New Age Religion and Western Culture: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought
... According to Wouter J. Hanegraaff, New Age draws inspiration from various spiritual traditions around the world but is deeply rooted in Western esotericism (Hanegraaff, 1998). Its nature includes elements of Eastern mysticism, indigenous spirituality, and alternative healing methods, but these are filtered through a distinctly Western-oriented lens. ...
... The second concept, common to the New Age, is that reality is included in the process of evolution. Hanegraaff believes that while the holistic view emphasizes the unity of the universe, the evolutionary view emphasizes the unification of the process over time (see : Hanegraaff, 1998). ...
... Furthermore, New Age's eclecticism fosters a sense of empowerment and agency as people take responsibility for their "spirituality" and actively engage in a process of selfdiscovery. Rather than relying on external authorities or intermediaries, people are encouraged to trust their own intuition and "inner wisdom" as they move along their "spiritual path" (see : Hanegraaff, 1998). ...
The article discusses features of individual religiosity in the context of the New Age Movement. In modern society, the structure of religiosity is undergoing significant changes as traditional religious institutions face problems with a rise in non-institutional forms of spirituality. One of the main factors contributing to the growth of non -institutional religion is the growth of secularization of society. It was this process that led to a decrease in the influence and authority of traditional religion and contributed to the revival of new ways of actualizing religiosity. The New Age Movement, combining ele-ments of different religions, philosophy, and practices, becomes a kind of an answer to this issue. The authors draw attention to key religious and spiritual tendencies that affect the individual beliefs and practices of the Movement’s participants. The philosophical, social and cultural, as well as psychological aspects of this phenomenon are analyzed. The influential factors that contribute to the emergence and development of the New Age Movement, as well as the Movement’s place and role in the modern religious landscape are discussed. The authors argue that the New Age Movement is a form of non-institutional religiosity and as such is a unifying idea for those forms of religiosity that do not fall under the paradigm of institutional religiosity. The authors argue that the in-tersections of spirituality and morality in the New Age Movement and non-institutional religions create both opportunities and problems. While this Movement offers people the freedom to explore different spiritual paths and ethical dilemmas, it also raises ques-tions regarding the nature of moral authority and the possibility of reaching a consensus on ethical principles.
... Between the mid-1970s and the late 1990s, the New Age movement became a widespread reality capturing the interest of sociologists of religion (Hanegraaff, 1996;Lewis & Melton, 1992). In what was later described as a "spiritual turn" (G. ...
... The resurgence of Christian fundamentalism on the American political scene (Hertzke, 1990;Wald, 1990) greatly increased the public visibility of religion in the US. With the spread of the New Age counter-culture across the country (Hanegraaff, 1996) approximately between the 1980s and the 1990s -religion, spirituality, and new religious movements suddenly seemed to be everywhere. Spearheaded by Rodney Stark, it became common for American scholars to highlight the religious vitality of the United States and claim that "it seems time to carry the secularization doctrine to the graveyard of failed theories" (Bainbridge & Stark, 1985;Bogue, 2000;Crippen, 1988;Stark, 1999, p. 270). ...
... This sudden shift can be arguably once again explained in conjunction with a change in the public state of religion and religiosity in the two countries. Following the diffusion of New Age spiritualities in the West throughout the 1970s and the 1980s, the US and the UK has led to a revival of religious fundamentalisms and to a prolonged period of crisis for the secularization theory that continued throughout the 1990s (Almond et al., 2003;Hadden, 1987;Hanegraaff, 1996;A. S. Parsons, 1974). ...
Despite the growth of Non-Religion Studies in recent years, historical changes within secularity remain underexplored and there is a shortage of extensive longitudinal studies dealing with the phenomenon. This shortcoming arguably stems, on one side, from the lack of sufficient granularity in the commonly used longitudinal survey data and, on the other, from a chronic indifference of secularization theory toward the changes occurring within secularity itself. It was argued that secularization is a process of broader (non-)religious change, and that secularization theory can and should be extended to the analysis of non-religion. This thesis employs a series of computational methods, ranging from Topic Modeling to Sentiment Analysis and Dynamic Word Embedding, to explore a large collection of magazines published by two American and two British non-religious organizations between 1881 and 2019. The analysis reveals that the historical fluctuations in the relevance attributed to religion by militant non-religious organizations closely follows fluctuations in the public visibility of religion. Furthermore, in line with the theoretical expectations, the relevance of these topics is consistently higher among groups with a more radical orientation (i.e., among atheists rather than humanists) and in contexts characterized by a lower degree of secularization (i.e., in the US rather than the UK). On the contrary, the demand for positive non-religious identities remained prevalently stable over time showing signs of a descending trend only throughout the latest decades. Sentiment Analysis, in combination with linear regression, confirmed that the proportion of negative sentiment in religion-related topics is positively associated with the perceived relevance of religion. Finally, Dynamic Word Embedding revealed two prevalent shifts. On one side, the critique of religion progressively moved away from an ideological confrontation of religious others and towards a more moderate focus on pragmatic concerns. Second, the conceptualizations of atheism and humanism increasingly converged, emphasizing a positive non-religious identity, political activism, and the organizational aspects of the secular movement.
... Already at the time of the field's inception, researchers of esotericism discovered that the concept of esotericism might be connected to what can be called modern psychological thought. This influence on psychology has been best illuminated by historical research, which has convincingly proved the involvement of several founding fathers of psychology in various forms of Western esotericism (see e.g., Hakl 2013;Hanegraaff 1996Hanegraaff , 2012Wehr 2016). It was also the researchers of esotericism who drew attention to the potential contemporary implications of early esoteric influences on psychology and its border zones. ...
... By the 1990s, a considerable amount of work on the diverse manifestations, historical and psychological aspects of esotericism (e.g., Faivre 1998;Hanegraaff 1996) had been done. Meanwhile, although they did not use the term "esotericism," an increasing number of works in the history of science discussed some of its manifestations, such as animal magnetism or psychical research (Benjamin and Baker 2004;Crabtree 1993;Ellenberger 1970;Lachman 2010;Monroe 2008;Oppenheim 1988;Owen 2004;Treitel 2004). ...
... As I mentioned earlier, we can learn about esoteric influences on psychology from two large groups of researchers: researchers of esotericism themselves (e.g., Asprem 2014a;Hakl 2013;Hanegraaff 1996Hanegraaff , 2012, and historians of psychology who, although they did not use the term esotericism, focused on some manifestations of it (e.g., Crabtree 1988;Ellenberger 1970;Gyimesi 2009;Lachapelle 2011;Méheust 1999;Monroe 2008). The majority of the latter had begun their work before the institutionalization of the academic research of esotericism. ...
The paper reviews and summarizes the historical research that has been carried out in recent decades to explore the connections between esotericism and psychology while highlighting the typical historical and contemporary ways in which psychology and esotericism are linked. This examination underscores why academic research on esotericism is relevant to psychology, including why a substantive definition of esotericism made within the context of psychology is essential. Based on the sources currently at our disposal, it is asserted that the influences of esotericism have never been peripheral to psychology. The foundations and basic features of “esoteric psychology” unfolding within various theoretical frameworks are described. With this paper, the author aims to contribute to the emergence of a critical yet open and flexible discourse that recognizes the impact of esotericism on psychology and is ready to evaluate these influences in an objective way.
