New Age

[mwmroe]

I got involved in Hinduism and the New Age movement many years ago. Hinduism is everywhere and it is infiltrating every area of our society and the Church. At the heart of yoga is Hinduism. You can’t separate yoga from Hinduism. For me, my guru was all important. He was God! I loved him and I gave my life to him. The goal of my guru was to convert people to his religion. At the time I was looking for a family community. I was looking for a sense of meaning and belonging and I tossed my Christian beliefs aside for Hinduism and the New Age. I was very naïve. I ended up surrendering myself to my guru and I gave up most of my possessions in pursuit of non-attachment. My Hindu beliefs taught me that there was no such thing as sin and that led me to die to the voice of conscience inside that told me that something was wrong. I had very little or no moral standards. I become completely consumed with my guru he was all I thought about. Everything I did or thought about was about my guru. If I were in his presence I would have been completely under his control. Eventually, over time I loss my sense of identity. I no longer knew who I was. And it took me many years to recover my sense of identity. This was a horrible experience. I now realize the redemptive power of suffering, but to a Hindu suffering is only in the mind it is and illusion they call Maya which is overcome by enlightenment. Reincarnation and karma are also common ideas. I learned that Hinduism teaches the opposite of Christianity. Hinduism teaches reincarnation, Christianity teaches the resurrection. They both can’t be true. Through the practice of yoga I aroused the psychic force within called kundalini. I experienced the supernatural and it completely consumed my life. I felt like I was being possessed. This was very strange and dangerous, because I really didn’t know what I was doing. Eventually, I gave up Hinduism and any New Age practices for Christianity and now I can say that I am much happier.

My Guru: Adi Da Samraj – (Ruchira Avatara Bhakti Yoga) I studied and practiced this yoga for approximately five years. And during that time…enrolled in his expensive correspondence course. The relationship to this guru had a devastating effect on my life. At one point I even moved closer to his ashram in Clear Lake California to be closer to him.

Other yoga’s and guru’s I followed –

Jnana yoga - Sri Ramana Maharshi - This yoga had a strong influence on me. I studied it mainly through books.

Sri Ramakrishna - Swami Vivekananda – I read many of their books and attended services at Vedanta Society of Berkeley.

Jiddu Krishnamurti – The teachings of Krishnamuriti had powerful influence on me. I got deeply involved in his philosophy and attended a conference in Ojai California.

Kriya yoga - Paramhansa Yogananda - I took a correspondence course through the mail. I don’t remember much about it.

Integral yoga - Sri Aurobindo and the Mother – I studied his philosophy, but had a difficult time comprehending it. I moved into an ashram with some of his devotees in California where we practiced Karma yoga.

Towards the end I got involved with Transcendental Mediation, Tantra yoga and Kundalini yoga. I also dabbled with the I Ching.

I’ve had several other experiences with swamis, gurus and teachers, but I just mentioned the ones that had the greatest influences on me. At one point I even received Shaktipat from a local guru after spending a substantial amount of money to receive it.

Some New Age things I got involved with.

Hemi-Sync – Created by Robert Monroe – I spent a substantial amount of money to purchases his hemi-sync technology to induce out-of-body experiences. I was fascinated by the idea of out-of-body experiences and over the years read several books on the subject.

Channeling and the use of crystals – divination
Meditation
New Age music
Lucid Dreaming
Astrology and Numerology

I found this video “God’s of the New Age” it has a lot of good information you may find informative and helpful. I hope that more people on this forum will watch this video. I believe it can shed some light on the hidden dangers within Hinduism and the New Age. Also, Fr. Mitch Pacwa is very knowledgeable about New Age trends. He wrote a book called Catholic’s and the New Age. You may also find his radio programs helpful as well. When you start this video be patient. It takes a few seconds before it will start. You may want to wait until it is convenient for you to watch this video, because it is 1 hr 46 min long.

God’s of the New Age
video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6272335793596892362&q=god%27s+of+the+new+age

EWTN Audio Library File Index Audio by Fr. Mitch Pacwa
ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/file_index.asp?SeriesId=842969394&pgnu

 

[Henning]

Interesting to read. I used to dabble with yoga. Made my way more than a few times to Kripalu yoga ashram in Massachusetts while it was still under yogi Amrit Desai. Still am drawn to the physical aspects, asanas and such, but trying to move over to J. Pilates techniques, because I would agree with you about the physical’s connection with the spiritual…start doing a set of asanas then the breath comes in, then the visualization and flow of kundalini, memories of gurus and mental techniques flood in and all of a sudden feel like Bhagwan Dass planning trips to India and such. I’m glad Christ snatched you out of it, sounds like you were in pretty deep.

Yea, new age is all over the place. How many Oprah Winfrey episodes have been about reincarnation?, she’s really into it.
I’m still a bit drawn to lucid dreaming. Read Stephen Laberge’s book on it, seems, so far to me, to be a neutral/non-religious practice. Some people lucid dream naturally without any training/practice.

Will try to watch at least some of ‘God’s of the New Age’.
thanks for the post. H

 

[ralphinal]

I still want to know why no one who claims to be re-incarnated was ever a chamber=pot cleaner or a Royal behind wiper in the past. They were generals or princesses or some such.

Someone had to dig outhouses and slop hogs you know.

 

[JMJ_coder]

I still want to know why no one who claims to be re-incarnated was ever a chamber=pot cleaner or a Royal behind wiper in the past. They were generals or princesses or some such.

Someone had to dig outhouses and slop hogs you know.

Or why in their former lives they didn’t leave behind some secret safety deposit box filled with jewels or stocks and bonds from the early 20th century that would be worth millions now (even with the current slump - to put it mildly) for their present life.

 

[ralphinal]

Or why in their former lives they didn’t leave behind some secret safety deposit box filled with jewels or stocks and bonds from the early 20th century that would be worth millions now (even with the current slump - to put it mildly) for their present life.

Duh, only the Jews did that

Don’t kill me Valke et al.

 

[Hajnalcsillag]

I still want to know why no one who claims to be re-incarnated was ever a chamber=pot cleaner or a Royal behind wiper in the past. They were generals or princesses or some such.

Someone had to dig outhouses and slop hogs you know.

The old New York Rangers’ goalie Gilles Gratton once took a puck in the side and went down hurt. When the trainer came out, he asked, “Okay Gilles, where’d it get you?” Gratton responded with, “It hit me in the same spot where I was stabbed when I was a Spanish swordfighter in the 14th century.” The trainer just looked at him and said, “Gilles, you need a different kind of doctor. You know, the one with a couch in his office.”

 

[Hajnalcsillag]

I believe that most of the stuff about reincarnation from folks like Oprah comes back to a sense that there is no justice if we can’t witness it. Someone cuts you off in traffic? Well, if they wreck five miles up the road, it’s payback. If you never see them again (and they don’t wreck), then they’ll just come back in 100 years as a worm or something.

To my untrained eyes, it’s more of a personal comfort for those who miss the forest for the trees.