The New Age Fad
One of the problems of the New Age movement lies in the way many of those new to the movement regard it.. Granted, the general goals of most people seem to be quite positive. The many discussion groups, self-healing groups, aura cleansing groups, etc., all are working to make people's lives better, and to make the lives of those around them better, and also to help Mother Earth, in general.
Yet too many people have taken up the New Age banner as a form of fad. It seems that a number of the New Age books are of like manner, with various controversial claims being made, all to show how well developed spiritually, "So-And-So" is.
We deal with souls when we are involved in the New Age movement. Souls of people, alive now; soul development of people along their reincarnational paths; and even sometimes the souls of departed people who may be stuck in a limbo form (or even worse be stuck as a ghost upon this planet when they don't want to be).
To follow any spiritual path really requires dedication; a willingness to spend the time necessary to remain open intellectually; and to really live your beliefs. The standard of living one's beliefs has to apply to New Age people just as strictly as it (theoretically) applies to the TV evangelists.
We have been put on this earth for a purpose. We are to help others, and we are to try to grow spiritually at the same time. We are not here to try and become "Guru Number One of the Year". As the song by the Who says, "I told you what it takes to reach the highest high, but no one had the guts to leave the temple."
We must take the principles we develop by reading; through instruction; through our sharing groups; and then live those principles twenty-four hours a day. Granted, no one is perfect, and we will have setbacks. But we should still at least try to live by our principles.
The Native American spiritual approach was of that form. Prayers were made to animals that would serve as food. Offerings were left when things were taken from Mother Earth. Elderly people were respected, and those in want were helped if it were at all possible. They also did not do these things in order to store up karmic points, or make sure their names were writ large in the 'Book of Life'.
These things they were doing, because they were living their spirituality, walking their talk, as the current saying goes. This is what we need to try our very best to do, for this is not a simple computer game we are playing; it is the real game of life, with our souls as the playing boards.
At the same time, we should not attempt to "save" anyone else, nor should we necessarily assume that our values should be their values. The Medicine Path is a personal journey. No two people will ever make exactly the same journey. We can be good to others and help them however we can of course, but we cannot be their saviors.
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