Vatican Newspaper comments on Madame Blavatskyhttp://www.blavatsky.net/features/vane/vane1998/roman-observer.htm

It notes: Foundations of New Age "particularly clear in Blavatsky's works"

The three objects of Theosophical Society; "Blavatsky defended the emancipation of women"

"The Secret Doctrine of Mme Blavatsky is the wellspring of" the idea of "the figure of Lucifer as the agent of this initiation of the new age". Therefore The Secret Doctrine is (or may not be) the

inspiration to "organized satanic movements", depending upon further research.

On May 7, 1998, the official Vatican City State newspaper "L'Osservatore Romano", published an article, "A Key to Understand the New Age" by Teresa Osorio Goncalves in Italian. This is significant because it has been intimated that the Pope will be issuing an encyclical commenting on the New Age. Before the Pope issues an encyclical it is common practice to comment in the Vatican newspaper, "leaking" the ideas to prepare the faithful. Since this will be the first time the Pope has officially spoken on occultism this will be a particularly significant pronouncement.Two weeks later the Vatican correspondent, Farley Clinton, of the English language Christian magazine "The Wanderer" published a brief review of the Italian article and called it "Encyclical on the New Age Might Be Coming Soon". This article indicated that Madame Blavatsky would be specifically acknowledged as the source of the New Age. Since Theosophists have long sought to have Blavatsky receive the credit that is her due, this is welcome news indeed, even if, ironically, it comes in the form of condemnation from the pope. See their response on page 11 -MichaelBecause of the significance of this projected encyclical, Blavatsky Net (at www.blavatsky.net) has obtained a copy of the original and much longer article in Italian by Ms. Goncalves and translated it into English. Key observations from that article are noted above. So there we have it. Official certification from the Vatican City State newspaper, though sometimes indirectly expressed, that Madame Blavatsky is effectively the founder of the new age. (But bear in mind an encyclical, which has yet to be issued, ordinarily is not an infallible document and does not carry the weight of an ex cathedra statement.)The translation of the Italian article into English is given below. While some may quarrel with some points, the lengthy description of the New Age by Goncalves is, in our opinion, at least a mostly rational attempt at analysis without name-calling or vituperation. The metaphysical views presented by Blavatsky and absorbed into the new age, do indeed differ from those of orthodox Christianity as correctly indicated in the article. Blavatsky should indeed be credited, as the article asserts, with establishing the feminist movement in its desire for equality. And we agree completely with the concluding paragraph. (You may like it too.) And we are glad to see the objects of the Theosophical movement observed by the Roman Observer.As for the misinformed and desperate attempt in some Catholic circles to relate Satanism with Blavatsky through her understanding of Lucifer (a really horrible error), this can be corrected by noting Blavatsky's articles "What's in a Name" and the more detailed article "History of a Planet".Also you may also wish to see "Why Christianity Must Change or Die". This is our best selection for a book representing an acute example of the issue facing the Pope.In the article below we have added BOLD and other typographical effects for your convenience.-Reed CarsonAnd here is the article: [All emphases theirs –Michael]

A Key to Understand the New AgeBy Teresa Osorio Goncalves

Whoever approaches the diverse cultural, religious, therapeutic, artistic expressions that use the "New Age" or "Age of Aquarius" symbol with the intention of gathering that which unifies them can feel a sense of bewilderment, as if having entered a labyrinth. There doesn't exist a unified center nor a unique inspiring center that nevertheless presents a familiar air and has common public promotional expression, connected by a complex network of global dimensions.

As point of departure, we can define the New Age as a cultural trend, rooted in the western esotericism of the 19th century and made popular in the second half of the 20th century, which presents itself under the mythological astrological sign of Aquarius. The central idea, writes Jean Veruette, is that at the eve of the year 2000, humanity is about to enter into a new era, gripped by a spiritual consciousness at the planetary level of harmony and light. The second coming of Christ, is about to be realized, as is being maintained by a few, and whose energies would already be in action among us, within the manifold spiritual research, and the numerous religious groups.

RootsThe expressions "New Age" or "Age of Aquarius" come out of the European and American esoteric environment from the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, where the scientific ideas of evolutionism were applied to the psychological and spiritual story of humanity fueled the expectation for a radical change. Astrological speculations contributed to corroborate this expectation.One of the seminal books is L'Ere du Verseau, published in 1937 from the French esotericist Paul Le Cour. Based upon ancient astrological theories, according to him, the sun would accordingly change zodiacal sign approximately every 2169 years. Le Cour had maintained that the Age of Pisces was about to finish having been initiated on the 21 of March of the common Christian era and that the sun was about to enter the sign of Aquarius. During the era of Pisces it was characterized by great restrictions, and innumerable wars. The age of Aquarius will be distinctly different by the abundance, symbolized by the mythic figure of the water bearer, the young Ganimede who spills water by tilting an urn.In order to understand the cultural movement that was defined later between the years 1960 and 1980, it is necessary therefore to look at its essential matrix, that we find in the traditional esoteric-theosophy diffused in the intellectual European environment of the 18th to 19th century and especially in the cultural circles of masons, of spiritualism, of occultism, of theosophy. These circles shared a form of esoteric culture, defined (according to the French specialist Antoine Favre {A. Favre, Access to Western Esotericism, Sunny Press, Albany, 1994 pp. 10-15}) with these elements:

-the visible and invisible universe is connected by a series of correspondences, of analogies, of microcosmic and macrocosmic influences, through metals and plants, through these and various parts of the human body, through the cosmos that is seen and those invisible levels of that reality.

-nature is a vibrant being, crossed by networks of sympathy and antipathy, animated by a light and an occult fire that Man seeks to control.

-through the imagination, which is an organ of the spirit, Man can enter into contact with the superior or inferior world resorting to mediators (angelic, spiritual, demonic) or to ritual;

-it is proposed to Man a spiritual itinerary of transformation, that will initiate him into mysteries of the Cosmos, of God and the proper being, making him arrive at the gnosis (knowledge), the most high consciousness, that coincides with salvation.

-there is a search for a philosophical tradition (perennial philosophy) and a religion (primordial theology) previous and superior to all the philosophical and religious traditions of humanity, a "secret doctrine" key of all the "esoteric" traditions, that are open to all;

-the transmission of esoteric teachings is given from master to disciple through a progressive initiation.

According to the studious Dutchman Hanegraaff, the esotericism of the 19th century is a "secularized" esotericism: having integrated the traditional esotericism (that was expressed in alchemy, in "magic," in astrology), which underlined the importance of a personal religious experience and which searched for a unified vision of the universe, with aspects of the modern culture: the scientific research of the laws of causality, evolution, new psychology, and study of religions (W.J. Hanegraaff, New Age Religion and Western Culture. Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought, Brill, Leiden-New York-Koln 1996, pp. 411-524).This integration is particularly clear in the works by Madame Blavatsky, a Russian "medium" who founded, with the American spiritualist Henry Olcott, the Theosophical Society (New York 1875), in the attempt to establish together into one evolutionary spiritualism the traditions of the Orient with the Western. The Theosophical Society had a threefold objective:

to form a nucleus of a human fraternity, without distinction of race, religion, caste or color (rejecting traditional Christianity as sectarian and intolerant);

encourage the study of comparative religion, of philosophy and of science to arrive at a "primordial tradition"

investigate the unexplainable laws of nature and the latent powers in man.

In her works Madam Blavatsky defends emancipation of women attacking the omnipotence of "masculine-God" of Israel, of Christians and of Muslims. And proposes a return to the Hindu religion with its cult of the mother goddess and the practice of feminine virtue. The feminist action will be continued by the Theosophical Society under the guidance of Annie Besant, who was the vanguard of the feminist movement.

2.

A few other organizations derived from the Theosophical Society have reconciled esotericism and Christianity, following the road already opened in the 18th century by Emanuel Swedenborg. Through them the Liberal Catholic Church of C.W. Leadbeater and J.I. Wedgewood, The Arcane School of Alice Bailey, Anthroposophy of Rudolf Steiner.

