Religion vs. New Age | PART 2 | Why people leave New Age and the unique perks of religion
This is Part 2 of the mini-series.
Read Part 1
Why some people leave New Age for religion
Remember Doreen Virtue? A prominent figure in modern spirituality who taught Angel communication and healing... only to disavow her own work later and leave the New Age movement for Christianity. She is but one face in a long line of people, famous and unknown, who spent years immersed in metaphysics, ultimately denounced it as “demonic”, and went on to follow Jesus.
I was astonished when someone I knew and respected for her grounded wisdom did the same not too long ago. That got me really curious: what compels people to make such a choice? Maybe there’s something I can learn from them!
As part of my research, I watched a collection of YouTube videos in which people describe that turning point when they decide to follow Jesus and leave behind anything that isn't part of his teachings, including all the New Age-y practices. To be clear: this pivot away from metaphysics doesn't happen exclusively in the direction of Christianity — it could be any other religion; it's just that there are more stories on the English-speaking Internet that involve Jesus, which makes it a readily available example for us to study.
As I listened to people's testimonies, I noticed a pattern. Every story seemed to involve one or more of the following elements:
1. A transformative spiritual experience
Like Doreen Virtue (as well as the person I knew), some people speak of having a revelatory experience where they "encounter Jesus" or "are called by God". That encounter with the Divine feels more "real" than anything they'd experienced within New Age; it instantly transforms their belief system and sets them on a new spiritual path.
2. Fear of the dark
Many folks report having a frightening encounter with some sort of demonic force while engaging in divination or another esoteric practice. It spooks them so much that they declare divination, channeling, and pretty much all New Age practices as "demonic" — and go on to seek comfort in religion. There's a belief that as long as one stays on the narrow path prescribed by religion, they will be protected from dark forces. (Surprisingly, it turns out that there's a grain of truth to this belief — we'll explore it in detail later!)
3. A moment of weakness
Another super common turning point that people describe is the moment of hitting rock bottom and feeling too broken and helpless to find one's own way out.
In that moment of weakness, what I believe kicks in is our basic human programming to turn to someone "bigger" and more powerful than ourself for help, safety, and comfort — a parental figure, a mighty protector, God... So these folks desperately call out to God, plead for help, maybe even surrender their will, and are then guided out of that dark place by some spiritual force. They give credit to God (or Jesus) and devote themselves to serving this "new" spiritual authority.
I believe that in all three scenarios above, people have a choice in how to interpret what's happening and how to respond to it. It makes sense that, when faced with something extreme, many folks will fall back on their default subconscious programming — which, in our Western civilization, is typically the Christian framework installed somewhere in the back of our mind, even if we've never paid much attention to religion.
Now, imagine if we were exposed to a different belief system earlier in life — one where there's no paternal God nor Savior figure to surrender to. The same scenarios may not compel us to respond in the same way.
I've certainly had my share of rock bottom moments, but with my background (Buddhism, non-duality, New Age), I can't seem to find in my Universe a paternal, personal Father God even if I really want to (maybe that's why I'm still here, writing a blog for New Agers 😉).
Similarly, one of my teachers describes a profound heart-opening spiritual experience that he attributed to a Christian Saint. While the event radically transformed him, ultimately, he integrated the experience and proceeded with his pursuit of enlightenment, resting on his foundation of Buddhism and non-duality. Were it not for that existing foundation, I'm sure that by now he'd be well on his way to becoming a Christian mystic. 😇
4. Inappropriate or surface-level involvement with New Age
This is another pattern I noticed in folks who went back to religion. Let's look at a few scenarios in this category.
a) It appears that some people had an underlying issue making them miserable, which New Age modalities failed to resolve — because the issue likely called for a different approach, perhaps psychotherapy, trauma work, lifestyle changes... New Age practices, which tend to open us up to a variety of energies, may have further challenged and energetically destabilized these people.
On the other hand, religion helped them feel more stable and grounded (there's an energetic reason why, which we'll explore in Part 3) as well as gave them a supportive community, and that did more for their wellbeing than New Age tools ever could.
b) People sampled various New Age concepts and modalities without a direction or proper guidance. With this scattered approach, they never developed any direct insight or a deeper connection to the Divine.
