Questions for New-Agey, Tree Huggin Hippies

[SithDoughnut]

Just like my Questions for Muslims' thread, this thread is designed to replace the earlier thread which is now against the rules. I know it would probably have made more sense for someone more involved in the discussion to make a thread on it, but I wanted to act quickly so any discussion didn't die out.

The last question for Katautumn was this:

Do you have any advice on how someone who lives in a county with a HORRIBLE recycling program can start recycling/becoming more eco-friendly? I already do the small things, like turn lights off, keep the A/C at a decent temp, etc. and drive a car that gets very good gas mileage.

My question is this:

What exactly are your specific beliefs? I know they involve new age, tree huggin and hippies , but what are the most important beliefs you have?

 

[awitch]

My questions for new-agers: (Is there a better term for that?)

Have you ever been mischaracterized as a Neopagan? How would you respond if someone did give you that label. Are you offended that many Neopagans prefer to distance themselves from new-agers?

 

[scraparcs]

My general question, based on the above, is what's the difference between being a new-ager and a neo-pagan anyway?

 

[katautumn]

Thanks for re-opening the dialog, Sith!

What exactly are your specific beliefs? I know they involve new age, tree huggin and hippies , but what are the most important beliefs you have?

I think I pretty much resigned the title of "New Age" in my last thread to be rather tongue-in-cheek

The most important belief I have? That humanity is the most precious thing we have. That we are all citizens of the earth. That we're individuals, but we're also a viable part of our community as a whole.

My questions for new-agers: (Is there a better term for that?)

Have you ever been mischaracterized as a Neopagan? How would you respond if someone did give you that label. Are you offended that many Neopagans prefer to distance themselves from new-agers?

My views fall somewhere along the lines of spiritual Neo Paganism, minus the ceremonial aspects. Am I offended by Neo Pagans who prefer to distance themselves from New-Agers? Not at all. Unfortunately, New Age tends to carry a negative connotation - that you're aloof, doped up, etc.

My general question, based on the above, is what's the difference between being a new-ager and a neo-pagan anyway?

That's a good question. Let me grab a snack, gather my thoughts and I'll try and answer this as best I can.

 

[scraparcs]

Never having had much interest in either, all I think about is "Shirley MacLaine" when it comes to New Age stuff and nothing at all when it comes to neopaganism.

 

[razeontherock]

The most important belief I have? That humanity is the most precious thing we have. That we are all citizens of the earth. That we're individuals, but we're also a viable part of our community as a whole.

That's the hippy part.

New Age tends to carry a negative connotation - that you're aloof, doped up, etc.

Hey, what do you have against hippies?

 

[Sphinx777]

The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s, swiftly spreading to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into New York City's Greenwich Village and San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district, such as Jimi Hendrix. The early "hippies" ideologies included the countercultural values of the Beat Generation. Some created their own social groups and communities, listened to psychedelic rock, embraced the sexual revolution, and used drugs such as marijuana and LSD to explore alternative states of consciousness.

In January 1967, the Human Be-In in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco popularized hippie culture, leading to the legendary Summer of Love on the West Coast of the United States, and the 1969 Woodstock Festival on the East Coast. Hippies in Mexico, known as jipitecas, formed La Onda Chicana and gathered at Avándaro, while in New Zealand, nomadic housetruckers practiced alternative lifestyles and promoted sustainable energy at Nambassa. In the United Kingdom, mobile "peace convoys" of New age travellers made summer pilgrimages to free music festivals at Stonehenge. In Australia hippies gathered at Nimbin for the 1973 Aquarius Festival and the annual Cannabis Law Reform Rally or MardiGrass. In Chile, "Piedra Roja Festival" was held in 1970, and was the major hippie event in that country.

Hippie fashions and values had a major effect on culture, influencing popular music, television, film, literature, and the arts. Since the widespread movement in the 1960s, many aspects of hippie culture have been assimilated by mainstream society. The religious and cultural diversity espoused by the hippies has gained widespread acceptance, and Eastern philosophy and spiritual concepts have reached a wide audience. The hippie legacy can be observed in contemporary culture in myriad forms — from health food, to music festivals, to contemporary sexual mores, and even to the cyberspace revolution.

​