Constitute (New Age) as a Cultural MovementAs a mass cultural movement the New Age had taken form and visibility during the years of 1960-1980 in two centers inspired by the Theosophical Society; the utopian community of Findhorn in Scotland, and the institute for the development of human potential in Esalen, California.It had taken as insignia, as we have said, the astrological myth of Aquarius. Initially limited to the environment of astrology, explains Massimo Introvigne (M. Introvigne, Mille e non piu di mille. Millenarismo e nuove religioni alle soglie del Duemila, Garibaldi, Miloano 1995, p. 206) this myth became popular in the United States during the 60’s, in the youth milieu of the counter-culture and was introduced to the young throughout the world in 1968 by the musical "Hair" whose songs lauded the Age of Aquarius. It was the period of student revolts that promised a future radically changed. After the inevitable disillusions many young people have now turned to the rediscovery of oriental mysticism and occultism, when not turned to drugs, cutoff and toward a world totally different.In 1980 an American journalist Marilyn Ferguson, who had conducted research on the movement of the human potential, contributed to the diffusion of this way of thinking beyond the realm of the youth counter-culture, by publishing the book "The Aquarian Conspiracy. Personal and Social Transformation" in the 1980’s. The principle theme of this book is that humanity finds itself at the threshold of a great change, of a silent revolution, operated by an increasing number of individuals who- thanks to personal transformation- are contributing to realize a new society. The author passes in review different cultural camps – psychological, religious, educational, work, medicinal, political - to individualize the precursor signs and effect of such a change. And tries to rouse the awareness of a “conspiracy” (in the etymological sense of "breathing together") to which can be attributed all that everyone wishes to put forward, joining together, the new "paradigm", the new vision of reality. With the term Aquarius there aren’t any specific speculations made: "it is just a symbol," says M. Ferguson, "taken from the popular American culture in order to express the expectation of a new age."

DiffusionThe diffusion of this idea was rapid even at an international level. According to the American specialist Gordon Melton (J. Gordon Melton, New Age Encyclopedia, Gale Research Inc., Detroit 1990, p. XXVI), when in the United States the idea of a New Age of Aquarius was proposed, the "occult-metaphysics" community consisting of hundreds of magic-esoteric groups, received with enthusiasm this prospective. The support given from spiritual groups, theosophical, explains the speed of the diffusion of this new paradigm. Not lacking later signals of interest from the masonic world, especially in its version of occultism, that aspires to the development of occult powers of the human mind or of man, because then he reaches his perfection completely.Another essential factor for this diffusion, according to the same author, was the formation of “networks” on a global level through groups interested in "global transformation" (financed by patrons of the esoteric world). In this manner a community has been created between "prophets" and small groups and the imagination of a growing movement has been developed, capable of permeating throughout the society with circles of veritable supporters. This manner of communication has permitted the interchange between adherents and other people and groups that share one or many of the ideas of the New Age (peace, ecology, feminism, holistic medicine, interreligious mysticism), (Ibid, p. 316). In a short time, commercial circles and the mass-media have become interested in addition.Comparing along general lines the current culture as it defined itself in the years 1960- 1980 with the philosophy of the Theosophical Society, the studious Frenchwoman Francoise Champion finds the following differences: the hope in new times, associated to the Age of Aquarius, the research, of not only a personal perfection, but of a social transformation; a syncretic belief that is not limited to the oriental culture and to western occultism, but refers itself to all the religious and esoteric traditions and to theories and speculation in the arena of psychology, of science, of alternative medicine, of the paranormal; the mitigation of the frontiers between the religious and non-religious; the "democratic" aspiration with the rejection of the "masters" and the creation of a more fluid joining form like the "networks" (F. Champion, Le Nouvel-Age: recomposition ou decomposition de la tradition "theo-spiritualiste"?, in Politica Hermetica n.7, 1993, pp.118).Can we say that the New Age movement continues alive and in expansion in these last years of the 20th century? According to some American experts it seems that in this continent it could have already lost much

of its fascination, while in other areas it is still in expansion. But it would be more just to consider that it has lost something like myth, as an aggregate utopia, while it continues in expansion the esoteric trend to which it has given publicity and vigor and this is at a cultural level and at a commercial level. There are those that search to remedy the attrition of the New Age banner by creating a new terminology "The Next Age"….

Central Ideas of the New AgeSince the New Age is a common label to a great diversity of movements, its not easy to define its doctrine. Nevertheless, having a common cultural matrix, we find a few central ideas, characterized by esoteric thoughts. How we have defined it:

-the cosmos is seen as completely organic; -it is animated by Energy, that coincides with the divine spirit; -believes in mediation by diverse spiritual entities; -believes in the ascent of human beings to the higher invisible sphere and in the capacity to control

one’s life beyond death; -believes in a “perennial wisdom” anterior and superior to all the cultures and religions; -follows illuminated masters

In a method a bit more detailed, we can describe the New Age from the point of view of science, of psychology, of religion or spiritualism, of its project on man and on the society.a) From the point of view of science?As Piersandro Vanzan writes (P. Vanzan, Contestualizzazione socioculturale e discernimento teologico-pastorale del New Age, in E. Fizzoti, {ed.}, La dolce seduzione dell'Acquario, Las, Roma 1996, pp. 87-88), the New Age properly facilitates the mutation of "paradigms" that have occurred in modern science. In fact physics has passed the "mechanistic" model of classical physics of Newton – according which the universe is an immense machine in which its elements, integrating the one with the other, maintain themselves in equilibrium and in the same way they maintain the movement of the universe- to the "holistic" (global) model of modern physics, atomic and subatomic, according to which matter does not consist of particles, but of waves and energy.The universe is therefore, for the New Age, an "ocean of energy", that is considered, not in a mechanistic manner, but as a whole, a totality, a network of joinings. The universe (God-Man-Cosmos) is a unified organism, alive with a body and a soul (the energy coincided with the spirit). As one digs further in the direction of the roots of reality, the more one finds that all is unified and is simplified. God and the world, spirit and matter, soul and body, intelligence and sense, heaven and earth are an immense energetic vibration in which everything is connected.

b) From the point of view of psychology?As a way to expand awareness, one resorts to the technique of transpersonal psychology and seeks to provoke a “mystical” experience. For example, through the practice of yoga, and of Zen, of transcendental meditation, or in the exercises derived from tantric Buddhism, one tries to arrive at an experience of realization of Self or of illumination. Also through "peak experiences": reliving the process of birth, "rebirth," traveling to the portals of death, submitting oneself to electrical stimulation "biofeedback", or still with the dance or with drugs. Everything that can provoke an "altered state of consciousness" is considered useful in order to arrive at a spiritual experience of unity and of illumination.A particular way is the one of "channeling" since all humanity is part of one Mind, they can gyrate like channels toward the other superior beings; each one part of the one being can approach the rest of itself.

c) From the point of view of religion?Although a few proponents of the New Age like Alice Bailey see it as the beginning of a new world religion, others avoid proposing it as a "religion," terminology that they consider closely tied to institutions and dogmas. For them it is essentially a treatment of a "new spiritualism." New, even if many of its ideas were taken from ancient religions and cultures, the novelty resides perhaps in the conscious research of an alternative vision to that of a Judeo-Christian religion and of a western culture which inspired it. Spirituality conceived as an interior experience of harmony and unity with all reality, heals Man from every sense of imperfection and limit. Man discovers that he is intimately joined to the Force and universal Energy which is sacred and is at the origin of every life. Making this discovery, a road is opened to him of perfection in order to organize his personal life and his rapport with the world, finding his place in the universal creation and contributing, as co-creator, for a new genesis.One arrives then (as Mons. Carlo Maccari writes {A. Maccari, La "misitca cosmica" del New Age, in Religione e Sette nel mondo, 1996/2, pp.16-36}), at a cosmic mysticism, based on the awareness of a throbbing universe of dynamic energy. Energy cosmic- vibrational-light-God love – or also the superior Self – are expressions of the same reality, at the same time primordial fountain and immanent presence for every being.

One could distinguish, to characterize this spirituality, a metaphysical component and another psychology. The first originates from esoteric-theosophical roots and is configured as a new form of gnosis. The approach to the divine is accomplished via an understanding of the hidden mysteries, in a research – as Jean Vernette says (J. Vernette, L’avventura spirituale dei figli dell-acquario, in Religione e Sette nel mondo, 1996/2, pp. 42-43)- "of the Real behind the apparent, of the Origin behind time, of the Transcendental behind the temporal, of the primordial tradition behind ephemeral tradition, of the Other instead of the ego, of the cosmic Divine spark instead of the individual incarnation." Spiritual esoterica, this author adds, "is an inquiry into the Being beyond life from the separate beings, as a nostalgia of the lost Unity."The psychological component comes from the encounter of the esoteric culture with psychological research. On this basis the New Age becomes a transpersonal experience a "psychospiritual" (considered analogous to a religious experience). For a few this transformation occurs in the form of a profound mystical experience, after a personal crisis or a long spiritual search. For others the transformation comes from the use of meditative or therapeutic techniques or from a paranormal experience that allows them to sense intuitively the unity of reality.