... In this theory paper, we review the key literature in or translated into English to identify how scholarship has tended to answer these questions and to analytically categorize those responses. Our argument does not enter the challenging study of psychospirituality, esotericism, and the like, all of which are being ably served by their own, correctly distinct reviews (Hammer 2020;Hanegraaff 2013;Parsons 2020). ...
... James' inspiration was the Romantic making of mysticism within Transcendentalist Unitarian circles in the United States, who adopted it from the liberal Transcendentalist culture of modern Europe. New spiritual teachings, e.g., theosophy and anthroposophy (Hanegraaff 1998), experimentation with drugs in search of mystical experiences (Jay 2011), and evolving (Protestant) self-help ethos (Madsen 2014), all added to this search for the mystical in the West, in which James conceived and developed his ideas on mysticism. ...
... Historicized critiques have led some to the conclusion that mysticism is entirely a "false category" and an "essentialist illusion" (Penner 1983). Alongside similar lines, some suggest that the category of mysticism burdened with its Christian connotations or a-cultural vagueness of the common core thesis have little analytical usefulness, especially in studies beyond Christianity (Hammer 2020;Hanegraaff 2013;Huss 2007Huss , 2020Komarovski 2015). ...
The study of mysticism has been at an impasse for many years, wavering between naïve realism around a common core hypothesis and critical questioning of the category of mysticism and its imposition. In this article, we review key 20th century developments in the study of mysticism to understand why the term was largely abandoned and unpack the contours of this impasse. Specifically, we probe the literature to ask (i) how has mysticism been defined and (ii) who counts as a mystic? Our primary data are key pieces of scholarly literature on mysticism, including interdisciplinary studies and disciplinary literature from religious studies, history, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, and psychology. This review draws on a metatheoretic perspective of critical realism and is not meant to be comprehensive but rather analytical, seeking to identify patterns in scholarship. We find that each question is answered by studies along an axis, wavering between two ideal–typical poles. On the first question, we find scholarship ranging along an axis of essence between extreme poles of a reified vs. relativized substance of mysticism. On the second question, we find studies on an axis of access, varying between a rarified concept of mystical elites and a laified concept of mystical knowledge open to all. Putting studies along these axes yields a definitional space of mysticism that is compatible with critical realism and allows for the general study of mysticism to continue in a more nuanced, post-critique way. We also find that the category of experience lies at the origin or intersection point of both axes, and is a source of many problems in the general study of mysticism.
... In Catalonia specifically, 2017 marked the emergence of Neo-Santeria, a religious trend within Santeria whose adherents are predominantly Spanish and from other European nationalities (Pons-Raga 2020). The consolidation of Neo-Santeria in Barcelona can be understood as part of a broader "spiritual revolution" (Heelas and Woodhead 2005), which has paralleled the rise of holistic spiritualities or the spiritual descendants of the New Age Movement (Hanegraaff 1998;Heelas 1996 (Hanegraaff 1998;Heelas 1996;Sutcliffe and Bowman 2000;Bruce 2000;Houtman and Aupers 2007;Fedele and Knibbe 2013), with notable occurrences in Spain as well (Cornejo Valle and Blázquez Rodríguez 2013;Prat Carós 2012). As noted in the 2005 report "La situación de la religión en España a principios del siglo XXI" (Pérez-Agote and Santiago García (2005), also discussed in Cornejo Valle and Blázquez Rodríguez (2013)), this upward tendency is primarily driven by women, particularly those between the ages of 20 and 40, with a high level of education (Prat Carós 2012, pp. ...
... In Catalonia specifically, 2017 marked the emergence of Neo-Santeria, a religious trend within Santeria whose adherents are predominantly Spanish and from other European nationalities (Pons-Raga 2020). The consolidation of Neo-Santeria in Barcelona can be understood as part of a broader "spiritual revolution" (Heelas and Woodhead 2005), which has paralleled the rise of holistic spiritualities or the spiritual descendants of the New Age Movement (Hanegraaff 1998;Heelas 1996 (Hanegraaff 1998;Heelas 1996;Sutcliffe and Bowman 2000;Bruce 2000;Houtman and Aupers 2007;Fedele and Knibbe 2013), with notable occurrences in Spain as well (Cornejo Valle and Blázquez Rodríguez 2013;Prat Carós 2012). As noted in the 2005 report "La situación de la religión en España a principios del siglo XXI" (Pérez-Agote and Santiago García (2005), also discussed in Cornejo Valle and Blázquez Rodríguez (2013)), this upward tendency is primarily driven by women, particularly those between the ages of 20 and 40, with a high level of education (Prat Carós 2012, pp. ...
... Rationalization involves the gradual replacement of feelings and traditions with explicit, intellectually calculable rules and procedures (Morris 2009). Weber predicted that this process would eventually lead to widespread secularization, contributing to the "disenchantment" of the world-a concept denoting the elimination of magical means of salvation in favor of instrumental reasoning (Casanova 2008;Hanegraaff 1998). ...
This article explores the emergence and development of Neo-santeria in Barcelona, a contemporary trend of Afro-Cuban religious practices characterized by the rejection of animal sacrifice, a central ritual in traditional Santeria. The study identifies and analyzes four key arguments employed by Neo-santeros to legitimize this rejection within the secular and modern European context: the scientistic, de-traditionalist, individualistic, and ecologist arguments. Drawing on over a decade of ethnographic research, the article demonstrates how Neo-santeros navigate the tension between distancing themselves from certain traditional spiritual roots—particularly the practice of animal sacrifice—and the intertwining with European and contemporary cultural logics, particularly those related to secularism. The article situates Neo-santeria within the broader landscape of European holistic spiritualities, highlighting its strategic positioning as a religion that aligns with and challenges secularist expectations in modern Europe. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how Afro-Cuban religions, particularly Neo-Santería, can be defined by the ongoing creativity of their practitioners. This distinctive feature not only defines the fluid nature of these traditions but also contributes to the diversification and increased complexity of the spiritual landscape in European contexts, where Afro-Cuban practices are being intertwined in local cultural and religious frameworks.
... A modern jóga és a New Age erős viszonyban vannak egymással, a jóga gyakorlata átszövi a New Age világát is. A New Age röviden egy olyan széles körű mozgalom (Heelas 1996;Hanegraaff 1996) vagy hálózat (Sutcliffe 2008), amely különböző vallási és spirituális hagyományokból merít, és egy új, egyéni, holisztikus és önfejlesztésre összpontosító világnézetet képvisel. Ebben a mozgalomban az emberek gyakran keresik a személyes fejlődést, az önismeretet, a harmóniát a természettel, és hajlamosak ötvözni a keleti vallások, az okkultizmus és a modern pszichológia elemzéseit és gyakorlatait. ...
