Spirituality

I recently published a book about the theological, canonical and practical elements involved in forming a new religious community in the Catholic Church.    This paper provides the way to purchase the book, its description and the table of contents.

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2017
Pre-publication proof of "Prelude" ...
Link: https://isbnsearch.org/isbn/0415792576
On Routledge: https://www.routledge.com/Eco-Literate-Music-Pedagogy/Shevock/p/book/9780415792578
On Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Eco-Literate-Music-Pedagogy-Philosophy-Autoethnography/dp/0415792576/
On Amazon.co.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eco-Literate-Music-Pedagogy-Routledge-Education/dp/0415792576/

Published by Routledge

Since the last quarter of the 20th century, “morality” as a theoretical enterprise revolving around the notions of “law,” “obligation” and “universality” has been severely criticized in the Anglo-Saxon world, especially by the proponents of virtue ethics. However, with the exception of some remarkable figures -such as Alasdair MacIntyre- critics stayed reluctant to focus on the intricate relationship between the modern paradigm of morality and the cultural and political context in which it functions. In this paper, I will argue that Michel Foucault’s work provides us highly valuable conceptual tools through which “code-based morality” can be analyzed primarily as a central “dispositif” that regulates the modalities in which the self relates to the world, to others and to herself. To this end, I will mainly focus on the historical narrative that Foucault develops in his later lectures and show the extent to which certain key aspects of this genealogy may contribute to a criticism of the modern enterprise of morality. A prominent question will be whether the relatively neglected dichotomy between “philosophy” and “spirituality” that Foucault offers in his Hermeneutics of the Subject can be given a key place in this critical project. 

Keywords: ethics, morality, philosophy, spirituality, self, ascesis, Hermeneutics of the Subject

The book is devoted to the analysis of ethno-linguistic and socio-cultural foundations of the identity of Dagestanis. The author discribres
particularities of  ethno-linguistic situation in the Mountainous and Lowland districts of Dageston, the influence of migration, urbanization, ethnic mixations on the cultural and language identity,  as well as the correlation of ethnic and religious identitues,  forms of actualization of ethnic and civil  consciousness,  ethnic stereotypes and other components of consciousness of Dagestanis. Special attention is paid to the problem of preserving the language diversity and cultural identity of the peoples of Dagestan.The book is intended for anthropologists, historians, philologists.
culture and a wide range of readers interested in Etnea-
takovymi and ethno-cultural problems.

The Bible is full of references to magic and divination, but we rarely find attestations of witches and witchcraft, i.e. women performing acts of black magic. However, there is a mysterious passage in the Book of Ezekiel which seems to relate exactly that. In this compelling lecture Dr Alinda Damsma throws light on the identity and practices of these women, seeing them in the context of other known activities in the Ancient Near East. More info: https://www.treadwells-london.com/events-1/the-bibles-own-witches?mc_cid=27225007b0&mc_eid=50358b363f

In an age in which the discipline of philosophy grows ever more specialized and moves ever farther toward the margins of typical universities, Catholic seminaries have been directed by the bishops to a renewed focus on philosophical studies.  How can philosophy constitute a mode of human formation and spiritual formation?  How can the study of philosophy further a man’s development in the virtues, in affective maturity, in capacity for right relation to others, and so on?  What does philosophy have to do with the life of prayer and of grace?
Three basic answers to these questions stand out.  First, right understanding removes obstacles to right action.  The PPF and John Paul II, in Pastores dabo vobis, emphasize this connection.  Second, participating in philosophical inquiry provides an occasion for the cultivation of virtues, both intellectual and moral.  Finally, philosophy’s intimate connection to prayer appears in its highest object and its contemplative nature.

This paper highlights Christian principles of spirituality that offer solutions to a notable problem in education today—the lack of heart involvement, the lack of spirituality. The discussion is framed in an ethics of universal being, which says we are “humans in relation” committed to life and human dignity, and in the Judeo-Christian ethics of agape, or others-centered care. Jesus as mentor-teacher taught from his heart to others’ hearts. His character demonstrated personal integrity, humility, and courage. In his role as mentor- teacher, he demonstrated and taught care for others, he built community, and he developed others’ potential. Christian schools seek to teach from the ethical standpoint of Jesus Christ, but few countries promote the teachings of Jesus in their public schools. Hungary is an example of a nation currently seeking to promote Christian ethics in its public education system. Christian spirituality as demonstrated in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ can become a spiritual basis for educators who realize that simply making education available to all is not sufficient. Through examples of Jesus as mentor-teacher and of Hungary’s return to Christian ethics, this paper adds a Christian perspective to the panel’s discussion of spirituality in schooling and provides principles for improving the quality of education for all.

