Spiritual Discourse Research Articles

Modes of Mindfulness in Post-Catholic Ireland

The Republic of Ireland has undergone a seismic religious and social transformation in recent decades. Through the processes of secularization and detraditionalization, as well as several major scandals within the Irish Catholic Church, irreligiosity has become an increasing reality in terms of the hitherto overwhelmingly Catholic population. At a time of spiritual climate change in this post-Catholic Ireland, the contemporary phenomenon of mindfulness has exploded in popularity across various elements of society. Against this backdrop, three distinctive modes or strands of mindfulness are proposed as being operative in the Irish context, each catering to the needs of different practitioners. The proposed modes include psychological and clinical mindfulness and commodified and post-secular spirituality. Within the lacuna created by the receding of Catholic belief and practice, the emergence of mindfulness in the Irish context is explored, mapping how this originally Buddhist practice has gained such a foothold in contemporary spiritual discourse.

A Study on Baul Lalon Shah's Songs of Humanity in Communication Theory Perspective

This article explores the songs of Baul Lalon Shah, a prominent figure in the classical folklore of 19th-century Bengal under British rule. Lalon's music, deeply rooted in humanism, transcends caste, religion, and social divisions, emphasizing unity, equality, and peace. As a member of the Baul community, Lalon integrated diverse religious philosophies, including Hinduism, Tantric Buddhism, and Sufi Islam, into a unique spiritual discourse centred on humanity. His songs advocate for the primacy of humanism over religious and societal binaries. Despite their profound philosophical contributions, Lalon's songs have not been analyzed using rhetorical methods thoroughly. This study seeks to fill that gap by applying rhetorical analysis to examine the humanistic philosophy embedded in Lalon Shah's works. By doing so, it aims to reveal the enduring significance of his message in Bengali society and contribute to the broader discourse on global humanism. Disseminating these insights can play a transformative role in cultural and philosophical spheres.

Towards validating invalidated knowledge: a discourse analysis of firsthand accounts of hearing voices

BackgroundAs Foucault historically traced, dialogs about madness were silenced with the emergence of biomedical psychiatry. The silence entailed the epistemic violence of invalidating persons who hear voices as knowers, arguably leaving them without validating sensemaking languages for firsthand experiences. This article analyzes five Norwegian firsthand accounts of hearing voices, and how they differed from the predominating biomedical psychiatry discourse, in search of validating languages and knowledge that may facilitate making sense of voice-hearing for persons who hear voices.MethodsThe text material consisted of four sets of blogs authored by four young women and a short interview with a man, all of whom had firsthand experiences of voice-hearing in a Norwegian context. Ian Parker’s version of Foucauldian discourse analysis was used to analyze the material.ResultsSix discourses were identified: biomedical psychiatry-discourse, discourse of reason, psychodynamic discourse, discourse of personal characteristics, spiritual discourse and discourse of personal relationships between hearer and voices. Within the discourses of biomedical psychiatry and reason, voice-hearing was rendered as hallucinations, unreason, and as a problem to be solved, preferably by professionals, thus silencing the person who hears voices. In contrast, within the discourses of psychodynamics, personal characteristics, spirituality, and personal relationships between hearer and voices, voice-hearing has diverse meanings, and they grant voice hearers greater freedom concerning voice-hearing. The psychodynamic discourse nonetheless aligns with the discourses of reason and biomedical psychiatry in allowing professionals the prerogative of determining the meaning of voice-hearing. The remaining three discourses appear to facilitate more space for voice-hearers to narrate and engage with their voice-hearing at their discretion, with little to no professional impingement.ConclusionsDiscursive complexity notwithstanding, I consider that particularly the discourses of personal characteristics, spirituality, and personal relationships facilitate languages that may enable a person to narrate their own experiences and actions at their own discretion, without needing an expert commentator on the side. To have such languages available is argued to entail clear strides towards more empowered positions in one’s life.

Postsecular, Christian, or Humanistic Spirituality in Social Work within Secular Europe.

