References can be found at the blog: louisawatt.com/2022/08/10/new-age-bs/ and if you want my conclusion summary... What would I say is the take-away that I’ve learned from my previous involvement in the New Age? I think, like most people, I went there looking for answers to all the things that seemed wrong with my life and wrong with the world around me. The New Age claimed to have answers. They claim to speak truth and provide meaning, but their promises are empty and their profundity is hollow. “…they are clouds without water, carried by every passing wind… walking according to their own desires, they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage.” Jude 1:12 & 1:16 NKJV They claim to vibrate love, non-judgement and acceptance, but their definition of love is shallow and self-serving, and acceptance is a cunning way of saying “tolerate my BS without question, otherwise I’ll label you as offensive” or perhaps “low vibration”. It’s a way of discrediting and dismissing legitimate critiques and is ironically very judgmental. A big problem is how invested they are in their own delusions. They really believe the BS they create and they protect their fantasy construct by rejecting scrutiny of their assertions and anyone with the audacity to speak the truth. Rational thought is a New Age sin, and “feeling” like something is true for you is completely valid, even if your feelings bear no resemblance to reality. Rather than adopt a humble mindset where they consider the possibility that not everything they believe is true or even beneficial for them, they attach their self worth to all the “spirituality” junk they’ve been hoarding. They’re constantly chasing the next level because they’re chasing a mirage. They won’t find what they really need in pseudo-spiritual buzzwords about transcendence, awakenings, higher dimensions, ascended masters, or cosmic vibrations. One of the biggest problems I found when trying to discern whether the New Age offered anything authentic, was that I basically had to get a degree in psychology to understand how full of crap they actually are. I’m hoping that content like this will help you to figure it out for yourself. I believe that information should be accessible so people can be empowered to make informed choices, and protect themselves from predatory behaviour. Blind faith isn’t really faith; it’s just blindness.
I appreciate the time you took to clarify yourself and clearly state your opinion of what is often labeled as New Age. For me, it's a bit more complicated than what you're expressing. There is truth in everything at some level. The exasperating part is that there isn't a one size fits all conclusion. There are only points of view which are pointing at something that can't be labeled. Psychology has many unhelpful and sometimes even dangerous definitions of reality which can trap us and make our individual growth more difficult. For me, after many years of exploring life from my individual and unique experience of it, we're all here to become more and more aware of our spontaneous experience without the need to hide or ask others or belief systems for permission to be.
@@annieandajI believe the point of view you speak of is your Worldview, the set of beliefs that influences your perspective. The lens in which we see the world. Understanding your own worldview will help you understand why you make the decisions you make. Even the most non religious person will be surprised how rigid their beliefs truly are.
I worked for a new age person and they would have us go to meetings after work that we were not paid for. They would ask me and the other worker about ways to improve the business. We would happily help because we were blinded by our dedication to making the world a better place, which is what we thought the store was doing because of its new age healing foundation. So they got lots of free help by taking advantage of our good will. This is very consistent with new age businesses because the people are so happy to just be involved they will do it for free.
I hate New Age and modern metaphysical. They aren't even metaphysical or occult shops people if you don't self those things, and you're certainly not a practitioner if you're not practicing. New Age people are delusional, they also don't know shit for shit about what they're selling and for what reason. It's disgusting really walking into those shops and the first thing they're peddling is sweetgrass and sage, all the 'witchy' stuff is in the back because it's 'dark', and a plethora of crystals they have no idea where they're sourced are displayed. Their herbs aren't even properly labeled, old, stale and unuseful, and I absolutely detest how much they actually don't know. But hey if you have the money and you're into the fad, sure run a business you don't now anything about.
Nietzsche was right everything is will-to-power and nothing besides, masters create rules and decide what is good/bad based on what benefits them most...
Spiritual bypassing with all the “love and light”, raise your vibration, negative emotions, just let it go, etc. BS is escapism, and avoidance of the parts of themselves i.e. trauma that they don’t want to address.
Yeah and if you've ever dated anyone with that philosophy it's nearly impossible for them to take accountability for their actions and even stop to look at what is motivating them. They trade self awareness for letting go of negative self thought. Which means they never learn anything and gaslight you into thinking you're the one with the problem.
This is brilliantly investigated and presented. And much needed! Thank you Louisa for shining a light on this type of insidiously pervasive and damaging BS.