4.

d) What is the plan for man?At the base of this current culture one finds therefore the research of perfection and the exaltation of man. One comes to think of the superman announced by Nietzsche at the end of the 19th century. For this philosopher, who accused Christianity of hindering the manifestation of the real dimensions of man, perfection consists in the "I" taken to the fullest, according to orders of values that man himself creates and realizes thanks to his own proper willpower: an "I" that is auto-creative.In many expressions of the New Age, one finds an analogous credo. According to some visionaries - says Claude Labrecque (C. Labrecque, Une religion americaine. Pistes de discernement chretien sur les courants populaires du "Nouvel Age", Mediaspaul, Montreal 1994, p13) -the differences between the actual human and the human that will successfully realize his full potential, both in physical and psychological capacity, will be much broader than that existing between the actual human of today and the anthropoid. So it is proposed the exploration of all ways that permit man to auto-transcend himself.

We can here distinguish between the esoteric path - of which we have spoken - which is essentially a research of awareness, and the path of magic or occult, which is above all a research of powers, in which man feels himself as a demiurgo capable of controlling the world with superior forces and obtaining the benefits he wishes. But these two motivations, the research for knowledge and that of power, are found often associated, like the theory to the practice, for which many groups are simultaneously esoteric and occultist.At the center of occultism we observe a will of power guided by the dream divination. Many techniques used to expand consciousness have the scope, known after a long initiation, of revealing to man the divine power that he possesses, that is exercised to prepare the way for the Age of Illumination.What kind of illumination is meant? Without wanting to generalize everything to "New Age" we cannot ignore the speculations that the exponents of this trend (like Alice Bailey, David Spangler, Benjamin Crème) on the figure of Lucifer as the agent of this initiation of the "new age" (a few texts of these authors are cited in the document of the Theological Commission of the Irish Episcopate A New Age of the Spirit? A Catholic Response to the New Age Phenomenon, Veritas, Dublin 1994, pp. 33-37. In the same document it is indicated that the "Secret Doctrine" of Mme Blavatsky is the wellspring of such an idea). As to these speculations being the inspiration to organized satanic movements or that certain expressions of the modern culture apply above all to the young, is an arena that requires further research.

e) What social transformation?Reflecting on the social fruits of the esoteric culture as publicized by the New Age, we see that the myth of the super-man continues to inspire political movements and alternative unions of the right and extreme right. But it is also present in scientific vestments, for example in the experiments of genetic engineering, that seem at times animated by a dream, cultivated in occult environments, to be able to recreate man himself: de-codifying, altering the natural laws of the senses, searching to cross the frontier of death. Under the same banner of New Age we find addresses of opposing signals, like that of the feminist-ecology that dwell more and more in the environment of the left and are promoted by international "networks" for a "global" education and the development of a sustainable Earth. Indeed in the normal variations of gradations, the deep motive seems to resurface at the same research of alternative means, also at the cost of a global overturn of society, is considered necessary for the birth of the new era.

What are the principle differences that depart from the Christian faith? 1. Above all we believe in a God creator. A God that creates liberally, out of love, and that creates a

free man. God does not coincide with the world (pantheism), nor does the world emanate from Him. In the Christian eyes it is altogether false to say that God coincides with man. Certainly, He dwells in him, but at the same time He is his Creator, Lord and Savior. Through a design of love, man is made a participant. The separation preserves personal dignity and man's freedom.

2. With this God we enter into a dialogue through prayer. Prayer is not the simple rediscovery of the "I" more profound, but presupposes the encounter of two people; it is a state of free adoration, in thankfulness, in supplication. It is a tuning in to the will of the Father.

3. We have need of the redemption of Christ, because we are sinners. The Christian sees man as fundamentally good, but wounded by original sin. No technique of liberation, no power of personal concentration, no harmonization of millions of consciousness can save man. Our only way of salvation is through Christ, the Son of God made man, who "came" into the story to save us.

4. Suffering and death have a significance. The followers of the New Age do not accept suffering and death. Redemption comes for them through the techniques of expanding the consciousness, through rebirth, through journeys to the portals of death, it is obtained with any method that helps the release by augmenting the vital energies. However for Christians world-wise suffering in union with the crucified Jesus, who revealed his love for man on the cross, is the fount of salvation. Also death is a unique event: it is not the means for another reincarnation of which there will follow others, but the obligated passage to enter into eternal life.

5. The new world will be constructed with works of reciprocated love. The New Age talks of changing the world.

Says a follower of the Hindu movement Brahma Kumaris "Something is about to happen you can rouse it, associate yourself at the same time with millions of others, reunited in a kind of a new communion of saints, that through their power and intrinsic creativity, makes available a lever capable of turning over the world to the proper side." But, does it only require thought to change the world? The path that Jesus Christ proposed is very demanding and very fascinating, it is that of reciprocated love that is translated into concrete works and creates a vibrant community that constructs a new world.

Many men of today have a need to hope for a "new age" for humanity. Seeking a new broader vision, that would give reason also to the diversity of religions and cultures, seeking a global spirituality, capable of offering a path that responds to the aspiration of a union with God, with all of humanity, with the whole cosmos, they are sensitive to a cultural and political agenda that renews all of society. Avoiding the blind vehicles that conduct the dream of omnipotence, it suggests rethinking in new terms the Christian plan for man and his society.Translated relatively literally from the Italian by Estela Piscope 6/18/98

Christianity refutes the New Agehttp://www.zenit.org/en/articles/christianity-refutes-the-new-age

Interview with Teresa Osorio Goncalves of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue

VATICAN CITY, February 7, 2003 ( Zenit.org ) A new Vatican document on the New Age movement has stirred up great interest in the media. The report, entitled "Jesus Christ, Bearer of the Water of Life: A Christian Reflection on the 'New Age'," was presented February 3 by a team of members of different Vatican organizations, including the Pontifical Council for Culture and the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue. The signatories acted with the assistance of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.To lend a greater appreciation of this important document, ZENIT interviewed one of its authors, Dr. Teresa Osorio Goncalves, of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, coordinator of the working group on Sects and New Religious Movements.

Q: In facing an umbrella movement such as the New Age, where spiritism, occultism, theosophy, black and white magic, pantheism, and neo-paganism converge, and where many groups and associations use "New Age" techniques to some extent, could you point out the principal differences between New Age and Christianity?Osorio: Above all, we Catholics believe in a Creator God, a God who freely creates out of love and who creates man free. God is not identified with the universe (pantheism), nor has the universe issued from him by emanation. From the Christian perspective, it is equally false to say that God is identified with man. Certainly, he dwells in man, but he is at the same time his creator, Lord, and savior. Through a plan of love, God has made man his interlocutor. Otherness preserves personal dignity and man's freedom.We engage in dialogue with this God through prayer. Prayer is not the simple rediscovery of one's most profound self, but presupposes the meeting of two persons: it is to place oneself freely in adoration, in thanksgiving, in supplication. It is to be in harmony with the will of the Father.

Q: Followers of New Age seek liberating techniques...Osorio: We are in need of Christ's redemption, because we are sinners. The Christian sees man as fundamentally good, but wounded by original sin. No technique of liberation, no personal effort of

concentration, no harmony of millions of consciences, can save man. Christ, the Son of God made man, who "entered" history to save us, is our only way of salvation.

Q: What is the meaning of death and suffering?Osorio: Followers of the New Age movement do not accept suffering or death. Redemption comes to them through techniques of expansion of conscience, rebirth, journeys to death's doors; redemption is also obtained with any method that helps one to relax, to increase one's vital energies.Instead, for Christians, suffering, lived in union with Jesus crucified, who revealed his love for men on the cross, is the source of salvation. Death is also a unique event: it is not access to a new reincarnation that will be followed by others, but the obligatory step to enter eternal life.

