:
- Mental phenomena: unusual mental states or abilities, such as telepathy, clairvoyance and precognition
- Physical phenomena: unusual physical occurrences that may be controlled by a consciousness, such as psychokinesis, poltergeists, stigmata or materializations
- Out-of-body experiences (OBEs) and near-death experiences (NDEs)

Written works

- Classical civilization included unique signs and prodigies of nature in works of paradoxography such as The Phaenomena (240 BC) by Aratus of Soli.
- Inoue Enryo, a Japanese educator and philosopher, authored the six-volume The Study of Yōkai (妖怪学). As a result, he was best known as Dr. Ghost (お化け博士) or Dr. Yōkai (妖怪博士).
- Charles Fort, in his four works on anomalies, lambasted and ridiculed the scientists of his day for their shortsightedness. Some of the anomalies listed in his work have been explained and incorporated into modern science (e.g. meteors), while others continue to be unexplained.
- William R. Corliss' [http://www.science-frontiers.com/|Science Frontiers] has covered reports in the scientific literature regarding anomalies for years. He, through his Sourcebook Project, has published a large body of reports collected in many of the scientific disciplines.
- Leonard George, a