You've come a long way, Louisa. I can relate as I myself come from a similar "spiritual" background as yourself. Thank you for sounding the alarm on the New Age nonsense. God bless you and stay safe.
@@LouisaWatt Haha, you're all good. I'm glad you threw in there research papers on NLP. Because at first I was attracted to that until someone said to me that it's a pseudoscience. I checked the research on it and they were right. However though, the only two legit therapies that do work to change people's beliefs and behaviours are CBT and REBT which I fell in love with. Plus Mindfulness too.
@@MrMattias87 REBT is technically CBT’s predecessor so they’re both good for challenging irrational beliefs. They are both very harmful to trauma survivors though, so diagnosis is key. Once a therapist knows what they’re dealing with, then they know how to approach it.
I hope you're asking questions about neuroweapons and mind control technology too. Lots of people being attacked like this nowadays and mainstream psychology is there to gaslight and cover up the crime.
Reiki and angel cards really pisses me off. I listened to a bunch of gullible women prattle on about their amazing experiences, as a result of 10 mins meditation, after the woman charging them sent her astral body round the room healing them. A con artist, tax dodger but try telling them. They think youre missing something they have. Its so clear theyre easily suggestible, have no critical skills, have not researched the nonsense theyre paying for.
People want so desperately to believe it works, often because reality is too difficult to deal with. Sometimes that person’s reality is actually very bad, but more often the types fully invested just generally prefer dwelling in fantasy.
@@LouisaWattAbsolutely 💯 thats why I was in a new age cult for a couple years. My reality was so horrible and my life full of escapism, joining that cult made so much sense to me. Fantasy, hope, and longing was much better than accepting I was a dysfunctional, abused victim. Then one night I literally woke up and asked outloud what the hell am I doing. That was the beginning of end of that season of my life. The answer is never from the outside, it can only be found within.
Clarification about all that new age bs is necessary - thank you very much, dear Louisa Watt for doing this very helpful job here on yt - for us. I am very grateful to my therapist who use to warn me regularly from all those self called new age gurus, etc. pp. - most of those "stories" can really devastate peoples mind set and lifes. When I use to read those comments under certain kind of weird new age bs videos - those followers swallow everything without any doubts. Over here in Europe its the same weird hype than almost everywhere else. Its mostly all about big money and business too - I use to follow and believe most of that new age bs myself for decades! Very grateful that there are still some people out there who warns about all that blind faith and blindness. Keep on doing your very important work.💯❣
Thanks 🙏 I’ve been there myself, looking for healing and meaning but finding something else. I’m glad to hear there are therapists who warn against it.
I'm interested in doing personal development. I am interested in what works... "you shall know them by their fruits." if you're producing good results, then you can't argue with results... everybody can be critical... not everyone is producing good results
This is such a light in the darkness for those of us who have fallen prey to falsely spiritual beliefs. New Age gurus have caused me so much confusion, uncertainty, anxiety, depression, and often are forms of gaslighting, victim blaming, manipulation, and spreading just plain falsehoods. I've found it ironic that gurus often talk about "grounding" and how to ground yourself and all the weird little rituals they come up with. They had me literally rolling myself on the ground in order to feel better about major depression disorder. I have never felt less grounded in all my life from eating up all these nonsense ideas. I found myself in an extreme state of disassociation. I didn't know up from down, always questioning reality, not knowing who to trust, what or who is real... I started to look at other people kind of funny, and started to wonder if they are even real and if I'm even real. This state of mind is obviously seriously unhealthy. But they would all just tell me that this is normal because I'm becoming "enlightened" and "awakened" and maybe its because I'm a "Starseed" born from another planet and I'm becoming an "ascended master" and I'm transcending towards the 5th dimension. Do I even need to continue? The only thing that truly helped me come out of this darkness and ACTUALLY ground myself was to stop engaging in this nonsense and turn my attention towards things that are proven to be real. Things that are factually true, based on evidence and research done by skilled experts that are far more knowledgeable than I am. This is an area where many New Agers fail, in that they severely lack intellectual humility. They alone understand the secrets and mysterious knowledge of the world, and you do not. Once I accepted and humbled my fragile and naive mind, I then turned to science. Science has saved my mental health truly more than anything. Becoming learned and skilled in science has become the ultimate form of "grounding". Science is the closest thing in our tool box to understanding the world, nature, reality, and how things actually work. Its a great tool to make better, wiser, more informed choices in life. We all share this world, this one! Our shared reality of right here right now is the truth (not some past life you or higher self you directing your life from another dimension.) We are all from here: planet Earth (not Limeria or the Pleiedes star system or whatever BS currently is trending). Always remember this quote from a great mind and scientist Carl Sagan, "Skepticism does not sell well." Thank you so much for this well thought out and beautifully articulated video. The world needs more of this.