... A jóga szimbólumrendszere a motivációt és a kialakított lelkiállapotot valóban meghatározhatja, a létezés általános rendjének koncepciójához azonban nem elegendő, vagy legalábbis a kutatásom alatt nem találkoztam egyik terepen sem olyan jógással, akinek a jóga önmagában olyan átfogó világképet adott volna, amely a világot és a világban 11 Az Asram Jógaközpont megfogalmazása a jógáról: https://www.jogakozpont.hu/mi-a-joga-49 12 Ez a fajta istenkép hasonló a New Age szellemiség holizmusához, mely szerint minden létező egy nagyobb egész, egy Isten vagy "kozmikus tudat" részeként kapcsolódik egymáshoz (Heelas 1996, Hanegraaff 1996, Flere & Kirbiš 2007. Egy jógaoktató informátorom az egyéni elmét egy "univerzális" elme részeként értelmezi, így az egyéni elme a "kozmikus elmének" egyéni szinten lekorlátolt változata. ...
... Ez alapján a jóga nem önmagában magyarázza a világot és annak természetes rendjét, hiszen ebben az esetben vélt vagy valós természettudományos eredményekkel kívánják igazolni jógikus világképüket. A modern tudományos eredményekre való hivatkozás és a világkép ezzel való legitimációja Hanegraaff (1996) szerint általános a New Age világában. Bár itt nem a tudományos konszenzus és a jóga kapcsolata érvényesül, hanem a jóga világképének "tudományos" bizonyítására való törekvés. ...
Az új vallási mozgalmak, a New Age jelenség és az alternatív vallásosság térhódítása komoly kihívások elé állítja a hagyományos egyházakat és egyúttal átformálja a vallási életet a modern társadalomban. A vallásos dimenzió továbbra is releváns marad, mivel igény támad a spiritualitás élményszerű megtapasztalására egy elvarázstalanodott (disenchantment) – vagy annak vélt – világban. Ez a cikk a vallás és modernitás kapcsolatát vizsgálja a magyarországi jógaközösségek példáján keresztül. A kutatás során kvalitatív módszereket alkalmazva résztvevő megfigyelést és félig strukturált interjúkat végeztem a különböző jógaközösségekben. A jógaközösségek tevékenysége kiemelkedő megjelenési formája az egyre népszerűbb modern spiritualitásnak, így azt remélem, hogy a gyűjtött adatok megfelelő értelmezése mélyebb betekintést nyújt a modernitás és a vallás kapcsolatába. Az elemzés során az autenticitás mint szimbolikus tőke kerül megfogalmazásra, amelyben az alternatív vallások, köztük a jógaközösségek is a világ újravarázsiasításának (re-enchantment) lehetőségét látják. A cikk rámutat arra, hogy a spirituális mező aktorai az értékvesztés érzésére reagálva igyekeznek újra betölteni az emberi társadalom spirituális dimenzióját.
... Secondly, the book represents the expanding influence of American counterculture and the New Age in shaping new perspectives on health and illness within the middle and upper-class echelons of Brazilian society. Thirdly, From Eden to Aquarius demonstrates a creative interpretation of traditional East Asian ideas about the body through the lens of modern science, showcasing the broader New Age effort to appropriate 'oriental' concepts and practices and translate them for Western audiences (Hanegraaff 1996;Borup and Fibiger 2017). ...
... These alternative perspectives on healthcare would be instrumental in shaping the subsequent New Age movement. As Wouter J. Hanegraaff (1996) observed, the New Age resists easy categorisation, incorporating a range of beliefs and practices originating from 19th-century esoteric traditions, rejuvenated by the (predominantly) American countercultural experience. ...
This chapter investigates the formation of a self-care and alternative healing book market in Brazil during the 1970s, a period characterised by the peak of the counterculture and the rise of the New Age movement within the country. As disillusionment with the materialistic foundations of biomedicine and its pervasive impact on notions of health and illness grew, a burgeoning community of Brazilian authors, translators, editors, publishers, and readers-all deeply interested in natural healing-sought an alternative in the 'Orient'. This imagined sphere was perceived as a source to complement, if not potentially supplant the perceived reduction-ist approaches to body, health, and life associated with biomedicine. In tandem with patterns observed in Europe and the United States, a rapidly expanding community of Brazilian enthusiasts invoked the concept of 'oriental medicine' ('medicina oriental' in Portuguese) as an antidote to what they identified as the 'Western materialistic malaise'.
... According to MMM, meaning violations are associated with anxiety, and to reduce this anxiety, people may affirm alternative meaning frameworks and epistemologies that provide compensatory existential certainty (Proulx, 2020). Indeed, religious faith as a belief system seems like an ideal path to find ultimate meaning and protect oneself from the anxiety caused by the world's unpredictability, as it can offer answers about existence that are not limited by the material world and the shortcomings of the human mind (Hanegraaff, 1996). Compared to secular individuals, religious individuals experience less activity in the brain system responsible for self-regulation and anxiety in response to cognitive inconsistencies (Inzlicht et al., 2009), which suggests that religious belief can help buffer against unpleasant arousal caused by uncertainty. ...
In the present registered report, we test whether belief in science as a source of meaning helps restore existential comfort following reminders of death in nonreligious individuals. We predicted that spirituality of science—the capacity to experience high levels of transcendent spiritual meaning through science—may serve as proximal defense against existential anxiety and increase following reminders of death, especially for individuals who believe in science as a way of knowing. To test these hypotheses, we conducted a high-powered experiment (N = 697) with secular participants from the United Kingdom and the United States and manipulated existential anxiety using a prompt asking them to write down emotions evoked by thoughts about either their own death (existential anxiety condition) or dental pain (control condition). Contrary to the hypotheses, analyses indicated no significant differences in spirituality of science between conditions (and also when controlling for belief in science). Bayes factor analysis further indicated moderate evidence against such differences. Notably, post hoc exploratory analyses of participants’ written responses revealed that only 35% of participants reported explicit feelings of existential anxiety, while 29% explicitly reported not being afraid of death. This suggests that the existential threat may not have been fully experienced by all secular participants in this study. Overall, we found no evidence to suggest that spirituality of science protects secular individuals against existential anxiety. We discuss implications for theory and future research.
... Bandymas grįsti religinį mokymą moksliniais terminais ir apeliavimas į mokslinį autoritetą XX-XXI a. pastebimas daugelyje religinių judėjimų įvairiuose pasaulio regionuose. Kaip Vakarų alternatyvaus religingumo dalis (Hanegraaff, 1996;Goodrick-Clarke, 2008;Zeller, 2016;kt.) Sovietmečiu Lietuvos mokslininkai irgi domėjosi nekonvenciniu mokslu ir taikė jo metodus. ...
