Author Teena Booth wants to restore the New Age Movement on Planet Earth. Back in the ’70s and ’80s, those of us who carried the vision of transforming the world into something better were not ashamed of the label “New Ager.” (I admit, I was one of them.)
        But then, somewhere in the ’80s and ’90s, that label grew to be some kind of badge that represented “woo-woo” concepts and the excuse for the status quo to find fault in those who were striving for higher consciousness and healing of the planet. Light workers shied away from the label and began calling themselves “spiritual” or... nothing at all.
        Not wanting to be labeled, many of us went our separate ways, did our own individual kind of spiritual practice, and missed out on being an actual “movement” that could have risen up and transformed our world long before now. Somehow the concept of “New Age” got all mixed up with every single idea that was “way out there,” such as crystals, channeling, tarot cards, Wicca, the occult and ... yes, extraterrestrials. (I tried not to take this too personally.)
        She says that walking through the aisle of your favorite book store and stopping at the “New Age” section, you will see topics of books that really have nothing to do with what the New Age really is. In other words, today’s New Agers are not only more discerning and more practical, but they are more interested in being of service to others and helping heal the planet.
        According to Booth, it is not a movement of crystal-crazed, esoteric madness, but a movement much better equipped to bring real transformation to our lives in both a personal way and collectively. “That late ’80s version of the movement clearly needed to go,” says Booth, “but in many ways, I think we threw the baby out with the bathwater. The world needs saving now more than ever, and it’s clear to me that if the New Age had been encouraged to grow and mature into a fuller expression of its core idealistic values, the world would be in a much better shape today.”
        People with high ideals, interested in the environment and social transformation, did not want to be associated with “New Age,” even though that’s what they were and still are. A rose by any other name is still a rose, after all.
        “The disappearance of the New Age label left tens of millions of people who explore alternative spirituality without a spiritual identity,” says Booth, “and consequently, without the means to amass the social capital necessary to achieve a better-world agenda.”
        In Unfinished Evolution, Booth says that reviving the New Age movement would enable spiritual progressives to join together under a common identity and allow them to tap into the power of their numbers when addressing threats to the future, such as nuclear war. “The only way to save ourselves from global warming and the other effects of a failing value system is through the concerted efforts of a holistic-minded community, like the New Age once was and could be again,” she says. “I have three kids, and it upsets me that they’re growing up surrounded by dread over economic collapse and environmental disaster.”
        Booth has launched a Web site, called www.newagepride.org, which is dedicated to the development of the New Age community and its ideas. It, along with her book which is due out in November, focuses on the core mission of uniting progressive groups to come together.
        I commend Teena Booth for her warrior spirit in writing a thought-provoking book for the “non-traditional,” label-averse spiritual types who just might discover there is good reason to take on a label after all.
The book contains excerpts from blog entries, a section on philosophy outlines of the basic precepts of New Age thinking, as well as a section on politics, a quiz, a “map of spiritual growth,” lists of books, Web sites and even the top 10 movies that Booth says express a New Age point of view.
        I, for one, am not ashamed to be known as a “New Ager.” Some time ago I adopted the philosophy that it’s really none of my business what other people think of me. Whether you agree with Booth or not, the book puts things into a new perspective.

Read "I'm a New Ager" by Ann Ulrich at her author Web site.