Your story is very relatable. I’m glad you found something more solid to engage with which helps to keep in touch with reality. Reality testing is often shunned by the new age because it undermines their flimsy assertions, but it’s so dangerous for the people engaging with it because it can lead to dissociating (like you experienced) and sometimes psychosis. Hopefully things are going well for you and you’re finding peace 🕊️
From Astrology in my teens to Tarot until age 56 or so, I was in the New Age due to vast ignorance for over 40 years. (That explains a lot why my life had been one of endless challenges.) I'm lucky Jesus allowed me to live long enough to discover the Truth: There are only two Spiritual Kingdoms: One Kingdom Of God and Jesus and the Other Kingdom of Darkness. New Age is in the Kingdom of Darkness.
U dont need a psychology degree to figure out BS and people will not challenge their silly beliefs if those beliefs make them feel good. Fortunate coincidences following prayer they use as proof of god or that prayer works. If zero happens, its proof God has a special reason for not answering their prayer, or is delaying in doing so, or has better up his sleeve for them, or worse, they say he has answered it but not in the way they asked. So i guess if they get a scorpion, theyll swear its a fish.
Those problems arise when people try to circumvent God and have things which aren’t appropriate for them. As James wrote: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” (James 4: 3) and Paul said; “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” (1 Timothy 6: 6-8) When Jesus said to “seek first the kingdom of God and right-relationship” it was because serving the Lord was never supposed to be about personal gain, it was supposed to be about saving souls. Those who are determined to get something out of God for themselves will be unlikely to acknowledge that their focus on material matters are the problem. Christians will get old, Christians will get sick, Christians will have tragedies, Christians will die like anyone else. That’s not the measure of how much God cares, as outlined in the book of Job. Instead, we are advised to “give thanks in all circumstances”.
The idea that suppressed unconscious memories play roles in neuroses is basic to the Freudian approach. This would usually at least take months of therapy though. Would unlikely be uncovered in any new age workshops or intensives. In addition to this problem, Teal's sessions that I've seen on video look like public psych counseling sessions to me. Why anyone would want their private lives made so public is a wonder to me but I guess many people don't value their privacy as much these days. Much of new age "truth" is based not on evidence or sound philosophy but upon verisimilitude or emotionally "ringing true" to audiences. This allows almost any claims to be made. The explosion of alternative spirituality in the late 1960s started as part of critical countercultures but soon settled into alternate forms of conformity, submission to often oppressive authority figures, much spiritual bypassing, spiritual delusions, and spiritual dogmatisms. Good discussion.
Seems to me like many of your conclusions at the end could apply to Christianity as well. As a group, I haven't decided who I like more (or less) - Christians or New Agers. I think it really boils down to individual experiences. In any case, I wish more people were into discussion, rather than a YT creator posting a video essay and only short (usually superficial responses) from the audience. You talk about narcissists, and I feel like the YT creator-video model is narcissistic. A top down pyramid... kind of like a pastor doing a sermon: one person speaks, and everyone else listens. Just seems yucky to me.
Thanks for the very thorough resources and tackling this important topic. However, I would also caution against attempting to use psychological research to present a narrative that Christian ideology is healthier, more valid, and less toxic than new age BS, because scientific research doesn't necessarily back up this assertion either. Not as a matter of direct causation, anyways.
There are cults of all shapes and sizes out there, including ones claiming to be Christian. However, in all of my own research I have not found Christianity which engages with critical thinking to have any contradictions with other research that also engages with critical thought, so I will continue to express my own thoughts and opinions on my own platform. Thanks.
When you refer to this other research that engages in critical thought, what exactly does that mean? Can you give an example? As social science students, we often learn that correlation ≠ causation, and that there exists no perfect set of data that can be said to never contradict some other piece of data that exists. This becomes even more pronounced where unproven religious claims are concerned, precisely because such claims are unproven due to a lack of evidence, or sometimes, due to the complete inability to even gather evidence in the first place So, the implied suggestion that Christianity aligns perfectly with the rational inquiry process contained within scientific literature is both a misinterpretation and misrepresentation of the facts. Unless you're referring to something else entirely? My point here is not to be combative, but to point out that there is no rational or scientific difference between organized religions and New-Age spirituality.