Until the 1960's evidence for psi-dreaming (including precognitive dreams, telepathic dreams, clairvoyant dreams and mutual dreams) consisted mostly of anecdotal reports. However, at that point researchers at Maimonides Dream Laboratory (1) took the next step, and in a series of controlled scientific studies demonstrated that subjects could repeatedly tune into randomly selected external targets in their dreams. A meta-analysis of post-Maimonides studies of psi-dreaming by other researchers confirmed this effect (2).

In a related area, research since the 1970’s in remote viewing has demonstrated that human beings in general have the ability to tune into designated targets outside of the range of their physical senses. In 1995 the CIA hired Dr. Jessica Utts, a professor of statistics at the University of California, Davis, to evaluate a series of remote viewing experiments done at the Stanford Research Institute. She concluded: "Using the standards applied to any other area of science, it is concluded that psychic functioning has been well established. The statistical results of the studies examined are far beyond what is expected by chance. Arguments that these results could be due to methodological flaws in the experiments are soundly refuted." (3) And it seems generally agreed that spontaneous dream-state psi occurs much more easily and often than waking-state psi.

For theories on the nature of dreaming, the validation of dream-psi seems the equivalent of the Michelson-Morley experiment in physics, with the exception that few have realized the profound implications. For example, psi-dreaming has made strictly subjective, solipsistic theories of dreaming outdated and untenable. We need to change how we think about dreams, and to understand that dreaming involves a kind of perception.

Abraham Abulafia (1240–1290) is considered to be one of the most significant Jewish mystics and is one of the few who taught a comprehensive system of meditative practices designed to induce ecstatic religious experiences. At the heart of Abulafia’s meditation techniques lies the coordination of breath and body while pronouncing the Hebrew letters of the Name of God. Specifically, Abulafia instructs the practitioner to empty and stop the breath, paralleling a technical breathing practice in Yogic Pranayama called “Kumbhaka”. The Islamic polymath Al-Biruni’s (973–1048) Arabic translation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is proposed as one possible transmission vector for this Yoga technique across radically different cultures and geographies into Abulafia’s method, which then profoundly influenced major Jewish personalities down to our day.

In order to better cope with the pressures and stresses of the current day, modern psychology is anxiously seeking to find new therapies to address the increasing disorders within the human psyche. In the process new fields of research, such as humanistic and transpersonal psychology, curiously appear to borrow more and more from the wisdom of the ages. This volume, containing eighteen articles by noteworthy expositors of the perennial philosophy such as Huston Smith, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, and Frithjof Schuon, presents the spiritual psychology of the wisdom traditions as a much-needed antidote to the current impasse in modern psychology.

Some Endorsements for Psychology and the Perennial Philosophy:

“[Psychology and the Perennial Philosophy] is more than an anthology. It is a wisely crafted collection of classic and contemporary scholarship noting that what many are seeking is what has always been, a perennial philosophy, that remains foundational. As one of the authors, Tage Lindbom, properly notes, ‘Secularization is a fish in troubled waters.’ This book claims the waters and is essential reading for all those who may have forgotten or are simply ignorant of the rich foundation provided by the perennial philosophy.”
—Ralph W. Hood, Professor of Psychology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, past president of the Psychology of Religion division of the American Psychological Association, co-founder of The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion and co-author of The Psychology of Religion

“A necessary and bracing critique of the assumptions and limitations of contemporary Western psychology, this generous volume is also a passionate call and learned guide towards a truer perspective that embraces man's spiritual nature.”
—Gabor Maté, M.D., and author of In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction

