Wikipedia Trail: From Brahman to Consumerism

Brahman is a Hindu concept that denotes the ultimate essence of reality or the ultimate reality itself. This reality is usually referred to as a being or Being itself. This Being pervades infinitely throughout existence and unites all things no matter how diverse. I was drawn to this article because Hindu cosmic concepts have always fascinated me as do all types of cosmologies.

Mysticism is a practice focused on unity with the divine or Oneness with everything. You can see how this is closely related to Brahman. One could arguably experience Brahman through mysticism.

This is a religious movement that started anywhere from the '50s to the '70s and is rooted in certain mystical teachings. Such as those of Madame Blavatsky. This movement diverges from ancient mysticism with belief in UFOs, extraterrestrials, and Ascended Masters among other things.

This is where it drops off. Many New Agers in western nations adopted "Hippie" ideologies. Hippies don't seem to be consumer types but they're called Hippies for a reason. It's short for hypocrat. They try to get others to renounce their worldly possessions because they actually want things for themselves. They aren't happy if things don't go their way. You're not an extremist as long as you agree with them. This is the exclusivist side of Brahman's inclusive spectrum.

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