(Alternative Religiosity in Soviet Lithuania: Changing Forms of Communities - Summary in English)
Koks buvo alternatyvus religingumas vėlyvojo sovietmečio Lietuvoje? Kaip galima apibūdinti šio religingumo bendruomeniškumą ir įvairius jį nusakančius aspektus – siejimąsi su dariniais, vietove, dalyvavimą grupinėse praktikose, vienijusius simbolius ir sampratas, santykį su kitomis religinėmis grupėmis ir visuomene apskritai bei konstruotas jas skyrusias ribas? Ar galima kalbėti apie šiuo laikotarpiu veikusią kultų terpę, ar tik apie atskirus praktikus ir jų darinius? Kiek šio laikotarpio Lietuvos alternatyvaus religingumui ir jo bendruomeniškumui paaiškinti tinka „tradicinėms“ religijoms ir Vakarų visuomenių alternatyviam religingumui taikomos sampratos? Šių klausimų kontekste monografijoje analizuojamas vėlyvojo sovietmečio alternatyvų religingumas, telkiantis į jo bendruomeniškumą bei jo sąsajas su nagrinėjamo laikotarpio Lietuvos modernybe ir analizę grindžiant skirtingus bendruomenės aspektus pabrėžiančių Anthony Coheno (1985) bendruomenės kaip simbolinio konstrukto ir Heidi Campbell (2004) tinklinės bendruomenės sampratų deriniu. Apžvelgus bendruomenių konceptualizavimo, religinių bendruomenių ir sovietinės modernybės problematiką ir pristačius Coheno ir Campbell tinklinės bendruomenės sampratas kaip koncepcinius įrankius alternatyvaus religingumo bendruomeniškumui vėlyvojo sovietmečio ir Atgimimo metų Lietuvoje tirti, monografijoje analizuojami vėlyvojo sovietmečio ir Atgimimo metų Lietuvos alternatyvaus religingumo dariniai, juose vykusios sąveikos, bendruomeniškumui konstruoti pasitelkti simboliai ir kiti jam suprasti svarbūs aspektai. Galiausiai remiantis atskirų darinių ir praktikų socialinio tinklo žvalgomąja analize, analizuojama Lietuvos vėlyvojo sovietmečio alternatyvaus religingumo terpė kaip visuma, darinių ir individualių praktikų ryšiai ir sąveikos, terpei būdingas bendruomeniškumas ir jam svarbūs aspektai.
... Astrology, physiognomy and hand-reading became more or less techniques for psychological personality characterization, as did graphology, that originated at a later stage. 23 In a less profound but still noticeable manner, the general public's interest in hand- Combined, these sources give the impression that Meerloo thoroughly studied the writings of Issberner-Haldane and was inspired by the handprint collection of Raschig. Many of his clients were well-known and/or well-educated men and women, mainly Dutch. ...
The discovery of two handprints of the Dutch journalist and travel writer Mary Pos (1904–1987) and Pos’ reports of her consultations with the Dutch hand-reader in question led to us to reflect on the potential use of such documents in a biographical project aimed at a reconstruction of the life and work of Pos. We first examined the possible reasons for Pos to consult the hand-reader and tried to determine if and how she responded to it in her diaries and correspondence. We also checked whether the hand-reader’s findings had an impact and if she followed his advice. Finally, we wanted to find out if the handprints and reports could perhaps complement the more conventional collection of historical documents already studied, such as Pos’ diaries and letters. We also asked ourselves the more methodological question if a close reading and contextualisation of handprints and their reports in general can contribute to a biographical project. This essay offers a contextualisation of hand-reading practices, a detailed reading of the recovered documents, and a set of considerations when using such sources in a biographical project.
... O tema da espiritualidade dentro da modernidade (tardia) passa em boa medida pelas discussões envolvendo a teoria multifacetada da secularização (Weber, 1904;1905;Durkheim, 1912;Berger, 1985;Wilson, 1966;1982;Bruce, 2002;2011;Casanova, 1994), o fenômeno da Nova Era como religiosidade alternativa (Hanegraaff, 1996;Heelas, 1996;Heelas;Woodhead, 2005;Guerriero, 2006) e, mais recentemente, o debate sobre os "sem religião" (Woodhead, 2016;, também conhecidos pela expressão "espiritual, mas não religioso" (SBNR, em inglês) (Fuller, 2001;Ammerman, 2013). É dentro desse horizonte de eventos que localizamos a espiritualidade "não religiosa", um conceito que vem ganhando adesão sobretudo no século XXI, mas que não tem recebido na mesma PLURA, Revista de Estudos de Religião, ISSN 2179-0019, vol. ...
... Sua figura representa o poder da cura energética e da transformação espiritual, oferecendo aos praticantes uma maneira de expandir sua consciência e alinhar-se com energias superiores. Assim, a devoção ao Buda Amitayus na Nova Era é considerada um caminho de transformação, que purifica o karma 4 e acelera o despertar da consciência (Hanegraaff, 1998). Por sua vez, a Nova Era, uma corrente espiritual que mescla práticas e crenças de várias tradições, valoriza a cura holística e o equilíbrio energético. ...
... The pejorative depiction of the religion of the Old God as a profane and wicked "naturereligion" thereby represents a subjacent incorporation of the popular imagination of Paganism in GoT, through which Nature is marked as an antichristian space in the 7 While the books mention weirwoods in the South as part of the cultivated nature -a mere symbol rather than a sublime presence as in the hostile North-, the Tv show emphasises their complete deforestation. 8 Besides Hutton's elaborations on the shift from Paganism to Christianity (2009), see also Hanegraaff (1998); both of which are Parker's foundation for her reading of the Gothic forest as antichristian. ...
By applying Elizabeth Parker’s seven theses (2020) to Game of Thrones as the keys to identifying Gothicised spaces, I assert that the icy and eerie environment north of the Wall manifests as Gothic Nature insofar as it fulfills all seven ways in which nature can become a Gothic threat: the northern space represents a hostile environment, associated with a postcolonial past, and connected to the human unconscious. The second part focuses on the creation of the White Walkers as Nature’s agents and their portrayal as dreadful entanglements that alter (non)human life. Introducing the notion of transcorporeality, the dualism human/nonhuman is deconstructed –since the White Walkers aren’t naturally born but created out of sacrificed human babies. The White Walkers and their army become one singular monstrous hyperobject that foregrounds how humanity is “at the mercy of larger forces of nature” (Smith and Hughes 2013, 6). The story reflects our responsibility for climate change. Following Gothic tradition, the dark ecology (Morton 2016) in the saga blurs “the lines between the terror sublime and the the dark ecology (Morton 2016) in the saga blurs “the lines between the terror sublime and the the White Walkers are established as mirrors for our anxieties about the future of our planet.
... Men dient daarom 'het hart te volgen', te doen 'wat goed voelt' en af te zien van datgene wat niet goed voelt. 'The basic idea', zo stelt Heelas (1996: 23), 'is that what lies within -experienced by way of "intuition", "alignment" or an "inner voice" -serves to inform the judgments, decisions and choices required for everyday life.' Door gevoelens en intuïties serieus te nemen doet men, met andere woorden, recht aan wie men ten diepste is en verbindt men zich tegelijkertijd met alles wat bestaat (zie ook Hanegraaff, 1996). Gevestigde religieuze tradities en de daarin gewortelde doctrines worden in dit new-agediscours gezien als vervreemdende vertolkingen van de universele spirituele waarheid van zelfspiritualiteit, omdat ze deze begraven hebben onder talloze lagen van dogma's, concepten en ethische leefregels die door autoritaire leiders aan gelovigen worden opgelegd. ...