“Knowing the nature of the mind is perhaps the most difficult undertaking, especially in today’s world. To comprehend the nature of mind one needs to turn to the domain of religion and spirituality. Yet the truth of the mind and its complexity cannot explicitly be defined in words. Inner or transcendent wisdom sees the mind’s own nature without the duality of the seer. Suchness (tathatā) of mind is only experiential and not expressible. The words used to describe thought are themselves a product of thought, which is conditioned and limited. Thus, differences and contradictions are unavoidable. Therefore, a comparative study of different viewpoints and commentaries is immensely important to awaken the inner intelligence to see the mind as it is. Psychology and the Perennial Philosophy: Studies in Comparative Religion edited by Samuel Bendeck Sotillos is an outstanding effort in this direction.”
—Samdhong Rinpoche, former Prime Minister (Kalon Tripa) of the Tibetan Government-in-exile, author of Uncompromising Truth for a Compromised World: Tibetan Buddhism and Today’s World

“The rise of psychology has impacted the study and practice of spirituality, the experiences and attitudes relevant to ultimate human values that transcend ordinary behavior. Each chapter of this remarkable book demonstrates this interaction in a unique and provocative way. But rather than using psychology to reduce and ‘psychologize’ spiritual topics, its authors demonstrate how directives from the spiritual traditions can enhance and even illuminate the enduring importance of psychology in the 21st century.”
—Stanley Krippner, Saybrook University, co-author of Spiritual Dimensions of Healing

“The work at hand is a thinking and debating man’s delight. If you have any interest at all in attempting to include an educated and enlightened view of man’s higher functions in your purview of the world, you will learn from and enjoy this collection of essays. If you already have some knowledge in this area, brace yourself: you may see some of your favorites sharply criticized. A thought-provoking work.”
—Bruce W. Scotton, University of California, San Francisco, co-editor of Textbook of Transpersonal Psychiatry and Psychology

“This book, superbly edited by Samuel Bendeck Sotillos, is a masterful critique of the field of psychology and its loss of the sacred ground in which it once was rooted. It offers depth psychologists an opportunity to contemplate timeless truths echoed through the centuries by perennial philosophers who have always claimed psyche is subordinate to Spirit. Although ignored in depth psychology’s early years due to prejudice and lack of understanding, this is a message today’s psychotherapists must take seriously. Human beings need a deeper and wider transpersonal vision of who and what we are, which the saints and sages of the world’s spiritual traditions have always pointed to. In psychotherapy with a therapist committed to such a vision, patients penetrate into their unconscious depths and not infrequently awaken to the Ground of all Being. Their suffering itself occurred because they had turned away from Spirit. Above all, this volume passionately calls upon depth psychology to remember its origin in the perennial wisdom at the core of the great religions. There is something of a polemic in these pages. It deserves to be considered by depth psychologists of all persuasions.”
—Bryan Wittine, Transpersonal psychologist and Jungian psychoanalyst

“This anthology from Samuel Bendeck Sotillos is a must reference for anyone who is interested in psychology and its relationship to spirituality, and in developing an inclusive dialogue between disciplines that favor an integral outlook on the person and his or her potential. Selections in this anthology will inspire us to reexamine the metaphysical underpinnings of psychology, and remind us how important it is to rise above science’s attempt to reduce the human being to an epistemic object.”
—Sangeetha Menon, National Institute of Advanced Studies (Bangalore, India), Board Member of the International Transpersonal Association (ITA), author of The Beyond Experience: Consciousness in Bhagavad Gita

“This anthology has some of the most discerning essays and reviews on spirituality and psychology, which provide much-needed care and caution to all those engaged in bringing them together or who wish to do so in future. Therefore, it is a must-read for all those who teach, research, consult, or study in such frontier areas as transpersonal psychology, states of consciousness, mind-body relation, holistic health, Indian psychology, and so on. It will be an invaluable textbook for courses in these and other related areas. I congratulate the editor of the book.”
—Kiran Kumar K. Salagame, University of Mysore (India), Board Member of the International Transpersonal Association (ITA), author of The Psychology of Meditation: A Contextual Approach

“One of the finest collections of essays on the Perennial Philosophy—a must-read for all psychologists who are engaged with spirituality and transpersonal psychology. The essays which critique modern psychology (including transpersonal psychology, and the framework of Carl Jung), in the light of the Perennial Philosophy are a revelation and make compelling reading. The book serves as a corrective to the excesses of modern psychology, and to this end Sotillos has done a commendable job. I for one will include the book in some of the graduate courses that I teach.”
—Suneet Varma, University of Delhi, co-editor of Foundations of Indian Psychology

