Spiritual Practices Research Articles

Caring for Health, Bodies, and Development

Over the last fifty years a plethora of new spiritual practices has emerged in the Church of Sweden. Many fall within a category of holistic practices, aimed at engaging body, soul, and spirit. Among these, two categories are dominant: meditations and movement-based bodily practices. Some of these practices are contested by other Christians on a theological basis. The article asks: Who are the new ritual specialists teaching these practices? Why do they teach these practices? Why in the church? By using a bottom-up perspective and studying practices which lie outside the traditional Christian religious rites, which has been the focus in research on the Church of Sweden, we find that the holistic practices are framed in a culture of care, focusing on bodily and spiritual wellbeing. We suggest that the predominance of women in body-movement practices should be understood as a generational feature rather than as an expression of the feminization of the church. Many of the leaders are women who were part of new spiritual movements as well as body-mind practices and various forms of dance in gyms and yoga studios in the 1990s and early 2000s, finding an openness to bringing their knowledge into the church.

Symbolic Meaning and Trisilas Values in the Bakti Purnamasari Traditional Ceremony

The Bakti Purnamasari traditional ceremony serves as a vessel for the community to engage in spiritual practices that have been passed down through generations, based on references from the Pantun Pajajaran Bogor manuscripts. Additionally, this traditional ceremony serves as a social platform for communal activities. The Bakti Purnamasari Ceremony transcends beyond a mere series of religious rituals; it becomes a manifestation of cultural continuity and social involvement laden with values and meaning. In this context, the ceremony not only embodies spiritual values but also significantly contributes to the formation of community identity and the reinforcement of social solidarity. In the context of this article, the aim is to describe and analyze the research findings related to symbols, subsequently elaborating on their meanings and the trisilas value namely, silih asih,silih asah, and silih asuh embedded in the Bakti Purnamasari traditional ceremony in Sukabumi. The research methodology employed is descriptive analysis with a qualitative approach. Participants in the study were selected from cultural figures in the city of Sukabumi, deemed valuable sources of information due to their rich knowledge and experiences associated with the Bakti Purnamasari Ceremony. Data collection techniques included observation, interviews, and documentary studies, with data analysis using triangulation. The research results indicate that the symbols in the traditional ceremony are reflected through offerings with intended meanings expressing gratitude for the blessings received. The trisilas values in the Bakti Purnamasari ceremony portray sincere expressions of love and affection, mutual filling or synergy, and a sense of selfless care.

Hidden Corners: Religious Beliefs in Chinese Prisons

The exploration of religious beliefs within the confines of Chinese prisons presents a nuanced inquiry into the intersection of faith, correctional policies, and human rights. This study delves into the underexplored domain of how religious practices and beliefs are navigated within the Chinese penal system. Despite constitutional assurances for religious freedom, practical applications within prison walls reveal a nuanced tapestry of control, accommodation, and, at times, suppression. This paper aims to shed light on these complexities through interviews with prison officers, offering a rare glimpse into the ‘hidden corners’ of religious observance in Chinese prisons. It critically examines the balance between state control, the rehabilitation agenda, and the individual’s right to spiritual belief and practice, proposing a more inclusive approach to fostering religious diversity and freedom within the correctional environment.

Духовные практики современной молодежи: социологический анализ

Spiritual practices are one of the promising and underdeveloped areas of sociological analysis, which at the current stage of development of Russian society is becoming especially relevant as a topic of public discus-sions and scientific research. The article presents the results of the initiative survey conducted among young people living in Moscow. The main categories of spiritual practices are identified: those implying direct and timely impact on the human body, practices of spiritual development and self-education, practices of social interaction. Their demand among young people was determined. To improve their spiritual world, young peo-ple most often use the following methods: hobbies, contemplation of the beauty of the world, introspection and broadening of their horizons. The overwhelming majority of respondents connect spiritual development directly with doing something they love. It is noteworthy that for half of the respondents the most frequently used form of spiritual practice is helping people around them. Body-related practices are inferior to other spiritual activi-ties. The results of federal surveys and the experience of theoretical and methodological research of these cat-egories are presented.

