Across the street from the Rose Cafe in Venice, a bad-boy actor is shepherding a crew of millennial \"nones\" toward what might be called the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius, Part II. <\/p>\n
The incense-and-healing-crystal-accessorized movement known as New Age flourished here in the 1960s and '70s. No one ever wrote its obituary, but today it is diminished many of its tenets co-opted into the broader culture, with fitness-focused yoga studios popping up on every corner and \"wellness\" a mainstream goal. <\/p>\n
The Venice group is stepping in where earlier seekers left off, rejecting aspects of New Age while channeling young millennials' approach to spirituality into a new movement or, at least, a really good party. <\/p>\n
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FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of the graphic below listed incorrect percentages for religiously affiliated people ages 30 and older. <\/p>\n
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On a recent Sunday, actor Andrew Keegan led a weekly ceremony called \"Activ888.\" Young, fresh-faced men and women in various modes of casual dress some preppy, some with an edge joined an aging hippie or two in a large circle on the floor. <\/p>\n
They shared what they hoped to \"activate\" by being at the church known as Full Circle that day: Joy. Beauty. Not taking things personally. <\/p>\n
\"So it is,\" participants said after each person spoke, an affirmation suspiciously similar to a post-prayer refrain from the TV series \"Battlestar Galactica.\" A young woman with a breathtaking voice played a guitar and sang a mantra. <\/p>\n
Some have called Full Circle a religion, others a clubhouse. Founder Keegan who's perhaps best known for his performance opposite Heath Ledger in the 1999 movie \"10 Things I Hate About You\" says it is meant to be a space for young adults to explore their spirituality and creativity, and to push back against gentrification in Venice. <\/p>\n
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At Full Circle church in Venice, picking up where earlier seekers left off<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Across the street from the Rose Cafe in Venice, a bad-boy actor is shepherding a crew of millennial \"nones\" toward what might be called the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius, Part II. Continue reading