“To its credit modern science by-and-large is becoming more cognizant of the essential connection between spirituality and psychological health and well-being and most of all its positive implications within the field of psychology. While there is ample data to document this in a plethora of academic journals and books, this new book Psychology and the Perennial Philosophy adds a novel contribution to the dialogue between psychology and spirituality, which captures many nuances that for the most part go unnoticed within these discussions, and last but not least, it provides a keen eye of discernment to understand this intricate relationship on a deeper level that is crucially needed. This work will be a valuable asset to students and long term mental health practitioners and professors alike who seek to better understand the relationship between psychology and spirituality.”
—Harold G. Koenig, Duke University, Director of the Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health, co-author of The Handbook of Religion and Health

Diccionario en dos volúmenes (1.816 páginas) que en 383 artículos redactados por 157 colaboradores expone los principales términos del carisma, la espiritualidad, la historia y la teología ignaciana.
A two volumes Dictionary (1.816 pages) offers 383 articles prepared by 157 colaborators writing about the main topics of Ignatian charisma, spirituality, history and theology.

The mystical technique of imagery, i.e. visualizing an imaginary picture, found already in the earliest stages of Kabbalah, reached its peak in the teachings of R. Kalonymous Kalman Shapira, the Rebbe of Piazecna (1889-1943). Academic interest in exploring mystical phenomena solely within their historical, social and political contexts has increased in recent years. This article challenges the exclusive quest for historicization in the study of Jewish mysticism, using R. Shapira's remarkable mystical-imagery techniques as a case study. Through employing the concepts of “empowerment” and “intensification” as a lens for the study of mysticism in world religions, this article argues that R. Shapira used imagery techniques as a method for empowerment in ritual, both nomian and anomian, in order to transform normative religious acts into mystical experiences. These imagery exercises are not simply one technique among many. Nor do they just function as an alternative to the experiences made possible by secularism in the early twentieth century, as have been claimed in studies based on historical readings of his works. Historical research that negates a phenomenological perspective impedes the scholar from observing a variety of important insights. R. Shapira used imagery techniques as a powerful tool for intensifying all religious practices, transforming ordinary rituals into encounters with the Divine.

The Society for the Phenomenology of Religious Experience invites submissions of high quality abstracts of 150-300 words for its group meeting at the Central APA. The APA is currently planning the Central Division meeting at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, IL, on February 23-26, 2022, with virtual backup plans. Abstracts should be anonymized and sent by email to apacentral@sophere.org before August 15 with the subject line “Central APA Submission”. Notifications of acceptance will be emailed by Aug 25. Paper presentation time should be no more than 20-30 minutes.

Religious/Spiritual Experience and Metaphysics
Sessions Co-Chairs: Olga Louchakova-Schwartz (UC Davis) and Andrew Oberg (University of Kochi)

In these two panels, we seek to address relationships between religious or spiritual experience (RSE) and metaphysics.
RSE are associated with interruptions in ordinary language/common sense experience of the everyday (cf. Dahl; Barber; Heidegger). RSE interruptions create specific changes in perception, but it is not clear if and how RSE phenomena as described by i.e. mystics (such as internal perception of light, sound, altered perception of the body (re: spatiality, density, depth, other parameters), internal stillness, motion, presence or disconnect, etc.) impact one’s beliefs and/or attendant metaphysical (pre)suppositions. Do RSE change empirical realism of the natural attitude, religious attitude, or one’s metaphysics of the self? In the first panel, we invite concrete empirical and textual investigations of relationships between the perceptual and conceptual aspects of RSE across different traditions. The papers can include both first person and second person descriptive phenomenological researches or an intertwining of different phenomenological analyses.
The second panel seeks revisionist metaphysical proposals that include a reference to formal phenomenological analyses of consciousness in RSE. By contrast with the ordinary experience of objects, originary self-giving in RSE can be non-associative, open-ended, undetermined; in other words, excluding mental or "real" (empirically so) objects. Therefore, a descriptive metaphysics of such consciousness needs to be non-object related (cf. Ladyman, French). What is the nature of reality “displayed” by RSE? Besides covering the metaphysics of consciousness, the panel welcomes speculative extensions of such phenomenologically grounded metaphysics into realist contexts, such as e.g., metaphysics of the quantum world or Minkowski space-time.
Contact: olouchakova@gmail.com

