We're desperate to find true fulfilment - and our gurus are making money out of our self-obsession. By Kate Browne

It's a wet night, a grey night, the kind of night that makes you feel life has taken a wrong turn. Your life anyway. Which is maybe why a clutch of 20 or so people have gathered in a bookshop to hear a visiting British feng-shui expert explain why clearing out your spaces (in your head as well as your home) can give you another life altogether. Chuck out the old clothes and books and china, make space for the new you. Or so they say.

Another dripping night. In another building on the other side of town, about 200 people are filing into a room with excitement in their eyes and a brochure in their hands. It asks, "Do you have what it takes to have an extraordinary life?" Whether they do or not, many will pay close to $500 and more to find out. These people, like our space-clearers, are on a mission - to improve themselves.

And now I'm at home, looking dubiously at a piece of paper with the name Sarah and a number scribbled on it. Picking up the phone, I take a deep breath and dial. A woman answers and I stumblingly ask, "Err ... I was wondering if I could make an appointment?" I hear her flicking through her diary as she says, "I can see you on the 18th of next month at one o'clock."

"Oh," I say, wondering how I'm going to be able to get away from work, when she interrupts me. "You do understand I mean one o'clock in the morning, don't you? Oh, and I only take cash."

The woman I'm calling is a psychic whose name and number have been doing the rounds of friends and colleagues. She reads by the moon, works out of a caravan park two hours from the city and charges $80 an hour. Even so, everyone is desperate to see her. Project manager Paul, in his early 30s, good-looking, successful and happily attached, has also made an appointment. Why? "I feel unfulfilled and I want answers about the bigger picture," he insists.

"These days many people have a spiritual hole and a need to fill it," says Anne Hollonds, psychologist and CEO of Relationships Australia NSW. "Reasons include the decline of established religion and the rise and rise of materialism; everything is about 'me' and people don't find that is enough for them any more."

Enter the New Age, a term popularised in the 80s to describe the beginning of the Western world's love affair with "alternative" practices - from astrology and tarot to psychics and self-help - and their ability to provide answers and improve the mind, body and spirit.

On a Thursday night in Sydney New Age bookshop Adyar, plenty of people are looking for those answers. This shop offers acres of shelves filled with tomes on mystics, self-help, astrology and numerology, while in a corner tarot cards jostle for space among delicate dream catchers and sparkling crystals. Thousands of possibilities nestle in these shelves. An older man in a suit is holed up in the self-help section, while a young woman in a denim miniskirt is buried in an astrology-for-lovers book. Some older ladies in neat linen shirts and loafers are clustered around the angels section. One of them is clutching a pamphlet about "spirit guides".

At the counter, shop assistants are doing brisk business as a mother and daughter put down credit cards and a mountain of books. Topics range from meditation to chakras. As the books are placed in bags, the mother stops for a moment. "Do you have the latest by Louise?" she asks.

The first-name status of the industry's leading lights reflects just how powerful many of the New Age gurus have become. "Louise" is Louise L. Hay, the US metaphysical teacher who has pumped out 27 bestsellers and owns publishing company Hay House. There's also Deepak Chopra, who writes books, teaches courses such as Golf For Enlightenment and counts among his devotees Demi Moore and Bill Clinton. John Edward, the American TV psychic who "talks to dead people", toured Australia last year in rock-star style, selling out massive venues. He filled the Sydney Entertainment Centre in one day and performed "readings" in front of thousands of fervent fans who paid up to $75 a pop to be there.

But does this mishmash of astrology, self-help, spiritualism and clairvoyance help plug the hole in our souls? Plenty of people are investing a lot of time and money in trying it all out. One friend confesses, "I've spent hours and weekends doing courses on kinesiology and working on positive affirmations, but I feel like I still need to work on myself a lot more." With the emphasis on self.

Barry Williams, executive officer of the Australian Skeptics Association, says interest in all things "New Agey" is on the up.

"It is a feelgood movement, but they don't tap your intellect too hard. As human beings, we like easy access to complex problems ... And self-obsession is a key element to the movement because what is the most interesting topic you can think of? You."

Williams has a point. Sitting in a cafe with a group of friends and the Sunday papers the other day, someone urges, "Read the stars." I start to read out my own sign as five pairs of eyes glaze over while the others wait for their own sign to be read.

