Introduction

Whenever the expression ‘New Age’ is used in a rural community, it often conjures up images of scruffy dropouts travelling around the countryside in beaten-up buses, camping on other people's land, and playing havoc with local economies. Though that phenomenon is there, describing such people as ‘New Age travellers’ can create the impression that ‘New Age’ concerns only a minority fringe element within society. The reality is, however, quite different, and exponents of mainstream ‘New Age’ spirituality are to be found in all walks of life. Moreover, they are actually raising some fundamental questions about the future of western civilization which, through the impact of globalization, might also be about the future of the world.

Origins

Before turning to the ‘New Age’ proper, it is important to note that it is not the same thing as those organizations that are referred to as ‘New Religious Movements’, or more popularly ‘cults’ (Barker, 1989; Saliba, 1995; Arweck, 2002). Whereas a New Religious Movement (NR M) is typically a highly structured organization, with clear boundaries and definitions of membership, the ‘New Age’ is a much more diffuse category demonstrating a high degree of ambivalence and with no clear boundaries and certainly no concept of membership.