Er bestaat een opvallende overeenkomst tussen jonge new-agers, evangelicalen en moslims: kritiek op de in hun ogen ‘geperverteerde’ en ‘onechte’ religieuze tradities en instituties brengt hen tot een zoektocht naar de zuivere, authentieke kern van religie. Het anti-institutionalistische sentiment onder deze jongeren leidt hen dus niet tot een seculiere positie (de secularisatiethese van Berger), noch tot een geprivatiseerde en oppervlakkige religiositeit (de privatiseringsthese van Luckmann). De zoektocht onder jongeren naar authentieke religiositeit die er ‘echt toe doet’ wijst eerder op een proces van purificatie.
... bv. Aupers 2004;Aupers en Houtman 2003;Hanegraaff 1996;Heelas 1996). Het verklaart mogelijk ook voor een deel de aantrekkingskracht van de 'betoverende' computerspellen. ...
De nieuwste computerspellen op het internet zijn de status van ‘spelletje’ ontstegen. Zij worden gemiddeld meer dan twintig uur per week gespeeld door miljoenen mensen en bevatten een eigen, op het fantasy genre gebaseerde, cultuur, sociale structuur en economie. Hoe is de aantrekkingskracht van deze virtuele samenlevingen te begrijpen? In dit artikel analyseert Stef Aupers de opkomst en ontwikkeling van deze virtuele samenlevingen en concludeert op basis van een inhoudsanalyse dat zij virtuele oplossingen aanreiken voor echte problemen in de moderne wereld.
... Uma mudança cultural importante que contribui no aumento de novas religiões, mas que geralmente é subconsiderada pelos especialistas do tema, é a ascensão do capitalismo. A maioria dos acadêmicos ocidentais prefere utilizar termos guarda-chuva como "pós-modernidade" ou "ultramodernidade" para englobar apropriação cultural, superficialidade das relações humanas, descartabilidade, crise ambiental, desperdício, desesperança generalizada, consumismo e comodificação da vida (Champion, 1989;Dawson, 1998;Díez de Velasco, 2000;Hanegraaff, 1996). Preferimos tratar esse grupo de características pelo termo "capitalismo", seguindo a noção de realismo capitalista, a crença de que o capitalismo e todos os seus males são inevitáveis. ...
O artigo examina como as transformações sociais e econômicas impulsionadas pelo capitalismo influenciam os novos movimentos religiosos. Para tanto, utiliza de revisão bibliográfica, utilizando de autores que produziram revisões sistemáticas sobre a temática. O texto explica como movimentos sociais específicos que fomentaram as novas religiões as tornam mais propensas a cooptação ou alinhamento com ideologias de extrema-direita. Além de abordar colonialismo, capitalismo, orientalismo e a Guerra Fria, o artigo também discute como mesmo movimentos sociais progressistas, como a contracultura e a segunda onda do feminismo, têm relação complexa com a direita, frequentemente reforçando estereótipos e práticas do capitalismo.
... La aparición de supersticiones nuevas en nuestras sociedades, diferentes a las tradicionales, no es algo exclusivo del momento actual. La década de los años 60 estuvo marcada por la irrupción, en Occidente, de múltiples creencias esotéricas que podríamos agrupar bajo la categoría "New Age" y que, bebiendo tanto de influencias renacentistas europeas como de la espiritualidad oriental, iban desde el Reiki hasta la teosofía, las religiones OVNI, la creencia en los chakras, el neopaganismo, los viajes astrales, el ayurveda o la cristaloterapia, entre otras muchas (Hanegraaff, 1996;Heelas, 1996). Antes todavía, a mediados del siglo xix tuvo lugar el auge del espiritismo y el ocultismo que, durante décadas, dieron lugar y fama a multitud de prácticas y creencias supersticiosas de nuevo cuño, de las cuales las más célebres seguramente son la mediumnidad y el tablero Ouija. ...
El objetivo de Las nuevas supersticiones. Marcos del discurso anticientífico y recomendaciones para una divulgación preventiva, es exponer los elementos más característicos de los discursos anticientíficos o pseudocientíficos que circulan en las redes sociales y en la calle: en nuestro mundo, que ahora es digital y global. Es importante conocer en qué consisten y cómo operan para estar prevenidas como ciudadanas y como profesionales de la información y la comunicación, como docentes y periodistas. La publicación incluye un estudio en profundidad acompañado de una breve guía didáctica y de buenas prácticas. En conjunto, apunta a las cuestiones más problemáticas del tratamiento mediático (pero también social) de estas teorías anticientíficas o pseudocientíficas.
... Practices such as meditation, yoga, and energy healing are commonly employed to facilitate this awakening (W. J. Hanegraaff, 1998). ...
Актуальність дослідження сотеріологічної проблематики, часто, вкрай гостро постає в період соціальних випробувань та матеріально-духовної напруги у державі та житті окремого індивіда. Сотеріологія, наука про спасіння та звільнення, яка відіграє центральну роль у різних духовних, релігійних і філософських системах. Дане дослідження розглядає різноманітні концепції спасіння в різних традиціях, аналізуючи як кожна традиція розглядає людські страждання, природу особистості та шляху до остаточного звільнення. Порівнюючи основні вчення, включаючи християнство, буддизм, індуїзм та філософію екзистенціалізму, цей аналіз має на меті з’ясувати як спільні риси, так і розбіжності у їх сотеріологічних перспективах, підкреслюючи, як ці погляди впливають на практики та способи становлення особистості. Сотеріологія, як одне з найдавніших духовно-філософських вчень людства ставить за мету дослідити, пояснити та зрозуміти механізми неймовірно цікавого та досить неоднозначного явища «спасіння», як певної форми звільнення людини від складнощів матеріального світу. Сотеріологія намагається ставити перед собою вирішення двох ключових питань: кінцева мета до якої прагне адепт та шляхи її досягнення. Кожна система (як релігійні так і філософські) намагаються розкрити це поняття по своєму, пояснити та прояснити основні постулати для своїх адептів. В даній статті здійснено спробу порівняти певні концепції у релігійних та філософських системах, так як дані вчення за своєю суттю та основами, часто вагомо відрізняються, зокрема традицій ні західні релігійні системи можуть кардинально відрізнятися (щодо вирішення даної проблематики) у своїх концепціях та світосприйнятті із ідеями екзистенціалізму та основами східного релігійного світобачення. Комперативістський аналіз цих вчень допомагає краще зрозуміти їх спільне підґрунтя, та шляхи для досягнення омріяних станів духовного спокою та насолоди. Завдання дослідження: дослідити ідеї та базові основи сотеріологічних ідей. Спробуйте проникнути в приховані основи цих ідей. Також зробіть спробу порівняльного аналізу ряду релігійних, філософських і духовних вчень і систем. Методологія дослідження. Викладання сотеріології складне і багатогранне. Для аналізу даної теми необхідний комплексний, системний підхід. Тому в даному дослідженні використовувався ряд методів: індукція, дедукція, історизм і системний метод. Зв'язок з попередніми дослідженнями. Проблема сотеріології вже давно цікавить велику кількість вчених. Дані досліджень ми знаходимо в наукових працях таких вчених як: Міллард. Дж. Еріксон, Мюррей А. Рей, Пол К. Мозер, М. Рут, В. Мосс та багато інших дослідників. Проте ця тема залишається невичерпним джерелом багатогранності для нових філософських пошуків.
