Vol. 7, No. 7, 1990

Articles on the New Age

Rick Branch

It has been observed by many that children are like sponges. In their time of innocence, they soak up all types of information and trust adults implicitly.

This could be, in many instances, very dangerous.

Many who are now parents, were in the 1950's just children themselves holding the same attitudes toward adults. It was during this time that America began exploring the areas of "extrasensory perception" using school age children in the "fifth and sixth grades," (Challenge of Psychical Research: A Primer of Parapsychology, Gardner Murphy, p. 101).

"These studies were first launched in 1950-1951 by J. G. van Busschbach, inspector of schools in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and soon thereafter by Margaret Anderson and Rhea White in the United States," (Ibid).

Most of the people who participated in these studies have since grown to adulthood and had families. Now many of the children of the '50's are teaching their children New Age techniques.

No longer, however, are the "extrasensory" materials found only in the schools. Now, they are in the toy box.

Many children today drop off to sleep listening to cassette tapes. For the New Age parents, tapes "recommended for ages 3 to 10" will help children to "learn to use creative visualization," (Discoveries Through INNER QUEST, Fall 1988, p. 16).

For the older child there are games such as STAR+GATE. This game, similar to Tarot Cards, "is an excellent game to play with children.... Children from about the age of nine or ten can use STAR+GATE...," (STAR+GATE: Keys To The Kingdom, pp. 248-249).

This game teaches "inner awareness." What is inner awareness? The game explains, "We find we are god-stuff and star stuff," (Ibid, pp. 13 & 217).

Finally, for the parents who blatantly believe in the New Age comes the advice from Cynthia Ouellette, who teaches her children about reincarnation and Karma.

"Knowledge of reincarnation - the idea that we have lived and died many times before - can help children understand how they create their reality, how Karma works and can help them overcome their fear of death.

"You can explain to them that before they were born into this life, they made certain decisions about how they wanted this life to be," (Body, Mind & Spirit, Mar./Apr. 1989, p. 37).

She also teaches her children how to call on spirit guides for spiritual guidance.

"It can be very reassuring for children to know that they can call on their Spirit Guides for help when they are experiencing a negative event," (Ibid, p. 38).

Though the New Age was in America long before the 1950's, by subjecting so many children to this type of parapsychological influence, Pandora's Box may have been opened.

In the conclusion of Cynthia Ouellette's article she declared, "It can be both challenging and enlightening to help our children understand and deal with the paranormal experiences," (Ibid, p. 62).