Spiritual Practices Research Articles

Biblical Courtship and Spiritual Entities: An Exegesis of Philippians 2:3-4

The relationship between biblical courtship and spiritual entities is multifaceted and interconnected. In Christian courtship, this means being mindful of the other person's needs and desires and working together to build a relationship that is centered on mutual respect and support. The focus of this paper is to analyze Philippians 2:3-4 and examine the relationship between biblical courtship and spiritual entities. This research uses a descriptive method. Data collection in this research as primary data uses document analysis and also supported by secondary data from previous research. Data analysis process is through classifications, interpretation, compare the data, and analyze the context and meaning. The result found exegesis of Philippians 2:3-4 provides valuable guidance for Christian courtship by embracing humility, selflessness and spiritual practices to cultivate the qualities necessary for a healthy and loving relationship with another person. Biblical courtship would prioritize empathy, compassion, communication, practicing forgiveness, seeking to understand and meet the needs of one's partner. Spiritual entities provide guidance and tools for individuals to cultivate a deeper relationship with God and their partners by cultivating a deep and abiding relationship with God and prioritizing spiritual disciplines such as prayer, Bible study and worship. By incorporating these practices and principles into courtship, couples can build a strong foundation for a lifelong, Christ-centered relationship. In conclusion, biblical courtship should be grounded in a biblical worldview with individuals seeking to align their values and priorities with those of Christ.

Concept and Practice of Tarbiyatun Nafs in Formal and Informal Educational Institutions

This research aims to understand how soul education (tarbiyatun nafs) is implemented at the State Islamic University of North Sumatra and the Jabal Hindi Thariqah in shaping students and pupils with noble character, intelligence, caring, and well-mannered. By combining knowledge and virtuous conduct, intelligence is the main objective of this research in the two locations. The methodology used is qualitative field research, employing descriptive analysis with the results based on descriptive phenomena and participatory observation. The research was conducted at the State Islamic University of North Sumatra and the Naqshbandiyah Jabal Hindi Thariqah to examine the concepts of soul education held by both institutions and to compare these concepts as a means towards achieving true soul education in the field of Education, ultimately contributing to the development of a morally upright society. The findings reveal that the State Islamic University of North Sumatra has developed an educational concept that integrates moral excellence into every aspect of campus life, with the entire campus community directed towards goodness, serving as role models and fostering ideal imagination. It acts as a stimulus and catalyst for the students' personalities through spiritual and physical guidance. The Naqshbandiyah Jabal Hindi Thariqah places the soul as a faith that can be attained through contemplation, reflection, and remembrance, leading to the purification of the heart and soul (tazkiyatul qalb and nafs) achieved through spiritual practices to attain the pleasure of Allah. It stems from the servant's love towards Allah SWT and strengthens the physical body to achieve success (economically) to establish prosperity and noble civilization. The results of this research can be compiled into a textbook and contribute to society, especially for students and pupils.

The Effect of Religious Spiritual Education and Care on the Quality of Life among the Elderly: A Review

This segment explores spirituality in elderly care, emphasizing its significance and challenges. It highlights Cicely Saunders' pioneering holistic approach to integrating spirituality into patient care, especially in palliative settings. The lack of universally defined research concepts and cultural diversities impeding the understanding of spiritual care practices in elderly care environments are emphasized. It underscores how contemporary secular societies redefine spirituality from traditional religious institutions, yet its importance in addressing existential questions remains intact. We outline the study's methodology for evaluating spirituality's impact on the quality of life of the elderly in Iran. It details the systematic review and meta-analysis used to synthesize findings from relevant studies, assessing the influence of religious-spiritual education, notably theotherapy, on quality of life. Factors affecting intervention efficacy, such as cultural norms, are discussed. The study showed positive outcomes post-intervention, indicating improvements in various life quality dimensions. The potential of theotherapy is noted, acknowledging cultural influences on effectiveness. Insights into spirituality's role in emotional stability, leadership, and organizational practices within Malaysian contexts, particularly amidst Industry 4.0, are presented. The need for comprehensive caregiver education and incorporating culturally aligned religious-spiritual education for the elderly's well-being is underscored. Additionally, the significance of emotional stability and effective organizational practices in Malaysia's evolving socio-economic context for quality care among the elderly is emphasized. This conclusion stresses the holistic approach necessary for optimized elderly care and organizational success.

