Hi. I'm newer to this site and reading through the threads, which even though much older, are new to me.
There are great jewish alternatives to new age nonsense, but the participant's consciousness can be both great and lacking at the same time. (I'm sure, in places, so is mine. ) a great place right now for ecological judaism programs that are strongly rooted in traditional jewish traditions is the hazon/ isabella freedman jewish retreat center in falls village, CT, especially a beautiful farm program there called ADAMAH. and while they have financial aid based on need, it is not cheap by any means.
they offer a lot of programs for both religious and unaffiliated jews and allies, but i think folks here would still call them a mix of new age and jewish. the thing is a lot of what is found in new age-ism is also found in legitimate ways in judaism- for example there are jewish meditation and walking and sitting practices (kind of yoga-ish but from jewish traditions, biblical references, and extensions of jewish spiritual practices from europe and mizrachi middle east; from early middle ages.) there are jewish healing practices, and use of amulets, and sacred motions to go with prayer, and rain dances, and calling to spirits, and speaking & calling forth the ancestors, and special water rituals associated with birth, purity, transitions, menstruation, and death.... there are jewish healers and practices (which get mistakenly called in an appropriating way- "shamamic or tribal" ) that are fully, legitimately jewish in nature and historical derivation. They are middle eastern indigenous in origin. ANd modern jewish leaders, who want to draw young unaffiliated jews back into more traditional practice, they try to embrace people engaging in new age type stuff in such a way that says: you don't need to look to another tradition for this. we have this right here at home, in our own tradition. Come and see. in this way jewish clergy leaders do not reject new age but try to control and channel it back towards traditional practices, among jewish audiences.
but modern jews also sometimes mix up their own attempts to reclaim their traditions...with appropiating native traditions. And sometimes charge big money for the same , calling it tribal and shamanic jewish practice. It can get all mixed up, some is legit & is some is rip off, because the consciousness of the leaders is not always clear. It takes work to get consciousness clear (after being raised in a place of obliviousness and white privilege, but alienated from ones roots) in order to NOT rip off other oppressed people's "trendy" indigenous traditions, as one walks a spiritual path of trying to reclaim one's OWN practices that were lost. It gets mixed up and that is not ok, it is still appropriation even if/while you are engaged in the legitimate work of reclaiming your own lost wisdom. Reclaiming and returning has got to be clean and separate and clear which is which so there is no appropriation out of white privilege and racism.
Me, I want to grow my consciousness to not rip off anyone as I reconnect with my own tradition and learn about other people's practices. It is a process. I know I have participated in activities in the past (no money was involved, but still) that were native appropriations, and I did not realize i was participating in something that was a fraud or rip off. And I see subtle appropriations all the time around me. It is like unlearning racism and other prejudices- when you were raised with them- - you got to practice your consciousness again and again to get clear.
Geology Rocks