It's certainly exciting. I've been into this stuff for years already and the excitement hasn't worn off. I'm not sure if I know what you mean about awakening a new part of you and new age-y-ness, but I might. I'm not sure what your background/beliefs are in terms of religion/metaphysics, but I consider how humans relate to each other, interact, and organize themselves to be deeply significant on what many people would refer to as a spiritual level. Personally I think it's pretty unhelpful to compartmentalize religion/spirituality apart from other aspects of a person's belief system and philosophy.