Au cours des dernières décennies, la proportion des individus se déclarant « sans religion » dans le cadre de sondages et d’enquêtes de population a connu une hausse marquée dans la plupart des sociétés occidentales. Le Québec n’échappe pas à cette tendance, alors que ce phénomène de désidentification religieuse semble gagner en importance auprès des jeunes générations. En contexte franco-québécois, les études de nature qualitative et menées auprès de ce groupe démographique hétérogène se font rares. Alors que de plus en plus de jeunes s’identifient comme sans religion, force est d’admettre que nous en savons bien peu sur l’état de leurs croyances. Qui sont-ils et qu’est-ce qui les pousse à s’identifier ainsi ? Comment l’étiquette qu’ils réclament traduit-elle leur non-appartenance ? Comment le récit biographique de ces jeunes, issus de différents horizons, nous informe-t-il sur l’évolution de leur rapport à la religion ? Ce ne sont là que quelques-unes questions à l’origine de notre réflexion sur les manières implicites ou explicites dont est vécue l’absence de religion dans la vie de jeunes Québécois. Le spectre des sans religion est large et les identités sont poreuses, mais le principe de nonaffiliation constitue un facteur d’affirmation fort, dans une société où les débats entourant la place de la religion ne cessent de polariser. Ce mémoire veut décrire la configuration et la dynamique de l’imaginaire de jeunes Québécois sans religion en cernant leurs croyances, valeurs, normes, visions de la vie et de la mort et en saisissant comment ces différentes composantes interagissent entre elles. À partir de cette exploration, nous tenterons de dégager certains axes de la recomposition religieuse en cours

An overview of the Prime Creator with the Cosmos as to constitute ITS 'body' is presented. It is explicated that the Prime Creator emanated from the God-SOURCE that now serves as ITS heart-brain and command control center. An overview of the body of Cosmos is presented that include an intricate Tree of Life structure comprised of a main 'trunk' that accommodates and sprouts out as to form the intricate conjugate dimensional structure of the Cosmos as ITS branches. It is explicated that ALL living things, and even the Constitutive Quanta of energy that give rise to the fabric of the dimensional space-times as well as all forms created within the Cosmos, are inevitably interconnected to one another, being a constituent part of the Tree of Life. In this respect, view yourself as a young leaf having sprouted out from a fresh branch that is, in turn, connected to an older and more stable branch and so on and so forth that is connected to the main trunk epitomizing the Prime Creator's spinal cord, giving rise to certain branches that represent ITS Neural Network. Thus, everything is, ultimately, supported by a root system having ALL germinated from the original God-SOURCE and the progenitor of life and consciousness of the ALL that routinely supports and supplies ALL with the vital life-consciousness energy via the advent of light. It is further elucidated that everything is naturally prone to entropic energies of disorder that would ultimately wither and die if it did not remain connected to the Tree of Life and the SOURCE. It is, thus, prudent to stay in the light and remain connected to the SOURCE to be privy to constantly receive the support and the vital energetic supplied by the SOURCE, so as to attain consciousness expansion and evolve.

In our waking lives, we usually assume that other people experience the world pretty much the way we do, even though under normal circumstances we rarely - if ever - check to see if this actually seems the case. But do we really? Studies on the reports of people who witness the same event, routinely show wide discrepancies with respect to both minor-and major details. And if this proves the case for people in physical reality, what might one expect to happen in dreams? Do the Dream Entities (DEs) that we encounter in dreams experience the same dreamscapes that we do? Of course, many western psychologists still believe that dreamscapes, and the DEs that dreamers encounter in them, derive entirely from the dreamer's mind, a view which makes the issue of consensus in this context nonsensical. Because of this underlying assumption, even today dreamworkers typically describe the entities that appear in their dreams as "characters," which conveys the impression that DEs not only lack any sort of independent consciousness, but that they seem akin to fictional characters appearing in a book. However, the validation of psi-dreaming (1,2) has made strictly subjective, solipsistic theories of dreaming outdated and untenable. Dreaming can clearly involve a kind of perception. (3) And evidential accounts of mutual dreaming, where two or more people encounter one another in dreams, confirmed later through consensually matching details, demonstrates that dreaming can have an intersubjective component as well. (4-6)

This chapter explores the way in which yogic principles influence leadership behavior and approaches. Current understandings of leader development have not incorporated principles of stillness as part of leadership evolution and growth, which leaves the door open for such an exploration. Using a combination of semi-structured personal interviews with individuals at the intersection of yoga and leadership, this inductive inquiry finds that yoga influences leadership in three primary ways: by transforming leadership into a humble service, by allowing leaders to display their humanity through example, and by encouraging leaders to tune in within themselves for better decision-making. This chapter opens the door on the discussion of consciously intertwining yogic practice and philosophical foundations for the benefit of leader development at the individual level.