Q: Does New Age speak about changing the world? Osorio: A pamphlet of the Indian Brahma Kumaris movement says: "Something is going to happen ... You can make it happen by associating at the same time with millions of others, gathered in a type of new communion of saints, who by their strength and intrinsic creativity have the force capable of tipping the world over to the side of righteousness." But will thought be enough to change the world? The way proposed to us by Jesus Christ is far more exacting and fascinating: it is the one of reciprocal love, that is translated into concrete works and creates living communities that build a new world.

Vatican releases “Christian reflection on the 'New Age'”http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=9087

Today in the Holy See Press Office there was a conference to present the document: Jesus Christ, Bearer of Living Water. A Christian Reflection on the 'New Age', prepared by the Pontifical Council for Culture and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. Cardinal Paul Poupard, president of the council for culture and Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, president of the council for interreligious dialogue, presided at the conference. They were joined by Fr Peter Fleetwood of the secretariat of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences and Teresa Osorio Goncalves, an official of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, who drafted the document. Cardinal Poupard, citing a recent editorial he wrote, said: "The phenomenon of the New Age, together with so many other new religious movements, is one of the most urgent challenges for the Christian faith. It is a question of a religious challenge and at the same time a cultural one: the New Age proposes theories and doctrines about God, man and the world, that are incompatible with the Christian faith. In addition, the New Age is both the symptom of a culture in deep crisis and the wrong answer to this situation of cultural crisis: to its restlessness and its questions, to its aspirations and hopes." He stressed that today's document regards this phenomenon and offers Christian reflections on the 'New Age,' adding that "today, Western culture, often followed by many others, has gone from an almost instinctive sense of the presence of God to what is often called a more 'scientific' vision of reality." There are many reasons for this, he said, including the passage from traditional forms of religion to more personal and individual expressions of what is called "spirituality." Cardinal Poupard said "there seem to be three distinct motives behind such a change. The first lies in the sensation that traditional religions or institutions cannot give what once they affirmed to be able to give." Pointing to the second reason, he affirmed: "One of the most significant developments in what could be called the 'spiritual' sphere, over the last century more or less, has been a return to pre-Christian forms of religion." "The third motive behind the rather widespread disenchantment with regards to institutional religion comes from a growing obsession in Western culture for Eastern religions and the paths of wisdom. ... The growing conviction that there is a certain basic truth, a kernel of truth in the heart of every religious experience has led to the idea that one can and must gather all characteristic elements of the diverse religions to arrive at a universal form of religion." The cardinal reiterated what Chapter 1 says: "The document guides those involved in pastoral work in their understanding and response to New Age spirituality, both illustrating the points where this spirituality contrasts with the Catholic faith and refuting the positions espoused by New Age thinkers in opposition to Christian faith." He also underscored another point in Chapter 1: "The beginning of the Third Millennium comes not only two thousand years after the birth of Christ, but also at a time when astrologers believe that the Age of Pisces - also known to them as the Christian Age - is drawing to a close. These reflections are about the New Age, which takes its name from the imminent astrological Age of Aquarius. The New Age is one of many explanations of the significance of this moment in history which are bombarding contemporary (particularly Western) culture, and it is hard to see clearly what is and what is not consistent with the Christian message." Archbishop Fitzgerald explained that the council for interreligious dialogue was involved in this question for a historical reason as well as one of jurisdiction. "The study of alternative forms of religiosity is shared by three dicasteri, including our council. This collaboration, out of which came the 1986 document 'Sects and New Religious Movements,' is continual." Stating that the document recognizes a "true 'religious' sense in those persons influenced by the New Age," he nonetheless pointed out that "a distinction must be made when one speaks of dialogue. One form of dialogue is that which one has with adherents of organized religions and includes encounters, reciprocal understanding, collaboration for peace and development, an exchange on common spiritual values. Another

form consists of accompanying the individual in his search." The archbishop then focused on the content of the document, divided into a Foreword and nine Chapters: 1. What Sort of Reflection; 2. New Age Spirituality: An Overview; 3. New Age and Christian Faith; 4. New Age and Christian Faith in Contrast; 5. Jesus Christ Offers us the Water of Life; 6. Points to Note; 7. Appendix; 8. Resources and 9. General Bibliography. Source: Vatican Information service (The entire document will be available shortly on the Vatican website - see the Links pages.)

http://www.agopuntura.org/html/mandorla/rivista/numeri/Giugno_2003/English_Editoriale.htm:Editorial by Carlo Di Stanislao

New religions, spiritualism, religious sects and syncretism are all current topics of discussion in Christianity and oriental mysticism. The Vatican is worried about the ever- increasing popularity of the New Age. This New Age is not a religion per se, but a movement without any specific doctrines, a combination of spiritual suggestions, symbols, rites, practices and treatments, that threaten the roles of traditional religions, beginning with the Catholic Church. The Pope has on various occasions expressed his concern about this phenomena, an echo of which can be heard in various musical, cinematographic, therapeutic and written productions. In his encyclical "Fides et ratio" in 1998 and subsequently in his letter on the rosary written this past October, Pope John Paul II condemned these neo-agnostic trends and the mysticism of oriental inspiration. The Pope’s concern is not only for the role of the Church, but for the implications that the spread of this “culture” can bring. As is frequently reported in the news media, there are ever more frequent cases of persons that become victims of various sects or who blindly place their trust in healers or magicians resulting in tragic consequences.

7.

The document entitled "Jesus Christ, the bearer of the living water, a Christian evaluation of the New Age"[1], was prepared by a panel of experts on the problem in the Vatican. This panel was composed of the following experts: Cardinal Paul Poupard, president of the Pontificate Cultural Council; Monsignor Michael Fitzgerald, president of the Pontificate Council on inter-religious relations; and Teresa Osorio Goncalves, a member of the same council and expert on religious sects. In this 93 page document, which analyzes the points of incompatibility between the Catholic doctrines and the new spiritualism, indicates ways of protecting oneself from healers and the religious sects. The fact however, that many supporters of the New Age often rely on and base some of their theories on the Traditional Medicine has reason to be of direct concern for us.Alceste Santini wrote this past February, the New Age culture, was derived from the syncretic unification of mythological, cultural and esoteric elements along with various religious doctrines, beginning with those oriental. Its success can be ascribed to the all too rational modernism, which relies on the sentiments, emotions and the instincts to defend nature from the egoistical interests, which render it dangerous due to pollution. The New Age did not forget some of the rules of marketing, when it came to using this religious interest to propose products, also in the field of diets as medical therapy most responsive the "spiritual needs of the persons" [2].For the New Age there is no concept of sin, but rather the idea of imperfect knowledge. The liberation from suffering and weakness is rendered possible thanks to the development of the human potential, which is the fruit of an ever-greater contact with "our divine interior". The change in the way to think and act, in the prospective of a better world, lies only in the modification of the individual knowledge. As a consequence, the most important instrument for social change is the personal example. This "new paradigm", to create new politics and a world government, with respect to the failures of old religious-philosophical systems and politics, can be born only by the changing of single individuals, which projected to the community allow the transformation. It is felt that through the use of crystals, massages, meditation one can be able to perform this interior transformation between us and the Gaia, Mother Earth[3]. Likewise, a publicity campaign, at a popular level, taking advantage of mass media, i.e. Internet[4], has rendered this religion appealing. This religion that is rejected by not only the Christian Churches with their hierarchies and compulsory moral rules, but by every other coercive standard, in the name of knowledge of each individual and they do not depend from God since they are part of the universe. This religion that has been given the term of "Aquarius" as the new age of the third millennium in comparison to the age of "Pisces" which dominated christianism. In the New Age there is a mixture of everything, from Yoga, to acupuncture, to digital pressure, to the adoration of the sun god and this confusion and medley of ideas cannot help but worry us. In light of the most recent psychodynamic views we feel that the New Age, in general and in particular in the therapeutic field, is a classical expression of those mechanisms of defense that according to psychoanalysis of Freud can be defined as self illusions. By this method, humans try (even though they are not always successful) to protect themselves from suffering and delusions[5]. This idea is old and goes back to famous fairy tell by Esopo, the fox and the grapes, where the fox defends itself from its own envy, through rationalization and projection. This concept was described by Freud’s daughter Anna. These processes have names, which have become familiar, even with the general public: removal, projection, identification with aggression and so forth. Anna Freud did not site however two mechanisms, namely, splitting and denial, that were instead the