Integration of Sufism and Transpersonal Psychology

This research explores the valuable intersections and synergies between Sufism and transpersonal psychology, focusing on how these two disciplines can provide deep insights and solutions to social and individual challenges in the modern era. Facing an identity crisis, existential anxiety, and an increasingly urgent search for the meaning of life, this study shows that Sufism and transpersonal psychology offer rich alternative perspectives and practices for answering these existential questions. Through a phenomenological qualitative methodology, the research collected and analyzed data from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with students and supervisors at the Al-Huda Islamic Boarding School in Central Lombok, an environment rich in spiritual and academic practices. The research results show that integrating Sufistic spiritual understanding and transpersonal psychological insight facilitates holistic self-development, providing guidance for achieving higher consciousness and a more meaningful life. In this context, Sufism, with its focus on the direct experience of the divine presence, and transpersonal psychology, emphasizing the expansion of consciousness beyond the ego, both serve as valuable guides in navigating the complexities of human existence. This research underlines that the dialogue between Islamic spiritual traditions and modern psychological science enriches our theoretical understanding and daily practice in dealing with contemporary issues, offering new views on the potential for self-integration and achieving spiritual depth in the current era.

Effectiveness of the Technological Approach in the Spiritual Life of Young People

This article explores the effectiveness of integrating technological approaches in the spiritual development of young people. The study examines how technology can be utilized to enhance spiritual practices, foster personal growth, and promote positive well-being among youth. Various technological tools and platforms are analyzed for their potential impact on the spiritual lives of young individuals. The findings suggest that incorporating technology in spiritual activities can be beneficial in engaging and empowering young people to deepen their spiritual connections and values. The implications of this technological approach on the overall well-being and development of youth are discussed, highlighting the importance of embracing innovative strategies in addressing the spiritual needs of the younger generation.

Potensi Spiritual Manusia: Upgrading Transformasi Rohani Sebagai Rekontruksi Pemahaman Mendalam Berdasarkan Ajaran Islam

This research aims to explore the process of upgrading spiritual transformation as a reconstruction of a deep understanding of human spiritual potential. Human spiritual potential is a complex and profound dimension of human existence. This concept encompasses inner experiences, relational existence with the universe, and the search for meaning in life. Efforts to understand human spiritual potential require recognition of the changes and transformations that occur in the spiritual dimension. The methods used include literature review from various disciplines, including psychology, spirituality, and philosophy. The research findings indicate that efforts to enhance human spiritual potential require awareness of the ongoing transformation process. In this context, a deep reconstruction of understanding human spiritual potential necessitates a holistic and integrated approach. This involves combining traditional spiritual practices with contemporary understandings of psychology and neuroscience. Additionally, it is important to consider the social and cultural aspects in the development of individual and collective spirituality. This study emphasizes the importance of understanding human spiritual potential as a dynamic process involving the upgrading of spiritual transformation. A deep reconstruction of understanding the dimensions of human spirituality can provide a foundation for a more holistic and sustainable self-development in the context of this complex modern life.

Co-Creando Rituales / Co-Creating Rituals to Hold Our Work as Anti-Oppressive Counselors and Researchers

Counselors and qualitative researchers have the honor of hearing peoples’ stories and thus have a great responsibility to explore and use clinical and research methodologies that are anti-oppressive, liberatory, and healing. Therefore, in 2019 we began a photovoice project alongside seven queer womxn of color (QWoC) that collaboratively explored their experiences of microaggressions in counseling. Through this journey, we recognized that to be fully present with the “co-researchers’” (participants’) narratives and experiences, we needed to remain attuned and grounded. We engaged in what we now call “rituals” before research team meetings to support our work as counselors and anti-oppressive researchers throughout this photovoice project. These intentional, emotional, embodied, and spiritual practices allowed us to be open with ourselves and with the co-researchers during the research process. In this article, we discuss several rituals we created that helped us engage in critical reflexivity, [un]learn extractive research practices, and explore our intentions, thus allowing us to connect with our embodied experiences and co-researchers’ narratives in a deeper and more meaningful way.

