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New Age literature as popular esoterics

New Age movement, movement that spread through the occult
and metaphysical religious communities in the 1970s and ʾ80s. It looked forward to a
“New Age” of love and light and offered a foretaste of the coming era through
personal transformation and healing. The movement’s strongest supporters were
followers of modern esotericism. What is the meaning of this term? Western
esotericism, also called esoterism, is a scholarly term for a wide range of loosely
related unconventional ideas and movements which have developed within Western
society. They are largely distinct from both orthodox Judeo-Christian and
Enlightenment rationalism. A trans-disciplinary field, esotericism has pervaded
various forms of Western philosophy, religion, pseudoscience, art, literature, and
music, continuing to affect intellectual ideas and popular culture.

It is important to start with the definition of the term “Esotericism”. The term
“esotericism” is derived from the Greek adjective esoterikos, “inner.” Esotericism is
about secret knowledge for a small group of people. Esotericism also describes
mystical, spiritual or occult viewpoints. Many followers of Abrahamic faiths,
particularly Christianity and Islam, have criticized Esotericism as black magic.
Esotericism in religion is called “obscurantism”.

The academic study of Western esotericism only emerged in the latter 20 th

century, pioneered by scholars like Frances Yates and Faivre. Antoine Faivre is a
prominent French scholar of Western esotericism. As presented by Faivre, the
foundations of western esotericism can be traced back at least as far as antiquity. In a
long essay about the «Ancient and Medieval Sources of Modern Esoteric
Movements», he discusses the contributions of neo-pythagoreanism, stoicism,
hermetism, gnosticism, neoplatonism and Christianity. In several publications ,
Faivre has described esotericism as a distinct «form of thought», in terms of six
characteristics. The first four are presented as intrinsic to the definition of
esotericism, which means that they all have to be present in order for a certain
movement to qualify as «esoteric»; accordingly, although they may be distinguished
for analytical purposes, they are more or less inseparable. The last two characteristics
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are called relative or non-intrinsic: they are frequently present, but need not be. These
characteristics are:

1. Correspondences, symbolic or actual, are believed to exist between all parts

of the visible and the invisible universe. As explained by Faivre, These
correspondences, considered more or less veiled at first sight, are intended to be read
and deciphered.

2. Living nature. The vision of a complex, plural, hierarchical cosmos

permeated by spiritual forces is fundamental to the Renaissance understanding of
magia.

3. Imagination and Mediations. The idea of correspondences implies the

possibility of mediation between the higher and the lower world(s), by way of rituals,
symbols, angels, intermediate spirits, etc.

4. Experience of Transmutation. As pointed out by Faivre, without this fourth

component the concept of esotericism «would hardly exceed the limits of a form of
speculative spirituality».

5. The praxis of Concordance. This additional component refers to «a marked

tendency to seek to establish commonalities between two or more different traditions,
sometimes even between all traditions, with a view to gaining illumination, a gnosis
of superior quality».

6. A final component concerns the transmission of esoteric teachings from

master to disciple, by way of preestablished channels of initiation. It includes both the
idea of a historical genealogy of «authentic» spiritual knowledge (a «tradition» of
esoteric truth), and the element of esoteric initiations in which sacred knowledge is
transmitted directly from master to disciple.

One of the pioneers-scholars of Western esotericism was Frances Amelia Yates

(28 November 1899 – 29 September 1981). She was an English historian who
focused on the study of the Renaissance. In an academic capacity, she taught at
the Warburg Institute of the University of London for many years, and also wrote a
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number of books on the subject of esoteric history. Her famous work «Giordano
Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition» was extremely popular among readers. Giordano
Bruno is known as the Prophet of the New Age, and his vision of an infinite universe
grounded in science is increasingly celebrated. Frances Yates paved the way for a
revaluation of the esoteric influences at play during the onset of the modern era.
Today, when traditional answers about the universe and our place within it are under
increasing scrutiny, Giordono Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition proves itself a true
classic for our time.

Another famous writer who wrote more than twenty-four books

on theosophical subjects, and was one of the first writers to use the term New Age
was Alice Ann Bailey (June 16, 1880 – December 15, 1949). She was an influential
writer and teacher in the fields of spiritual, occult, esoteric, astrological, theosophical,
Christian and other religious themes. Her works, written between 1919-1949,
describe a wide-ranging system of esoteric thought covering such topics as how
spirituality relates to the solar system, meditation, healing, spiritual psychology, the
destiny of nations, and prescriptions for society in general.

