In recent years the New Age movement has attracted much attention in our society
and the reaction to it has often been one of fear and confusion. The purpose of this
exploratory study is to provide empirical data on the movement in an unbiased, nonjudgmental
way. The qualitative research approach, and more specifically the
phenomenological method, are utilised in order to arrive at some understanding of
the phenomenon and what it means to its adherents
Firstly, a framework comprising vertical historical streams (the alternative tradition
in the west, the eastern philosophies, humanistic and transpersonal psychology and
the new physics) from which the movement issues, and horizontal levels which
represent different layers of the movement (the commercial, the level of personal
empowerment, social transformation, and the rebirth of the sacred), is established in
order to give context to the seemingly contradictory data on the New Age movement.
Secondly, central concepts concerning the spiritual dimension of the movement are
isolated and explored in unstructured interviews with carefully selected participants.
Next, the vision and expectations of a New Age are explored and the New Age
worldview with regard to the concept of God, an holistic cosmology, anthropology
and theodicy is investigated. This is followed by discussions of the central issues of
direct knowledge as opposed to dogma and doctrines, and the important goals of
personal, social and planetary healing and transformation.
From these data an ideal-typical South African New Ager is constructed, providing
the reader with an instrument with which to identify manifestations of the movement.
Reasons for the movement's growth are found in disillusionment with modernity
and the subsequent spiritual reawakening and paradigm shift that followers
are experiencing. It is concluded that the core of the New Age movement represents
a popular manifestation of the constructive postmodern worldview that is espoused
by leading thinkers of our time. / Religious Studies and Arabic / D. Litt. et Phil. (Religious Studies)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:umkn-dsp01.int.unisa.ac.za:10500/16117 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Steyn, Helena Christina |
| Contributors | Krüger, J. S. (Jacobus Stefanus), 1940-, Schurink, Willem Johannes |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 1 online resource (viii, 350) |
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