In search of spirituality for intercultural mission: Hospitality, solidarity and marginality

Today's multicultural situation in many parts of the world requires a new missionary approach and practices. In addition, along with advanced understanding of culture and mission, interculturality is being presented as an alternative to complement the existing cross-cultural mission paradigm. In this intercultural mission paradigm, which emerges in the vision that people with various backgrounds and orientations participate in God's mission together with equal status on the Christian base, mission is not understood as a human strategy, but as a spiritual activity that involves the task of discerning God's initiatory work and of practicing a way of life appropriate for it. This article examines the possibility that the Christian mission as a joint participation in God's mission is practiced interculturally in today's multicultural situation. Focusing on the migration context, this article attempts to define “intercultural mission” within the larger framework of the missio Dei, and presents hospitality, solidarity, and marginality, which has been already recognized as important mission spiritualities in existing studies, as core mission spiritualities for intercultural mission. And, from this, this paper describes intercultural mission as a joint spiritual practice of creating space and building bridges for God's mission.

Fighting for Their Voice: Understanding Indian Muslim Women's Responses to Networked Harassment

Social computing researchers have described how online harassment is taking on more sophisticated forms where communities rather than lone individuals carry out attacks. At the same time, those who are targeted are coming together with members of the online crowd to confront this networked harassment. However, we currently lack empirical studies of how such self-organizing efforts take place, especially in non-western contexts like India. To address this gap, this paper examines two case studies of gendered Islamophobia, Sulli Deals and Bulli Bai where a group of Indian Muslim women were targeted via fake auctions hosted on GitHub, that were subsequently amplified over social media. We conducted 12 in-depth interviews with the women targeted in these incidents to understand how these women collectively made sense of these incidents, and the social and spiritual resources they drew upon as they constructed a response together. Our findings describe how our participants understood these incidents (e.g. with families and each other); the work they did to combat the harassment (e.g. coordinating a unified media response); and how religious beliefs and spiritual practices played into this (e.g. values around courage, patience, flexibility, and humility). We conclude by discussing how these findings can refresh our understanding of designing community-driven responses to networked harassment.

Blending Indigenous and western science: Quantifying cultural burning impacts in Karuk Aboriginal Territory.

The combined effects of Indigenous fire stewardship and lightning ignitions shaped historical fire regimes, landscape patterns, and available resources in many ecosystems globally. The resulting fire regimes created complex fire-vegetation dynamics that were further influenced by biophysical setting, disturbance history, and climate. While there is increasing recognition of Indigenous fire stewardship among western scientists and managers, the extent and purpose of cultural burning is generally absent from the landscape-fire modeling literature and our understanding of ecosystem processes and development. In collaboration with the Karuk Tribe Department of Natural Resources, we developed a transdisciplinary Monte Carlo simulation model of cultural ignition location, frequency, and timing to simulate spatially explicit cultural ignitions across a 264,399-ha landscape within Karuk Aboriginal Territory in northern California. Estimates of cultural ignition parameters were developed with Tribal members and knowledge holders using existing interviews, historical maps, ethnographies, recent ecological studies, contemporary maps, and generational knowledge. Spatial and temporal attributes of cultural burning were explicitly tied to the ecology of specific cultural resources, fuel receptivity, seasonal movement patterns, and spiritual practices. Prior to colonization, cultural burning practices were extensive across the study landscape with an estimated 6972 annual ignitions, averaging approximately 6.5 ignitions per Indigenous fire steward per year. The ignition characteristics we document align closely with data on historical fire regimes and vegetation but differ substantially from the location and timing of contemporary ignitions. This work demonstrates the importance of cultural burning for developing and maintaining the ecosystems present at the time of colonization and underscores the need to work collaboratively with Indigenous communities to restore ecocultural processes in these systems.

The Impact of Faith and Family in the Development of Resilience in Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Students and whoever might be looking to understand the context and issues generated by the COVID-19 pandemic will find in this paper a micro-research that highlights the role of faith and family in the development of resilience in adolescents with a predisposition to anxious and depressive behavior. As shown by the works of research cited here and feedback from our respondents, faith manifested in moral values through personal acts, or the participation in community life through religious and spiritual practices is a means toward developing resilience in youth and creating a feeling of belonging and solidarity. This research paper also highlights that both the nucleus family and the expanded family offer a supporting and learning environment that is adjustable, where youth can find resources and strength to build a dignified and safe life.

