Editing New Age (section)

===Emergence and development: c. 1970–2000===
[[File:Barrel House.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Wooden barrel house in forest with surrounding footpaths|This barrel house was the first dwelling constructed at the [[Findhorn Ecovillage]]]]

{{Quote box|width=25em|align=right|quote=The late 1950s saw the first stirrings within the cultic milieu of a belief in a coming new age. A variety of small movements arose, revolving around revealed messages from beings in space and presenting a synthesis of post-Theosophical and other esoteric doctrines. These movements might have remained marginal, had it not been for the explosion of the counterculture in the 1960s and early 1970s. Various historical threads ... began to converge: nineteenth century doctrinal elements such as Theosophy and post-Theosophical esotericism as well as harmonious or positive thinking were now eclectically combined with ... religious psychologies: transpersonal psychology, Jungianism and a variety of Eastern teachings. It became perfectly feasible for the same individuals to consult the I Ching, practice Jungian astrology, read Abraham Maslow's writings on peak experiences, etc. The reason for the ready incorporation of such disparate sources was a similar goal of exploring an individualized and largely non-Christian religiosity.|source=— Scholar of esotericism Olav Hammer, 2001.{{sfn|Hammer|2001|p=73}} }}

By the early 1970s, use of the term ''New Age'' was increasingly common within the cultic milieu.{{sfn|Hammer|2001|p=73}} This was because—according to Sutcliffe—the "emblem" of the "New Age" had been passed from the "subcultural pioneers" in groups like Findhorn to the wider array of "countercultural baby boomers" between {{Circa|1967}} and 1974. He noted that as this happened, the meaning of the term ''New Age'' changed; whereas it had once referred specifically to a coming era, at this point it came to be used in a wider sense to refer to a variety of spiritual activities and practices.{{sfn|Sutcliffe|2003a|p=112}} In the latter part of the 1970s, the New Age expanded to cover a wide variety of alternative spiritual and religious beliefs and practices, not all of which explicitly held to the belief in the Age of Aquarius, but were nevertheless widely recognized as broadly similar in their search for "alternatives" to mainstream society.{{sfn|Hanegraaff|1996|p=97}} In doing so, the "New Age" became a banner under which to bring together the wider "cultic milieu" of American society.{{sfn|York|1995|p=33}}

The counterculture of the 1960s had rapidly declined by the start of the 1970s, in large part due to the collapse of the [[Intentional community|commune]] movement,{{sfn|Heelas|1996|p=54}} but it would be many former members of the counter-culture and [[hippie]] subculture who subsequently became early adherents of the New Age movement.{{sfn|Lewis|Melton|1992|p=xi}}
The exact origins of the New Age movement remain an issue of debate; Melton asserted that it emerged in the early 1970s,{{sfn|Melton|1992|p=18}} whereas Hanegraaff instead traced its emergence to the latter 1970s, adding that it then entered its full development in the 1980s.{{sfn|Hanegraaff|1996|p=12}} This early form of the movement was based largely in Britain and exhibited a strong influence from theosophy and [[Anthroposophy]].{{sfn|Hanegraaff|1996|p=97}} Hanegraaff termed this early core of the movement the ''New Age sensu stricto'', or "New Age in the strict sense".{{sfnm|1a1=Hanegraaff|1y=1996|1p=97|2a1=Sutcliffe|2a2=Gilhus|2y=2013|2p=4}}

Hanegraaff terms the broader development the ''New Age sensu lato'', or "New Age in the wider sense".{{sfnm|1a1=Hanegraaff|1y=1996|1p=97|2a1=Sutcliffe|2a2=Gilhus|2y=2013|2p=4}} Stores that came to be known as "New Age shops" opened up, selling related books, magazines, jewelry, and crystals, and they were typified by the playing of New Age music and the smell of incense.{{sfn|Sutcliffe|2003a|pp=126–127}}This probably influenced several thousand small metaphysical book- and gift-stores that increasingly defined themselves as "New Age bookstores",<ref>{{Citation|title=Fifty Years Among the New Words: A Dictionary of Neologisms, 1941–1991|first1=John|last1=Algeo|first2=Adele S.|last2=Algeo|year=1991|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=[https://archive.org/details/fiftyyearsamongn0000unse/page/234 234]|isbn=978-0521449717|url=https://archive.org/details/fiftyyearsamongn0000unse}}</ref>  while New Age titles came to be increasingly available from mainstream bookstores and then websites like [[Amazon.com]].{{sfn|Pike|2004|p=16}}