foundation of what would be dwelled upon by Mellanie Klein. These last two mechanisms are in our opinion the reasons for the actual concern over the imposition of the holistic views of the New Age. The bond between the <<character framework>> and the <<muscular framework>>, is what Wilhelm Reich elegantly describes as the human nature. He also describes the relationship between <<splitting>> and <<disintegration>> and their direct effect on us. The undiscriminating projection (as done by some Hollywood stars) toward agnostic and oriental religions allow the loss of contact with our paleo-spiritual heritage, creating precisely a split that attacks our framework and brings one inevitably toward a deep cultural shattering.The Portuguese neurologist, Antonio Damasio [6] [7] demonstrated the lack of basis, on a neurophysiologic level of the antithesis not only between matter and thought, but, above all between emotion and cognition. Like Edelman, Damasio speaks of two consciences. Edelman distinguishes between a <<primary conscience>> (as in some animals) and a <<higher order conscience>> (human); Damasio, on the other hand, between a <<nuclear>> conscience (the awareness of oneself as the last step toward wakefulness and surveillance) and an <<extended>> (culturally more elaborate). These two classifications even though there is not true symmetry, in both cases the more complex conscience cannot exist without the simpler one, and not the other way around. Therefore the distinction is not hierarchical, but concerns only the different organizational states of dynamic interaction between different cerebral areas. Emotion exists already at an elementary level of the nervous system. In man there is another passage. There isn’t only the response to an <<inductive situation>> and the consequent <<regulation of the internal state of the organism>>: but there is the representation of all this (the <<representation of the representation>>). There is the awareness of <<emotion>> and of <<feelings>>. In this way one could argue that man is in himself a type of god that is able to self-program, self-determine and enter into higher levels of consciousness. Recalling oriental philosophies and Gnosticism, one could find many reasons of suffrage of this hypothesis. But if we look with attention to vedic or taoistic texts, they do not speak of an absolute human being, but rather as man being the expression of an organizational force that, outside of which, its evolution is not changeable if not through a particular life style [8] [9]. To be a bit more clear, I will refer to a concept that was expressed with insight and clarity by the science philosopher, Diego Marconi, which in a recent essay3 he concentrated on the eternal dilemma that exists between the cultural being and the biological being. If we are only interpreters, modulated by our essential cultural processes, we will find ourselves in a situation where we must reinvent nature based upon that which from time to time occurs in books.

8.

Even as early as the sixth century, Galileo Galilei drew criticism by those intellectuals, that he called book philosophers<<filosofi in libris>>. They believed that they could control natural phenomena thru their bibliographic demonstrations[10]. At the present time, it appears to us that much of the New Age culture advances by similar bibliographic demonstrations and by vague indistinct suggestions. While on the one hand, we refuse an all too biochemical interpretation of man and his behavior, on the other hand, we need to keep ourselves away from a Gnostic spiritualism, which may be suggestive, but also vague and dubious.In the end we agree with Zichichi[11]; the difficult relationship between religion and Galilei (which is to say, between science and spiritualism) is the creation of atheists and three persons which did not understand the slightest bit of science: David Hume, Immanuel Kant and Karl Popper, just because they were pervaded by the limitations of knowledge and by mans resolution. These three describe perfectly, even though each in their own way, (an therefore should be reread all three) what can happen when we presume that it is the duty of a divine prophet to prescribe the rules of science and the banishment of he who does not obey them [12]. Now we know (and we have written [13]  that by the term, medicine, is meant any act or procedure which has as its final goal the removal of a pathogenic agent, symptom or any element that can upset the state of health. For this reason, this science involves the very origin of man and is closely linked to its consequences, which could be religious, philosophical, paleontological and ethnological. Nevertheless it must be added that medicine has structured, atomized and transmissible qualities when one establishes rules and places limitations [14]. By so doing, whether it be conventional or non-conventional, medical practices must be removed from pomposity. The New Age of today is largely and superficially pompous. One could raise the objection that, not only the traditional oriental medical discipline, but all the scientific-medical speculations on the relationship mind-body has collided with that of the relationship body-soul.It should be pointed out, that in Greek philosophy ever since Cartesio, by the term soul is meant the principle of life, life itself, while by term body is intended the unanimated matter, matter that has no life, and for this reason lies beyond mystical, Gnostic or spiritual content [15].It has been shown for some time that the nervous, endocrine and immunitary systems can communicate between each other [16]. This means that the mind, emotions and the body are not separate entities but are interrelated. This relationship must be kept in mind by he who practices the medical arts, with the limitation of considering the body made of muscle, blood and emotions (psyche), and avoiding to make clumsy attempts to invade the theological or metaphysical fields [17] [18].

References[1] Pontificio Consiglio della Cultura & Pontificio Consiglio per il Dialogo Intereligioso: Gesù Cristo portatore dell'acqua viva. Una riflessione cristiana sul New Age, Ed. Libreria Vaticana, Città del Vaticano, 2003.

[2] Santini A.: New Age, il demonio che mette l'uomo al posto di Dio, il Nuovo, 3 febbraio, 2003. [3] Cingolani G., Urpis O.: Luci sull'immortalità. Religioni storiche, movimenti, New Age, Ed. Franco Angeli, Milano, 2000. [4] Bragadin G. M.: Mille siti facili New Age, Ed. Thema, Milano, 2000. [5] Lingiardi V., Madeddu F.: I meccanismi di difesa. Teoria, valutazione, clinica, Ed. Raffaello Cortina, Milano, 2002. [6] Damasio A.: L’errore di Cartesio, Ed. Adelphi, Milano, 1995. [7] Damasio A.: Emozioni e coscienza, Ed. Adelphi, Milano, 2001. [8] Kwok P.: L' arte di star bene. I principi e la pratica della medicina orientale, Ed. Tolimino, Milano, 2002. [9] Marumoto N.: Il medico di se stesso. Manuale pratico di medicina orientale, Ed. Feltrinelli, Milano, 1999. [10] Marconi D.: Filosofia e scienza cognitiva, Ed. Laterza, Bari, 2001. [11] Zichichi A.: Galilei, divin uomo, Il Saggiatore, Milano, 2001. [12] Novelli L.: Galileo e la prima guerra stellare, Ed. Editoriale Scienza, Milano, 2002. [13] Di Stanislao C.: Sinossi delle principali conquiste mediche dall’antichità ad oggi, www.sia-mtc.it/Pagine Culturali, 2003. [14][14] Di Stanislao C., D’Onofrio V.: Medicina tradizionale cinese: considerazioni sulla ricerca Di Stanislao C., D’Onofrio V.: Medicina tradizionale cinese: considerazioni sulla ricerca e possibilità di integrazione con la Biomedicina, www.sia-mtc.it/Contributi a Congresso Biomedici, 2003. [15] Roy M.: I Chakra nell'era dell'acquario. Il percorso verso la vitalità, Ed. Tecniche Nuove, Milano, 2003. [16] AAVV: Rapporto fra mente e corpo e benessere psicofisico, http://www.benessere.com/psicologia/mente_corpo.htm, 2003. [17] Biondi M: Mente, Cervello e Sistema Immunitario. McGraw Hill, Milano, 1997[18] Di Stanislao C.: Sinossi di clinica omeopatica nei disturbi psichici, Corso Triennale di Omeopatia ed Omotosicologia, Nobile Collegio Omeopatico/Ordine dei Medici de L’Aquila, policopie, L’Aquila, 2003.

Vatican: Christians who buy New Age goods should ask what they seekhttp://www.archindy.org/criterion/files/2003/pdfs/20030207.pdf

February 7, 2003 Vol. XXXXII, No. 17, The Criterion, Central & Southern Indiana, pages 1 and 7

VATICAN CITY (CNS).While buying crystals, soaking in a tub with aromatic oils or listening to pipe music does not mean one embraces the New Age movement, the Vatican said Christians who buy the products should ask themselves what they are seeking. "Almost all the things in New Age have a good side", said Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.Music that relaxes you is good, but if this music empties prayer and turns into just listening to music and falling asleep, you cannot call that prayer, he said at a Feb. 3 press conference marking the release of a Vatican "reflection" on the New Age movement.

9.