Is contemporary spirituality a modern, postmodern or metamodern category? This article claims that contemporary spirituality is a metamodern category because it clearly shows both modern and postmodern tendencies. This claim is supported by a case study of ‘grassroots spirituality’. Grassroots spirituality shows modern tendencies in its Enlightenment pursuit of rationality, liberty, equality, and democracy as well as in its Romantic search for transcendence within immanence, with a focus on experience. Grassroots spirituality shows postmodern tendencies in its commodification of fragments from different traditions, according to the cultural logic of late capitalism, as well as in its distrust and deconstruction of grand narratives, resulting from a relativization of language and belief systems. Its oscillations between modern and postmodern tendencies make contemporary (grassroots) spirituality metamodern.
This essay is the author’s response to a forum focused on The Secular Paradox: On the Religiosity of the Not Religious (Blankholm 2022), which was published in Secular Studies in December 2024. The essay has three parts. The first part summarizes The Secular Paradox as the author sees it today. It emphasizes the importance of taking the titular “paradox” seriously, as an ostensible contradiction rather than mere confusion. It also considers the persistent challenges we face when trying to study something paradoxical. Our language and concepts fail us, and The Secular Paradox diagnoses that failure. The second part summarizes the essays in the forum and engages with each of them to highlight their insights and draw attention to the important projects from which they’re drawn. The final part describes several future directions in the study of secularism, secularity, and secular people.
The meaning of spirituality has changed sinced the Second World War. Even if we limit its use to people who (would) identify as “spiritual but not religious,” much ambiguity and diversity remains around the concept of spirituality. Elsewhere, I suggested abandoning “spirituality” and replacing it with a precisely defined “secular religion,” as a more useful analytical tool. Here, I reconsider this suggestion since secular religion is unable to discern between modern, postmodern, and metamodern entanglements of secular and religious beliefs and practices in Western cultures. I offer a contextual approach based on ideal types, which allows for distinctions within contemporary spirituality, without having to abandon or define the word.
Since the turn of the twenty-first century, Mesoamerican studies have witnessed a turn toward reinterpreting precolonial pantheons as sets of impersonal principles, sometimes even reducing them to one general underlying concept of impersonal energy. This article explores the impersonal rendering of Aztec teotl in the work of Aztec philosophy scholar James Maffie. It offers a detailed source analysis, arguing that there is little basis for Maffie’s conclusions in the primary or secondary material. Moreover, Maffie’s teotl fully matches the concept of “energy” typical for Alternative (New Age) Spirituality (the ideas of which are disseminated by the vastly influential “occultural” phenomena). Maffie’s interpretation of teotl can thus be seen as a product of a Western bias. As such, the implications of the situation surpass the narrow confines of Mesoamerican studies: all of academia needs to be just as aware of possible New Age biases as it is of the Christian ones.
This study aims to examine New Age practices from a neurosociological perspective, a point where sociology and neuroscience intersect. New Age is characterized as an eclectic and syncretic umbrella term encompassing spiritual, mystical, esoteric, and occult elements, as well as scientific knowledge, ancient traditions, and religious discourses. These techniques merge old and new teachings, resulting in a dynamic and open-ended framework. On the other hand, in recent decades, neuroscience has made significant progress in uncovering the mysteries of the human brain, supported by technological advancements. Numerous studies in the field of neuroscience have demonstrated that various practices and teachings classified under the New Age umbrella led to measurable neuronal changes in specific brain regions, reducing stress and anxiety. Due to the large spectrum of the New Age term, this study focuses only in meditation and mindfulness practices which can be seen as the pillars of many different teachings and techniques. In this study, a combination of literature review and in-depth interviews was used. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with ten individuals regularly engaging in these practices. The findings from these interviews align with the existing literature. This neurosociological evaluation highlights the interdisciplinary nature of New Age practices, bridging the fields of sociology and neuroscience by providing insights into how such beliefs and practices impact both individual neural functioning and broader social behaviors.
The ancient Gnostic synthesis of Platonism with the Jewish scriptures is evaluated in contrast to that of emerging Catholic orthodoxy. Plotinus’ critique of Sethian Gnosticism provides the philosophical context for this analysis. A hurdle for both syntheses was the dissimilitude between the Biblical Yahweh and the Platonic first principle. Catholicism eventually resolved this tension by “telescoping” the Plotinian hypostases together into the Trinity, whereas Gnosticism solved it by denying that Yahweh was the true first principle. The Gnostic synthesis represents a more coherent adaptation of Platonism that leaves open the possibility of Plotinus’ vision of union with the One.
O que a noção de espiritualidade opera quando é empregada como uma categoria analítica? O que esse termo descreve? E qual enquadramento induz cada vez que é mobilizado? A amplitude dessas perguntas dimensiona os desafios que essa noção impõe e a urgência da tarefa de tornar mais consciente seu uso nas ciências sociais. Afinal, apesar da longa trajetória histórica dos debates acerca da categoria espiritualidade na filosofia clássica e na teologia, no campo da antropologia a análise pormenorizada dos usos e das apropriações da “espiritualidade” é um tema pouco frequente e sistematizado. Este artigo consiste em uma reflexão teórica sobre a noção de espiritualidade nas ciências sociais.
After a brief overview of the topic, this article enquires about the origins and rationale of popular spirituality and proposes a paradigm for understanding its many diverse strands before offering some observations on how Christians might respond and engage appropriately.
Technological developments and the introduction of mass media into our lives have led to an increase in the visibility of religion on digital platforms. With the digitalization process affecting religious perceptions and practices, the change in the phenomenon of belief has brought about an intensification of spiritual searches. These searches offer almost all belief systems, from institutionalized religions to far eastern religions, from traditional sects to modern community structures, the opportunity to be represented in the digital world. Alternative formations outside of institutionalized religions such as paganism, Hinduism, esotericism, mysticism and occultism open the door to new forms of belief and offer spiritual experiences. Thanks to the channels recommended in reels and live IGVT videos on social networks, individuals have easy access to flexible and versatile spiritual experiences. In this study, the practices such as psychic surgery, return to self, and retreat camp are discussed in the account of the spiritual group named Binnur Duman Academy on the social media application Instagram, which has 545 posts and 813 thousand followers. The study, which applied content analysis, one of the qualitative research techniques, was limited to 15 IGTV video content among 545 posts published between January 2023 and March 2024. The impact of spiritual experiences on religious practice and spiritual quests in IGTV videos was evaluated, and it was analyzed how the rituals in the Instagram posts of the group within the new age movements were recognized on social networks.
