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Singing bowls and other unique pieces bring a New Age spirit into the home.
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Assorted crystals at Aquarian Bookshop
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Bundles of herbs at Aquarian Bookshop
New Age encompasses spirituality, but it’s also a lifestyle often reflected in the living spaces of its aficionados. Pieces for your home may fit a New Age aesthetic and also fill a unique function.
“New Age is a very big umbrella for alternative spirituality, which tends to be nonsectarian towards any particular tradition or religion. But it tends to include bits and pieces from traditions that allow you to have direct communication with the universe,” says John J. Oliver, owner of Aquarian Bookshop in The Fan. By having New Age or metaphysical decor in your living space, he says, you may be able to absorb the good energy and “vibrations” from the items.
“Everything has a spirit, and I don’t mean ‘spirit’ like a ghost. I mean a nonphysical spirit. A crystal has a spirit, a tree has a spirit. That’s part of New Age spirituality. The bottom-line principle is that everything has a spirit to aid in your daily life or in your spiritual connection or understanding.”
New Age decor can be incorporated into your living spaces in many ways, no matter the size or spirit of the piece.
“Clothing and tapestries from India are very popular, tapestries of Buddha and sacred geometry and paintings as well. It’s a wide umbrella, so you have everything from the Buddha paintings from Tibet to the statuary that is also popular. If someone wants, [they can] have their favorite deity from their favorite pantheon,” says Oliver.
Aquarian Bookshop carries other metaphysical items such as carpets and crystals in its shop to fit any type of theme or energy the customer desires to fit their particular aesthetic.
If you’re on a budget, there are ways to incorporate the New Age aesthetic into your living space by paying attention to your environment and looking for special pieces of nature that speak to you.
“When I [was in] Los Angeles, I had minimal stuff, so what I would do was drive to the beach and I would choose three stones progressively smaller than each other. I would bring them back and wash them really carefully in my sink, and I would [stack them into] this thing called a Zen sculpture,” says Oliver. “I would put one stone on the coffee table, I would stack another one on top of it, and the third on top of that, creating a balance.”
