Worldviews in transition : a study of the new age movement in South Africa

Abstract

In recent years the New Age movement has attracted much attention in our society and the reaction to it has often been one of fear and confusion. The purpose of this exploratory study is to provide empirical data on the movement in an unbiased, nonjudgmental way. The qualitative research approach, and more specifically the phenomenological method, are utilised in order to arrive at some understanding of the phenomenon and what it means to its adherents Firstly, a framework comprising vertical historical streams (the alternative tradition in the west, the eastern philosophies, humanistic and transpersonal psychology and the new physics) from which the movement issues, and horizontal levels which represent different layers of the movement (the commercial, the level of personal empowerment, social transformation, and the rebirth of the sacred), is established in order to give context to the seemingly contradictory data on the New Age movement. Secondly, central concepts concerning the spiritual dimension of the movement are isolated and explored in unstructured interviews with carefully selected participants. Next, the vision and expectations of a New Age are explored and the New Age worldview with regard to the concept of God, an holistic cosmology, anthropology and theodicy is investigated. This is followed by discussions of the central issues of direct knowledge as opposed to dogma and doctrines, and the important goals of personal, social and planetary healing and transformation. From these data an ideal-typical South African New Ager is constructed, providing the reader with an instrument with which to identify manifestations of the movement. Reasons for the movement's growth are found in disillusionment with modernity and the subsequent spiritual reawakening and paradigm shift that followers are experiencing. It is concluded that the core of the New Age movement represents a popular manifestation of the constructive postmodern worldview that is espoused by leading thinkers of our time.