In «Esoteric Psychology I», the first volume of The Treatise on the Seven
Rays, Bailey writes that the «one life sought expansion» resulting in seven aeons, or
emanations, manifesting in the expression of life, becoming the «seven Rishis of all
the ancient scriptures».

She enumerates these seven as:

1. The Lord of Power or Will

2. The Lord of Love-Wisdom

3. The Lord of Active Intelligence

4. The Lord of Harmony, Beauty and Art

5. The Lord of Concrete Knowledge and Science

6. The Lord of Devotion and Idealism

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7. The Lord of Ceremonial Order or Magic

Although described as «Lords» and «persons», Bailey states that these «great
forces» are not to be understood in terms of human personality. She also cautions that
any description of such things must be couched in terms of our particular planet, such
that humanity can understand it but that these "pure beings" have
purposes and activities in which our Earth plays only a minor part.

In «Esoteric Psychology II», the second volume of The Treatise on the Seven
Rays, Bailey describes the ray qualities controlling the life, consciousness and
appearance of a human being on the physical plane. Every man in his totality is
subject to the laws of evolution by which he proceeds from the One to the many and
back to the One, enriched by the experience of life in form and capable of
contributing the results of that experience to the larger life which pervades him.

«Esoteric Astrology» is the third volume of The Treatise on the Seven Rays.
The third in the series, Esoteric Astrology, is considered to be the foundation for
esoteric astrologers worldwide. In esoteric astrology the seven rays are applied to the
astrological signs and planets:

- The First Ray: Will/Power - Signs: Aries, Leo, Capricorn - Planets: Vulcan,

Pluto

- The Second Ray: Love/Wisdom - Signs: Gemini, Virgo, Pisces - Planets:

Jupiter, Sun

- The Third Ray: Active Intelligence - Signs: Cancer, Libra, Capricorn -

Planets: Earth, Saturn
- The Fourth Ray: Harmony through Conflict - Signs: Taurus, Scorpio,

Sagittarius - Planets: Mercury, Moon

- The Fifth Ray: Concrete Knowledge - Signs: Leo, Sagittarius, Aquarius -

Planet: Venus
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- The Sixth Ray: Devotion and Idealism - Signs: Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces -

Planet: Mars, Neptune

- The Seventh Ray: Ceremonial Order and Magic - Signs: Aries, Cancer,

Capricorn -Planet: Uranus

Finally, «Esoteric healing» is a major subject in the philosophical writings of

Alice Bailey. It is contained in the fourth volume of The Treatise on the Seven Rays.
The primary emphasis of esoteric healing is not on the physical body or any of the
three personality bodies of the human being (physical, emotional, mental), but on the
soul.

It is the soul that heals. This is stated in the «Law One of Esoteric Healing».
Alice Bailey has written many collections based on esotericism. Her philosophy and
publications are still applied by the groups and organizations she founded, such as the
Arcane School, the New Group of World Servers, and the Full Moon Meditation
Groups that follow her teachings.

It is worth mentioning two more writers who became prominent figures in the
development of literary esotericism. The first one is Benjamin Creme (5 December
1922 - 24 October 2016). He was a Scottish artist, author, esotericist, and editor of
Share International magazine. Benjamin Creme has been an inspiration throughout
the world in presenting information about the emergence of Maitreya the World
Teacher and the Masters of Wisdom. In 1974 he introduced Transmission Meditation
– a new group meditation, which is both a means of personal development and a form
of service to the world. And the second writer is John Frederick Carden Michell (9
February 1933 – 24 April 2009). He was an English writer and esoteric, who was a
prominent figure in the development of the movement of the earths secrets. During
his life he published more than forty books on a variety of topics, being a supporter of
the traditionalist school of esoteric thought. His most influential work was «The View
Over Atlantis», in 1969. His ideas were at odds with those of academic
archaeologists, for whom he expressed contempt. Michell believed in the existence of
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an ancient spiritual tradition that connected humanity to divinity, but which had been
lost as a result of modernity. He believed however that this tradition would be revived
and that humanity would enter a Golden Age, with Britain as the centre of this
transformation.