The spirituality discourse within social work has been developing for several decades, albeit more in the USA than in the states of the EU. Europe or the countries of the EU were characterised as an exceptional case because of their secularity. Social work in Europe is also typically secular. Nevertheless, the spirituality discourse within social work is slowly developing also in Europe. In social services, chaplains, pastoral workers and assistants, and similar professions are often more responsible for spiritual care than social workers. Should social workers approach spiritual issues from the client's point of view or from atheological stance or rather just from the social workperspective? What reasons and arguments can we formulate and express? This text will discuss both these questions and their context as well as the possible answers.

Romanticizing Sufism: Tracing Spiritual Echoes of the Divine between Sufism and Romanticism

The paper is a comparative study exploring the shared spiritual resonances between Sufism, a mystical branch of Islam, and Romanticism, a Western intellectual movement. Sufism, originating within Islam in the 7th century, seeks divine truth through direct personal experience, while Romanticism, emphasizing emotion and individual expression, emerged in the West. This research investigates how these seemingly disparate traditions echo similar themes of transcendence, love, and mystical experience. Through a comparative analysis of literary, philosophical, and historical sources, the study uncovers their interconnectedness, shedding light on mutual influences and contributions to spiritual discourse. By examining key texts and poetry, this research aims at deep understanding of the universal quest for divine connection while offering unique perspectives on this eternal pursuit.

Feminism in Tagore's “Gitanjali”: A Comparative Analysis with Western Feminist Concepts

Rabindranath Tagore's “Gitanjali” is a collection of 103 poems that primarily focuses on the poet's spiritual journey and his relationship with the divine. However, embedded within this spiritual discourse are subtle yet profound feminist themes that critique patriarchal norms and celebrate the intrinsic value of women. This paper explores the feminist elements in “Gitanjali”, illustrating how Tagore's work contributes to feminist literature by advocating for gender equality and recognizing the spiritual and societal importance of women. Additionally, it compares these themes with key concepts in Western feminism to highlight their universal relevance.

They are Just for Making Nyángá: Ethnosemiotic Significance of Waist Beads Among Young Women in Nigeria

ABSTRACT Waist beads are important cultural accessories with different layers of signification among young women in Calabar metropolis, Cross River State, south-eastern Nigeria. Drawing on ethnographic qualitative approaches involving focus group and semi-structured interviews with thirty participants who were purposively sampled, this article explores the social, symbolic and aesthetic values of waist beads based on subjective accounts and nuanced experiences of young women who have used them for varying length of time. The study is anchored on ethnosemiotic methods and anthropo-semiotic framework to foreground an investigation of indigenous system of signs in a particular cultural context. It aims to interrogate how young women make sense of body practices and representations through waist beads in shaping their social universe. Waist beads can be identified as social texts with enormous symbolic capital that is useful in beauty projects, fertility narratives, discourses of spirituality and the expression of femininity. The study concludes that waist beads are essential components of participants’ material culture that provide new opportunities for self-expression, self-representation and personal identity construction. Waist beads, therefore, offer a prominent performance site through which the aesthetic of the female body is redefined, recreated and transformed.

AGAMA TRADISI DAN WACANA SPRITUALITAS ABAD 21; KEARIFAN MEWUJUDKAN RUANG PUBLIK YANG DIDOMINASI OLEH MODERASI

<em>This article comes as a response to the tragedy of intolerance in the name of religion and spiritual discourse of the 21st century, the focus of his study is to answer the problem of how to realize a public space dominated by moderation of all components of life. The data used in this article is sourced from library research and applies an interdisciplinary approach. The research findings are; Many religious researchers argue, religion will experience extinction in modern society, what happens is the repositioning of the epistemological building of religious traditions through spiritual discourse based on empirical research, namely; 3P + 2S (Personal Relationship, Psitivity, Passion + Sense of Progress, Spritual Blue Diamons). This spiritual discourse does not intend to replace religion. The aim is to encourage a more harmonious public life, without eliminating the role of religion for life, preserving relevant elements in religion, discarding obsolete religious ways. Meanwhile, efforts to realize public spaces dominated by moderation are; Every individual must understand the basic concepts of religion and religious relations, understand the principles of religion, humanity, and togetherness, revive ukhuwah Islamiyah for social networks, as well as actualize spiritual wisdom and religious rationality.</em>