Experiences of Awe and Gratitude and Related Triggers Among Religious Brothers and Sisters: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Study in Germany

A cross-sectional survey among religious brothers and sisters (n = 250) with their specific lifestyle and related spiritual practices stated moments of awe perceptions. They responded to both the Awe/Gratitude scale and to free text fields to substantiate their quantitative responses. Qualitative content analysis of their free text responses resulted in six main categories of awe triggers: (1) Nature, (2) Special Moments, (3) Transcendence Perceptions, (4) Religious practices, (5) Distinct People, and (6) Aesthetics, Art and Culture. Awe perceptions can be an immediate feeling and the outcome of a process of reflection in response to admiration, inspiration, and elevation. As these perceptions are related to psychological well-being and prosocial behaviors, their training can generate positive effects on quality of life.

Sacred cites: Engaging the spiritual in ethnographic knowledge (re)production

In this article I offer a Black feminist sacred citational praxis supported by considerations of how subjectivity, relationality, and epistemology speak to questions, such as: which voices contribute to the stories we tell, the arguments that we make, and what is our responsibility to marking and naming those voices? Certainly, the calling of academic names, those thinkers and scholars recognized in academia largely through peer-reviewed writings, is both commonplace and normative. This includes both people who are living and those who have passed. That is, part of our accepted normal praxis is being in conversation with the dead. Yet largely we don’t speak of the “normative” citations as a spiritual practice, or recognize the naming, quoting, and reproducing of people’s voices after they have passed on in that vein. What if we did? What would that look like?

Understanding the Concept of Eco-Sufisme in Pekalongan, Indonesia (Analyzing Mbah Munawar and Habib Ahmad D Sahab)

This research examines the eco-sufism movement in Pekalongan, although most of the work on eco-sufism in Pekalongan, Indonesia, is limited to studying the eco-sufism movement and its implications for the environmental crisis. However, ecosufism studies have not yet classified the style of Sufism of ecosufism teachers in Pekalongan or how the ecosufism movement overcomes the environmental crisis that occurs. This article only focuses on the discussion of the role of two Pekalongan Sufism figures with different points of view, situations, and locations in overcoming the environmental crisis that occurred in Pekalongan. This study used a content analysis method. Exploring the views and thoughts of characters or writers who are still scattered around for review so that they are systemic and focused according to the theme. The conclusion from this research is that both have a role in dealing with the environmental crisis that occurs through the Mahabbah, Zuhud, Wara', and Faqr paths by actualizing them according to the context and conditions of their respective environments and improving spiritual practices through maqomat in Sufism. Mbah Munawar, with his traditional ghazalian views of Sufism, which is not affiliated with the teachings of any tarekat, while the Dzikir Kraton Council, guided by Habib Ahmad with modern Sufism (Tarekat), succeeded in sensitizing youth in Pekalongan with the practices of maqomat teachings in Sufism in overcoming the environmental crisis through improving behavior. spiritual. Even though the ecosufism initiated by the Dzikir Kraton Council and Mbah Munawar did not have a significant impact on changing the environmental crisis, the efforts of the ecosufism movement can minimize the occurrence of an increasingly severe environmental crisis by taking an approach to the spiritual improvement of its congregation and social practices related to nature.

Spiritual Influencers – New Forms of Authorisation in the Digital Age?