The era of the New Age is called esoteric one. It is important to emphasize that
the New Age movement preceded the great era of the New Age. This movement
developed in the second half of the 20th century, particularly in the 1970s and ʾ80s
and spread through the occult and metaphysical religious communities. When we are
talking about the birth of this New age movement such an interesting fact should be
mentioned:

* In 1970 American theosophist David Spangler developed the fundamental idea of

the New Age movement. He believed that the release of new waves of spiritual
energy, signalled by certain astrological changes (e.g., the movement of the Earth
into a new cycle known as the Age of Aquarius) had initiated the coming of the New
Age. He further suggested that people use this new energy to make manifest the New
Age. Spangler’s view was in stark contrast to that of Bailey (psychologist) and her
followers, who believed that the new era would arrive independent of human actions.

Returning to the United States in the mid-1970s, Spangler became the major architect
of the movement. He presented his ideas in a set of popular books beginning with
Revelation: The Birth of a New Age (1976) and attracted many leaders from older
occult and metaphysical organizations to the growing movement. The collapsing
psychedelic movement also provided new supporters, including spokespersons such
as noted psychologist Richard Alpert, who, like Timothy Leary was an advocate of
the use of hallucinogenic drugs to achieve mystical experiences. Alpert, however,
found enlightenment in India, and returning to the West as Baba Ram Dass, he
disavowed the drug experience and advocated more traditional spiritual disciplines.
Simultaneously, periodicals were published to disseminate information and to create
a sense of community within the decentralized movement. As the movement grew,
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bookstores opened that specialized in the sale of New Age books, videos, and
meditative aids.

As it was already mentioned that in the period of New Age, particularly in the 1970s
and ʾ80s, a lot of different esoteric works and books were written and published.
That’s why the topic of my presentation is “New Age literature as popular esoterics”.
As a form of Western esotericism, the New Age drew heavily upon a number of older
esoteric traditions, in particular, those that emerged from the occultist current that
developed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Except of literature, esotericism
has developed in various fields: astrology, alchemy, psychology, philosophy, etc.
A lot of different writers and authors followed ideas of esotericism and wrote various
interesting esoteric works. One of these writers was Benjamin Crème. Benjamin
Creme (5 December 1922 − 24 October 2016) was a Scottish artist, author,
esotericist, and editor of Share International magazine. “The next step in today's
'spiritual revolution' is putting the gains of personal development to work for the
world”, - says Benjamin Creme, author of over a dozen inspiring and provocative
books on practical spirituality and life ahead in the new millennium. In a new,
expanded 5th edition of his book, “Transmission - a Meditation for the New Age”,
Creme explains that the time is past to focus on one's own spiritual progress without
engaging in some form of service. Transmission Meditation, he says, is the simplest
way to do both - at the same time. Transmission Meditation is a group service
activity which “steps down” the great spiritual energies that continually stream into
our planet, focused by the Masters of Wisdom - our “Elder Brothers”. This process,
which makes the energies more useful to humanity, is like that of electrical
transformers, stepping down the power between generators and ordinary outlets.
These transformed spiritual energies, Creme explains, are gradually uplifting all life
forms and changing our world for the better. “What is unique about this work?” -
says Crème - is its simplicity. “It is a perfect vehicle for the aspirations of very busy
people. It is safe, highly scientific, non-denominational, free of any charge, and
unbelievably potent. It is a service in which we can involve ourselves for the rest of
our lives and know that we are helping in the great transformation to a more just and
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compassionate world. At the same time, I know of no other form of service which
makes for such far reaching and fast spiritual growth”. The preface includes
Creme's extraordinary account of his 40-year collaboration with a Master of Wisdom,
and how it led to his primary work of preparing the way for Maitreya, the World
Teacher for the coming age. Creme claimed Maitreya is the “Avatar for the Aquarian
Age”, is omniscient and omnipresent, and has lived in London since 19 July 1977.
Some fundamentalist Evangelical Christian sources and other detractors accused
Creme of being part of a satanic conspiracy and placed him among a number of
“antichrist potentials”.