It is amazing how a practice such as astrology has infiltrated the mainstream, says UK comedian Dave Gorman, whose BBC show Dave Gorman's Important Astrology Experiment (see page 20) takes a light-hearted look at what happens if you follow the advice of newspaper horoscopes literally. "Most newspapers in the UK add up to 12 per cent in sales when they publish their New Year predictions on health, wealth and relationships. That's just how powerful astrology is. No wonder there are several millionaire astrologers."

No major fan of the craft, Gorman is still very aware of the clout big-name astrologers wield, and had reservations about how they would take to him poking fun at their science. Much to his surprise they loved it. "Even Jonathan Cainer, who is Britain's biggest astrologer, wrote a glowing review of the show on his website. Another astrologer wrote me into his column, saying, 'I wish Dave Gorman was still conducting his experiment because today I'm asking you to crawl on your hands and knees to a friend.' Very surreal."

Although much of the New Age movement is supposed to be about unselfishness and universal love, slick marketing, media and profits also make an appearance. John Edward, with his television program, sold-out tours and best-selling books and tapes, charges $600 for a private sitting, which hasn't deterred believers - there's a three-year waiting list. Deepak Chopra told the US website Salon, "I'm just a regular guy." But one who also happens to drive a Jaguar and live in a multi-million-dollar home. He defended his fortune by saying that "wealth is an expression of the spirit".

John M. Knapp, the executive director of US group Trancenet, a watchdog of individuals and groups they believe participate in psychological manipulation, is a strong critic of those who appear to profit massively as "spiritual" leaders. "I think that it's absurd. Christ didn't drive a Mercedes. If Buddha had a Hummer, he left it in the garage. Mohammed included the poor in his vision of a just society."

In 1994 Deepak Chopra wrote The Seven Spiritual Laws Of Success, which included concepts such as giving, karma and detachment to outcome. However, one former employee of the hugely wealthy guru has told the Trancenet website that far from the warm, engaging persona he reflects in public, Chopra was "introverted offstage", pompous and impersonal with employees.

M. Scott Peck, millionaire author of the The Road Less Travelled, a best-selling spiritual guide first published in 1978 and which prescribed living via loving relationships and sensitive parenting, is still hugely popular. In a recent interview in US magazine Psychology Today, the psychiatrist hardly came across as a poster boy for his own philosophy. He admitted his own children had "bored" him and that his problem with infidelity only stopped when he lost his libido. Even so, Peck's ideas have had a massive impact across the globe and even in the halls of corporate Australia.

Dr Peter Slezak, from the school of history and philosophy of science at the University of New South Wales, says, "The amount of New Age hype in corporate and business training is enormous. An influential book for managers claims that they can be helped by the mathematical theory of chaos and fractals [complex patterns]." Slezak is dismissive of "an idea having influence in management ... that the heart has some kind of intelligence ... What management really needs is to learn to think more clearly and more critically."

Even without management courses, many companies are using New Age tricks to keep staff happy. A communications company employee recalls that, after a merger, her new employers held a party for staff and hired a fortune-teller. "We were all a bit suss waiting for her to spout the company line that our jobs would be safe. Actually, she did tell all of us that. Mind you, she also told me that I was going to be moving house and that was true as well."

Rebeckh Burns has been nicknamed "the new 'it' girl of the New Age" by US glamour mag W. The 29-year-old Kiwi's book, Thought Miracles, has been embraced in her native New Zealand as well as in the States by celebrities such as Drew Barrymore. As a graduate of the University of Metaphysics in Los Angeles, Burns devised a combination of meditation and positive affirmations she says turned her life around, causing her to lose weight, enhance her career and meet the love of her life. Model Cindy Crawford is such a fan she met with Burns on a recent trip to New Zealand. Although, you have to ask why the divine-looking, multi-millionaire Crawford, happily married with children, needs more good fortune. Burns insists celebrities "go through the same trials and tribulations we all do".

In some cases it's celebrities who act as spiritual leaders. Actor Melanie Griffith, well known for her battles with drugs and alcohol, hosts a website full of positive affirmations and tips on how to lead a simple, spiritual life. When Griffith came to Australia to shoot a film last year, such was her dedication to her beliefs she reportedly insisted on bringing with her a 120cm-high "spiritual crystal".

Burns, a firm believer in "walking her talk", rejects the idea that New Age practices are selfish and self-obsessed. "Is it really narcissism? We've all got to have 'me' time and you've got to build yourself and progress inside. You could call going to the gym or studying at university narcissism as well, but people don't ... It's really all about the trinity of mind, body and spirit."