The decline in traditional institutional religion has paralleled the rise of New Age and new spiritualities, which seek to reconnect individuals with nature through holistic practices for physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. This article examines how holistic therapists and consultants in the Los Lagos region of Chile conceptualize nature. This region, a gateway to Chilean Patagonia, is noted for its biodiversity and striking landscapes, making it an ideal setting for the emergence of new spiritualities. A qualitative study of descriptive-interpretative scope was carried out, following a multiple case study design, involving 34 local holistic informants (14 therapists and 20 consultants). Semi-structured individual interviews were the primary data collection method, analyzed with Atlas. ti software. Six categories emerged: nature as a healing agent, a protective source/mother, a harmonic whole, a refuge for introspection, a source of wisdom, and a home/habitat. The study discusses the implications of these views on nature in the search for spirituality, life meaning, and moral guidance. It also addresses the idealization and moralization of nature, highlighting potential risks, including the cultural appropriation of local indigenous beliefs.
This article sets out to discuss the structure of New Age spiritual memoir as distinct from the Christian spiritual memoir. I look at the notion of spiritual seekership which drives the plots of New Age spiritual memoirs, and the various patterns of seekership that have been identified. Seeing that the major structural difference between New Age and Christian spiritual memoirs lies in the number of turning points (several “awakenings” vs one conversion experience, respectively), I present the most common types of turning points featured in the studied texts (psychedelic-induced and non-dual awakenings, as well as energy-like somatic experiences). The above are illustrated by brief overviews of selected memoirs (by Stanislav Grof, Richard Alpert/Ram Dass, Tony Parsons, Richard Sylvester, and Suzanne Segal).
One of the most remarkable features of the current religious landscape in the West is the emergence of new Pagan religions. Here the author will use techniques from recent analytic philosophy of religion to try to clarify and understand the major themes in contemporary Paganisms. They will discuss Pagan concepts of nature, looking at nature as a network of animated agents. They will examine several Pagan theologies, and Pagan ways of relating to deities, such as theurgy. They will discuss Pagan practices like divination, visualization, and magic. And they will talk about Pagan ethics. Their discussions are based on extensive references to contemporary Pagan writings, from many different traditions. New Pagan religions, and new Pagan philosophies, have much to contribute to the religious future of the West, and to contemporary analytic philosophy of religion.
Performans, çok sayıda faaliyet ve davranışı kapsayan geniş bir eylem yelpazesi olarak ifade edilmektedir. Türkiye’de gerçekleştirilen şaman ritüellerine bakıldığında performatif tutumların varlığı dikkat çekmektedir. Günümüzde gerçekleşen Neo-Şamanik ritüeller, etkileşimli ve yüz yüze olmalarının yanı sıra her yere uyarlanabilmelerine olanak tanıyan esneklikleriyle de öne çıkmaktadır. Neo-Şamanik ritüellerin performans evreleri, içeriği ve müzik perspektifi Türkiye’de bu ritüelleri gerçekleştiren ritüel uygulayıcılarının görüşlerine dayanarak analiz edilmiştir. Performans odaklı araştırmaların, müzik de dahil olmak üzere ifade sistemlerinin performans bağlamlarına uygun olarak nasıl oluşturulduğunu tespit etmek için kullanıldığı kabul edilmektedir. Bu doğrultuda Neo-Şamanik ritüellerin performans analizi, kültürel bağlam ve sosyal etkinin yanında performansa eşlik eden müzik icrasının da belirgin bir etkiye sahip olduğu fikri dikkate alınarak bütüncül bir temelde ele alınmıştır. Sonuç olarak performatif tutum ışığında, Neo-Şamanik ritüellerde tercih edilen performansın ve teatral anlatıların ritüel uygulayıcılarının isteğine veya algılanan gerekliliğe göre kullanıldığı anlaşılmaktadır. Ayrıca Neo-Şamanik ritüellerde kullanılan unsurların ve bu bağlamda uygulanan anlatı yapısının kadim geleneği yansıtmaktan ziyade modernize edilmiş bir yapıyı yansıttığı ifade edilebilir. Öte yandan, bu iddiaya karşı çıkan eleştirel bakış açıları da mevcuttur. Buradan hareketle Neo-Şamanik ritüel performansları saha araştırmaları çerçevesinde ele alınıp; kültürel etkileşim ekseninde değerlendirilecektir.
This study focuses on yoga as part of contemporary spiritual culture (CSC) and examines the relationship between modern yoga and meditation. First, I investigate the purpose of practice and the position of meditation in classical yoga and hatha yoga; I clarify that classical yoga aims to stop the fluctuations of the mind by subduing physical activity, while hatha yoga aims to activate energy by working on the body, which is a microcosm of the universe. Next, I explore the characteristics of modern postural yoga (MPY, which was established in the early 20th century) and how it differs from traditional yoga. Based on the above discussion, I examine ashtanga vinyasa yoga (AVY), a major school of MPY that has greatly influenced many other forms of yoga. I point out several interpretive frameworks for a series of physical practices in ashtanga yoga (within the same school of yoga). While the Indian tradition views asanas (physical postures) as preparation for meditation, the Western counterculture-influenced yoga that developed after the late 1960s views asanas as a microcosm of life, as a search for spirituality, and as “moving meditation”.
O artigo discute a polissemia do termo espiritualidade, tanto no senso comum quanto no meio acadêmico. Considera que a percepção de espiritualidade privada em oposição à religião institucional não é totalmente correta. Discute inicialmente a formação do conceito de espiritualidade, desde suas concepções originais até as inúmeras compreensões existentes hoje. Trata, ainda, da extensão da crítica que se faz ao conceito religião e de como isso pode impactar o próprio conceito de espiritualidade. Considera que ambas as concepções fazem parte de uma mesma realidade e estão influenciadas por um modelo de igreja cristã, europeia e colonizadora. A percepção quase imediata de uma espiritualidade essencializada e sacralizada impede de enxergá-la como um construto histórico e de perceber as implicações ideológicas e sociais daí decorrentes. Por fim, afirma que as duas categoriais podem ser vistas como frutos de uma mesma realidade, havendo, portanto, uma falsa dicotomia entre elas.
Habituellement rangés au rayon de la « littérature pur bonheur » (feel-good literature) par ses critiques, les ouvrages de Marc Levy n’ont jamais été analysés sous l’angle de la religiosité contemporaine. Cet article entend montrer qu’au-delà de « bons sentiments », ses ouvrages mettent en scène une spiritualité « post-Nouvel Âge » (post-New Age) à part entière. À l’aide d’une analyse de Et si c’était vrai… et Vous revoir, cette contribution entend souligner la manière dont les registres du fantastique et du merveilleux s’appuient sur le discours ésotérique et la rhétorique du développement personnel. En substituant à la recherche du divin celles du bonheur et de l’amour, Levy formule une mythologie inspirée du « Nouvel Âge » (New Age), mais foncièrement distincte par son individualisme et une ascèse intramondaine exacerbée. Il en résulte une oeuvre caractéristique d’une forme de religiosité diffuse et que l’on peut rapprocher de l’« individuo-globalisme » de Logier.