The spiritual forest: an ethnographic exploration of Finnish forest yoga and the forest landscape

This article discusses the Finnish forest yoga phenomenon, which incorporates contemporary spiritual discourses on nature, landscape, ‘the self’ and gender. We scrutinise ethnographic fieldwork materials, autoethnographic writings and other materials related to forest yoga. By using the methods of collaborative ethnography, we assert that forest yoga practices partially question and fragment, and partially reconstruct, previous forest-related discourses, practices and imageries in Finland. This results in new interpretations of forest landscapes, in which the local, global and national scales are intertwined and mediated through the body and the experiences of the yogi in the forest space. In these processes, the forest becomes gendered as a feminine and ‘safe’ space for the female body, but it is also experienced as a place for negotiating metaphorical and physical ‘roots’. Thus, previous national discourses on forests as ‘sacred places of Finns’ are brought forth, but also reinterpreted in the transnational spiritual frame.

From Zora Neale to Missionary Mary: Womanist Aesthetics of Faith and Freedom

In this essay, I discuss the art of Missionary Mary Proctor, a contemporary folk artist from Tallahassee, Florida, in the context of the literary aesthetics of the renowned twentieth-century anthropologist and writer Zora Neale Hurston. In comparing these Southern-born African American women artists, I argue that both are rooted in an aesthetic praxis deriving from their shared womanist ethics. My goal in this inquiry is to highlight the faith-based aesthetic traditions of African American women and reveal the manner in which discourses of freedom intertwine with literary and visual aesthetics and faith-based practices in African American folk art and literature. To that end, I analyze the prevalence of themes of liberation within the spiritual discourses of Southern African American women artists such as Missionary Mary Proctor and theorize the manner in which a landscape of Black female liberation is envisioned within their works.

Sacred suffering and the construction of political spirituality in the Iranian Shiism discourse

This article tries to discuss this claim that Shia or as Henry Corbin puts it, “Iranian Islam,” is a discourse of political spirituality based on sacred suffering and governmentality (in Foucault's terms). The author aims to answer these questions: What do sacred suffering and governmentality mean in Shia discourse? How does sacred suffering articulate and give meaning to concepts related to political spirituality? To answer these questions, the author applied Laclau and Mouffe's discourse analysis, arguing that the sacred suffering constructs Shia antagonistic approach and plays a key role in constructing these discursive moments: the Karbala paradigm as a paradigm of both spirituality and political action, oppression, and martyrdom (as the holy death with spiritual-political goals). Moreover, in this discourse, the suffering of awaiting the Twelfth Imam during his absence becomes an opportunity to restore Shia governmentality through the establishment of a political government by Shia clerics in Iran.

Spiritual Discourse in the Jesuit Missions: The Role of Nature in the Evangelization of Peru (Sixteenth–Seventeenth Centuries)

Abstract The article explores how, notwithstanding their suspicions that the devil could take advantage of the animistic beliefs of Peru’s native inhabitants to consolidate idolatry, the Jesuit missionaries ultimately became more understanding of the spiritual Andean worldview. From St. Ignatius of Loyola’s postulate of “Contemplation to Obtain Love” in the Spiritual Exercises, by which God is acting and present in nature and inhabits creatures, and thanks to their continuous contact with the aboriginal population, the Jesuit missionaries were able to better understand the indigenous relationship with nature, for example through natural medicine and pharmacopoeia. They were therefore able to bridge some gaps in an intercultural exchange that produced forms of religious hybridization that are still a feature of Andean Christianity today.

