Training & Telephone Coaching for Managers & Leaders  Case Histories

Soulwork Systemic Solutions & New Age

Advanced Systemic Solutions with Martyn Carruthers

We present interactive workshops on systemic coaching, happiness, resolving family chaos and relationship stress. Email us if you would like a workshop in your area.

New Age History

In the 19th century, Phineas Quimby, whose writings were the basis of the popular New Thought Movement, said that people can assist the evolution of the human race by creating a New Age of healing and enlightenment.

Phineas Quimby was a famous "mental healer", healing disease by changing people's beliefs. Quimby's concepts provided the raw material adopted by both the Unitarian and Christian Science churches, and by the New Thought and Positive Thinking movements that later swept through America.

[ Phineas Quimby . Roots of Soulwork ]

Now, a hundred and fifty years later, groups of people with diverse agendas are spreading philosophies labeled as New Age. Some members of organized religions, perhaps feeling the heat of competition and the chill of reduced membership, condemn New Age members and their beliefs.

Some people who might be thought to be part of this New Age movement avoid a New Age label, and do not consider themselves members, although they may cherish core New Age concepts.

Core New Age Concepts

New Age groups share a common goal direction, but not a leader, dogma nor organizational structure. These diverse spiritual, social and political elements appear to share an abstract goal of transform society through individual spiritual transformation.

As spiritual transformation encourages open-ended development and change, people associated with New Age organizations frequently change their beliefs, goals and perspectives. However, most members of New Age groups seem to share three interwoven core concepts.

• Spiritual development can bring social transformation
• Social transformation can end racism, poverty, sickness and war
• Individuals can control their own spiritual development

Soulwork Systemic Coaching

Soulwork Systemic Coaching is sometimes perceived as a New Age group. Soulwork may appear to include some core New Age concepts - if the words spiritual and spirituality are defined systemically, in terms of relationship systems (families, groups, organizations, communities and humanity).

Common New Age Beliefs

New Age beliefs tend to be diverse and transitory, more useful as milestones than as stable dogma. Answers to the question "Who are you?" may indicate a person's name, or the last workshop attended. However, some of the following beliefs are held by many members of New Age groups:

1. Monism: "All is one." Everything and everyone is interrelated and interdependent. There is no real difference between humans, animals, rocks or gods. Differences between entities are subjective and not objective.
2. Pantheism: If "all is one" then "All is divine." All creation shares a divine essence. All life (and even non-life) shares and reflects divinity.
3. Divinity: If "all is one" and "all is divine" then "We have forgotten our divinity". We can remember our connectedness and experience our integration with "all that is".
4. Consciousness: People suffer collective metaphysical amnesia. If we experience our true identity, we can transform our consciousness to fulfill our human potential.
5. Reincarnation: Cycles of birth, death, and reincarnation reflect karma (consequences) and allow perfection. Your condition is determined by past actions.
6. Moral relativism. All truth is relative, rather than black or white polarities. Conflicting statements can be accepted, for example, "Every religion is true" or "There are many paths to the One".

Core Soulwork Beliefs

Although we define beliefs as "feelings of certainty about verbal statements", some stable beliefs are held by many Soulwork Coaches:

1. Creativity: Creation reflects an unmanifest potential that can be experienced
2. Connectedness: People, values, emotions, beliefs, symptoms, behaviors and environment are related and interconnected
3. Relationships: Human life includes a hierarchy of relationship responsibilities
4. Integrity: A human being can always choose to act with integrity
5. Love: There is no limit on the happiness of expressing appropriate love
6. Happiness: The primary pleasant desire that motivates development
7. Suffering: The primary unpleasant state that motivates development
8. Consequences: All actions have consequences - irrelevant of intentions

Consequences

Not all New Age activities lead towards individual or societal transformation. Immature people may use New Age jargon and concepts to justify depressing or distressing lifestyles. Abstract concepts such as "Everything is karma" and "We are all one anyway" may be used to justify foolish, psychotic, dangerous or criminal behavior. These consequences may include:

• Naivety and diminished responsibility
• Becoming lost in abstract metaphors
• Promiscuity and venereal disease
• Workshop or therapy or "latest craze" addicts (psychoholics)
• Abuse of psychoactive drugs
• Becoming bonded to cults

Suffering

New Age organizations often welcome the emotionally wounded who could not find lasting solutions in Western medicine or clinical psychology. New Age members often advocate alternative holistic and natural healing practices such as massage, natural food, homeopathy, breathing and acupuncture.

They often promote spiritual healing and aboriginal healing traditions; and they may seek to integrate divination practices (astrology, tarot etc) with modern medicine, psychiatry and psychotherapy.

Is Soulwork New Age?

Soulwork Systemic Coaching includes some New Age ideals while including and integrating paths of emotional, intellectual and spiritual development.

1. Physical comfort can include an awareness of coincidences
2. Family togetherness can include placating dead ancestors
3. Respect for power can include protecting weaker members
4. Stable security can include safety, justice and fairness
5. Material success can include material donations to the community
6. Community equality can include diverse expressions of spirituality
7. Integrating complex systems can include social projects
8. Global citizenship can include a whole-world spirituality

Sense of Life

Your sense of life can integrate these socio-spiritual levels. However, discussing sense-of-life may only make sense after significant relationships are clarified, guilt issues and conflicts resolved.

Members of New Age groups may be attracted to us to find practical ways to achieve abstract or spiritual goals, and we require no beliefs nor faith whatsoever. It is enough that a person wants to change or improve or be happy.

Copyright © Martyn Carruthers 2003, 2005 All rights reserved