Some New Agers may try Buddha on for size, and/or the tenets of Buddhism. All Buddhists, however, are not New Agers. New Age has roots pretty far back but it started becoming well-known in the 60's and overlapped with the Hippy Dippies. Or maybe the Hippy Dippies segued into the New Age Movement. I was heavily involved in the New Age during the 80's after I moved to Kansas City. I took what I found valuable and left the rest. You may find me a little cynical about it because I saw some real abuses, people claiming to be "channeling" beings from outside our reality, etc. Look up New Age Movement in Wikipedia for a history of it. I knew a woman with a real following here in KC who at first seemed gently and non-threatening but as her following grew, she would brook no disagreement with her guidance nor any interference. She was about as much a fake as they came. I never did think any of the channels were "real" although I sat in on a lot of sessions because the people going to the groups were really nice people whose company I enjoyed. My sister was heavily involved in it and I also wanted to be there for her because I had a feeling that it was going to all come crashing down around her and it did and I'm glad I was there.

So, dear Jody, I've been there, done that, don't need to do that again. My belief system incorporates some New Age tenets, Catholicism, a bit of Buddhism, a lot of Native American spirituality. I once asked if God minded my involvement with any of the other spiritual followings and received a quite clear answer that God does not mind. This I believe: If you find two things that seem to be in disagreement with one another, once you learn to look at them from a higher perspective, both will be correct. Every religion, spiritual path has a piece of the truth; none of them individually has all. This also includes atheism and agnosticism. They, too, have pieces of the truth. When you put all the pieces together and look at it from the highest perspective, you will see the whole of creation and understand it. Of course, the moment you do that, you will be ascending and will no longer be of this world.

Tech1 had a great understanding of New Age ideas and incorporated them. I did not agree with all his conclusions nor his politics but I did respect his beliefs (well, other than his Conservatism--to me New Age and Conservatism is an oxymoron but again, I have to remind myself that all things are true when seeing them from that higher perspective. I have to constantly remind myself of this tenet).

That's pretty much all I'm going to say on the subject. This post actually belongs in Mysteries of the Universe.