The New Age Movement represents one of the most fascinating responses to the defects and potentialities of modern times. In his ground-breaking work, Paul Heelas traces the growth and development of the Movement, identifies some of its key characteristics, and provides a critical perspective. This unique and extensively documented volume provides a balanced treatment of New Age' celebration of the self,' and situates it within the broader cultural context for the first time. It shows how the New Age is ambivalently related to modernity, offering both a radical spiritual alternative to the mainstream and a celebration of some of the characteristic features of modern life. Heela thus views the New Age both as an alternative counter-cultural movement and as a spirituality of our times.
