New Age Spirituality
New Age spirituality has become a high-priced, Western-dominated industry that repackages ancient traditions while shutting out the very communities they originate from.
Many of these so-called spiritual leaders aren’t actually doing the work – they’re avoiding it.
Avoiding their own trauma.
Avoiding emotional depth.
Avoiding accountability.
They speak about ‘raising vibrations’ while actively participating in a new form of colonization – buying up land in places like Bali, Costa Rica, and Koh Phangan to build Western-owned wellness resorts. These places, once deeply spiritual, are now playgrounds for privileged outsiders, pricing locals out of their own homes and erasing the very cultures they claim to honor.
Many start out with good intentions – to heal, to help. But the industry has shifted. Suddenly, it’s about VIP ascension retreats, $10K mentorships, and exclusive initiations. Let’s be clear – there’s nothing wrong with making money. The problem arises when spirituality becomes a luxury commodity, accessible only to those who can afford it – Westerners who profit from the land, culture, beauty, and lower prices of the Global South, often at the expense of the local population.
Many of these ‘spiritual teachers talk endlessly about ‘downloads from the universe’ and ‘healing‘ but can’t have a grounded conversation about colonialism, economic privilege, or the communities their retreats displace. And the moment someone challenges this new form of colonization suddenly, you’re the ‘low vibrational energy’. This isn’t enlightenment – it’s spiritual bypassing with a price tag.
Of course, not everyone in the wellness space operates this way. There are real practitioners, teachers, and healers doing meaningful work. But as the movement becomes more commercialized, authentic healing is taking a backseat to branding and profit. Now, it’s less about transformation and more about status – elitism disguised as spirituality. It’s less about collective care and more about living your best life while don’t caring about the local population. It’s less about solidarity but individual abundance.
Ethical business is one thing. Being compensated for real work makes sense. But when spiritual growth turns into an exclusive, high-ticket industry, we have to ask:
Who is truly benefiting? And who is being left out?
At this point, authentic voices are becoming the minority. The rest? Western entrepreneurs playing guru while buying up land that isn’t theirs.
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With Love,
Dinah