z46\doc\web\2000\10\newage.txt THE E-FILES NUMBER FIVE OCTOBER, 2000 THE SUBJECT OF THIS E-FILE IS NEW AGE EDUCATION. WHAT IS NEW AGE? This sympathetic definition, from “The Occult: A Sourcebook of Esoteric Wisdom” by Nevill Drury and Gregory Tillett sums it up: “In the later decades of the twentieth century, a number of eclectic movements have emerged that can be categorized loosely as part of the New Age movement. Arising from a wide-spread dissatisfaction with the modern Western way of life, and finding no spiritual sustenance in the established Western religions, such groups have developed their own systems of beliefs and practices, which, it is hoped, will be fit for the millennium and the “New Age.” Although their various credos are too disparate to allow a definitive statement of New Age belief, they share certain basic similarities.” “The importance of ecology, of respecting the natural environment and interacting with nature is stressed, as is the feminine principle. The attainment of human potential is emphasized, and the mystical elements of such religions and cultures as Buddhism, Hinduism, Sufi Islam, shamanism and Theosophy are applied appropriately to help in the achievement of spiritual perfection. To this end, too, the intuitive voice is considered important which may be better heard through meditation. New Age practitioners also use a wide range of traditional mystical methods for gaining spiritual insight, including astrology, channeling and crystals, in the quest for spiritual healing.” “As well as incorporating many occult beliefs and rituals into their practices, New age groups share much common ground with the neo-pagan and Wiccanist movementsparticularly regarding the importance of the natural world, and the male-female synthesis. Although the tenets of the New Age are not strictly “new,” the willingness to embrace relevant beliefs from a wide variety of religious and esoteric traditions in the search for spiritual fulfillment illustrates an enlightened tolerance that was notably lacking in the mainstream societies of earlier centuries…” LESS SYMPATHETIC ASSESSMENT by Christopher Lasch: “The New Age movementthe latest contribution to our long history of bizarre fads and panaceasinvites a mixture of ridicule and indignant alarm. Not just the degradation of piety but its blatant commercialization prompts the suspicion of large scale fraud.” RESEARCHER DOUGLAS GROOTHUIS (“Confronting the New Age”) lists six distinctive teachings of New Age religion: (1) all is one; (2) all is God; (3) humanity is God; (4) a change in consciousness; (5) all religions are one; and (6) cosmic evolutionary optimism. All together, diversity is dissolved into unity, everything is interconnected and united with everything, everything has some of the divine essence, everything is God, including rocks, plants, trees, people (pantheism), we need cosmic consciousness, self-realization, all dogmas must go and be merged into the perennial philosophy. “Evolution is moving all towards the point where oneness will overcome diversity, unity will replace division, and collective humanity will emerge from the ashes of the Western world view into the New Age.” (Peter C. Moore, “The Challenge of the New Age Movement.”) THESE THEMES, woven into the curriculum, create New Age education. In discussing it, some different world views/philosophies must be mentioned, as the New Age is a fusion of Eastern spirituality onto Western traditions. See www.newageinfo.com and www.spiritweb.org for all you ever wanted to know about the New Age. SOME BACKGROUND OF CURRICULAR DEVELOPMENTS SINCE 1930s: Traditional academic education was first overhauled by John Dewey (1859-1952) and other social reconstructionists. Dewey was called the “Father of Modern Education” and created the basic classroom upon which subsequent innovations have been added. According to “Public Schools in Hard Times” (about the Depression era) by Tyack, Lowe, and Hansot, “…the leading social reconstructionists sincerely believed that capitalism was in crisis, that rugged individualism was a corrupt and corrupting idea, that a planned society of greater equity and justice was possible, and that educators could play a leading role in constructing this new social order.” Dewey,as well as George Counts and William Kilpatrick (professors at Teachers College, Columbia University) visited Russia in the late 1920s. New Age education researcher Cornelia Ferreira states that Dewey, influenced by German philosopher Wilhelm Wundt, was himself influenced by Hegel and Herbart. Ferreira says that Wundt taught that man was an animal, responds to stimuli, and has no free will. (Much like what B.F. Skinner said later.) Hegel