E asks: “Is Guy Finley a New Age Author?”

In a word, yes.

Guy Finley is the author of The Secret of Letting Go, The Essential Laws of Fearless Living and dozens of other self-help books that are very popular on New Age book sites.

He’s published by mega-New Age publisher Llewellyn Worldwide whose stated mission is to “serve the trade and consumers worldwide with options and tools for exploring new worlds of mind & spirit, thereby aiding in the quests of expanded human potential, spiritual consciousness, and planetary awareness” (about as New Age as you can get).

The son of late night TV radio host Larry Finley, Guy grew up among the rich and famous. A musician and composer, he wrote music for recording artists such as Diana Ross, the Jackson 5, and Billy Preston, as well as writing the scores for several motion pictures and TV shows.

However, this life didn’t satisfy him. As he describes on his website, he decided there was more to life than worldly success. In 1979, he left it all to travel throughout North America, India and the Far East “in search of truth and Higher Wisdom.” He claims to have voluntarily retired from his flourishing music career “in order to simplify his life and to concentrate on deeper self-studies.”

As I wrote in a recent blog, a New Age self-help guru can always be spotted if they  promote a human-centered psychology based on the belief that a person is in complete control of their destiny.

Finley certainly does this. With book titles such as Designing Your Own Destiny: The Power to Shape your Future, and founding a non-profit “self-realization school that teaches the direct path to an enlightened life” I think he fits quite snugly into this category.

Send your New Age questions to newage@womenofgrace.com