New Age spirituality blended ancient occult practices with a religious eclecticism made possible by the global village and the information age. California historian of religions Robert Ellwood described the movement as a "build-your-own-religion kit," where attractive ideas old and new come together in creative patterns designed by each individual. New Age unveiled a kaleidoscope of devotional exercises from East and West, alternative medicines from traditional societies and urban healing cults, psychotherapeutic techniques from the self-realization movement, science fiction fantasies, witchcraft, and earth worship.

While numerous practices of New Age spirituality claimed origins in antiquity, the end-of-century movement sprang from the youth revolutions of the 1960s. The alternative culture's experimentations, particularly the use of mind altering drugs to attain higher states of awareness, gave character to the lifestyle and arts of even the broader culture. As the twentieth century was coming to an end, the...