Another writer who entered the list of the authors of the New Age was John Frederick
Carden Michell. John Frederick Carden Michell (9 February 1933 – 24 April 2009)
was an English author and esotericist who was a prominent figure in the development
of the Earth mysteries movement. “The View Over Atlantis”, a book which he
privately published in 1969, with a republication following three years later.
Believing this earth energy to be a real magnetic phenomenon arising naturally from
the ground, Michell argued that an ancient religious-scientific elite had traveled the
world constructing the lines and various megalithic monuments in order to channel
this energy and direct it for the good of humanity. The tone of his work reflected "a
fervent religious feeling", describing the existence of an ancient, universal, and true
system of belief that was once spread across the ancient world but which had been
lost through the degeneracy of subsequent generations. He added however that this
ancient knowledge would be revived with the dawning of the Age of Aquarius,
allowing for what Michell described as the “rediscovery of access to the divine will”.
The Pagan studies scholar Amy Hale stated that “The View Over Atlantis” was “a
smash countercultural success”, while the historian Ronald Hutton described it as
“almost the founding document of the modern earth mysteries movement”. Fellow
ley-hunter and later biographer Paul Screeton considered it to be a “groundbreaking”
work which “re-enchanted the British landscape and empowered a generation to
seek out and appreciate the spiritual dimension of the countryside, not least
attracting them to reawaken the sleepy town of Glastonbury”. The book inspired an
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array of Earth Mysteries publications in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1972 Michell
published a sequel to The View Over Atlantis as City of Revelation. Shortly after
publication he stated that he had written the work in “almost two years of near total
solitude and intense study in Bath. This work was more complex than its predecessor,
including chapters on sacred geometry, numerology, gematria and the esoteric
concept of the New Jerusalem, and required an understanding of mathematics and
Classics to follow its arguments. To conclude, it’s necessary to mention that
throughout Michell's life, his “views remained relatively static”, albeit with some
exceptions. He characterised his viewpoint as “Radical Traditionalism”, which in his
words was a perspective “both idealistic and rooted in common sense”. Michell was a
proponent of the Traditionalist school of esoteric thought.

One more interesting figure of the period of New Age was Frances Amelia Yates.
This woman was one of the pioneers-scholars of Western esotericism. In addition to
this, she was an English historian who was interested in the study of the era of
Renaissance. She wrote a lot of books on the subject of esoteric history. One of her
famous work was “Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition”. It should be noted
that this book was popular among readers. “Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic
Tradition” is about an intellectual and spiritual luminary several centuries ahead of
his time. Bruno imagined astrological, mathematical and philosophical truths
staggering in their modern sensibility and haunting in their implications:

- The universe is not helocentric nor earth-centric, but is infinite, with stars really as
suns with their own planets surrounding them.

- God is not only one and within all of nature, but is a force and blinding love
completely separate even as it penetrates everything.

- Spiritual images of Egyptian and occult faiths long since passed are a way to
connect with and draw divine energies into earthly matter and the human heart.

- We are all one with the divine mind, and it unifies, instead of divides.
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All of the above sentiments got Bruno burned at the stake during the Roman
Inquisition. Yates meant in her thesis that hermetism, Hermes Trimestigus and the
wisdom of a pagan/panentheistic belief system/spiritual magic was what freed the
human mind from religious monotheistic dogmatism and allowed it to operate within
the world of matter via calculating flux- indeed, the magical tradition was what laid
the foundation for all of science as we know. This book was revolutionary at the time
of its publication. Why is this book a precious thing? “Giordono Bruno” is the book
which is indeed valuable as an overview of hermetic and esoteric thinking, and its
status as a classic work that would challenge scholarship of religion and history
stands to this day.

Finally, in addition to the books mentioned above, I would like to recommend a few
more interesting works:

 Birgit Lomborg “The Disciple's Mirror”. This book is as a guide in the noble
art of self-development. Innumerable are the sufferings and agonies which the
disciple's personality goes through whilst struggling forward along the path of
light.
 Clarissa Pinkola Estes “Women who run with the wolves”. This work shows
the reader how glorious it is to be daring, to be caring, and to be women. This
is the inspiring book, the “vitamins for women’s soul, for women who are cut
off from their intuitive nature: “Women who run with the wolves” is a road
map of all the pitfalls, those familiar and those horrifically unexpected, that a
woman encounters on the way back to her instinctual self”.