The purpose of this article is to review spirituality at work literature and to explore how spirituality improves employees’ performances and organizational effectiveness. The article reviews about 140 articles on workplace spirituality to review their findings on how spirituality supports organizational performance. Three different perspectives are introduced on how spirituality benefits employees and supports organizational performance based on the extant literature: (a) Spirituality enhances employee well-being and quality of life; (b) Spirituality provides employees a sense of purpose and meaning at work; (c) Spirituality provides employees a sense of interconnectedness and community. The article introduces potential benefits and caveats of bringing spirituality into the workplace; providing recommendations and suggestions for practitioners to incorporate spirituality positively in organizations.

This article argues that the (Western-oriented) right to religion has been proven inadequate in protecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights. It recognizes that this is partly because of the distinctive characteristics of Indigenous religions, which differ from other dominant religions, but also because of the way in which religion has been used by colonialism with dramatic effects on Indigenous Peoples and their beliefs, spiritualities, and worldviews. The article focuses on Latin America to argue further that in addition to colonialism, the early Constitutions also attacked Indigenous religions. As Indigenous rights are more acknowledged in Latin America, we take this region as an excellent, albeit painful, example of how Indigenous religions have been pushed aside even in the most positive contexts. The article uses the constitutional and legal arrangements in Latin American states, mainly Ecuador and Bolivia, to critically assess the protection that these favorable to Indigenous People...

Traducere din limba greacă de Ierom. Agapie Corbu, Ed. Sf. Nectarie, Arad, 2016

Această carte transcrie rezumativ predarea prin viu grai a vieţii monahale trăite de autor alături de Gheron Iosif Isihastul. Învăţătura orală a acestuia a fost esenţializată de Gheronda Iosif Vatopedinul în densele capitole care alcătuiesc volumul de faţă. În acest sens, aici găsim liniile principale ale învăţăturii Bătrânului Mănăstirii Vatopedului, testamentul său duhovnicesc, chintesenţa unei gândiri filocalice contemporane, formate din experienţă şi adăpate la izvoarele primenitoare ale marilor Părinţi duhovniceşti din toate vremurile. Toate atributele care pot fi acordate acestei scrieri se sintetizează într-o singură expresie: cuget patristic.

Psychological and Religious Dimensions of Personal Transformation:
Psychodynamic approaches to the Ignatian Exercises
by Martin J. Egan

Ignatius of Loyola has been recognised by modern psychologists as the innovator of Christian developmental psychology. The depth of psychological penetration displayed by Ignatius in his Spiritual Exercises is examined from a psychodynamic perspective. An overview of the series of meditations and practises of the first two weeks of the Ignatian four week retreat, including vignettes from individual experiences, is presented. I propose the Spiritual Exercises are a form of ‘transformative practise’ based on Christian theology. The religious and psychological transformations that can occur through engaging with the Spiritual Exercises are explored.
The thesis draws on the psychological literature addressing the Spiritual Exercises, together with extensive unpublished lectures, given by Jung between June 1939 and March 1940 in Zurich. I argue that Ignatius’ guidelines for the ‘discernment of spirits’ are the key to the psychological dimension of the Exercises. Ignatius’ instructions for the retreat guide/director and the individual’s testing of their inner experience are also shown to be critical. A psychodynamic interpretation of the processes that often occur in individuals during the Ignatian retreat is presented using texts which primarily offer a post-Freudian perspective. Particular attention is given to Jung’s interest in the Exercises, which opens the possibilities of elucidating a Jungian perspective. I also suggest a Kleinian interpretation as an additional approach. The central role of the imagination in the Exercises is highlighted.
I focus on the first and second weeks because I want to draw out how individuals’ experiences in this period of the exercises can be paralleled to stages of psychological development. After the first two weeks, psychological language proves inadequate to interpret the spiritual process Ignatius envisaged. These first two phases prove amenable to psychodynamic interpretations that help illuminate both the Exercises and our understanding of individual spiritual development.