This paper critically examines the constructs of spiritual capital and spiritual entrepreneurship/entrepreneur. These concepts have recently become widespread in the social sciences and the psychology of the New Age, or the new spiritualities, and they are also increasingly present in business literature, organizational management, and personal improvement in managerial terms. From a critical social psychology position, the paper will consider the usefulness of these concepts in revealing how the field of spirituality currently seems to be a favoured space of governmentality and subjectivation for neoliberalism.
Mevlânâ Celaleddin Rumi, a thirteenth Century Sufi mystic, has gained increasing popularity in the UK and in the USA from 1990s onwards. This study explores this decontextualised popularity through an analysis of the political and sociological factors that led individuals’ interest in a form of spirituality which is out of religious context. It asserts that the insecurity capitalism and neoliberalism created in the workplace for working class people resulted in a search for a way for them to improve themselves first in the marketplace and then in the psychological and spiritual realms of their lives. In order to unpack this claim, the paper starts with brief histories of capitalism and neoliberalism from the second half of the nineteenth century and shows how political and social impact of capitalism and neoliberalism prompted the emergence of self-help publications. It then moves on to discussing the notion of governmentality and its function in the decentralised governance of neoliberal state. Through this, it offers a Foucauldian analysis of New Age movement as a technology of power. It then proceeds with a historical account of the New Age movement, it scrutinises the relationship between neoliberal governance and the New Age movement. Having established the foundations of New Age Sufism and briefly touched the historic presence of Sufism in the West, it presents a close reading of Roger Housden's Chasing Rumi as a New Age novel and discusses how values of New Age spirituality comes together with the 13th Century mystic in the belief system of the novel and shows in what ways New Age Sufism and Rumi’s theosophy varies from its traditional roots.
For centuries it was normal to grow up in a Catholic or Protestant family in Germany. According to the 1970 census, over 93 per cent of the population belonged to a church, but by 2022 this figure had fallen below 50 per cent. Today, a multitude of small religious groups, ideological communities and spiritual movements make it difficult to keep track of a growing market. The authors of this alphabetically arranged compendium were or are employees of an institute for religious studies of the Protestant Church, which has been investigating changes in the religious landscape for decades. In addition to being open to dialogue with people of other faiths, they have also taken a stand against offensive forms of faith.
Examples of how Spiritism merged with local beliefs have been the subject of research in religious studies, ethnology, and folkloristics. Serbian Spiritism can also be viewed as such, but its history is an under-researched topic. We examine the syncretic product we will call ‘folk Spiritism’, being different from the ‘high Spiritism’ of elite and middle-class intellectuals. Folk Spiritism was part of a grassroots movement for Church reform in the first half of the 20th century. The difference between folk and high Spiritism is also confirmed in the emic perspective. Based on a closer reading of its texts, we can discern a better image of the dead and communication with them in the practice of folk Spiritism. We conclude that the difference between the traditional and Spiritist image of the dead is that the former causes fear, while the later brings comfort; folk Spiritism gave preference to communication with heavenly forces (God, Christ, Holy Mother, angels, saints) while retaining the traditional view of the dead.
This article seeks to broaden the current scholarship on modern yoga by expanding the customary regional areas of enquiry. It offers an introspective overview of an early episode of the history of implementation of yogic ideas in Mexico. By focusing on the case of Francisco I. Madero, a prominent statesman and one of the chief actors in the Mexican Revolution, I will explore the influence that yogic philosophy had on Mexican politics at the beginning of the twentieth century. With a wide range of meanings, yoga here designates an ethical attitude and discipline, more than a bodily postures methodology. Even before the yoga boom from the 1960s onward, yogic ideas were already present in intellectual international circles-usually mediated by esotericism-and often had an impact on social and cultural environments. This enquiry will explore the intricacies of transregional negotiations of cultural items. Also, this article intends to situate expansive intellectual exchange in the light of global networks of knowledge and wider reimaginings of cultural worlds.
Aldous Huxley’s Doors of Perception played a fundamental role in the psychedelic revolution and counterculture of the 20th century. During this time, the use of psychedelics became inextricably linked with Easternized spirituality. However, what was the role of Doors of Perception in this? Did it contribute to this development? While influential commentators such as Ellwood, Hanegraaff, Hammer, and Campbell overlook Huxley’s possible contribution to Easternization, Partridge and Poller suggest that he may have played a part. This article re-examines Doors of Perception through the reimagined lens of “Easternization.” Thematic and topical coding of the book reveals that it does not primarily rely on Eastern concepts. However, upon analyzing the explicit Eastern beliefs, ideas, and practices in Doors of Perception, it becomes clear that mystical consciousness, particularly D.T. Suzuki’s Westernized version of “Zen Satori,” is the key to interpreting it. This key places the aesthetic and visionary themes and other topics under the rubric of Zen Satori, but as soon as this happens, they become entangled with the more general shift towards mystical-Immanentism and neo-Romanticization in the West. Not all readers may notice Huxley’s Zen framework, but great Easternizers in the counterculture and beyond did and used it to write their Easternizing psychedelic classics. This influence means that Huxley and his Doors of Perception established a fundamental connection between psychedelics and Eastern(ized) spirituality, ultimately inspiring others to explore this Easternizing connection further.
Maya crosses have always inspired a sense of wonder in the modern observer, because they have been considered animate persons with whom people establish and maintain intersubjective relationships and whom they cherish and nurture. In this study, drawing on my ethnography of “dressing the cross”, an Easter ceremony, I suggest that what separates Maya traditionalism from globalizing modern Maya Spirituality is a particular form of “hierarchical animism”.
This thesis explores the intricate relationship between esotericism and Carl Jung's
psychological theories, as evidenced in his seminal work, The Red Book. It investigates how
esoteric traditions, often veiled in mystery and symbolism, have profoundly shaped Jung's
understanding of the human psyche and the collective unconscious. The research delves into the
historical and conceptual foundations of esotericism, examining its key characteristics, diverse
traditions, and enduring impact on various fields. It also provides a detailed analysis of The Red
Book, highlighting its symbolic language, archetypal figures, and Jung's personal journey of selfdiscovery. Through a semiotic analysis, the thesis decodes the rich tapestry of symbols and
metaphors in The Red Book, revealing their deeper psychological and cultural meanings. It
explores Jung's controversial embrace of esotericism, examining his connections to gnosticism and
astrology, and critically assesses the tension between his scientific aspirations and his fascination
with the occult. By situating Jung's work within the broader context of esoteric thought, this thesis
illuminates the transformative potential of engaging with hidden knowledge traditions and their
enduring relevance for understanding the human psyche. It also raises important questions about
the ethical implications of esotericism and the need for critical thinking in navigating the complex
interplay between science, spirituality, and the unconscious mind.
Keywords: Esotericism – Jung’s Theories – The Red Book – Archetypes, Individuation
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