Depac learnt all he knows from Maharishi mahesh yogi (not) He turned out to be a real monster and that is an understatement If any one does not believe my statement SEE CONVERSATION IN THE HIVE you tube bit shute As a ex TM teacher I wish I had never heard of that man mahesh
I've watched and read a fair number of "anti-New Age" stuff, and I'd want to say I find a lot of points valid but also would want to push back the other way a little. The basic thing I think that a lot of people should realize - including perhaps many "New Age" subscribers themselves - is how it is and should fundamentally be a _non-dogmatic_ spiritual system, _unlike_ organized, hierarchical religions. It has no claims in it to some kind of infallible and inflexible "divine revelation" unlike the "Big Three" Abrahamic religions who are inherently limited by such claims as branded upon their holy books. This means that instead of shying from critique, it _can_ and _should_ use it to build, modify, and improve itself.
Theoretically that should be exactly how the New Age works, and for the most part it does. People tend to create their own smorgasbord religion within that concept, but they magpie so many bits and pieces from established religions which do have cohesive structures and practices. When they appropriate bits and bobs out of context which were never compatible with one another, they end up with something completely incoherent and illogical. That’s what I found at any rate.
The problem with what you're saying is that pretty much all new age religion is just a western version of buddhism. It takes most of it's ideas from buddhism so in that way it's still relying on the weight that comes with a religion that is thousands of years old and also makes supernatural claims.
Interesting information but very hard for me to digest it since you were reading a lot of very complicated ideas compiled but others...very texty. It would have been much better if you'd given us your interpretation of these ideas in a more synopsized version.
That’s probably true. Sometimes I’m so preoccupied by ensuring that the information is airtight and can’t be discredited by the naysayers that I rely too much on technical jargon. The naysayers still try to claim I don’t know what I’m talking about, so I might as well make it more accessible. Next time…
I think that what you're exploring is very valuable and I'd encourage you to continue to post videos as you process and understand what you're finding. There is so much we don't understand about what it means to be human and so many rabbit holes that only add to our confusion. You're helping to bring more clarity to many and it has great merit. Thanks!@@LouisaWatt
Most people think there must more to life than this. The 'this' is different for everybody, for some people it may be their job or a mundane task like cutting the grass.
You have to understand that peopke think to this dat that jesus created christianity ? He didnt ,ghey were slaughtered for being essenes ..Now we are here ? Go and interview the pope ....
It's so painfully ironic how the religious belief system you feverishly promote would not by any chance pass the amount of logical filters you just passed new age bs through in this (very well-made) essay. To be fair, a Christian has no business critiquing blind faith.
Actually Christianity is the most logically sound religion there is, based on historically documented events. You should try investigating it intellectually some time since you don’t sound like you have a real clue about what it teaches.
@@LouisaWattyeah, there’s a lot of misconceptions about “blind” faith, except that Christianity doesn’t rely on blindness or rejection of critical thinking (unless you’re in a fundy cult). I love Cold Case Christianity which forensically investigates the scriptures and history.
@@JamieWiseacre yeah, Cold Case Christianity is brilliant. It’s so interesting to hear how an atheist detective came to believe in Jesus after trying to pull the bible apart 😆
References can be found at the blog:
louisawatt.com/2022/08/10/new-age-bs/
and if you want my conclusion summary...
What would I say is the take-away that I’ve learned from my previous involvement in the New Age? I think, like most people, I went there looking for answers to all the things that seemed wrong with my life and wrong with the world around me. The New Age claimed to have answers. They claim to speak truth and provide meaning, but their promises are empty and their profundity is hollow.
“…they are clouds without water, carried by every passing wind… walking according to their own desires, they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage.” Jude 1:12 & 1:16 NKJV
They claim to vibrate love, non-judgement and acceptance, but their definition of love is shallow and self-serving, and acceptance is a cunning way of saying “tolerate my BS without question, otherwise I’ll label you as offensive” or perhaps “low vibration”. It’s a way of discrediting and dismissing legitimate critiques and is ironically very judgmental.