Cardinal Paul Poupard, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, which produced the 93-page document with Archbishop Fitzgerald’s office, said the growth of the New Age movement is a response to peoples' longing for "peace, harmony and reconciliation with themselves, with others and with nature." Its success, he said, must be seen as a wake-up call to the Church."It is obvious the Church must ask why people go looking elsewhere for that which we believe is our reason for being:Jesus, the bearer of the water of life", the cardinal said.The document contrasts the New Age movement’s expectation of a coming "Age of Aquarius", the zodiacal waterbearer, with Christianity’s faith in Jesus as the one who gives the water of salvation and eternal life.While the New Age label has been placed on everything from music to philosophy, the Vatican document said, in its depths it:. Opposes institutional religions. Replaces the Judeo-Christian profession of a personal God with an interconnected cosmic web of energy. Denies the uniqueness of Jesus Christ, labeling him as just one example of a man who attained enlightenment. Denies the existence of sin and evil, focusing instead on bad energy or ignorance as the sources of personal and societal ills. Promotes self-realization and self-redemption, denying that salvation is a gift of GodFather Peter Fleetwood, who worked on the document when he was an official at the council for culture, said that in theUnited States and Great Britain the label "New Age" is increasingly replaced by "holistic" sounding terms such as "mind/body/spirit", but the fundamental ideas remain intact."In a cultural environment marked by religious relativism, it is necessary to signal a warning against the attempt to placeNew Age religiosity on the same level as Christian faith, making the difference between faith and belief seem relative", the document said.

The Vatican offices said the permeation of New Age philosophy, spiritualism and religiousness in Western culture, including mandatory workplace training sessions and Catholic retreat houses, calls for greater attention to the beliefs the movement espouses.Even when products are sold under a New Age label mainly as a marketing technique, they are sold with an un-Christian assumption that they can harness positive energy or change negative energy, it said. In embracing elements of ancient pagan religions, some strains of the New Age movement also promote magic and the occult, the document said."We should not ignore the fact that magic and sorcery are being promoted in modern culture", said Teresa OsorioGonçalves, an official of the interreligious dialogue office, who worked on the document. "I think this is why U.S. Protestants reacted so strongly to Harry Potter", the books by J.K. Rowling and the films based on the books. "The Catholic reaction has been more balanced, looking at the impact on children", she said."I don’t think any of us grew up without the imaginary world of fairies, magicians and angels - they are not evil", said Father Fleetwood, who now works at the Council of European Episcopal Conferences.Their uses in the Harry Potter books and films, he said, are "not a banner for an anti-Christian ideology ... but are used to teach the difference between good and evil. I see absolutely no problem with Harry Potter", he said.On the surface, the New Age concern for the environment and its promotion of interreligious tolerance are positive, Cardinal Poupard said, and they are concerns shared by the Catholic Church. But New Age sees the earth as Gaia, a goddess, and promotes a universal religion in which all traces of the Judeo-Christian God will be erased. "What worries me is that many people involved in certain types of oriental or indigenous spirituality are not truly able to be fully aware of what is hidden behind the New Age's agenda", he said.

WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT THE “NEW AGE” AND THE DOCUMENT FROM THE VATICAN1. THE LIBERAL DISSENTING “AMERICA” MAGAZINE

Signs of the Timeshttp://americamagazine.org/issue/422/news/signs-times EXTRACT

February 17, 2003, From CNS, Staff and other sources

Vatican Questions New Age, Supports Harry Potter Although buying crystals, soaking in a tub with aromatic oils or listening to pipe music does not mean one embraces the New Age movement, the Vatican said Christians who buy such products should ask themselves what they are seeking. “Almost all the things in New Age have a good side,” said Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. “Music that relaxes you is good, but if this music empties prayer and turns into just listening to music and falling asleep, you cannot call that prayer,” he said at a press conference on Feb. 3 marking the release of a Vatican “reflection” on the New Age movement.Cardinal Paul Poupard, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, which produced the 93-page document with Archbishop Fitzgerald’s office, said the growth of the New Age movement is a response to people’s longing for “peace, harmony and reconciliation with themselves, with others and with nature.” Its success, he said, must be seen as a wake-up call to the church. “It is obvious the church must ask why people go looking elsewhere for that which we believe is our reason for being: Jesus, the bearer of the water of life,” the cardinal said.

10.

While the New Age label has been placed on everything from music to philosophy, the Vatican document said, in its depths it:• opposes institutional religions;• replaces the Judeo-Christian profession of a personal God with an interconnected cosmic web of energy;• denies the uniqueness of Jesus Christ, labeling him as just one example of a man who attained enlightenment;• denies the existence of sin and evil, focusing instead on bad energy or ignorance as the sources of personal and societal ills; and• promotes self-realization and self-redemption, denying that salvation is a gift of God.“We should not ignore the fact that magic and sorcery are being promoted in modern culture,” said Teresa Osorio Gonçalves, an official of the interreligious dialogue office, who worked on the document. “I think this is why U.S. Protestants reacted so strongly to ‘Harry Potter’”—the books by J. K. Rowling and the films based on the books. “The Catholic reaction has been more balanced, looking at the impact on children,” she said. “I don’t think any of us grew up without the imaginary world of fairies, magicians and angels—they are not evil,” said the Rev. Peter Fleetwood, who now works at the Council of European Episcopal Conferences.

Their uses in the Harry Potter books and films, he said, are “not a banner for an anti-Christian ideology...but are used to teach the difference between good and evil.... I see absolutely no problem with Harry Potter,” he said.On the surface, the New Age concern for the environment and its promotion of interreligious tolerance are positive, Cardinal Poupard said, and they are concerns shared by the Catholic Church. But New Age sees the earth as Gaia, a goddess, and promotes a universal religion in which all traces of the Judeo-Christian God will be erased. “What worries me is that many people involved in certain types of oriental or indigenous spirituality are not truly able to be fully aware of what is hidden behind” the New Age agenda, he said.

2. THE THEOSOPHISTSPope to condemn HPB and the Masters

http://www.theosophy.com/theos-talk/199805/tt00520.htmlTheosophy World: Dedicated to the Theosophical Philosophy and its Practical Application

By Marshall Hemingway III, May 29, 1998 07:58 AM

The following article by the Vatican correspondent to THE WANDER, a national Catholic weekly newspaper appeared in the May 21 issue. I thought it may be of some interest to those on this List. Here it is:ENCYCLICAL ON THE NEW AGE MIGHT BE COMING SOON by Farley Clinton Vatican City. The long-expected encyclical from Pope John Paul II about the problem of the New Age movement today may appear fairly soon, as a serious article in L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO on May 7th reflects a desire to instruct the faithful clearly regarding this subject.It points out five central Christian beliefs that are strongly denied and attacked in the propaganda of the fashionable books inspired by this movement:1) The existence of a Creator2) The reality of prayer to God, a meeting of two persons, which should have the character of adoration, of petition, of thanksgiving offered by the creature to the Creator, and is certainly not mere self-discovery.3) The reality of human sin and the need of a Redeemer.4) The significance of suffering and of death5) The necessity of love and of work, not mere thought, to change the world.Contradicting Christian belief, the New Age literature tends more or less to identify God with the world, or to make the world a necessary emanation from God, not His free creation. It knows nothing of the prayer of a creature and a sinner. It proposes "meditation" that is a totally alien kind, not reconcilable with Christian faith.Christians believe in original sin and in the sinfulness of all of us, consequently they cannot share in the New Age hope that some sort of technique, or concentration, or union of millions of consciousnesses, can save man. They believe in the one Way of salvation, Christ the Son of God made man and introduced into history in order to save man.The followers of the New Age are led not to accept suffering and death but to place their hopes in expanding consciousness, in rebirth, and in techniques believed to achieve these goals, while Christians believe in the power of suffering in union with Jesus Christ crucified. For Christians, death is a unique event, not an entry to one of a series of reincarnations or spiritual journeys but the necessary step to enter eternal life.The article in L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO, written by Teresa Osorio Gonçalves, traces the origins of this popularization of old Oriental religions to the work of occultists in Europe and America in the last century. Madame Blavatsky and her Theosophical Society, founded in New York with the aid of a spiritualist in 1875, have had great influence in leading persons from Christian countries to reject the Gospels entirely in favor of some approach to Hinduism, Buddhism, or another heathen religion.The rejection of God is central to the movement. Madame Blavatsky especially rejected God whom she called the "masculine" God, of Israel, of Christianity, and of the Muslims."She proposed a return to Hinduism with its cult of a mother goddess and its practice of feminine virtues. Feminists action was to be continued in the Theosophical Society under the guidance of Annie Besant, a figure in the forefront of the feminist movement." This modern occultism is difficult to pin down to definite beliefs since it expresses itself in many different movements. But according to Gonçalves, there are six teachings encountered constantly, as they are the central belief of the movement.

