Editing New Age (section)

===Eclecticism and self-spirituality===
The New Age places strong emphasis on the idea that the individual and their own experiences are the primary source of authority on spiritual matters.{{sfnm|1a1=Hanegraaff|1y=1996|1pp=201–202|2a1=Heelas|2y=1996|2pp=21–23|3a1=Pike|3y=2004|3p=26}} It exhibits what Heelas termed "unmediated individualism",{{sfn|Heelas|1996|pp=21–23}} and reflects a world-view that is "radically democratic".{{sfn|Riordan|1992|p=124}} It places an emphasis on the freedom and autonomy of the individual.{{sfnm|1a1=Heelas|1y=1996|1pp=26–27|2a1=MacKian|2y=2012|2p=119}} This emphasis has led to ethical disagreements; some New Agers believe helping others is beneficial, although another view is that doing so encourages dependency and conflicts with a reliance on the self.{{sfn|Heelas|1996|p=25}} Nevertheless, within the New Age, there are differences in the role accorded to voices of authority outside of the self.{{sfn|Heelas|1996|p=34}} Hammer stated that "a belief in the existence of a core or true Self" is a "recurring theme" in New Age texts.{{sfn|Hammer|2001|p=11}} The concept of "[[personal growth]]" is also greatly emphasised among New Agers,{{sfnm|1a1=Hanegraaff|1y=1996|1p=46|2a1=Sutcliffe|2y=2003a|2p=188}} while Heelas noted that "for participants spirituality ''is'' life-itself".{{sfn|Heelas|2006|p=27}}

New Age religiosity is typified by its eclecticism.{{sfn|Hammer|2001|p=163}} Generally believing that there is no one true way to pursue spirituality,{{sfn|MacKian|2012|pp=118–119}} New Agers develop their own worldview "by combining bits and pieces to form their own individual mix",{{sfn|Hammer|2001|p=28}} seeking what Drury called "a spirituality without borders or confining dogmas".{{sfn|Drury|2004|p=8}} The anthropologist David J. Hess noted that in his experience, a common attitude among New Agers was that "any alternative spiritual path is good because it is spiritual and alternative".{{sfn|Hess|1993|p=36}} This approach that has generated a common jibe that New Age represents "supermarket spirituality".{{sfn|Partridge|2004|p=32}} York suggested that this eclecticism stemmed from the New Age's origins within [[late modernity|late modern]] capitalism, with New Agers subscribing to a belief in a free market of spiritual ideas as a parallel to a free market in economics.{{sfn|York|2001|p=367}}

As part of its eclecticism, the New Age draws ideas from many different cultural and spiritual traditions from across the world, often legitimising this approach by reference to "a very vague claim" about underlying global unity.{{sfn|Hammer|2001|p=139}} Certain societies are more usually chosen over others;{{sfnm|1a1=Hammer|1y=2001|1p=199|2a1=Kemp|2y=2004|2p=49}} examples include the ancient Celts, ancient Egyptians, the [[Essenes]], [[Atlantis|Atlanteans]], and ancient extraterrestrials.{{sfn|Kemp|2004|p=47}} As noted by Hammer: "to put it bluntly, no significant spokespersons within the New Age community claim to represent ancient Albanian wisdom, simply because beliefs regarding ancient Albanians are not part of our cultural stereotypes".{{sfn|Hammer|2001|p=199}} According to Hess, these ancient or foreign societies represent an exotic "Other" for New Agers, who are predominantly white Westerners.{{sfn|Hess|1993|p=48}}