On the other hand, religion is good at providing the environment and the shortcuts to quickly give us a felt sense of connection to something greater, which may feel more "real" in comparison with some New Age practices. If you've experienced direct insight into reality or a deep sense of connection with your soul, Higher Self, Source, you know that it's not something you can deny and walk away from — while something that's known solely on an intellectual level is easy to set aside.
c) Many people engaged in New Age practices without following proper safety guidelines, which exposed them to a mixed bag of energies and ended up destabilizing them energetically or even psychologically. When they encountered some dark presence (which our environment is full of!), instead of questioning their own process and boundaries, people placed the blame on the New Age practices, or even denounced those practices as "demonic".
I've listened with an open mind to many arguments made by Christians about why esoteric practices are "of the Devil"; so far in every case, I found their logic flawed and was left unconvinced.
When people went back to religion, they felt safe and protected from the dark (again, there's a grain of truth to that — we'll explore it in Part 3).
Did I miss any other common scenario that pushes people away from New Age? Let me know in the comments!
The unique benefits offered by religion
I'll be honest — while listening to people's testimonies, I was hoping to hear a more compelling reason to leave New Age than being spooked by a demon while channeling because one didn't use energetic protection. 😉
So I attempted to find a "better" answer by contemplating my own experiences and those of people I knew, which led me to realize that... actually, there are some good reasons to follow a traditional spiritual path!
In fact, there are a few unique features and benefits offered by religion that we don't typically get when we engage in eclectic modern spirituality. I'll even admit to missing some of those features from my "Buddhist era".
The hardcore New Agers among you are cringing right now as I'm floating the idea that religion could be a good thing. You probably think it's dogmatic and outdated, and the Starseeds among you find the whole idea of Earthling religions very bizarre! 👽🤔
But let's keep our minds open and examine a few intrinsic features of religion that we rarely find in New Age.
And by presenting these, I'm in no way taking sides or arguing in favor of one path vs. the other! I wish for both paths to be seen as valid and for a greater understanding and respect between the two "camps" of people. There are things we can learn from each other. Ultimately, the goal is to reach such a point in our spiritual realization and integration where the path — whichever path we're on — becomes unnecessary and drops away.
If you're not at that pinnacle yet (I'm not), and especially if you've felt a bit lost, scattered, or stagnant in your growth while engaging only with New Age spirituality, let's look together at a few things that religion does differently. This might inspire you to find a creative way to incorporate some of these elements into your spiritual path, so that you can feel more fulfilled and supported on this journey.
The goal
In any religion, there's typically a clear purpose or destination that our lifelong spiritual journey is supposed to lead to. That goal could be: union with God, salvation, Eternal Life, entry into paradise, enlightenment, Buddhahood, liberation from the reincarnation cycle...
Question for you, fellow New Ager: what's your goal? A peaceful mind, healthier body, better intuition, connection to your Higher Self, awakening, Ascension? Or not having to incarnate on this planet again? 😉
I think we'll all have different answers to this question, and our answer may even change every so often! Some of us may realize we don't actually have any particular goal — we just enjoy and benefit from different practices, like meditation, Reiki, intuitive development... And some folks simply study this stuff out of intellectual curiosity about the Universe!
You probably know where I'm going with this: when there's no particular destination, no North Star guiding our efforts, we might be getting better at meditation or astrology, but are we making any meaningful progress in our personal and spiritual development?
As I was trying to get a glimpse of what it's like to be a religious seeker with a spiritual goal, it felt like having one's inner gaze always fixed on a higher plane. It also gave me a sense of being spiritually rooted or anchored.
If you haven't done so already, it could be beneficial to define for yourself what it is you're working toward, or what state of being you're aiming for, and use that as your compass in daily life.
The path
Religion offers a proven path to its spiritual goal. In some traditions, that path is laid out step-by-step, with clearly marked "graduations" to the next level. The seeker may undergo initiation ceremonies, study, reading of texts, practicing of virtues, training in skills, various practices and rituals, as well as instruction and guidance by a spiritual director (priest, pastor, lama, imam) who is trained to help people progress along the path.