Dharma In Vedanta And The Dhammapada

This paper explores the parallel yet distinct journeys undertaken by Vedanta and the Dhammapada, two profound spiritual traditions rooted in the ancient wisdom of the Bhagavadgita. While their footsteps echo with similarities, a nuanced examination reveals a seemingly divergent trajectory that ultimately converges to crystallize a shared understanding of genuine truth. The Dhammapada, through its profound teachings, enriches the facets of truth, weaving a narrative that complements and strengthens the spiritual evolution outlined in Vedanta. The echoes of Vedantic principles resonate within the spiritual discourse of the Dhammapada, particularly emphasizing the non-dissipation of spiritual essence as expounded in the Bhagavadgita. Central to both traditions is the exploration of cosmopolitanism and the cultivation of nobility in action, untethered by attachments and desires. This exploration transcends the mundane, transforming the seeker from an earthly and material existence into a cosmic being. The thesis contends that, far from leading the seeker astray, this pathfinding virtue liberates one from the shackles of earthly tribulations, allowing the emergence of a broader perspective. The paper theorizes that the mesmerizing words from the Dhammapada and the Bhagavadgita jointly pave a transcendent path, enchanting humanity throughout time. This path, marked by the integration of diverse philosophical tenets, embodies an enduring quest for truth and unity, resonating as a timeless guide for navigating the complexities of human existence.

THE METAMORPHOSIS OF RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY

The article analyzes the metamorphoses of religious faith in contemporary society and especially the influence of the process of globalization and secularization on religion. The specific hypothesis of the study is related to the fact that at the global level, one aspect of the recent religious changes is the scale taken by the religious movements, aiming at both the revival of tradition and the global and local manifestation of new religious movements. The main purpose of the research is to study religious movements that are conceived as responses to globalization. It gives us the opportunity to analyze the New Age movement and the discourse of spirituality in the universalist way. Based on the purpose, the following objectives were developed: identifying the role of religion in contemporary society; description of the paradox of modernity with the emergence of new religious movements; projecting religious mutations on today’s multicultural society. The main study methods used are the method of direct observation, the method of content analysis and the method of social documentation. By means of these methods it was identified about the cultural manifestations of religious and spiritual metamorphoses as basic elements of the global society through which cultural identity and religious identity are affirmed. This research results in several findings: the crisis of traditional values leads to the permanent search for new cultural and religious models, the differentiation of contemporary society in multicultural and multi-religious terms has created individual variants of perception of conceptions about life, group identity leads to the change of personal identity.

The future is humanistic: Infusing compassion in the systems thinking world—Circles, dialogue and RoundTables as levers for individual and community emancipation

AbstractIn this age of isolation, exacerbated by an increased number of natural disasters and their associated impact, we are faced with a deepening poverty of social connections and a high degree of polarisation on multiple counts. Designed for contexts ranging from workplaces to spiritual discourse, more and more instances of intentional conversations are surfacing across the world. It is only when we are able to appreciate the view of ‘another’, that we are truly able to step beyond the boundary of the self. In this paper, we explore a practitioner's perspective on three formats of gathering that are currently practiced at the International Society for the Systems Sciences. Using social and humanistic values, we outline how these three simple yet powerful techniques embody inclusivity, with the intention of inspiring its readers to consider hosting alternate forms of meetings in academic and organisational settings, thus creating grounds for compassionate understanding.

Forging Identity: Spiritual Labor as an Organizational Practice

This paper takes McGuire's (2010) concept of spiritual labor in a new theoretical direction that departs from her tripartite framework of regulation, commodification, and codification. We begin with a review of the sparse literature on spiritual labor. Next, we describe a new theoretical framework of spiritual labor beginning with a nonessentialist definition of spirituality and then elaborating processes of discourse, organizational identification strategies, and individual identity work. We show how both organizational identification strategies and individual identity work, when infused by discourses of spirituality, mutually construct spiritual labor. Our theoretical framework is illustrated with an example. Lastly, we suggest a reflexive ethnographic method for studying spiritual labor as an organizational practice. Our reformulation of spiritual labor offers organizational scholars a way of understanding spirituality as one of many emergent properties of the organizing process. In particular, critical scholars may find the lens of spiritual labor useful for understanding how organizations enlist spirituality to induce a sense of shared purpose among organizational members.

