Sources

New Age Religion and Western Culture: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought

Citation Formats

General Reference

Divinity Atlas. "New Age Religion and Western Culture: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://divinity.interactivelion.com/sources/new-age-religion-and-western-culture-esotericism-in-the-mirror-of-secular-thought.

APA Style

Divinity Atlas. (n.d.). New Age Religion and Western Culture: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://divinity.interactivelion.com/sources/new-age-religion-and-western-culture-esotericism-in-the-mirror-of-secular-thought

BibTeX

@misc{divinityatlas-new-age-religion-and-western-culture-eso,
  author = {Divinity Atlas},
  title = {New Age Religion and Western Culture: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://divinity.interactivelion.com/sources/new-age-religion-and-western-culture-esotericism-in-the-mirror-of-secular-thought},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

Wouter J. Hanegraaff's argument is a specific historical claim, not a neutral survey: that the New Age movement is best read as a secularized continuation of older Western esoteric currents rather than as a genuinely new revelation, and the book's evidentiary work is tracing that lineage through primary New Age and esoteric texts themselves. That named, arguable thesis, which later scholars of esotericism have engaged with directly, is a real mark of standing distinct from a claim about its publisher. This record has not independently traced a documented history of scholarly response to the thesis. Use it for the historical relationship between New Age religion and earlier Western esotericism; it argues a position rather than reporting settled consensus.

Facts

Citation

Author

Wouter J. Hanegraaff

Publisher

Brill

Publication Year

1996

URL

https://brill.com/display/title/1474

Source Type

academic monograph

Assessment

Reliability Tier

A scholarly monograph from an academic press arguing that the New Age movement is best read as a secularized continuation of older Western esoteric currents, tracing that lineage through the primary texts themselves.

Notes

Treats the New Age as a secularised form of Western esotericism rather than as a new revelation.

Claims Backed By This Source (553 claims)

This source backs 553 claims across the atlas. As facts: 280 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate, 102 popular myth - corrected, 1 open question. As cited relationships: 73 holds, 1 connected. Plus 95 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.

Disposition By Topic

Gemstones, 211 claims: 64 well-attested, 98 popular myth - corrected, 49 general references.
Disciplines, 89 claims: 18 well-attested, 66 holds, 5 general references.
Practices, 40 claims: 30 well-attested, 3 popular myth - corrected, 3 holds, 4 general references.
Seven Rays, 35 claims: 28 well-attested, 7 general references.
Articles, 34 claims: 33 well-attested, 1 general references.
Aura Layers, 28 claims: 21 well-attested, 7 general references.
Esoteric Texts, 20 claims: 16 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate, 1 holds, 2 general references.
Realms, 10 claims: 7 well-attested, 3 general references.
Religions, 10 claims: 8 well-attested, 1 open question, 1 general references.
Sacred Sites, 10 claims: 7 well-attested, 1 popular myth - corrected, 1 holds, 1 general references.
Subcategories, 10 claims: 8 well-attested, 2 general references.
Open Questions, 8 claims: 6 well-attested, 1 connected, 1 general references.
Religious Roles & Titles, 8 claims: 5 well-attested, 1 holds, 2 general references.
Sources, 8 claims: 8 well-attested.
Secret Societies, 7 claims: 6 well-attested, 1 general references.
Categories, 6 claims: 4 well-attested, 2 general references.
Sections, 6 claims: 3 well-attested, 3 general references.
Religious Events, 4 claims: 2 well-attested, 1 holds, 1 general references.
Doctrines, 3 claims: 3 well-attested.
Plants, 3 claims: 2 well-attested, 1 general references.
Historical Figures, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.
Sacred Objects & Ritual Items, 1 claims: 1 general references.