said that man has value only if he serves society, which is the state. Ferreira says, “Hegelian philosophy borrows from the occult and pantheist Hindu idea that the universe is God and we are all one with this universe. We’re all joined together. The ultimate goal is total world control, a utopian socialist global community. In this community, evil is seen as stemming from capitalism and individualism.” Thus, says Ferreira, the system of education based on this philosophy is not meant to impart knowledge, but to condition children to live as socialists and collectivists in the future world society. E.D. Hirsch describes the influences of the same men in his “The Schools We Need & Why We Don’t Have Them,” but with a more favorable description of their pedagogy as naturalistic, romantic, and based on optimism in human nature and instincts. Dewey created the “child-centered” classroom in which children’s desks are pushed into clusters, students work in groups of heterogeneous abilities, the teacher is the facilitator, memorization is minimized, and projects and field trips replace much of the structured activities led by the teacher, worksheets, workbooks and flash cards. Grammar and punctuation are given small or no roles in English. They are replaced by creative writing assignments. Dewey wanted the classroom to be a mini-community of democracy. Eliminated are spelling bees or other contests in which there are winners and losers. By the early 1930s, phonics was being phased out of the teaching of reading. By the 1950s, many school districts had entirely replaced it with “look-say”, later evolved as whole language. (See “Why Johnny Can’t Read” (1955) and “Why Johnny Still Can’t Read” (1981) by Rudolf Flesch.) Dewey was one of the writers of the Humanist Manifesto in 1933. According to “The Philosophy of Humanism” (1949) by Corliss Lamont, “…Humanism rejects as irreducible ultimates or as final principles of explanation for existence as such…the eighteen categories all familiar in the history of philosophy: Mind (Reason, Intelligence, Consciousness); Idea; Truth; Spirit (Soul); Personality; Will; Purpose (Design, Providence); Love; Good (Value, Morality); Evil; God; Devil (Satan); Beauty; Freedom; Life (Life Force); First Cause; Time (As Absolute); Space (As Absolute.) Some tenets of Humanism are shared in New Age thought, including belief in the connectedness of every event or entity in the cosmos, and in unity or oneness. The Humanists put much stock in psychology: “Psychology and its associated sciences give the most conclusive proof of all in support of the oneness of body and personality.” According to Lamont, “The universe does not care whether good or evil, or any other human value, prevails. Yet man can be proud that in the whole vast cosmos he is, at the least, one of the highest forms of being…So Humanism encourages men to face life buoyantly and bravely, relying upon their own freedom and reason to fashion a noble destiny in a future that is open.” DEWEY’S PROGRESSIVE ED MORPHED INTO NEW AGE ED Classrooms were invaded by the practices of the humanist psychologists Carl Rogers (“Freedom to Learn”), Abraham Maslow, Harold Lyon and William Coulsen in the 1960s and ‘70s. Marilyn Ferguson, author of “The Aquarian Conspiracy: Personal and Social Transformation in the 1980s,” called the Bible of the New Age, writes of the psychologists in a section of “The American Matrix” chapter called “California and the Aquarian Conspiracy.” Says Ferguson, “The Aquarian Conspiracy, needless to say, is nurtured in California.” (Note: “transformation” is also an important New Ageism.) Carl Rogers deplored neatness, orderliness, being right, and quiet. These could result in conservatism and rigidity. Encouraged were messiness, noise and confusion, which allow for the creation of genius. This is when classrooms became very LOUD. The psychologists designed the decision-making, non-directive group processes used to discuss sensitive topics such as drugs, sex, and suicide, in which there are presumed to be no absolutes. Dr. Coulsen eventually realized that morally-impaired students ended up teaching their values to the other kids and renounced the value-free group techniques. “Values Clarification: A Handbook of Practical Strategies for Teachers and Students” by Simon, Howe and Kirschenbaum came out in 1972. It described a series of exercises based on the Rogerian mode, which were widely used. Students have since been frequently urged to discuss their feelings about stories or situations, learning to value feelings and emotion over logic, facts, and absolutes. Ferreira said that such “feelings education” makes students break with the values of their parents and/or