Abstract This paper investigates the legitimisation of contemporary spiritual influencers Marianne Williamson and Laura Malina Seiler. The paper argues that spiritual authority is a relational concept that consists of reciprocal ascription processes in which the needs of the followers are just as decisive for generating authority as the spiritual self-authorisation of the leader. Considering the success of contemporary spiritual coaches in the highly competitive digital religious marketplace and the new forms of spiritual practices online, the paper seeks to reflect on the question why this specific form of “weak” leadership is especially resonating with an increasing number of people by drawing on sociological concepts such as Max Weber’s concept of the “exemplary man” and Martin Engelbrecht’s “spiritual wanderer”. An analysis of spiritual influencers’ narration, both online (on social media, blogs, websites) and offline (in books and magazines), reveals a continuing interweaving of autobiographical information, spiritual self-reflection and the use of specific spiritual sub-traditions that continually produce new hybrid forms of spiritual practices. Framed in emotional and personal language and presented on multiple communication platforms, the spiritual advice is rooted in the individual experience of these coaches unto whom followers temporarily submit as they recognise them as fellow seekers with superior and potentially helpful knowledge. By investigating specific narrative and communicative performances, the paper aims to provide a deeper understanding of the dynamic ascription processes between contemporary spiritual influencers and their faithful yet critical followers.

Yogākṣara Dalam Śiwa Tattwa Sebagai Laku Spiritual Untuk Mencapai Kalepasan

Tattwa texts in Bali contain Śiva’s philosophy such as Wṛhaspati Tattwa, Jñānasiddhanta, Jñāna Tattwa, Gaṇapati Tattwa, Sanghyang Mahājñana, Catur Prenawa and Tutur Amertha Kundalini Lontar Śiwa Tattwa contains Śiwa's teachings about divinity, creation and liberation. The interesting in Śiwa Tattwa is the teaching of kalêpasan with the Sadanggayoga concept through ākṣara practice known as yogākṣara. The yogākṣara system as a religious system in Bali has never been studied seriously based on academic methods. Therefore, it needs attention to carry out a more in-depth study. This research aims to interpret yogākṣara in the Śiwa Tattwa to achieve liberation. The method used in this research is a qualitative method with a descriptive interpretive approach. The primary data in this research is the Śiwa Tattwa text. Secondary data is obtained from literature in the form of books and research results relevant to the research topic. Data collection used observation, interview, documentation, and literature study techniques in this research. Semiotic theory and religious theory are used in this research. The results of this research that the yoga structure contained in Śiwa Tattwa is Sadanggayoga. The form of yogākṣara in the Śiwa Tattwa is by carrying out Panglukuan Ākṣara. Yogākṣara is also an effort to understand the nature of being oneself and achieve Śiwa consciousness. There are seven levels of consciousness dimensions in Śiwa Tattwa called Sapta Pada. From the results of this research, it can be concluded that yogāksara is a spiritual practice to achieve Śiwa consciousness, namely achieving kalêpasan (liberation).

Animist materialism in Femi Osofisan’s <i>No More the Wasted Breed (1983) </i>and <i>Once </i><i>Upon Four Robbers (1991)</i>

In his oeuvre, Femi Osofisan challenges class inequalities by upbraiding the materialistic predilections of the upper class. Therefore, critics view his plays as revolutionary manuscripts designed for social awakening and interpret them from a Marxist perspective. Marxist interpretation has, to a good degree, undermined other ideological potential and evident discursive engagements which abound in multiple hierarchies in his plays. This study advances the frontiers of interpretations in Osofisan’s plays by providing alternative meanings in them besides Marxism. Through the theoretical praxis of Material Culture, I argue that beyond Marxist, class proclivities, Osofisan in No More the Wasted Breed (1983) and Once Upon Four Robbers (1980) commits to cultural rebirth in Africa through animist materialism, a spiritual, sociocultural appropriation process which inputs lifeforce to natural objects like rivers, plants, and animals. In addition to their material, totemic, sublunary significance, these natural objects acquire mystical and magical essence, thus contributing to the reification of African spiritual practices found in the plays. The spiritual practices rehabilitate African culture, promoting and re-enchanting its symbolic orthodoxy in the modern world. The study demonstrates that, instead of rejecting modernity, animist materialism as an African spiritual practice accommodates aspects of modernity, incorporating them as part of Africa’s cultural heritage.

