New Age Spirituality in the Context of Western Esotericism Essay

Christianity is divided into thousands of denominations across the world, each denomination has a specific set of beliefs and norms which contribute to, and sometimes challenge the overarching themes of Christianity and The Bible. Christopher M. Moereman in his book, Beyond the Threshold explains Normative Christianity, and the specific beliefs and practices within. Kyriacos C. Markides in this book, The Magus of Strovolos uses the teachings of Dr. Stylianos Atteshlis, also known as Daskalos, to further illustrate the specific beliefs and practices within Esoteric Christianity. After reading and understanding the writings of both Moreman and Markides, it is clear to see there are ideas which distinguish Esoteric Christianity from Normative Christianity. This essay will explore these ideas which include the idea soul, the idea life after death, and the teachings of Daskalos.

There are many different meanings to the word spirituality. Spirituality can be defined in several different ways, as it pertains to different worldviews. Throughout this paper we will look at and discuss worldview as it related to pluralism, scientism, and postmodernism. Worldviews have been known to be a matter of the heart. Every person has a world view, “A worldview is a commitment, a fundamental orientation of the heart, that can be expressed as a story or in a set of presuppositions (assumptions which may be true, partially true or entirely false)

The most important thing in life is about being happy and enjoying life to the fullest. Some would go as far as to end their own life to end the pain of what couldn’t be achieved on earth and make it possible in a better place such as characters like Neil Perry, Dead Poets Society. Some make a huge difference in their life by following what makes them happy which we can find them today in celebrities like Miley Cyrus. This literary and philosophical movement called Transcendentalism took place over 100 years ago but still very important today in 2017 because it influences humans to become more independent, to stand up for our rights and to be nonconformist. The idea of transcendentalism is especially valuable in today’s society because we have

Finally, globalization has given way to human development through culture integration, information sharing, and competition between countries. As people disperse from their native countries they take with them their culture and ideologies. At the same time technology is rapidly advancing, allowing information to be instantaneously shared across the globe. These events culminate in the diversification of society. As opposed to living with one view of the world people can now choose from any number of beliefs or views and find others that share them.

From the 1960s to the 1970s, the Hippie Movement was apart of the counterculture era. This was an age of renewal and change amongst society. People known as Hippies focused on pursuing a life different from the one proposed by mainstream culture. Hippies followed transcendentalism, which influenced their idealism of their understanding of nature and society. They often used drugs such as psychedelics, amphetamines, methamphetamine, and marijuana to experience spiritual and artistic awareness as well as self-fulfillment. They created a new culture of teenagers and young adults who dressed and acted differently from those before them. Hippies focused on experimentation and redefining themselves. Hippies helped influenced music, television, film, literature, and the arts and changed the societal norms.

The world’s population is continuously increasing and laws are being made to maintain a global social order. The social order includes, and is not limited to, world peace, free international economy, international trade, and assurance that basic human rights are respected by all nations and humans live a decent life, full of opportunities. This is an ideal that we all aspire to, in a way or another and although we want to create a perfect world, it is impossible to do so because of people’s interests and their own view of “perfection.” We, as humans, are not perfect, and therefore we cannot have a perfect world. Many have tried to create ideas of what would make a perfect society. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle have diligently tried for centuries to establish a well-balanced world in which each individual has their own freedom. More than two thousand years have passed since then and the world is still struggling to find a way to create a harmonious international society. Cosmopolitanism and anti-cosmopolitanism have different ideas on how we can achieve this goal. To me, a combination of the two sounds more achievable. In this paper, I will try to demonstrate that today’s world is a combination of the two and ideas from both will take us a few steps forward towards an international goal.

But contrary to our society, World State society were told to be independent to each other but just relies on the government that will fulfill everything that they need. Brave New World creates a society where everyone is happy even without bonds with one another to achieve stability as one of their motto. In other words, World State’s citizens are conditioned to living separately, without any social bonds to other human

Using material from item A and elsewhere, assess the view that most people today see spirituality and religious belief as purely private and personal matters.

The history of Wicca is often debated by different people. It technically started in 1954, but was based on a mix of ancient religions. We will briefly cover the history of Wicca from caveman days all the way up to modern times in the following paragraphs.

While cosmopolitanism can be viewed as a concise concept, it can also be viewed to have two different strands. The first strand, as Appiah explains, focuses on the obligations we have to one another as universal citizens of the cosmos; obligations that stretch beyond family or local community. The second strand is more intensive stating that not only are we obligated to those whom we share nothing in common with but also find ourselves accountable for knowing other individuals on a more profound level of their practices and belief systems. Yet, while there do exist these two varying strands Appiah also acknowledges that it is not desirable nor probable that as a collective population we want to live under a single model of living. All the while, he briefly states that these two varying strands of the same descending concept may conflict in certain instances. Those who advocate fiercely for the cause of unification and understanding were often mocked for their own hypocritical actions.

American Transcendentalism is a period of expression where was originally about the reform movement of the church, it was to represent the soul of the individual having a connection to nature. It has impacted society through the influence of the ideas that still exist today, the idea of spirituality and the soul's infinite connection.

Though modern Wicca is often viewed as a new age religion, very similar practices can be traced back to the paleolithic age in the form of shamanism. Like Wiccans, “the shamans were the power wielders, male and female. They wrought magic and spoke to the spirits of nature” (Cunningham 3). However, in contrast to shamanism, Wiccans have shied away from “the ordeals of pain and the use of hallucinogens in favor of chanting, meditation, invocation, and ritual”(4). The religion was also drawn from the later concentrations of paganism in Northern Europe. Wiccans were viewed to be the heirs of the pre-christian era folk religions in England and Ireland. Modern day Wiccans, however, do not accredit their

Last year in a Professor Gutierrez religion class we studied esotericism at the beginning of the semester. I found the topic to be very confusing. When doing the readings for this week I still find it confusing. Escotericism seems to be a complex idea, made up of many different parts, that is seen differently by different people. After looking at the readings for this week I went back to my book for Professor Gutierrez’s class, “Western Esotericism: A Brief History of Secret Knowledge” by Kocku von Stuckrad. Due to all the snows days and the school closing I realize that I seemed to have missed some important parts of the book. From what I am understanding from both the readings from this class as well as the readings I did last semester,

The topic of religion is very controversial and at times, is seen as something negative. The practice of witchcraft can be considered unholy and pure evil to some, but to others, it is a religion and a way of life. Wicca, founded in England in the mid 20th century, is a religion based on pre-Christian traditions that practices modern witchcraft. Witchcraft is often referred to the human usage of supernatural powers for the malevolent purpose of practicing black magic (“History and Background of Wicca”). The acceptance of those who were involved in sorcery was difficult for the people of Great Britain. The negative reactions and thoughts affected the members of Wicca in numerous ways. The practices of witchcraft in Great Britain lead to the influences and modern day practices of the witches in the religion of Wicca.

The spiritual movement called The Great Awakening, beginning in 1734, depicts the reality of the Holy Spirit: that He is alive, active and moving within the church. Said to be started by Johnathan Edwards and George Whitefield, this movement began, then took hold of Massachusetts, then Connecticut. In all, thirteen of the colonies would be impacted by the zeal of this movement. Sermons focusing on conversion and being born-again gave way to many having a relationship with Jesus Christ. In their responses to the gospel, contrition reigned and in their conviction many were moved. It is said that “Presbyterian minister, John Moorhead, exclaimed in July, 1742, “I can’t express the wonderful things which God is adoing, and has already manifested amongst Indians, Negros, Papists and Protestants of all Denominations.”