Exploring the Intersection of Bodybuilding and Ramadan: Strategies for Maintaining Muscle Mass and Performance During Fasting

Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, involves fasting from dawn until sunset as a spiritual practice. For individuals engaged in bodybuilding and fitness pursuits, Ramadan presents unique challenges and opportunities. This article reviews the scientific literature on the effects of Ramadan fasting on muscle physiology and performance, as well as strategies for optimizing bodybuilding goals during this period. It examines nutritional and training considerations to help individuals maintain muscle mass, strength and performance while observing Ramadan.

The Intersection of Spirituality, Religiosity, and Lifestyle Practices in Religious Communities to Successful Aging: A Review Article

Defining successful aging continues to be a challenge, given the more recent transition from a bioscientific definition to a more comprehensive and holistic perspective. The holistic perspective may include more subjective aspects of aging. Research has shown that certain factors, such as lifestyle practices of spirituality, religious practice, meditation, communal support, and purposeful living, may be as influential as genetic factors in helping aging adults diminish age-related limitations. Spirituality and religiosity as lifestyle practice resources may assist older adults to mitigate the circumstances of chronic disease and positively impact aging, life quality, and well-being. Religious and/or spiritual communities, such as Women Religious and other clergy and monks, may provide insight into specific practices that promote social exchanges, life meaning, meditative practice, daily prayer, belief in the divine, communal living, and homogeneity of lifestyle that ultimately promote successful aging and resiliency into older age. Research has shown that lifestyle factors may mitigate diseases such as Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia in older age. The population of older adults has grown consistently on a global level since the turn of the century. This article review seeks to examine aging and emphasize, through research, which lifestyle practices and communities may impact the experience of aging in a more beneficial manner.

The COVID-19 Crisis, Religiosity and Spirituality Among Seventh-Day Adventist Older Adults

ABSTRACT This study highlights the lived experience of Seventh-day Adventist older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, while focusing on their religious and spiritual practices during this event. The researchers conducted 10 in-depth qualitative interviews and found participants experienced notable changes in their personal spirituality and practices. Furthermore, findings showed participants categorizing the events of the pandemic in light of their understanding of the Bible. The analysis highlights the all-encompassing influence of spirituality and religiosity upon participants’ experience of the world. The findings assist social workers to consider the importance of assessing and integrating older adults’ spirituality as means to enhance their well-being.

Mindfulness – enrichment of the modern lifestyle

ABSTRACT This article addresses healing practices performed under the umbrella of mindfulness in order to problematize how mindfulness is presented as a means to enrich a modern lifestyle. The discussion considers mindfulness in a contemporary Swedish context, presenting a range of healing practices. A fundamental question asked is if they represent a religious or spiritual practice or just a technique? The discussion also addresses the discursive strategies used by different entrepreneurs in promoting mindfulness. A concern is if mindfulness has become an individual-centered practice aimed at creating a neoliberal persona able to cope with stress and feelings of insufficient creativity?

A survey regarding the role of UK dietitians in spiritual care.

Users of dietetic services have unmet spiritual needs, although no study has yet explored dietitians' opinion, perceptions or experience of assessing spiritual needs and delivering spiritual care in clinical practice. A cross-sectional survey assessed the role of UK dietitians in spiritual care. Thirty-seven practicing dietitians, with experience ranging from newly qualified to over 21 years of practice, took part in the survey containing open and closed questions. Almost half (49%) of dietitians said they always conducted spiritual assessments and most (57%) said they sometimes made a referral for spiritual concerns. When spiritual issues arose, dietitians were highly likely to listen well (score 4.6 out of 5) and encourage service users in their own (the service user) spiritual or religious practices (score 4 out of 5). However, the likelihood of taking the initiative and enquiring about religious and spiritual issues was lower (score <3 out of 5) in all areas of practice including end of life care. This may have been because confidence around spiritual care was also low (score 4.7 out of 10), uncertainty was high (score >3.5 out of 5) and there was a strong desire to receive training (>4 out of 5). Qualitative responses expanded further on these results suggesting that there was positive "intention" to provide spiritual care, but lack of training was a significant barrier (qualitative theme: "inadequacies"). The recognition of necessity but uncertainty of how to meet spiritual needs was also shown through qualitative findings to be a source of "emotional labour", particularly where there were conflicting beliefs between a dietitian and service user. Although limited by a small sample size, these results provide new knowledge that spiritual care is considered an important part of the dietitians' role and that this is the case regardless of the dietitians own spiritual identity or religion. Dietitians would value training in spiritual care so that they can support service user needs more readily and confidently.