Integrating social dynamics in the participatory modeling of small-scale cattle farmers’ perceptions and responses to climate variability in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Climate variability poses multifaceted challenges for livestock production. Rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns impact crop and pasture yields, reduce water availability, and contribute to livestock diseases, particularly affecting small-scale cattle producers dependent on climate-sensitive resources. Sustainable livestock farming promotes integrating best practices to enhance productivity while responsibly managing natural resources, but often overlooks relevant social dynamics. Social factors are excluded when promoting and studying the adoption of practices for sustainable cattle farming. This study aims to understand the factors and interactions between the social, animal and ecological systems within the small-scale cattle socioecosystems in the southern region of the Yucatan Peninsula, exploring cattle farmers’ perspectives on climate change, as well as their strategies and responses to extreme events like drought. Using fuzzy cognitive maps and scenario development as participatory and reflection methodologies, we found a conceptual gap between climate change and drought, indicating a lack of sustainable adaptive thinking toward these challenges. Interestingly, we found that local social organization, cultural dynamics, and spiritual practices are equally significant factors than technical and environment-oriented changes to the management of ranches in shaping an optimal cattle farming scenario. Our findings reveal that the management of cattle farms involves complex interplay among technical, environmental, social, political, and cultural elements, highlighting the inherent need to consider social values and preferences as fundamental components of sustainability. This study establishes the initial groundwork for employing participatory modeling with social actors engaged in the small-scale cattle context in Yucatan. The goal is to emphasize the importance of the social dimension in the general management of the small-scale cattle socioecosystem, thus in promoting sustainable cattle farming.

Opening the heart: exploring the interpersonal neurobiology of spiritual practices suitable for public education

ABSTRACT Modern education has prioritised the intellectual dimension, while giving insufficient attention to children’s emotional and spiritual development. This article offers an interdisciplinary understanding of how public education can nurture spirituality and the human capacities for compassion and love, also called the ‘qualities of the heart’. The paper explores the interpersonal neurobiology that underlies ‘heart opening’ spiritual practices, conceptualised as both spiritual and neurobiological phenomena. I discuss the scientific foundations for spiritual practices that can be suitable for education in secular public schools. Starting with my own empirical research in transpersonal psychology, the paper brings together research in interpersonal neurobiology with perspectives from spiritual traditions of yoga and meditation. The aim is to contribute to developing a framework for pedagogical practices that helps children develop their spirituality and loving and compassionate relationships, and feel more connected to themselves, others and the world, suitable for promoting children’s spiritual development through religious education, moral education, and life skills education in secular public schools.

Reflections from a hospital chaplain

ABSTRACT Jennifer Reek works at a hospital in the American Southwest. The hospital serves varied cultures: Native American, Hispanic, white, and various combinations of those, with an intriguing mix of religious and spiritual practice. The following reflections, on her experiences as a hospital chaplain over the past several years, are at the invitation of her former thesis advisor and now friend of many years, David Jasper. They are an adaptation of weekly reflections submitted over a year and a half of Clinical Pastoral Education training.

Valongo, the Place of the Ancestors: Spiritual Practices among Enslaved Africans in Nineteenth-century Rio de Janeiro

ABSTRACT In 2017, UNESCO added Valongo Wharf to its list of World Heritage Sites. Located in Rio de Janeiro’s Port Zone, the wharf is a place of memory associated with the transatlantic slave trade, which has been compared to other sites that have witnessed intense human suffering, such as Auschwitz, Hiroshima and Gorée Island, among others. This chapter explores the spiritual practices of the “wretched of the Earth,” as Frantz Fanon named those Africans dehumanized by European colonialism. More specifically, it focuses on the Africans shipped to Valongo to be sold as slaves in Rio de Janeiro and who left vestiges of their spiritual beliefs, recovered through archaeological research. Here, these remains are analyzed from a decolonial perspective, born from the reflections of critical Latin American thinkers who reject the diverse forms of domination and oppression inflicted by Northern hemisphere powers on subaltern populations of the global South.

Why the Secular Academy Needs Cross-Cultural Religious Literacy

I make the empirical argument that most of humankind and much of the academy practices one form of religion and/or spiritual practice. And yet, in public life, secularity is assumed and regularized as rational and life giving. Recent science shows the power of spirituality and religion for human flourishing. And yet, many secularists diminish religion and assume the worst about it without evidence. I argue that cross-cultural religious literacy (CCRL) is and can be an essential tool toward greater public understanding and a more productive dialogue between religionists and secularists in the academy and beyond.

