4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The diverse New Age spectrum- Inner Spiritual Transformation, March 4, 2006
This review is from: New Age Encyclopedia (Hardcover)
_This was the first reference book that I obtained on the subject of the "New Age" movement. Personally, it proved to be very useful over the years in explaining beliefs, concepts, terms, people, and organisations. While it is true that it was published in 1990, it still serves to provide the roots and background to all the diverse elements that are usually associated with the "New Age."
_There is a wealth of detailed, well-written information here. Most of it comes from the collections of the Institute for the Study of American Religion- which became the American Religions Collection at the University of California- Santa Barbara in 1985. This is the largest collection of publicly accessible New Age books, periodicals, and ephemera in the country.
_The introductory essay is accurate and perceptive (and for a change gives proper credit to the Theosophical Society.) The overall tone of this essay, and the majority of the entries, is understanding and sympathetic to the people and ideas involved- this is not a "skeptics" publication.
There is an appendix of educational institutions, though this might be rather dated by now. There is also a full index (but it is referenced by both page and article numbers and can be rather confusing.) Still, it is an unique and valuable reference densely packed with information that is both difficult to find and impossible to find in another single volume.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
STILL AN AMAZINGLY USEFUL REFERENCE WORK ON "NEW AGE" TOPICS/PERSONALITIES, June 21, 2011
J. Gordon Melton is a VERY respected scholar of religions, and has written/edited many standard works in the field (e.g.,
Finding Enlightenment: Ramtha's School of Ancient Wisdom,
Religions of the World [6 volumes]: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices,
Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America (Religious Information Systems) (Vol 7), etc.).
Melton wrote in the Introduction to this 1990 book, "The New Age Encyclopedia moves away from the polemical stances taken by Evangelical Christians, skeptics, and others to provide a balanced, objective, and comprehensive overview of the New Age Movement as well as information about its many ideological and structural components and major leaders. The authors have endeavored to provide a clear, factual description of the New Age world---its people, organizations, and opinions---unaccompanied by personal opinions concerning the movement's viability or its ultimate religious or philosophical value. The Encyclopedia also brings together the diverse elements of the movement for the first time, providing readers with a convenient and authoritative source for information on the New Age."
Here are some quotations from the book:
"(Swedenborg) claimed he was taken astrally on a tour of the solar system, to its outer edge and beyond. Yet, strangely enough, he passed only the commonly known planets of his day, zooming past Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, but taking no notice of them." (Pg. xxiii)
"It was among the space-oriented messengers, generally called 'contactees,' that the term channeling was first used to describe the process of receiving material from the masters." (Pg. 59)
"In the late 1980s, as international tensions cooled in the wake of arms control agreements and democratic change in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, worldwide problems such as drugs, AIDS, crime pollution, and hunger came to be viewed as more clear and immediate dangers than nuclear war. Consequently, (Helen) Caldicott's message lost much of its urgency and she, like other ringers of the nuclear alarm bell, lost much of her audience." (Pg. 82)
"Randall Baer has since denounced his book on crystals (
The Crystal Connection: A Guidebook for Personal and Planetary Ascension) as he has converted to Evangelical Christianity." (Pg. 141; see his book,
Inside the New Age Nightmare: For the First Time Ever...a Former Top New Age Leader Takes You on a Dramatic Journey)
"In 1986-1987, (Ramtha channeler T.Z.) Knight became the object of public controversy as the national media focused on her success. She had moved to Yelm, Washington, built an expensive home, and owned an Arabian horse breeding ranch... many of those attracted to her work had moved to Washington and surrounding states, designed as a safe haven in the face of future earthquakes and other natural disasters predicted by Ramtha for the near future. Some of the moves split families, and led to divorces... Still other controversy has stemmed from advice given by Ramtha to some of his followers to invest in Knight's arabian horses." (Pg. 253-254)
"(Edith) Fiore said (in her book
You Have Been Here Before: A Psychologist Looks at Past Lives) that in cases in which patients gave verifiable information, such as names and dates, follow-up investigation would be conducted and reported in a future publication. No such work appeared, however, and Fiore would go on to write books on her hypnotic probings of spirit possession (
The Unquiet Dead: A Psychologist Treats Spirit Possession) and UFO abductions (
Encounters)." (Pg. 344)
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