Abstract
In this article an attempt is made to conceptualize a nebulous social phenomenon: the centres, the courses, the books, the teachers and healers representing alternative meaning systems. This phenomenon can be situated at the fringe of religion, but is not organized as a religion. The author discusses why the term “New Age movement” is not very appropriate and the concept of “spiritual marketplace” is suggested as a viable alternative. The development of the spiritual marketplace is a result of the effect of broader cultural processes on the “cultic milieu”. The generalization of the market economy has resulted in a formal pluralism and the primacy of individual preferences. These conditions weaken traditional churches and give rise to “postmodern” alternatives, such as a marketplace of spiritualities. The author argues that various meaning systems are reduced to individual opportunities, since the individual construction of identity (“finding one's own way in life”) is an essential concern.