Observing from our modern perspective, we might find certain practices and rituals outdated, unnecessary, or even silly. However, I like to think that there's more beyond the surface-level presentation or words of a practice. That ritual, mantra, or prayer can serve as a cue to instantly put us into a desired state of mind, can open a "portal" to access the Divine presence, can help cultivate certain mental, emotional, spiritual skills... It's not the external form — it's what the ritual or practice connects us to.
The religious path is time-tested: many masters and teachers have walked this path and figured out over time how to get past our stubborn human ego, our animal instincts, and all our fears and resistance in order to get us into a more elevated state and closer to the spiritual goal.
New Age, on the other hand, is not a spiritual path. It's a smorgasbord of helpful concepts, tools, and practices that we can pick and choose from.
It’s easy to be taking all the intuitive classes and reading all the channeled books without really evolving, growing spiritually, or becoming a better human. Therefore, I believe that New Age alone cannot fully replace religion — unless we're following a teacher who offers a path towards something (like Ascension), or unless we have a super hands-on Higher Self and Spirit Guides who usher us from one step to the next!
Code of ethics
One of the primary practical functions of any religion is to provide a moral code that defines virtues and transgressions, helps keep our worst egoic impulses at bay, and acts as a manual for how to be a decent human in a society.
What's the ethics code in New Age? I haven't found one! There are some rare modalities that come with professional ethical guidelines, but New Age is generally not in the business of teaching us about moral principles.
With our diverse family/social/cultural/spiritual backgrounds, we end up with quite a spectrum of views on ethics and acceptable behavior. I've certainly encountered plenty of New Age teachers, practitioners, and enjoyers who would have benefitted from being taught some humility, tolerance of differing views, responsible use of power, and respect for other people's (intellectual) property. 😉
A clear moral code etched in our subconscious mind comes in handy the most in those intense moments that we don't plan for: a crisis, a bout of anger, jealousy, fear... These are times when we don't think straight and can make mistakes. People with a solid religious foundation can lean on their spiritual training to prompt them how to respond in those moments, without falling into the worst behaviors that they'll later regret.
A significant reason for my positive view of religion is the way its followers show up in the world. As I think of various friends, colleagues, and neighbors who sincerely practice Christianity/Islam/Hinduism/Buddhism/etc, I find them particularly kind and delightful humans, and not just on the surface. There's something about consistently working on your spiritual growth within a moral framework that makes us better humans.
This doesn't at all imply that New Agers are untrustworthy when it comes to morality! There are plenty of truly beautiful hearts out there who act from the highest ethical standards — or even from a direct experience of Unity Consciousness. What I'm saying is that we, New Agers, are mostly on our own in this matter, and there's no consistency — it's not so rare to come across someone with amazing intuitive gifts or a huge following, only to be shocked by their supersized spiritual ego and lack of a moral compass.
I know you're tempted to point a finger at someone who's all about their faith, but is a menace outside of the church. Yes, every tradition has its "bad apples"! My focus here, however, is on people who sincerely practice and live their faith.
Ancient moral codes are not perfect. Some rules may not apply in our present-day reality. Others may have been written within a peculiar cultural context or become distorted in interpretation, making them unacceptable now. For instance, as I recently learned to my dismay, some religions teach that their followers are superior to other humans and are explicitly permitted to commit various atrocities against the out-group. A belief or "rule" like that goes against the Universal principles we learn in New Age, such as: each soul is a fractal of the same Divine Source, temporarily inhabiting a physical form, and therefore a human with a soul cannot be "superior" to another, nor exempt from the Law of Karma. While we probably shouldn't dismiss an entire religion as "evil", I do believe we must reject religious teachings such as the one in this example — if we are genuinely seeking truth and unity.
Spiritual protection
As you already know from Part 1, this investigation on the topic of religion was prompted by my discovery that a symbol of faith somehow offered greater protection against dark energies and entities than any metaphysical tools I'd tried (and, just to remind you, this personal experiment was inspired by an actual study in which people were subjected to a negative influence, and only those wearing the Christian Cross were left unaffected by it).
