I had mentioned in an earlier post that Peter Russel a Cambridge scholar, in his book ‘The Awakening Earth’ had postulated in the eighties that before long we would be moving from an Information Age to a Consciousness Age. Literature on the subject has been growing exponentially since then, including scientists, psychologists, sociologists, journalists, scholars and writers of fiction and Science Fiction. The fact that these books have become best sellers is an indication of the growing interest in the subject.
If Gary Zukav presented a view of the New Age concept of the soul, James Redfield in his book ‘The Celestine Vision’ went further in making a complete survey of developments on the emergence of the Consciousness Age of spiritual awareness, predicted by Russell three decades ago. Redfield had earlier written two book in fiction on the subject. I managed to read them when they had already sold over a million copies. Redfield became not only another pioneer in the field but in my view a New Age Guru with his extensive insight and research.
Redfield, a sociologist who spent many years as a therapist with emotionally disturbed youth, believes that human society is on its way to taking a quantum leap into a whole new way of life and that a critical mass is developing. He ascribes the runaway success of his books to an indication of this phenomenon.
With the discarding of the Newtonian view of the universe seen as a Secular Machine and the ushering in of the wonders and uncertainties of Quantum physics the universe is now perceived as an interconnected, responsive, intelligent and compassionate entity, rather than being a machine. It also appears to have intention and ‘wishes’ to encourage evolution. According to Redfield the interconnected universe moves intentionally through synchronicity or meaningful coincidences. Redfield’s vision revolves around this concept and also provides an ‘effective practice’ to guide those interested. One coincidence leads to another; chance meetings,information arriving at the right moment, dreams. It appears as a force leading us towards our destiny. It needs to be taken seriously as a first step to spiritual awareness.
He also speaks of the power of the will and intention to influence events, the force of prayer, how intention can effect even the growth of a plant ( more seed faster growth), effecting miraculous cures and dwells on the studies and experiments which seek to establish this. He says a person is an energy field that radiates outwards and influences the world. Being a psychologist he deals with a whole range of ‘control dramas’ which we enact to manipulate one another, which leads to a false and negative empowerment which we need to overcome. He speaks of transcendence in sports, dance, the arts, with amazing outcomes which sports persons and artists vouch. He underlines the importance of sacred sites which open the doors to enlightened states.
Each one of us plays an important role in the universal scheme as instruments of evolution. Redfield echoes the same ideas of New Age reincarnation that we find in Zukav – that we have chosen precisely our present incarnation and its circumstances to heal. The universe produces miracles to guide us through synchronicity, an idea which the great psychologist Jung first proponded.
Judgement at death is not by an unforgiving God but by ourselves through our soul – again the idea of the soul deciding its own fate and the process of its healing. We are here on an assignment which will help the evolution of the universe.
These are new ideas, new concepts for a New Age, take it or leave it.
love the article. Thank you!
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more synchronicity thanks
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I hope you don’t mind me commenting frankly (you’re blog is where I feel most ignorant about terms and ideas. Take that for what it is)
I remember the Celestine Prophesy come and go. I dismissed it as my mother’s Aquarian pop-self-help age-of-Aquarius flighty dribble.
I was a “fundamentalist” christian then, can you blame me?
So to put it simply, Up until now, I have never liked the term, or connected it with anything “digestible”, if you understand my meaning.
You promised me an article on the New Age, *that* I remember. So, Ok. while I still dont like the name New Age, I can see that it’s not a difficult leap to make to find the academic base.
Why didn’t all the new agers in the 80’s just say so?
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let us not be prejudiced by names or dribble by earnest seekers, whats important is to sense that indeed some movement is taking place in alerting materialistic man of other horizons and no one can deny that judging from the interest in spiritualism we are moving into a new paradigm?
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I’m finding it easier to agree. I ‘m learning a lot lately, and it all serves to help me see that we are at least being illuminated as a race, as you said– the universe was seen as a Secular Machine but is now perceived as interconnected. Beautiful.
Neurotheology and Panpsychism, both relatively new, the first in science and the second in philosophy, are two areas of study that I like right now, and are basically telling me the same story, in their own ways.
Neurothology helping me accept collective or cosmic shifts? Maybe, why not?
`Jim
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nero-theology, pan-psychism – interesting must look up
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😉
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learning all the time
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Tell me about it.
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I like very much the idea of the tranformation from the information age to a consciousness-age. I hope this is happening or will happen. I think a least that in our world there’s a growing consciousness of mutual dependency; environmental, economical, cultural and by this also spiritual.
… sorry; something else to do suddenly… will continue later..
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im sure it is
racial tolerance, woemens rights, gender issues, environmental concerns, trade equality,
a growing consciousness – spiritual? thats up to you
but consciousness sure and its good and progressive
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Lets at least keep hope for improvement. We are obliged to that. Sure leaders do.
Yes I do see a connection with spirituality. When we feel the collective soul, the universal essence we can’t do anything else than the best to eachother and our world. And vice versa, by contributing to good goals beyond our ego’s we are making connection with that same spirituality.
But maybe you think this is a too earthed for your ideas about it?
What I like less in your summary about the ideas of Redfield is the idolatress of the ‘universe’. I read that it is intelligent, responsive and compassionate and that it has wishes and drives to encourage evolution… I think we have to watch out to create new ‘divine’ entities which release us for taking our own resposibilty for our lives, deeds, motives and spirituality.
Sure there are powers in the universe beyind our imagination. And sure its very interesting to ask ourselves where this powers come from and where they lead us to. But with our little bit of developed cousciness and potential for freedom we are required to go our own paths to my opinion.
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to enquire into the mysteries of nature and a conscious universe is not to abdicate ones own responsibilities – sure each one has to do his own thing which is precisely what a conscious universe would like whether you believe in it or not – if in your noble endeavours you get gratuitous help from the unknown without hampering your free choice and will – what could be the harm? Doing good in the way you see it doea not mean we cannot keep an open mind and unbounded curiosity about the great mysteries of our lives and our environment – sure we dont need to craete more divine entities and sit back hoping it will do it for us – but if we sense that the universe is not an unthinking machine and that it is a participatory universe of which we are an important player then it is useful to find out the nature of that entity – my next post presents the ideas on the subject by one of the greatest physicists of our age – very exciting what he has to say.
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Sure lets stay curious. I have to let go some personal judgements from my past. See what your next post brings,
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wont be disappointed – its a very difficult one to report.
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