A big problem is how invested they are in their own delusions. They really believe the BS they create and they protect their fantasy construct by rejecting scrutiny of their assertions and anyone with the audacity to speak the truth. Rational thought is a New Age sin, and “feeling” like something is true for you is completely valid, even if your feelings bear no resemblance to reality.
Rather than adopt a humble mindset where they consider the possibility that not everything they believe is true or even beneficial for them, they attach their self worth to all the “spirituality” junk they’ve been hoarding. They’re constantly chasing the next level because they’re chasing a mirage. They won’t find what they really need in pseudo-spiritual buzzwords about transcendence, awakenings, higher dimensions, ascended masters, or cosmic vibrations.
One of the biggest problems I found when trying to discern whether the New Age offered anything authentic, was that I basically had to get a degree in psychology to understand how full of crap they actually are. I’m hoping that content like this will help you to figure it out for yourself. I believe that information should be accessible so people can be empowered to make informed choices, and protect themselves from predatory behaviour.
Blind faith isn’t really faith; it’s just blindness.
I appreciate the time you took to clarify yourself and clearly state your opinion of what is often labeled as New Age.
For me, it's a bit more complicated than what you're expressing. There is truth in everything at some level. The exasperating part is that there isn't a one size fits all conclusion. There are only points of view which are pointing at something that can't be labeled. Psychology has many unhelpful and sometimes even dangerous definitions of reality which can trap us and make our individual growth more difficult.
For me, after many years of exploring life from my individual and unique experience of it, we're all here to become more and more aware of our spontaneous experience without the need to hide or ask others or belief systems for permission to be.
@@annieandajI believe the point of view you speak of is your Worldview, the set of beliefs that influences your perspective. The lens in which we see the world. Understanding your own worldview will help you understand why you make the decisions you make. Even the most non religious person will be surprised how rigid their beliefs truly are.
I worked for a new age person and they would have us go to meetings after work that we were not paid for. They would ask me and the other worker about ways to improve the business. We would happily help because we were blinded by our dedication to making the world a better place, which is what we thought the store was doing because of its new age healing foundation. So they got lots of free help by taking advantage of our good will. This is very consistent with new age businesses because the people are so happy to just be involved they will do it for free.
Yeah, that’s very true.
I hate New Age and modern metaphysical. They aren't even metaphysical or occult shops people if you don't self those things, and you're certainly not a practitioner if you're not practicing. New Age people are delusional, they also don't know shit for shit about what they're selling and for what reason. It's disgusting really walking into those shops and the first thing they're peddling is sweetgrass and sage, all the 'witchy' stuff is in the back because it's 'dark', and a plethora of crystals they have no idea where they're sourced are displayed. Their herbs aren't even properly labeled, old, stale and unuseful, and I absolutely detest how much they actually don't know. But hey if you have the money and you're into the fad, sure run a business you don't now anything about.
Nietzsche was right everything is will-to-power and nothing besides, masters create rules and decide what is good/bad based on what benefits them most...
@@gofai274for godless people all is about power. But not for God's people
Spiritual bypassing with all the “love and light”, raise your vibration, negative emotions, just let it go, etc. BS is escapism, and avoidance of the parts of themselves i.e. trauma that they don’t want to address.
Hundred percent
Yeah and if you've ever dated anyone with that philosophy it's nearly impossible for them to take accountability for their actions and even stop to look at what is motivating them. They trade self awareness for letting go of negative self thought. Which means they never learn anything and gaslight you into thinking you're the one with the problem.
This is brilliantly investigated and presented. And much needed! Thank you Louisa for shining a light on this type of insidiously pervasive and damaging BS.
You've come a long way, Louisa. I can relate as I myself come from a similar "spiritual" background as yourself. Thank you for sounding the alarm on the New Age nonsense.
God bless you and stay safe.
99.999% ppl are morons whoever they are no matter what hopeless... World is beyond saving...
The amount of Shadow Denial and Narcissism in this new age stuff is astounding.
😂😂😂😂😂your video was love at first watch and listen. You had me at "BS receptivity scale."
Excellent analysys, Louisa. 👏
Thanks Pete 😉
Gratitude as always 🙏 💐 🌼 👍 ❤
Likewise! 💖
I'm a 2nd year psychology student and I've looked into the same things like you did. And you're absolutely right.