"Atunci când venim la Spovedanie, venim să ne întâlnim faţă către faţă cu un prieten. Nu venim pentru a fi judecaşi şi condamnati. Nu venim înfricosati de ceea ce urmeaza sa se întâmple. Venim la Cel care, Dumnezeu fiind, dincolo de suferinta, dincolo de moarte, a ales din iubire pentru noi sa devina om, sa ia asupra Sa firea noastra omeneasca si sa-Si dea viata pentru noi. Viata Sa, moartea Sa sunt pentru noi dovada ca suntem într-atât de mult iubiţi de Dumnezeu încât putem veni la El fie că suntem buni, fie că suntem rai, si El ne va primi cu bratele deschise; dacă este cineva gata sa plânga pentru pacatele noastre, pentru nevrednicia noastră acela este El, din compasiune, din mila, din iubire – cu acea disponibilitate pe care am vazut-o în viata unui sfânt, caruia Hristos i-a spus ca şi un singur păcătos dacă ar mai fi în lume, S-ar întrupa şi ar muri din nou pentru acesta, fiindca El nu poate răbda gândul că există vreun om care piere.

Acesta este Dumnezeul, Hristosul la Care venim atunci când ne apropiem de scaunul de Spovedanie – la Cel Care ni Se dăruieşte cu întreaga Sa viaţă si moarte; Cel Care ne aşteaptă să venim ca să aflam vindecare, alinare, sprijin – nu osândă, nu judecată."
Mitropolitul Antonie de Suroj

For the past forty years shamanism has drawn increasing attention among the general public and academics. There is an enormous literature on shamanism, but no one has tried to understand why and how Western intellectual and popular culture became so fascinated with the topic. Behind fictional and non-fictional works on shamanism, Andrei A. Znamenski uncovers an exciting story that mirrors changing Western attitudes toward the primitive. The Beauty of the Primitive explores how shamanism, an obscure word introduced by the eighteenth-century German explorers of Siberia, entered Western humanities and social sciences, and has now become a powerful idiom used by nature and pagan communities to situate their spiritual quests and anti-modernity sentiments. The major characters of The Beauty of the Primitive are past and present Western scholars, writers, explorers, and spiritual seekers with a variety of views on shamanism. Moving from Enlightenment and Romantic writers and Russian exile ethnographers to the anthropology of Franz Boas to Mircea Eliade and Carlos Castaneda, Znamenski details how the shamanism idiom was gradually transplanted from Siberia to the Native American scene and beyond. He also looks into the circumstances that prompted scholars and writers at first to marginalize shamanism as a mental disorder and then to recast it as high spiritual wisdom in the 1960s and the 1970s. Linking the growing interest in shamanism to the rise of anti-modernism in Western culture and intellectual life, Znamenski examines the role that anthropology, psychology, environmentalism, and Native Americana have played in the emergence of neo-shamanism. He discusses the sources that inspire Western neo-shamans and seeks to explain why lately many of these spiritual seekers have increasingly moved away from non-Western tradition to European folklore. A work of intellectual discovery, The Beauty of the Primitive shows how scholars, writers, and spiritual seekers shape their writings and experiences to suit contemporary cultural, ideological, and spiritual needs. With its interdisciplinary approach and engaging style, it promises to be the definitive account of this neglected strand of intellectual history.

This study explores common ground and affinities between Christian Orthodoxy and Pentecostalism in theology, spirituality, cosmology, anthropology and the understanding of rites and sacraments. The focus is on the understanding and perception of the Holy Spirit, with regard to spiritual experience, personal transformation and the life of the Church. It also reflects on the African religious heritage of Christianity in the formation of these forms of spiritual experience and expression. The role and development of African Instituted Churches is taken into view, aware of their common heritage with Pentecostalism and of their distinctness. The context of ecumenical exchange between Pentecostalism and the Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches in the 20th century is considered as background for the realization of convergences. The growing awareness in both Pentecostalism and Orthodoxy of their common ground, based in the hermeneutics and spirituality of early Christianity is recognized and recommended as field for further engagement. The common affirmation of both Churches of a spiritual world view in contrast to the positivistic ‘naturalistic’ world view of secular Enlightenment – as distinct from the spiritual branch of Enlightenment in which Pentecostalism is rooted through Pietism – is recognized as common ground for mutual understanding and critical difference to mainstream Western secularism. This study thus aims at fostering a better mutual understanding of Pentecostal and Orthodox Churches and of their epistemological agreements with regard to the challenges of secular cultures.