church. This is important in order for the children to accept the New Age values. She said, “New Age education aims to make people FEEL GOOD. Continually promoted are self-esteem, self-acceptance, self-love, self confidence. Nothing is said about self-centeredness, self-control, self-denial, or too much pride. Happiness in the New Age means no competition, no right or wrong, no failure.” Ferguson’s “Aquarian Conspiracy” proscribed “the Radical Center of educational philosophy…a constellation of techniques and concepts sometimes called transpersonal education…(which) aims for a new kind of learner and a new kind of society. Beyond self-acceptance, it promotes self-transcendence.” The “assumptions of the new paradigm of learning” sounds much like Dewey’s flexible, egalitarian structure, with some New Age bells and whistles. These include: 1) use of imagery, storytelling, dream journals, “centering” exercises, and exploration of feelings; 2) guessing and divergent thinking encouraged as part of the creative process; 3) strives for whole-brain education; 4) Education seen as lifelong process, one only tangentially related to schools. Ferreira states: “The New Age idea of interdependence and interrelatedness based on the pantheistic idea that we are all one with the universe is carried forward in the classroom as integrated curriculum or trans-disciplinary studies. Curriculum that teaches subjects separately, such as algebra or chemistry, are labeled medieval, because knowledge is not segmented, but interrelated. Learning has to be centered around ideas and problems. Curricula must be activity and idea based. Many disciplines must be integrated around a core idea. This was stated in a 1989 article for the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. It didn’t state that the idea of combining subjects around an idea was first proposed in the early 19th century by Johann Herbart, who influenced Dewey. Finally putting into practice Herbart’s ideas of curriculum integration by grouping, for example, history, geography, and driver’s education into something called “social studies.” Or we have science, history and geography into something called “environmental studies.” Or we’ll have algebra, geometry, and arithmetic in something called “math.” The E-Filer can testify that even in the face of research that shows some such combinations fail or are inefficient, and despite opposition by the community, educators often defend such integrated curricula with what might be called religious fervor. National pride is a New Age no-no. Most kids these days probably don’t know the Pledge of Allegiance or the national anthem. World citizenship is the order of the day. Achievements, explorers, founders, and heroes of one’s country are denigrated or censored. Standardized tests often do not test content knowledge in history or geography. Ethnic groups are encouraged to retain their language and customs, and multiculturalism is promoted. If the new society is to live in harmony, we must develop empathy for others’ cultures. All cultures, religions, political and economic systems are equally valued, except that the West is blamed for poverty, overpopulation, and destroying the aboriginal cultures. In comparative religion courses, students may not only be taken on tours to temples, but may also practice other’s ways of worship and participate in rituals. In the 1990s, the schools were inundated with environmental curricular themes. The New Age belief that Earth is divine creates a particularly emotional quality. Though a goddess, Earth is unable to save herself, so students are taught about nuclear catastrophe, diminishing resources, world food scarcity, overpopulation, and over-consumption by the rich nations. The West is blamed for these problems and our failure to solve them. Earth Day activities include such exercises as students planning garbage disposal solutions, writing environmental anthems and signing earth-saving petitions. For example, Canada’s chief New Ager Maurice Strong, head of the Earth Summit, sent an Earth Pledge to all the students in Canada and other UNESCO countries to be presented to the Summit. (“Signer” fraud could have been rampant as a principal could sign on behalf of all the staff, and students, on behalf of other students.) Environmental education is fine, but it can be full of misinformation and too often veers into propaganda, leading to young people who are panicked, angry, cynical or hopeless. NEW AGE EDUCATION OCCULT CONNECTIONS FROM “BEWARE! THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT IS MORE THAN SELF-INDULGENT SILLINESS” (Lee Penn, New Oxford Review, July-August, 2000): “Helena Petrovna Blavatsky blended Eastern