I probably should have done the psychology degree a lot sooner 😆
@@LouisaWatt Haha, you're all good. I'm glad you threw in there research papers on NLP. Because at first I was attracted to that until someone said to me that it's a pseudoscience. I checked the research on it and they were right. However though, the only two legit therapies that do work to change people's beliefs and behaviours are CBT and REBT which I fell in love with. Plus Mindfulness too.
@@MrMattias87 REBT is technically CBT’s predecessor so they’re both good for challenging irrational beliefs. They are both very harmful to trauma survivors though, so diagnosis is key. Once a therapist knows what they’re dealing with, then they know how to approach it.
I hope you're asking questions about neuroweapons and mind control technology too. Lots of people being attacked like this nowadays and mainstream psychology is there to gaslight and cover up the crime.
Excellent work. I'll need to watch this again and grab those studies. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 Looks like a rabbit hole I actually want to go down.
Reiki and angel cards really pisses me off. I listened to a bunch of gullible women prattle on about their amazing experiences, as a result of 10 mins meditation, after the woman charging them sent her astral body round the room healing them. A con artist, tax dodger but try telling them. They think youre missing something they have. Its so clear theyre easily suggestible, have no critical skills, have not researched the nonsense theyre paying for.
People want so desperately to believe it works, often because reality is too difficult to deal with. Sometimes that person’s reality is actually very bad, but more often the types fully invested just generally prefer dwelling in fantasy.
@@LouisaWattAbsolutely 💯 thats why I was in a new age cult for a couple years. My reality was so horrible and my life full of escapism, joining that cult made so much sense to me. Fantasy, hope, and longing was much better than accepting I was a dysfunctional, abused victim. Then one night I literally woke up and asked outloud what the hell am I doing. That was the beginning of end of that season of my life. The answer is never from the outside, it can only be found within.
NLP bs. Tried it for smoking, chronic pain. No effect.
Clarification about all that new age bs is necessary - thank you very much, dear Louisa Watt for doing this very helpful job here on yt - for us. I am very grateful to my therapist who use to warn me regularly from all those self called new age gurus, etc. pp. - most of those "stories" can really devastate peoples mind set and lifes. When I use to read those comments under certain kind of weird new age bs videos - those followers swallow everything without any doubts.
Over here in Europe its the same weird hype than almost everywhere else. Its mostly all about big money and business too - I use to follow and believe most of that new age bs myself for decades! Very grateful that there are still some people out there who warns about all that blind faith and blindness. Keep on doing your very important work.💯❣
Thanks 🙏
I’ve been there myself, looking for healing and meaning but finding something else. I’m glad to hear there are therapists who warn against it.
I'm interested in doing personal development. I am interested in what works... "you shall know them by their fruits." if you're producing good results, then you can't argue with results... everybody can be critical... not everyone is producing good results
This is such a light in the darkness for those of us who have fallen prey to falsely spiritual beliefs. New Age gurus have caused me so much confusion, uncertainty, anxiety, depression, and often are forms of gaslighting, victim blaming, manipulation, and spreading just plain falsehoods. I've found it ironic that gurus often talk about "grounding" and how to ground yourself and all the weird little rituals they come up with. They had me literally rolling myself on the ground in order to feel better about major depression disorder. I have never felt less grounded in all my life from eating up all these nonsense ideas. I found myself in an extreme state of disassociation. I didn't know up from down, always questioning reality, not knowing who to trust, what or who is real... I started to look at other people kind of funny, and started to wonder if they are even real and if I'm even real. This state of mind is obviously seriously unhealthy. But they would all just tell me that this is normal because I'm becoming "enlightened" and "awakened" and maybe its because I'm a "Starseed" born from another planet and I'm becoming an "ascended master" and I'm transcending towards the 5th dimension. Do I even need to continue?
The only thing that truly helped me come out of this darkness and ACTUALLY ground myself was to stop engaging in this nonsense and turn my attention towards things that are proven to be real. Things that are factually true, based on evidence and research done by skilled experts that are far more knowledgeable than I am. This is an area where many New Agers fail, in that they severely lack intellectual humility. They alone understand the secrets and mysterious knowledge of the world, and you do not. Once I accepted and humbled my fragile and naive mind, I then turned to science. Science has saved my mental health truly more than anything. Becoming learned and skilled in science has become the ultimate form of "grounding". Science is the closest thing in our tool box to understanding the world, nature, reality, and how things actually work. Its a great tool to make better, wiser, more informed choices in life. We all share this world, this one! Our shared reality of right here right now is the truth (not some past life you or higher self you directing your life from another dimension.) We are all from here: planet Earth (not Limeria or the Pleiedes star system or whatever BS currently is trending). Always remember this quote from a great mind and scientist Carl Sagan, "Skepticism does not sell well."
