All existence is said to be a manifestation of supreme consciousness the essence of which is love. The purpose of existence is to bring love fully into manifestation; all religions are the expression of this truth. Life perceived by the senses is an outer veil of otherwise invisible, inner and causal reality. The temporary human personality lasts only one life but the multidimensional inner being (soul, higher self) is eternal whose purpose through reincarnation is to unfold to become perfect love. Spiritual leaders are thus those who have become liberated and manifest unconditional love. Life is interconnected energy and each individual bears joint responsibility for the state of himself, of all selves, of the environment and of life.
The evolution of humanity and of the planet is said to have reached a point where there is fundamental spiritual change in individual and mass consciousness, resulting from increasingly successful incarnation of cosmic love and of what is known in the west as the Cosmic Christ but is referred to by other names in other cultures. The resultant consciousness is demonstrated in an instinctive knowledge of the sacredness and interconnectedness of all existence. This new consciousness and new understanding of the dynamic interdependence of life mean that there is currently a process of evolving a new planetary culture attempting to work with and be open to the best of the old (old religions, science) and of the new (new psychotherapies, science). The aim is to be aware of the complete newness of these times while still retaining a sensitive and active awareness of responsibilities.
The new age movement is characterized by individuals who consciously (as with shamans) broaden perception, assimilate the experience within their cultural context and, by sharing with others, assist in broadening the range of available experiential knowledge. Others (as with mediums) depend on the authority or permission of other sources, surrendering personal discrimination and decision-making to various types of divination or to a dominant spiritual leader. Much interest is shown in eastern paths of self-realization and in the individuation of Carl Jung and the self-actualization of Abraham Maslow.
The New Age movement is largely centred on the industrial countries of the west and may be seen as a reaction against the materialist and rationalist-oriented culture developed during the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century, and against the polarized and aggressive stance maintained during the cold war and the nuclear arms race, together with the divorce from and the threat to the natural environment that these cultures brought with them. It emphasizes a more equal balance between the masculine, aggressive and rational side of human nature and the feminine, intuitive traits. Just at the time when the need for a more spiritual and mystical emphasis to life, the established churches were divesting themselves of the experiential and ritual parts of their worship and the individual in search what was missing in his or her life was open to influences from other cultures which were becoming more available in the multicultural society of the late twentieth century. It could be said that the New Age originated in the very foundation of the United States of America, since the leaders at that time were very influenced by the mysticism of freemasonry and Rosicrucianism; and the expression "New Age" has been in use, at least in a limited sense, for most of this century. But, despite much interest in mediumship and the occult dating from the last century, is it generally accepted that the New Age proper has its roots in the hippies and psychedelic happenings of the 1960s and was first articulated in 1971.
One result of this melting pot of ideas has been the tendency to dip into what appears most attractive in several traditions but without commitment to any and without the rigorous discipline which real commitment would entail. An aspect of this is the temptation to achieve quick and easy "highs" by experimenting with psychedelic drugs, and to experiment with other forms of self-indulgence. The New Age has come in for considerable criticism in this respect and has particularly been condemned by fundamental and charismatic Christianity as a weapon of Satan.
