Encyclopedia of the New Age: The Origins and Development of the World's Spiritual and Mystical Traditions Book

Lavishly illustrated with hundreds of full-colour photographs and illustrations, this is a treasure trove of information on the origins and development of spiritual and mystical traditions, which often find expression in the West as New Age practices. For such a vast compendium of beliefs and practices, the author has helpfully and unusually organised his material geographically. Thus, the section on the Americas includes American-Indian beliefs and practices such as Medicine Wheel, Europe includes Greek, Celtic and Norse mysticism, as well as sections on witches, sacred stones and dowsing, India includes tantra, yoga and meditation as well as overviews of the Hindu and Buddist belief systems from which they developed and so on. As such, the book also works as an overview of comparative spiritual practices. Each geographical section opens with a map showing the relationship of people to their landscape, indicating key migrations that spread and syncretised religions, sacred sites and the concentration of particular beliefs and practices, in addition to a timeline for each region.Thompson covers the key themes of the philosophies of some of the world's great civilisations and explains their relationship to nature and to the spirit world in daily life and so to their practices of healing and personal development, many of which persist in one form or another. The pattern that emerges demonstrates how closely New Age thinking is allied to the most ancient spiritual traditions. Inevitably, with such a sweeping view, some depth gets lost. This is an entertaining and enlightening introduction, rather than a source for the experienced practitioner or scholar. But if you have ever wondered how Chinese astrology works, what the benefits of colour healing are or what Feng Shui is all about, this is a fascinating journey across time and the globe to investigate the origins of ancient beliefs and customs and the forms in which they survive today. --Fiona BucklandRead More