Having tried a variety of energy protection methods over the past few years, I've concluded that none are 100% effective. So, what makes the Cross or another symbol of faith so potent at keeping dark spirits away?
Even without wearing a symbol, I've long noticed — and this is just my perception — that people of strong faith have a certain vitality and energetic stability, and they're able to navigate the storms of life on a sure footing. Some of these people are public figures, and it’s interesting to observe how, even when a tidal wave of anger and hate is directed at them by the public, they seem unaffected and as full of health and vitality as ever — as if there's an impenetrable shield around them. In contrast, whenever ill will has been directed at me by even one person, I've felt it intensely.
It turns out that yes — there's an energetic reason why being part of a religion and also wearing a symbol of faith offers extra protection. In Part 3 of this mini-series, you'll find out why and how that works!
Also, just think of the lineage of countless teachers and masters who walked the Earth over the ages and added their knowledge, wisdom, effort, energy, and heart to the religion or path they followed: I imagine that being connected to such a lineage means being connected to a great source of energy and blessings, which may also contribute to our spiritual protection.
Community
The thing I miss the most from my days as a Buddhist practitioner is the community I was part of, with its regular group meditation and practice days, special classes with the Lama, celebration of holidays, helping with the upkeep of the community center, volunteer work on various projects...
A congregation or sangha is not quite the same as a New Age gathering. Sure — you can get a sense of community by chatting with the regulars at your weekly yoga class or monthly moon circle (until they move on to the next shiny group class, that is 😜). However, when you're part of a religious community, you're on the same lifelong journey towards the same spiritual goal with a group of brothers and sisters who share your values, who are committed to the journey, who will give you grace when you falter, prop you up when you need support, and cheer on your breakthroughs.
It's not impossible to find this in New Age. I would look for it in communities where there's a path to follow toward a specific goal, and where humility is encouraged. So many of the New Age communities I've experienced had drama and toxicity — often because of the leadership, but also because, in New Age, each of us is kind of doing our own thing and choosing our beliefs, and the spiritual ego can get out of hand and start insisting that our version of reality is the most correct one. 😉 Which brings us to the next "feature" of religion:
Humility
"Your personality has changed for the worse since you started your spiritual business", said someone who'd known me for years.
"Pfft!" I was quick to shrug off the claim, dismissing it as: "their ego can't handle my new confidence" and "their darkness can't handle my light". (Sound familiar? 😅)
Fast forward a few years later, when I reconnected with my Buddhist training and found myself navigating life with a bit more humility (which I discuss in the introduction to this series).
"Whoa. After all, they may have been right when they said that about me..."
Every religion teaches humility in its own way, whether it's through the awareness of something much greater than our self ("God" in monotheistic religions) or the recognition of how much work we have to do to discard our plentiful delusions and weaknesses and realize our true nature (as in Buddhism).
We are also taught by religion that we don't control everything: there are forces like Karma or God's Will.
Lastly, we're taught that the Universe doesn't revolve around us — there are countless other suffering beings who need our help.
In contrast, New Agers are typically taught that we manifest our reality (not that I dispute it), that the external is the reflection of what's inside of us, and that reality is subject to our Free Will. So the focus is on ourself much of the time.
Sometimes, the vast esoteric knowledge and intellectual understanding of complex metaphysical concepts and theories give rise to an inflated self-image and a big spiritual ego. We think of ourselves as more evolved and educated, and start looking down on the "normies" and the religious folks. We insist we know how the Universe really works, and... that arrogance ain't pretty.
I've seen this subtle arrogance in people, to a comical degree in some, and had to get honest with myself about it as well.
When we approach life with humility and openness to learning from others, we end up expanding our understanding and growing faster than we would have otherwise. And when we don't make ourselves the center of the Universe and insist on everything obeying our will, we suffer fewer disappointments and can learn to live in the natural flow (or Divine Flow) of life.