Thank you so much for this well thought out and beautifully articulated video. The world needs more of this.
Your story is very relatable. I’m glad you found something more solid to engage with which helps to keep in touch with reality. Reality testing is often shunned by the new age because it undermines their flimsy assertions, but it’s so dangerous for the people engaging with it because it can lead to dissociating (like you experienced) and sometimes psychosis.
Hopefully things are going well for you and you’re finding peace 🕊️
From Astrology in my teens to Tarot until age 56 or so, I was in the New Age due to vast ignorance for over 40 years. (That explains a lot why my life had been one of endless challenges.) I'm lucky Jesus allowed me to live long enough to discover the Truth: There are only two Spiritual Kingdoms: One Kingdom Of God and Jesus and the Other Kingdom of Darkness. New Age is in the Kingdom of Darkness.
@@andre1987eph God is good to us, even when we mess up for years
U dont need a psychology degree to figure out BS and people will not challenge their silly beliefs if those beliefs make them feel good. Fortunate coincidences following prayer they use as proof of god or that prayer works. If zero happens, its proof God has a special reason for not answering their prayer, or is delaying in doing so, or has better up his sleeve for them, or worse, they say he has answered it but not in the way they asked. So i guess if they get a scorpion, theyll swear its a fish.
Those problems arise when people try to circumvent God and have things which aren’t appropriate for them. As James wrote: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” (James 4: 3) and Paul said; “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” (1 Timothy 6: 6-8)
When Jesus said to “seek first the kingdom of God and right-relationship” it was because serving the Lord was never supposed to be about personal gain, it was supposed to be about saving souls.
Those who are determined to get something out of God for themselves will be unlikely to acknowledge that their focus on material matters are the problem. Christians will get old, Christians will get sick, Christians will have tragedies, Christians will die like anyone else. That’s not the measure of how much God cares, as outlined in the book of Job. Instead, we are advised to “give thanks in all circumstances”.
The idea that suppressed unconscious memories play roles in neuroses is basic to the Freudian approach. This would usually at least take months of therapy though. Would unlikely be uncovered in any new age workshops or intensives. In addition to this problem, Teal's sessions that I've seen on video look like public psych counseling sessions to me. Why anyone would want their private lives made so public is a wonder to me but I guess many people don't value their privacy as much these days. Much of new age "truth" is based not on evidence or sound philosophy but upon verisimilitude or emotionally "ringing true" to audiences. This allows almost any claims to be made. The explosion of alternative spirituality in the late 1960s started as part of critical countercultures but soon settled into alternate forms of conformity, submission to often oppressive authority figures, much spiritual bypassing, spiritual delusions, and spiritual dogmatisms. Good discussion.
Thanks for the extra info 😄
Seems to me like many of your conclusions at the end could apply to Christianity as well. As a group, I haven't decided who I like more (or less) - Christians or New Agers. I think it really boils down to individual experiences. In any case, I wish more people were into discussion, rather than a YT creator posting a video essay and only short (usually superficial responses) from the audience. You talk about narcissists, and I feel like the YT creator-video model is narcissistic. A top down pyramid... kind of like a pastor doing a sermon: one person speaks, and everyone else listens. Just seems yucky to me.
Then why are you using CZcams?
@@LouisaWatt Because I'm still searching for one or two virtuous people. Haven't given up hope.
@@AndrewDoe777I agree :) ...the model in itself is f*cked up :D
Thanks for the very thorough resources and tackling this important topic. However, I would also caution against attempting to use psychological research to present a narrative that Christian ideology is healthier, more valid, and less toxic than new age BS, because scientific research doesn't necessarily back up this assertion either. Not as a matter of direct causation, anyways.
There are cults of all shapes and sizes out there, including ones claiming to be Christian. However, in all of my own research I have not found Christianity which engages with critical thinking to have any contradictions with other research that also engages with critical thought, so I will continue to express my own thoughts and opinions on my own platform.
Thanks.