Postmodern Spirituality and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: An exploration of the relationship between beliefs and symptoms

This paper investigates the correlation between Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) symptoms and practices within the realm of postmodern spirituality. The purpose of the study is to explore the extent to which OCD symptoms may intersect with or resemble the practices and beliefs associated with postmodern spiritual practices, and how this connection is formed. The design of the research is a comprehensive literature review, examining a range of sources on both OCD and postmodern spirituality to identify commonalities and divergences. The literature review reveals a notable similarity between the characteristics of OCD and certain practices of postmodern spirituality. Specifically, both OCD symptoms and postmodern spiritual practices involve repetitive behaviors, intrusive thoughts, and a strong emphasis on personal rituals and subjective experiences. The obsessive-compulsive cycle of intrusive thoughts and compulsive actions parallels the repetitive rituals and beliefs in postmodern spirituality that emphasize personal transformation and the manifestation of desires. Furthermore, the individualized nature of both OCD symptoms and spiritual practices underscores a shared focus on personal meaning and control. This alignment suggests that the practices associated with postmodern spirituality may, in some cases, reflect or exacerbate the cognitive and behavioral patterns observed in OCD. The findings highlight the need for further research into the psychological impact of spiritual practices and their potential to mirror or influence obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Understanding these connections may aid in improving therapeutic interventions for OCD. Keywords: postmodern spirituality; OCD, practice, techniques, obsession, compulsion

Systematic Literature Review on Adaptation of Infographic and Acceptance Factors<!-- ============== --> <journal_article publication_type='full_text'> <titles> <title>Rise of Organizational Spirituality in the New Normal: A Phenomenology through the Lens of HEI Leaders

This study explored the lived experiences of college leaders at Davao del Norte State College (DNSC) regarding organizational spirituality in the new normal. Using a phenomenological approach, five participants were selected through purposive sampling, and their responses were gathered through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The data, analyzed using the modified Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method, revealed four key themes: alignment of personal and institutional values, self-care and spiritual practices, fostering a supportive and harmonious environment, and reflection and mindful leadership. The findings showed that these leaders consciously aligned their values with the college’s culture, engaged in spiritual practices to enhance their well-being, and promoted a supportive organizational environment. These practices contributed to a reflective and mindful approach to leadership, which was essential in navigating the challenges of the new normal. The study’s implications suggested that higher education institutions should support leaders in aligning their values with organizational culture, encourage spiritual practices, and foster environments that enhance well-being. The study also contributed to the literature on spiritual leadership by focusing on leaders’ personal experiences, offering new insights into the role of spirituality in leadership. However, the study’s small sample size from a single institution limited its generalizability, and future research should include larger, more diverse samples. This study underscored the significance of spirituality in effective, compassionate, and resilient leadership in higher education.

Sacred Liberty The Bright In Constitution Of The Democratic Republic Of Timor-Leste (2024)

Introduction: Sacred liberty consists of autonomy to profess their faith, liberty of integrity and adoration period, and is considered a fundamental correct of people, which is positive in the important rule of state law. Spiritual autonomy is a fundamental human right preserved in the United Nations of Human Rights in the application of the world (1948; and is optimistic in Timor-Leste important law cited by (Corte Real AG & Tilman CB., 2024). Research Objectives: The inspect the legal assumptions of existing sacred autonomy and their legal effects on spiritual practice and pleasure of sacred rights by religious peoples and protection of spiritual admissions in Timor-Leste, to scrutinize the vital susticulture of fundamental constitutional rights on sacred freedom, identify gaps, challenges and propose legislative-alternative solutions to the protection of the rights of sacred minorities to liberty as a fundamental right that is exercised through spiritual concessions.