Divine Works of Thirumuruga Kirubhanandha Vaariyaar

Samiyanna, a Shiva devotee, lived in the steep Veera Saiva tradition in Kangeyanallur. His life partner is Tanjammal. Mallya was born as their fourth son. He was popularly known as Mallayadasar as he traveled from village to village. Mallyadasar - Kanakavalli Ammaiyar couple have eleven children. A baby boy was born on Friday, the ninth day of Document Monday. He is the warrior of Thirumuruga Kripananda. Born with a womb in the womb, the warrior was well-educated enough to pick up texts and read them when he was five years old. At the age of eight Venpaa became a singing power. He started composing songs like Virutham as he had the energy to sing hard venpa. By the age of ten he had memorized ten thousand songs. The best Murugan devotee. He lived a life of penance, performing daily spiritual discourses. He is a profound scholar in many fields such as religion, literature, oratory, writing and music. At the age of nineteen he married Amirthalakshmi, the daughter of his maternal uncle Sivaguru Mudaliar. He was very attached to Arunagirinath. The music with Iyal was taught to the warrior by his father. His father was the guru of Tamil grammar, Thevaram, Thiruvasakam, Tirupugal, historical hymns etc. Chief Minister Palanisamy has announced that his birthday will be celebrated as a state festival from 2021. The purpose of this article is to examine his religious work.

An Incarnational Pneumatology Based on Romans 8.18-30: The Spirit as God’s Solidarity with a Suffering Creation

In this article, I argue that scholars of the field of New Testament theology need to be familiar with and listen to the various voices in the discourse of contemporary Christian spirituality in order to give voice to the ancient texts, as well as hear them in new ways. Based on Romans 8.18-30, I want to illustrate how the field of New Testament theology can contribute its voice to the contemporary (western) discussion on ecology, social justice, and power and at the same time enrich a spirituality of solidarity. For this purpose, I will contrast those voices within “pneumatological discourse” in Christian spirituality, which associates the work of the Spirit mainly with the improvement of one’s personal life, to Romans 8.18-30, a text central for Pauline pneumatology. I will argue that it represents a cosmic and eschatological outlook and fosters a Christian ethos of walking with the Spirit; taking side with a creation longing and groaning for redemption. This aspect has not received much attention, but is vital for a robust Christian spirituality, especially in regard to an ecological theology and a more nuanced understanding of power.

The bad habit of individualistic religion

Because of an interpersonal world view, Ubuntu provides a much-needed reference point for navigating contentious issues for both political and spiritual discourse. The intent, in this instance, is not so much a polemic against political individualism as it is a reckoning with how Christian spirituality per se matters in the academy and public spheres. The concept of “Ubuntu” complements Christian spirituality in that the conceptualisation of Ubuntu moves us beyond notions of soteriology based in individualism and vapid understandings of personal salvation. In turn, Ubuntu expands the understanding of communal spirituality, by providing the reader better insight into the deepening paradox in which, by focusing upon community, one gains a deeper significance of self.

Songs of Dissent and Consciousness: Pronouncements of the Bauls of Rural Bengal

Bauls, the wandering minstrels of rural Bengal (of both Bangladesh and India), are a socio-religiously marginalized cultural group. While the ritualistic practices and spiritual discourses of the Bauls have received scholarly attention, scholarship on Bauls’ songs about material and communicative adversities and their emancipatory visions is lacking. Bauls’ performances and discourses are precursors to envisioning alternative emancipatory possibilities that question dominant intolerances, oppressions, and exploitations. This article documents and reflects on the works of two contemporary Bauls—Shah Abdul Karim and Manimohan Das. Through their songs and performances, they (i) question the power structure and legitimize the sufferings and struggles of the downtrodden, and (ii) seek to raise societal consciousness in imagining a free and just society.