11.

1) The world is seen as one organic whole.2) But it is animated by an Energy which is more or less like God.3) There are spiritual entities acting as mediators to man.4) Man by spiritual exercises can control his life beyond death.5) There is a "perennial wisdom" which precedes every religion and every culture and is superior to every religion.6) There are "enlightened" spiritual masters one should follow.

The encyclical in preparation will probably be the first, certainly the most thorough, major document from the Church to address the thirst, or the craze, for Eastern spirituality, although the phenomenon is almost 125 years old in New York.But false spiritualities linked to the heresies of Quietism and Jansenism flourished a century or more before being censured in Rome, as was the case with other errors.

3. THE BAHA’I ORGANIZATION Inter-religious encounter: Dialogue and the search for unity

http://bahai.uga.edu/News/011001-1.htmlIf we observe today's world from the religious standpoint we realize that there are two opposing trends: on the one hand a striving for unity, expressed in the ecumenical movement and in many initiatives for inter-religious dialogue; and on the other a growing religious pluralism, due to the creation and diffusion of new denominations at the international level. The contemporary spiritual quest is often expressed in an impulse to return to the sources, in the context of Christianity and of other religions which have ancient tradition. A result of this "return" is the creation of new groups, often full of vitality, which preserve the essential elements of the religious legacy which they have inherited. A spiritual quest is, however, also at the root of many new groups which break away from the institutions or doctrine of the original faith community, or emerge as a radical alternative to the dominant religion and culture in a specific area. The result is increasing fragmentation in the religious world, something which is happening on all the continents.1 This may be attributed to various causes according to each region's historical, socio-cultural and economic formative influences. The West gladly resorts to interpreting it as due to the crisis of modernity, together with the "religious revival". There is nonetheless one explanation which seems to me more fundamental and universal, that based on the thirst for the sacred which is typical of the human being. The explosion of the search for religion which we are witnessing in all parts of the world, even in the most secularized societies, is proof of the persistence of religion, beneath and beyond what appears as its crisis. As Pope John Paul II wrote in the encyclical Redemptoris Missio: While on the one hand people seem to be pursuing material prosperity and to be sinking ever deeper into consumerism and materialism, on the other, we are witnessing a desperate search for meaning, the need for an inner life, and a desire to learn new forms and methods of meditation and prayer. Not only in cultures with strong religious elements, but also in secularized societies, the spiritual dimension of life is being sought after as an antidote to dehumanization (n.38). Facing the growing pluralism of paths opening up before humanity's religious seeking, and the impossibility of following more than one of them to its very end, some exalt pluralism as the highest value, one which expresses the creativity and freedom of humanity, the new Prometheus of modem times. Many others, on the contrary, seek to justify pluralism by finding an element of unity among all these paths. From this aspiration derive different ways of encountering the other religions. These different modes of encounter are based on different models of a supposed unity among the various religions. We propose here to present summaries of some of these models as "food for thought" about possible converging paths among the religions being practised on the eve of the third millennium. The transcendent unity of religions This is the title of a work by Frithjof Schuon (De l'unite transcendante des religions, Seuil, 1979), who belongs to the esoteric tendencies represented by (among others) the Theosophic Society, the Rosicrucians, and certain branches of the Free Masons, and which has been popularized in the last thirty years under the "New Age" banner. Here the existence is taken for granted of a primordial tradition, integral but veiled, and whose nucleus of truth is only contained in and revealed by esoteric doctrines. Believers are invited to make an abstraction of the doctrines of their own religion, in order to return to their "origins". Projects for inter-religious encounter motivated by this spirit express a certain sense of mission: that of helping religions to "purify" themselves, uniting in that which is essential and which transcends each of them individually. Unification under the label of a new religion Many recently founded religious movements respond to the challenge of religious pluralism by presenting themselves as the goal of all humanity's spiritual seeking, as superseding all the expressions of religion which have come into being through the ages with a fuller and more global vision. This is the case with the Baha'i faith, the Unification Church, and various neo-Hindu movements.2 The inter-religious initiatives promoted by these movements cannot but be inspired by the particular model of unity which is their basis. To cite an example: the Unification Church's Council for the World's Religions claims that it will "assist believers who wish to examine the roots of the diversities and divisions within their own communities", and will "facilitate `ecumenical movements' within all the world's religions".3 A "meta-religio" or a "global spirituality?" Not very different is the prospect, favoured by the champions of the "New Age", of a new world religion or new spirituality which transcends all existing forms of religion. In her programmatic book The Aquarian Conspiracy Marilyn Ferguson cites a declaration made to the UN assembly in October 1975 by a group of spiritual leaders:

The crises of our times are challenging the world religions to release a new spiritual force transcending religious, cultural and national boundaries into a new consciousness of the oneness of the human community and so putting into effect a spiritual dynamic towards the solutions of the world's problems... We affirm a new spirituality divested of insularity and directed towards planetary consciousness.4 Would this "meta-religio", as it is called by Barbara Marx Hubbard, co-foundress of the Foundation for Conscious Evolution, 5 be the religion of the future? According to her, at the end of the evolution of humanity's consciousness no religions would exist as we know them today. "Each great faith will have served its purpose in the gestation of humanity as a species co-creative with the divine... The future of religion will occur when the majority of us know and act on this awareness."6 Without defending this "meta-religio" many diverse voices have expressed, in the course of the Second Parliament of World Religions (Chicago 1993), the necessity for a "global spirituality" which would give to the word "global" a geocentric or cosmo-centric meaning. A sense of mission animates the promoters of this "global spirituality" which, they believe, should inspire a new world order. This is the meaning of "Towards a Global Spirituality" published by Patricia Mische, foundress of Global Education Associates (GEA) and coordinator of Project Global 2000. Rejecting Western religion and philosophy because of its distinction between the Creator and creation, God and the world, man [sic] and nature, she suggests a threefold journey: an inward journey, through our deep past, to the sacred source at the centre of every being and all being; an outward journey, to grow in awareness of our deep unity with all peoples and with all that is in the universe; and a forward journey, participating in the New Genesis of a world in constant evolution whose protagonist is an "interdependent God" who depends on us and acts through us.7 Unity of the human family according to the Christian doctrine In the Christian perspective, the basis and model of inter-religious dialogue is the unity of the human family in its origins and in its ultimate end. The introduction of the conciliar declaration Nostra Aetate (n.2) puts dialogue on this basis. Further, many other documents of the Catholic magisterium and the World Council of Churches take up and develop this concept. It is not a question of uniting or unifying religions, but of reconciling persons within the common awareness that they belong to a single human family and must contribute to a global project for all humanity. This message is surely the key to overcoming the temptations of religious extremism that continue to breed so many conflicts. As Cardinal Roger Etchegaray speaking on 29 February 1995 to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, said, The encounter or even the clash between religions is doubtless one of the greatest challenges of our age, an even greater challenge than atheism. The religious person must learn and think the absolute of God whom he legitimately defends as a relational absolute and not as an exclusive or inclusive absolute. The most difficult and urgent thing to learn for all religions consists in opening themselves to the truth of the others, while safeguarding their own truth.8 According to the Catholic theology which imbued the 1986 inter-religious meeting in Assisi the basic unity of God's plan in creation and in redemption, which embraces the whole universe and all peoples, is more fundamental than all divergences. "These", as John Paul II said in explaining the significance of that meeting, "must be overcome on the way to achieving the grandiose project of unity which precedes creation."9 But this achievement is not the fruit of negotiation between the spokesmen of the different religions; it is the work of the Holy Spirit who alone knows the ways and times, and who silently orients history in this direction.10 In Christian theology, the communion of love that marks the trinitarian life is the model and ultimate basis of all inter-personal encounter, and of union between human beings created in the likeness of God. This most lofty model of relationships teaches us to accept others precisely in their otherness, to respect differences, and at the same time to encourage dynamic relations which are characterized by the complete giving of oneself. Harmony among the religions In Asia the concept of "harmony" has become a key idea for inter-religious dialogue, offering a model of unity which does not diminish differences but seeks to transcend them. While in Western culture the word "harmony" is used mainly in the literal sense, in Eastern Asia for more than two millennia the metaphorical sense has prevailed: it expresses the ideal of personal perfection, of the order of the family and of society, of participation in cosmic transformation.11 Applied to the inter-religious encounter, it has been used to express a humble and respectful meeting between different faith communities, for the good of all society. Here it is very instructive to examine the conclusion of a series of four meetings for dialogue sponsored by the ecumenical and inter-religious office of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences between 1992 and 1996 and held with Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Confucians and Taoists. The "leitmotif" of the four meetings was the search for harmony between persons of different religions and cultures through prayer and meditation, reflection on the causes of the lack of harmony in the contemporary world, and the commitment to build harmonious relationships with nature, with the believers of different religions, and with social and political forces. In the Buddhist-Christian meeting, harmony was described as a characteristic of reality which all of us are called to experience. Though our ignorance and egoism is often a cause of division and conflict, harmony remains an ideal of liberation and fullness, joy and peace, a desired goal of our effort through life.