The Effect of Workplace Spirituality and HRM Practices on Job Performancethe Mediating and Moderating Approach

Providing the vital roles of nurses in defining the sustainability of the healthcare system, nursing performance is recognized to be significant in providing quality care of patients. However, job performance reported in Pakistani public hospitals over the past few years has been deteriorated. There have been numerous researches about factors that affect job performance like HRM practices, spirituality at work and employee engagement. So, in this regard, leadership desires to change the behavior to engage the nurses in improving performance. The current study examines the direct effect of HRM practices and spirituality at work on job performance and on the employee engagement. The indirect mediating effect of employee engagement is examined on the associations and the moderating effect of change leadership between employee engagement and job performance is also examined. Purposive sampling was used to collect the data. There were 390 practical data from fifteen public hospitals in Pakistan were applied for further data analysis. The software PLS-SEM was applied to measure the structural model. Further the bootstrapping supported on the effect of inner life and employee participation and career development on employee engagement and on job performance is significant. In addition, the study found the partial mediating effect of employee engagement between inner life and career development on job performance is significant. The moderating effect of change leadership between employee engagement and job performance is also significant. The empirical implication showed that HRM practices and spirituality at work confines the negative effect of shortage of nurses and also increasing nursing job performance of nurses and providing better working atmosphere. However, there is no need to any intervention from the top management to modify the nursing behaviors. Future research could increase on the scope of the study.

Does spiritual leadership promote employees’ green creativity? The mediating effect of green work engagement

PurposeAnchored in the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this research aims to examine the effect of spiritual leadership on green creativity via the mediating role of green work engagement (GWEN).Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from 254 frontline hotel employees in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the hypothesized relationships were assessed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS SEM).FindingsThe findings suggest that spiritual leadership boosts GWEN and green creativity, and GWEN positively affects green creativity and mediates the nexus between spiritual leadership and green creativity.Practical implicationsTop management in the hospitality industry should focus on building spirituality and spiritual practices among their managers to accomplish organizational green goals. The hospitality industry is a highly competitive service sector that contains several unique challenges for workers, such as growing customer demands and asking for employee creativity while concurrently producing and delivering high-quality, differentiated services. In such tense and demanding professional settings, employees require intrinsic motivation to achieve something “out of the box.” Organizations should understand that intrinsic motivation implanted by spiritual leaders can encourage individuals to engage in green tasks and ultimately go beyond the script to achieve green creativity.Originality/valueThis study advances the extant literature by highlighting the role of spiritual leadership, as an emerging leadership style, in fostering GWEN and green creativity. It also adds to the existing research by examining the underlying mechanism through which spiritual leadership nurtures green creativity.

Sorotan Kajian Lepas: Trend Kesejahteraan Warga Emas di Malaysia dan Indonesia antara tahun 2015-2020

Elderly people are vulnerable because they are susceptible to various health problems due to the aging process. Therefore, the elderly’s well being needs close attention to ensure they live in serenity and happily in their old age. Islam encourages Muslims to be kind towards the elderly, especially their own parents. This study aims to discuss the well-being of the elderly in Malaysia and Indonesia. The review aims to obtain the trends of studies in elderly’s well-being in Malaysia and Indonesia, between the year 2015 to 2020. This study used a qualitative method that examined scholarly works by local researchers within the five-year period (2015 – 2020). The study found three aspects of similarities in the trend of these studies from both countries, namely the factors that influenced the well-being of the elderly, the role of the authorities, and the role of the elderly care and activity centres. Spiritual practices and social interaction were identified as crucial elements which influenced the well-being of the elderly. These findings hold great significance in enhancing and empowering the quality of life and well-being of the elderly within both countries.