Философско-религиозные предпосылки становления абстрактного искусства

The subject of this study is the philosophical and religious background of abstractionism in the visual arts. The purpose of this article is to analyze the influence of the philosophical views of A. Bergson and religious practices on the work of the founders of abstract. Given the complexity and ambiguity of the topic of the article, the following methodological approach was taken: not only artistic, but also theoretical works of the most prominent figures of abstractionism were analyzed: V. Kandinsky, K. Malevich, P. Mondrian. A theoretical review of studies on the problem of the crisis in art and abstractionism as a reaction to it is presented. The article used the methods of interpretation, hermeneutics, the comparative method, which was used to study the worldviews recorded in the artistic and theoretical works of abstractionists, the semiotic method, the axiological method in the analysis of the values of the cultural crisis of the early XX century, and the analytical method was used in the processing of research literature. The work involved an interdisciplinary approach that focuses on the study of abstractionism as a multidimensional phenomenon. The scientific novelty of this study lies in the fact that in the article for the first time the works of the above-mentioned artists were considered through the prism of the philosophy of life and intuitionism of A. Bergson, as well as religious and spiritual practices (shamanism, Taoism, ancient Greek mythology, Christianity and theosophy), elements of which were used by artists-abstractionists in their paintings. It was concluded that abstract art is characterized by the desire to break with artistic tradition, conflict with time, rejection of unambiguity, the desire to express oneself as much as possible, the cult of creative protest, contradiction and experiment, which led to formal and conceptual innovation, the formation of a new artistic consciousness under the influence of these philosophical and religious ideas.

FORMATION OF NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE

National feeling – love for the nation, compassion, the ability to appreciate the heritage of the people, recognizing their national representation. Everyone should know and respect other nations through pride in their homeland, deep love for their nation. The main means of forming natio:nal consciousness is the native language,one of the foundations of forming consciousness, which has great support in establishing the continuity of Virtue and patriotic values. Today, the education of the younger generation as a creative person with a deep understanding of the history, surname, traditions, language of their people, human culture, human qualities is a requirement of life, a necessity of society. The law of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Education defines the main positions of the state policy of comprehensive education and upbringing of the younger generation. These are: the equal right of all humanity of the Republic of Kazakhstan to education, the intellectual development of each humanity, psycho-physiological and personal characteristics, the opening of a wide path to all levels of education for the population. That is, in the law of Education, based on the right of every citizen to education, there is a need to comprehensively cover the process of training, education, development, formation of didactic conditions in the formation and education of respect for the national values of young people. For the formation of national values in young people, we should focus on the issues of national culture, traditions, folk teachings, etc. Kazakh culture is a national culture formed over the centuries. It was developed and formed on the basis of National Education. National Education is the driving force behind the development of the culture of that nation. Each people has a historical existence and spiritual experience. The educational and worldview views of the people, formed through their spiritual practices in life, we call folk pedagogy. Folk pedagogy is the cultural heritage of the people. Folk pedagogy developed and formed in connection with the (national) ethnic characteristics of that people.

Association of spiritual well-being with quality of life among undergraduate nursing students

Objective: The study was conducted with the aim of determining the spiritual well-being (SWB) of nursing students and its association with quality of life (QOL). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted with a sample size of 504 nursing students collected from January 2023 to March 2023 in the nursing institutes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, using convenient sampling techniques. A Spiritual Health and Life-Orientation Measure (SHALOM) questionnaire for SWB and K-27 QOL (K-27 QOL) instrument were used for data collection that contains three parts. Results: The number of female participants was in the majority (50.4%) compared to male nurses (49.6%). The overall mean score of SWB of the students was 3.79 ± 0.48, while the mean K-27 QOL score was 3.73 ± 0.57. There were significant differences between the groups of gender (P = 0.001), while no significant difference within the groups of semester (P = 0.061) and college status (0.285). In QOL, there were significant differences within the groups of semester (P = 0.000) and college status (P = 0.036) while no significant difference in gender category (P = 0.480). SHALOM score is positively and moderately correlated with QOL score (r = 0.597, P < 0.05). Conclusion: Spiritual practices are one of the important factors that are associated positively with QOL, therefore to enhance the QOL, it will require spiritual practices.