This brings us to the big event on the local New Age calendar, the Mind Body Spirit Festival. The Melbourne and Sydney festivals attract upwards of 15,000 people and around the country more than 55,000 people attended last year. After spending a few hours in the massive exhibition space last November, I discovered I'm a Pisces with an Aquarius rising and Cancer moon, a No. 1 in numerology, a pig in the Chinese horoscope, I have a yellow aura, my energy is mainly vatha dosha, I have at least three past lives under my belt and, quite possibly, a guardian angel in the form of my late Uncle Don. I was fascinated but not quite sure what to do with all the information.

Psychologist Anne Hollonds says the festivals are a smorgasbord for those inclined to indulge in the New Age. "Some people will treat it like a hobby; they might become a Buddhist for a year, and then they will try something else like astrology or psychics a bit later."

Psychics are doing a roaring trade. The Australian Psychics Association estimates more than one million readings were done last year through more than 3000 listed phone services alone. The Yellow Pages reveals a galaxy of helpers out there. The appeal is understandable. If you're a believer, it's a chance to hear what the future holds and find some easy answers to difficult life questions.

"It's far more in vogue to say you are going to see a psychic than admit you are going for counselling," says Hollonds. "Counselling means you have to take responsibility for your own life and it's a lot of hard work. Instead we can pretend it's fate, in the stars and that's a more comfortable way to be. Psychics can also tell you things that really rock you badly. One young woman I know of was devastated because she was told she would never have kids or a long-term relationship. That's a very dangerous thing to tell someone."

While Trancenet's John M. Knapp is critical of many facets of all of this, he also sees the positive side. "What is very healthy about the New Age movement is its openness to all forms of spirituality. Take a Unitarian Church offering Buddhist-influenced services cheek-by-jowl with Wiccan or pagan rituals." On the flip side he offers a warning: "There is a dark side to this openness. Unquestioned, uncritical acceptance of every huckster who comes down the pike is flat out dangerous."

Skeptic Barry Williams also reserves his criticism for the leaders of the pack whom he says are too focused on money. "Often their wealth is tied up in the doctrine. Becoming rich and enjoying it is part of it; it's part of the modern psyche. They're certainly not the Christian mystics of 100 years ago doing this for altruistic reasons."

The Australian Skeptics will pay $100,000 for concrete proof of paranormal powers, though so far, Williams says, "no one has ever collected our money". He also says the biggest names of the New Age keep the quietest when challenged. "At the end of the day, if people want to pay money to them and it makes them happy, that's fine. But you have to remember, these people will always tell you what you already know and what you want to hear."

Then again, that's not always the case. After I made the appointment with Sarah in the caravan at 1am, I never got to see her. She cancelled me. Apparently the stars weren't right.

 Breakout Article

Dave Gorman's Important Astrology Experiment

When UK comedian Dave Gorman was called into a meeting at the BBC, he couldn't resist checking his horoscope from Mystic Meg in a London paper. It said, "A stranger will help you out in unexpected ways. Destiny carries a silver mobile." That morning Gorman was introduced to a producer who told him they were interested in optioning a show. As she was speaking, Gorman looked down and saw her grab her shiny silver mobile phone.

From this spooky incident, the concept for Dave Gorman's Important Astrology Experiment was born. For 40 days and 40 nights, he would give up normal life to follow the advice of 20 newspaper horoscopes to the letter. His twin brother would act as a control experiment and ignore his horoscopes in order to see whose life would turn out better.

Each week saw Gorman taking the advice of astrology columns so literally it resulted in him pulling stunts such as flying to New York to surprise a friend for four hours before flying home again, betting on a golfer who shared his birthday in Dubai, and even taking up a jokey challenge to stand in London's Covent Garden holding a cereal bowl and a tangerine while attempting to hop into a bucket of water - all because the stars told him to.

While Dave was off doing the ridiculous, his twin brother, Nick, continued to do what he would normally do. The pair would then meet regularly in the studio where the "astrologically balanced" audience and a panel of experts awarded points on the pair's health, wealth and happiness.

So did astrology win out in the end - who was happier? Gorman says astrology did win, but only by a whisker.

"My brother was winning most of the way, as each week he was doing nice things like spending time with his wife and taking his daughter to the park while I was running all around the world. Basically astrology only won because I won some money on the last day; if it had been a 39-day experiment, it would have been a very different story."

So has it changed Gorman's opinion of astrology? "Not really. My brother and I were born minutes apart, with all the planets in the same houses, but we couldn't be more different. And actually that's what people I know have always said about astrology: 'It can't be true, look at the twins!'"