religion with Western occultism, establishing the Theosophical movement in 1875 in New York City. Theosophy has influenced occult, spiritualist, “New Thought”, and New Age movements around the world ever since. For Blavatsky, the Lord is not God; mankind is. She says, “Man is truly the manifested deity in both its aspectsgood and evil… In the early 1900s Alice A. Bailey carried forward the teachings of Theosophy in the U.S. She founded the Lucifer (yes!) Publishing Company in New York City in 1922, renaming it the Lucis Publishing Company in 1923. Between 1922 and 1949, Bailey published 24 books of “revelations” that she claimed to have channeled from the Tibetan ascended “spiritual master” Djwhal Khul. All these books remain in print, and are widely available.” (Berkeleyans: Moe’s Books on Telegraph Avenue carries Blavatsky and Bailey in the Occult section.) “The influence of Theosophy continues to grow a half-century after her death. Robert Muller, former assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, won the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education in 1989 for his World Core Curriculum. He says, “The underlying philosophy upon which The Robert Muller School is based will be found in the teachings set forth in the books of Alice A. Bailey by the Tibetan teacher, Djwhal Khul.” Cornelia Ferreira says that the World Core Curriculum is being implemented, sometimes by another name, and often in piecemeal fashion. Muller believes that curriculum must be a spiritual one, concerned with developing one’s psychic powers, and will lead to a state of enlightenment. In this state, one is aware of being God, one with the universe, along with everybody else. Then, one will have reached global or cosmic consciousness. The search for higher knowledge requires one to turn off the conscious mind, so classroom methods must be used to reach that state, including hypnosis or trance induction. Techniques include meditating, centering, guided imagery, focusing, visualization, guided fantasies. Some of these, such as DUSO, SOAR and PUMSEY, have been used in the classroom. Parents, be on the alert. Danger of occult New Age according to Lee Penn: “The New Religion will bring spiritual totalitarianism. New Age leaders agree that the last 2,000 yearsthe Age of Pisceswere a time for development of individual identity and personality. In the coming Age of Aquarius, people will happily let go of individuality and merge their personal goals and identity into that of the whole race. As Bailey said, “The will of the individual will voluntarily be blended into the group will.” The existence of separate persons is an illusion; we are all really part of “The One.” “Bailey and her followers at the Lucis Trust have repeatedly praised revolutions and dictatorships as part of the workings of “the Plan.” In 1939 she said, “The men who inspired the initiating French revolution; the great conqueror, Napoleon; Bismarck, creator of a nation; Mussolini, the regenerator of his people; Hitler, who lifted a distressed people upon his shoulders; Lenin, the idealist, Stalin and Franco” were “all expressions of the Shamballa force”a force which Bailey extolled. She viewed the dictatorships of her time as a positive part of human evolution, fostering a person’s “power to regard himself as part of a whole.” Some websites so you can check these things out for yourself and learn the buzzwords: www.centreesotericstudies.com/affiliate_links.htm (links to Lucis Trust, New Group of World Servers, ATMANET, Esoteric Publishing, School for Esoteric Studies, School of Ageless Wisdom, United Religions Initiative, many others. www.netnews.org/bk/index.html Theosophy books online www.netnews.org/bk/intellect/inte1007.html Bailey’s 1934 book “From Intellect to Intuition”, see chapter titled “The Purpose of Education” www.netnews.org/bk/education/edu1005.html Bailey’s “Education in the New Age” www.blavatsky.net www.lucistrust.org http://members.nbci.com/atmanet/ing/index.html click sources, choose Alice A. Bailey to read about her and her channeling of Djwhal Khul,; lots of other Theosophy there www.netnews.org/bk/statement.html Djwhal Khul’s statement when he was channeled www.unol.org/saw The School of Ageless Wisdom, based on the study of Alice Bailey books, parent of Robert Muller School, which formed World Core Curriculum. www.dnai.com/~ngws The New Group of World Servers www.unol.org/rms/ccl.html article about Robert Muller School www.unol.org/saw/fires.htm World Core article on how groups work together THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE. THE E-FILES Susan O’Donnell 769 Spruce Street, Berkeley, CA 94707 (510) 527-4430 efiler@pacbell.net (510) 528-9833 (fax)