Not everyone who came to be associated with the New Age phenomenon openly embraced the term ''New Age'', although it was popularised in books like [[David Spangler]]'s 1977 work ''Revelation: The Birth of a New Age'' and [[Mark Satin]]'s 1979 book ''New Age Politics: Healing Self and Society''.{{sfn|Sutcliffe|2003a|p=124}} [[Marilyn Ferguson]]'s 1982 book ''[[The Aquarian Conspiracy]]'' has also been regarded as a landmark work in the development of the New Age, promoting the idea that a new era was emerging.{{sfn|Chryssides|2007|p=9}} Other terms that were employed synonymously with ''New Age'' in this milieu included "Green", "Holistic", "Alternative", and "Spiritual".{{sfn|Sutcliffe|2003a|p=128}}

1971 witnessed the foundation of [[Erhard Seminars Training|est]] by [[Werner H. Erhard]], a transformational training course that became a part of the early movement.{{sfn|Heelas|1996|pp=58–60}} Melton suggested that the 1970s witnessed the growth of a relationship between the New Age movement and the older New Thought movement, as evidenced by the widespread use of [[Helen Schucman]]'s ''[[A Course in Miracles]]'' (1975), New Age music, and crystal healing in New Thought churches.{{sfn|Melton|1992|pp=25–26}} Some figures in the New Thought movement were skeptical, challenging the compatibility of New Age and New Thought perspectives.{{sfn|Melton|1992|pp=26–27}} During these decades, Findhorn had become a site of [[pilgrimage]] for many New Agers, and greatly expanded in size as people joined the community, with workshops and conferences being held there that brought together New Age thinkers from across the world.{{sfn|Pike|2004|p=29}}

[[File:New Age Shrine Glastonbury - geograph.org.uk - 167848.jpg|thumb|alt=A new age shrine. |New Age shrine in [[Glastonbury]], England]]

Several key events occurred, which raised public awareness of the New Age subculture: publication of [[Linda Goodman]]'s best-selling astrology books ''Sun Signs'' (1968) and ''Love Signs'' (1978); the release of [[Shirley MacLaine]]'s book ''[[Out on a Limb (Shirley MacLaine book)|Out on a Limb]]'' (1983), later adapted into a television mini-series with the same name (1987); and the "[[Harmonic Convergence]]" [[Syzygy (astronomy)|planetary alignment]] on August 16 and 17, 1987,<ref>{{Harvnb |Hanegraaff|1996 | p=335}}</ref> organized by [[José Argüelles]] in [[Sedona, Arizona]]. The Convergence attracted more people to the movement than any other single event.{{sfn|Lewis|Melton|1992|p=ix}} Heelas suggested that the movement was influenced by the "enterprise culture" encouraged by the U.S. and U.K. governments during the 1980s onward, with its emphasis on initiative and self-reliance resonating with any New Age ideas.{{sfn|Heelas|1996|p=168}}

Channelers [[Jane Roberts]] ([[Seth Material]]), Helen Schucman (''[[A Course in Miracles]]''), [[J. Z. Knight]] ([[Ramtha]]), [[Neale Donald Walsch]] (''[[Conversations with God]]'') contributed to the movement's growth.<ref>{{Harvnb |Lewis|1992 | pp=22–23}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb |Drury|2004 | pp=133–134}}</ref> The first significant exponent of the New Age movement in the U.S. has been cited as [[Ram Dass]].{{sfnm|1a1=Kyle|1y=1995|1pp=66–67|2a1=York|2y=1995|2p=35}} Core works in the propagating of New Age ideas included Jane Roberts's Seth series, published from 1972 onward,{{sfn|Pike|2004|p=16}} Helen Schucman's 1975 publication ''A Course in Miracles'',{{sfnm|1a1=York|1y=1995|1pp=35–36|2a1=Pike|2y=2004|2p=16}} and [[James Redfield]]'s 1993 work ''[[The Celestine Prophecy]]''.{{sfnm|1a1=Sutcliffe|1y=2003a|1p=127|2a1=Pike|2y=2004|2p=16}} A number of these books became [[best seller]]s, such as the Seth book series which quickly sold over a million copies.{{sfn|Pike|2004|p=16}} Supplementing these books were videos, audiotapes, compact discs and websites.{{sfn|Pike|2004|p=17}} The development of the internet in particular further popularized New Age ideas and made them more widely accessible.{{sfn|Pike|2004|p=18}}

New Age ideas influenced the development of [[rave]] culture in the late 1980s and 1990s.{{sfn|Partridge|2004|p=168}} In Britain during the 1980s, the term ''[[New Age Travellers]]'' came into use,{{sfn|Sutcliffe|2003a|p=129}} although York characterised this term as "a misnomer created by the media".{{sfn|York|2001|p=370}} These New Age Travellers had little to do with the New Age as the term was used more widely,{{sfn|Chryssides|2007|p=8}} with scholar of religion Daren Kemp observing that "New Age spirituality is not an essential part of New Age Traveller culture, although there are similarities between the two worldviews".{{sfn|Kemp|2004|p=34}} The term ''New Age'' came to be used increasingly widely by the popular media in the 1990s.{{sfn|Sutcliffe|2003a|p=129}}