When you refer to this other research that engages in critical thought, what exactly does that mean? Can you give an example? As social science students, we often learn that correlation ≠ causation, and that there exists no perfect set of data that can be said to never contradict some other piece of data that exists. This becomes even more pronounced where unproven religious claims are concerned, precisely because such claims are unproven due to a lack of evidence, or sometimes, due to the complete inability to even gather evidence in the first place So, the implied suggestion that Christianity aligns perfectly with the rational inquiry process contained within scientific literature is both a misinterpretation and misrepresentation of the facts. Unless you're referring to something else entirely? My point here is not to be combative, but to point out that there is no rational or scientific difference between organized religions and New-Age spirituality.
@@biggtk lol completely miss the picture…maybe you’ll get it one day…
Excellent presentation of this information.
Depac learnt all he knows from Maharishi mahesh yogi (not) He turned out to be a real monster and that is an understatement If any one does not believe my statement SEE CONVERSATION IN THE HIVE you tube bit shute As a ex TM teacher I wish I had never heard of that man mahesh
32:50 "the negotiation of meaning" probably is referring to concepts in general semantics like the Korzybski stuff.
Bom Louisa !!! 🔥🚀
Thank you for pointing out the pseudo psychology you need the word bullshit
There’s no better term
I've watched and read a fair number of "anti-New Age" stuff, and I'd want to say I find a lot of points valid but also would want to push back the other way a little. The basic thing I think that a lot of people should realize - including perhaps many "New Age" subscribers themselves - is how it is and should fundamentally be a _non-dogmatic_ spiritual system, _unlike_ organized, hierarchical religions. It has no claims in it to some kind of infallible and inflexible "divine revelation" unlike the "Big Three" Abrahamic religions who are inherently limited by such claims as branded upon their holy books. This means that instead of shying from critique, it _can_ and _should_ use it to build, modify, and improve itself.
Theoretically that should be exactly how the New Age works, and for the most part it does. People tend to create their own smorgasbord religion within that concept, but they magpie so many bits and pieces from established religions which do have cohesive structures and practices. When they appropriate bits and bobs out of context which were never compatible with one another, they end up with something completely incoherent and illogical.
That’s what I found at any rate.
The problem with what you're saying is that pretty much all new age religion is just a western version of buddhism. It takes most of it's ideas from buddhism so in that way it's still relying on the weight that comes with a religion that is thousands of years old and also makes supernatural claims.
I think it’s time we talked Louisa. What do you say?
Have we met? 🤔 What were you hoping to talk about?
Interesting information but very hard for me to digest it since you were reading a lot of very complicated ideas compiled but others...very texty. It would have been much better if you'd given us your interpretation of these ideas in a more synopsized version.
That’s probably true. Sometimes I’m so preoccupied by ensuring that the information is airtight and can’t be discredited by the naysayers that I rely too much on technical jargon. The naysayers still try to claim I don’t know what I’m talking about, so I might as well make it more accessible.
Next time…
I think that what you're exploring is very valuable and I'd encourage you to continue to post videos as you process and understand what you're finding. There is so much we don't understand about what it means to be human and so many rabbit holes that only add to our confusion. You're helping to bring more clarity to many and it has great merit. Thanks!@@LouisaWatt
Most people think there must more to life than this. The 'this' is different for everybody, for some people it may be their job or a mundane task like cutting the grass.
It’s all subjective
Psychology is a child’s play 😅
Says the person who would have no idea how to run a MANCOVA statistical regression but wants to pretend they know something on the internet 😆
Look into gnosticism.
I have. It’s nonsense
@@LouisaWatt
not really
You have to understand that peopke think to this dat that jesus created christianity ?
He didnt ,ghey were slaughtered for being essenes ..Now we are here ?
Go and interview the pope ....
It's so painfully ironic how the religious belief system you feverishly promote would not by any chance pass the amount of logical filters you just passed new age bs through in this (very well-made) essay. To be fair, a Christian has no business critiquing blind faith.
Actually Christianity is the most logically sound religion there is, based on historically documented events. You should try investigating it intellectually some time since you don’t sound like you have a real clue about what it teaches.
@@LouisaWattyeah, there’s a lot of misconceptions about “blind” faith, except that Christianity doesn’t rely on blindness or rejection of critical thinking (unless you’re in a fundy cult). I love Cold Case Christianity which forensically investigates the scriptures and history.
@@JamieWiseacre yeah, Cold Case Christianity is brilliant. It’s so interesting to hear how an atheist detective came to believe in Jesus after trying to pull the bible apart 😆