Harmony can be perceived and realized at various levels: harmony in oneself as personal integration of body and mind; harmony with the cosmos, not only living in harmony with nature, but sharing nature's gifts equitably to promote harmony among peoples; harmony with others, accepting, respecting and appreciating each one's cultural, ethnic and religious identity, building community in freedom and fellowship... and finally, harmony with God or the Absolute.12

13.

In the Hindu-Christian encounter the participants stressed the pluralistic nature of reality. There is a rich pluralism in nature and in human society. Cultures differ from one another and religions follow diverse paths to the experience of the Absolute. The continual search for wholeness and unity of life is a constituent feature of all religions. There is an ineffable and universal rhythm which is a unifying principle of harmony. 13 While the sages of the oriental religions call this unifying principle "Tao", "Rta" or "Dharma", Christians see in the trinitarian mystery the ultimate basis of that unity in diversity which pervades cosmic reality and human society. Moreover they contemplate in the communion between the divine Persons of the Trinity a vision of interpersonal encounter based on respect for others and self- sacrificing love. Spirituality of dialogue or of unity The search for a spiritual exchange between believers within different religions has assumed a privileged position in inter- religious dialogue. The Catholic church also attributes great importance to it, as was testified by the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue (20-24 November 1995) which was dedicated to the theme "The Dialogue of Spirituality and the Spirituality of Dialogue".14 It was meaningful to see bishops from the various continents listening, together with experts, to the talks on the concept of holiness in Buddhism, in Hinduism, in Islam and in Traditional Religion as well as in Christianity, and seeking ways of spiritual dialogue in the light of the positive experience which has already been achieved. In receiving the participants John Paul II stressed the fact that a spirituality which can give life and form to inter-religious relationships "is inseparable from the search for holiness which, in the absolute sense, belongs only to God, but which, through his tender mercy, is given also to man [sic] as a gift and a responsibility".15 A spirituality of dialogue able to imbue meetings at this level implies boundless love like Christ’s, absolute gratuitousness, the capacity for inner silence and the purification of the heart. Given these conditions it is possible to perceive the mystery of unity, to experience a presence which transcends and unites all. This is the experience of one of the participants, Fr Pierre de Bethune, who described the fruits of the spiritual exchange between Buddhist monks and Christians: We have been able to observe that we are one and all seeking the Absolute, fascinated by his mystery, by what St Paul calls "the rich depths of God and his deep wisdom and knowledge" (cf. Rom. 11:33)... The dialogue between spiritualities begins only when the two conversation partners can communicate, over and above words, in this presence before the Mystery... This dialogue is not only the recognition of the Transcendent which they have in common, it is also the mutual recognition of this Presence and their wonder before the action of the Spirit, found in the experience of both.16 Fr de Bethune explained, at this point, this type of spiritual encounter is not absorption into a hypothetical transcendent "unity" of religions, in a tertium quid which would be no longer either Buddhist or Christian... It does not mean entering a fog or masking divergences, but means looking at these differences – and even incompatibilities – within the framework of a common recognition of that which is essential and which transcends us. A spirituality of unity in the inter-religious context is also proposed by Chiara Lubich, foundress of the Focolare movement. This is a lay movement which includes, in their different capacities, not only Catholics but also members of other Christian churches and other religions, and who feel part of this spiritual family. As Enzo Fondi, the person responsible in this movement for inter-religious dialogue, writes,17 spiritual encounter with Muslims or with Buddhists is based on the attitude "to make ourselves one" with the interlocutor. This involves the whole person and thus builds a communion with deep roots. The spirituality of unity gives a name to this "unknown God" who comes to guide the followers of various religious traditions as they "walk together towards the truth".18 It is Christ’s presence promised to all those who are gathered in his name, at least, that is, in the love and faith which are implicit in him. Fondi adds: We feel that we can say, from our experience, that the Holy Spirit does not only dispose souls to respect and to listen to one another. Nor is his action limited to highlighting the "seeds of the Word". The Spirit goes further. Its warmth makes these seeds bud forth into a surprising bloom, its makes the reality of Christ grow in everyone – Christians and non-Christians alike – from conversion to full spiritual maturity. He gives to dialogue a dimension and aim which transcends the partners in conversation because he makes them strive towards that unity which is a reflection of the trinitarian life: "May they be one as you and I are one" (John 17:22).

NOTES 1 On the Catholic Church’s attitude to this phenomenon cf. T. Goncalves*, "La frammentazione del mondo religioso: un fenomeno mondiale", in Orientamenti Pedagogici, Year 43, 1966, no. 3, pp.527- 37. 2 Cf. R. Hummel, Contemporary New Religions in the West, in A.R. Brockway, and J.P. Rajashekar, eds, New Religious Movements and the Churches, Geneva, WCC Publications, 1987, p.20.

3 Ibid., p.284 M. Ferguson, The Aquarian Conspiracy: Personal and Social Transformation in Our Time, Los Angeles, J.P. Archer, Inc., 1987, p.369. 5 B.M. Hubbard, "Conscious Evolution: A Meta-Religio for the 21st Century", in J. Beversluis ed., A Sourcebook for Earth’s Community of Religions, rev. ed., co-published 1995 by CoNexus Press, Grand Rapids, and Global Education Associates, New York, p.79. 6 Ibid., p.81 7 Cf. P.M. Mische, Toward a Global Spirituality, 3rd ed., New York, 1988

14.

8 R. Etchegaray, "Comment assurer le succes des processus de reconciliation et les soustraire aux contrecoups d'extremistes?" in Pro Dialogo, Bulletin 89, 1995/2, pp. 140-42. 9 Cf. John Paul II, "Ai Cardinali e alla Curia Romana", 22 December 1986, in Acta Apostolicae Sedis, 79, 1987, pp. 1082-90. 10 Secretariato per I non-christiani, L'atteggiamento della Chiesa di fronte ai seguaci di altre religioni, 1984, 43-44. 11 Cf. Kim Sung-Hae, S.C., "The Kingdom of God as the Christian Image of Harmony", in Inter-Religio, no. 29, summer 1996, pp.3-4. 12 Cf. FABC: BIRA V/2, Christian-Buddhist Seminar on "Working Together for Harmony in Our Contemporary World", final statement, in Pro Dialogo, Bulletin 87, 1994/2, pp.261-65. Cf. FABC: BIRA V/3, Final Statement of the Hindu-Christian Seminar on "Working for Harmony in Our Contemporary World", in Pro Dialogo, Bulletin 91, 1996/1, pp.78-84. 14 The proceedings were published in Pro Dialogo, Bulletin 92, 1996/2, pp.133-274.15 Ibid., p.142. 16 Fr de Bethune, Le dialogue des spiritualites, pp.252-53. 17 E. Fondi, "The Focolare Movement: A Spirituality at the Service of the Inter-religious Dialogue", in Pro Dialogo, Bulletin 89, 1995/ 2, pp. 155-66. II Secreteriatus Pro Non Christanis, The Attitude of the Church towards the Followers of Other Religions, 1984, no.13. *Teresa Osorio Gonçalves holds a degree in Romance languages from the University of Coimbra, Portugal, and an MA in religious sciences from the Gregorian University, Rome. She is in charge of the topic "New Religious Movements" in the Pontifical Council for Inter- religious Dialogue.

MY COMMENTSHarry Potter books and films are apparently given a clean ticket by Father Peter Fleetwood and a few others.This ministry, as well as many other Catholic and Protestant ministries, strongly disagrees with them.There is no dearth of Catholic/Christian information in print as well as on the Internet that gives conclusive evidence that the Harry Potter phenomenon is New Age.JULY 2013