Sacred marriage
I may get some "heat" for this observation, but I've noticed a pattern of marriages breaking down after one partner, often a woman, gets into New Age and becomes all "empowered" in her spiritual growth (example of the day: Jessica Alba leaving her husband after two decades together).
Of course, we may simply evolve and change, outgrow our partners, or realize they weren't a great match, but I can't help but also notice how the extreme focus in New Age on the Self (self-awareness, self-actualization, self-empowerment) can become a destructive element when it comes to partnerships. (Do weigh in if you agree or disagree — I'm really curious!)
Here's the main point: religious people tend to approach marriage somewhat differently than the rest of us do. For example, Christians see marriage as another expression of their faith, as God's will, and as a shared journey of spiritual growth.
For a religious person, a marital union is not the sum of two individuals each seeking their own fulfillment, but an entity serving God or something greater than self. Loyalty to that union motivates people to set their ego aside and work out their differences. It makes sense that a marriage where the union is honored as much as the self, if not more, is likely to stand the test of time.
It's okay if you don't resonate with this approach to marriage, and I'm aware that it is completely incompatible with certain cultures! I simply find beauty in this approach and just want to offer this idea for you to contemplate — if it's relevant to your life journey.
A note for Starseeds
Many of us, New Agers, are aware that our souls have had many experiences in the stars, on other planets, before coming to Earth. We may be fairly new to incarnating as humans. Because of that, some of us resonate more with our star lineage than with our family's ancestry or any spiritual lineage that developed on this planet. What can an Earthly religion offer an ancient soul that has been around longer than the Earth itself? And if we do try to partake in a religion, we may feel like impostors.
If you feel this way, it doesn't mean you should just give up on the whole idea.
Here's one way to look at it: an Earthly religion is a time-tested path to elevating our consciousness while being confined to a human vessel living in a human society on this planet of extreme polarity and density. There's no doubt your soul has witnessed more advanced spiritual practices on other planets, but you are here now, experiencing yourself through the limitations of a human vessel. Personally, I'm grateful that the sages of the past have figured out a few paths that work for humans, and we can now tap into their wisdom and use their tools.
We can choose to lean on the helpful elements of a traditional path, while supplementing it with our more expanded understanding of reality and consciousness.
On a practical note, religion can also be a way to connect and integrate better with our family, community, or culture if we feel rootless and out of place as a Star Being trying to live among humans. 👽😉
Book recommendation
You would probably agree that there are several levels of meaning to the teachings and sacred texts of any religion — from the literal sense to the most mystical, symbolic, esoteric interpretation.
When it comes to the Christian doctrine, including the story of Jesus, I've never been able to connect to it in its literal form, so recently I decided to look for something that would explain it to me on a more mystical level, using terms I could relate to.
And I came across the perfect resource for that: a book by Adyashanti called Resurrecting Jesus: Embodying the Spirit of a Revolutionary Mystic.
Adyashanti is a wonderful Western spiritual teacher of non-duality, whose background is in Zen Buddhism. When I was going through a very confusing part of awakening, his teachings supported me greatly. I was also lucky to attend some of his events in person and to experience his huge energetic presence and delightful humor.
In this book, Adyashanti examines the story of Jesus as a metaphor for the spiritual awakening and integration process that each of us is undergoing, and the various characters in the story as archetypes we find in ourselves and other people. The author helps us see each part of the Jesus story from a mystical perspective, while using concepts and terms that we, New Agers, can relate to more easily than the typical religious language. As a bonus, while walking through the story, we receive an excellent overview and expanded understanding of the stages of the spiritual awakening process.
If you have access to Audible, I recommend listening to the audiobook version: this is really Adyashanti delivering a teaching like he normally would, which was turned into an audiobook format and later adapted for print as well.
This concludes my musings on religion. Now let's see what a Galactic Akashic Guide has to say on the topic and let's finally get answers to our questions! Do religious people have a different aura than New Agers? How do symbols of faith energetically protect us? What do we "plug into" when we follow a religion? And what is the Christian God? 🤔 Let's find out!
Proceed to PART 3 - Akashic Guide speaks: difference between the auras of New Agers and religious seekers, power of symbols of faith, and what is God
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