New Age, the
New Age, the,a phrase and concept which became current in the 1960s (‘the age of Aquarius’, so called for astrological reasons). New Age thinking manifests itself in forms of Oriental mysticism, in yoga, Zen Buddhism, and the cult of the guru and the ashram: Hesse 's Siddhartha was adopted as a key text, as were the writings of Lebanese mystic Kahlil Gibran ( 1883 – 1931 ) and those of Carlos Castaneda ( ?1925 – 98 ), who explored shamanistic practices and the use of drugs (peyote) in Mexico through the wisdom of ‘Don Juan’. Tolkien 's fantasies were also admired, and produced many imitations. The New Age found a home in Britain in ecological and spiritual communities (Findhorn, Arthurian cults associated with Glastonbury), and in the USA (notably in California) in various groups seeking spiritual and psychological self-help and self-realization. The New Age was also the title of a periodical edited by ...
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