1. Spirituality

Category Archives: Spirituality

Spirituality – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Posted on by

The term spirituality lacks a definitive definition, although social scientists have defined spirituality as the search for "the sacred," where "the sacred" is broadly defined as that which is set apart from the ordinary and worthy of veneration.

The use of the term "spirituality" has changed throughout the ages. In modern times, spirituality is often separated from Abrahamic religions, and connotes a blend of humanistic psychology with mystical and esoteric traditions and eastern religions aimed at personal well-being and personal development. The notion of "spiritual experience" plays an important role in modern spirituality, but has a relatively recent origin.

There is no single, widely-agreed definition of spirituality.[note 1] Social scientists have defined spirituality as the search for the sacred, for that which is set apart from the ordinary and worthy of veneration, "a transcendent dimension within human experience...discovered in moments in which the individual questions the meaning of personal existence and attempts to place the self within a broader ontological context."

According to Waaijman, the traditional meaning of spirituality is a process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape of man, the image of God. To accomplish this, the re-formation is oriented at a mold, which represents the original shape: in Judaism the Torah, in Christianity Christ, in Buddhism Buddha, in the Islam Muhammad."[note 2] In modern times spirituality has come to mean the internal experience of the individual. It still denotes a process of transformation, but in a context separate from organized religious institutions: "spiritual but not religious." Houtman and Aupers suggest that modern spirituality is a blend of humanistic psychology, mystical and esoteric traditions and eastern religions.

Waaijman points out that "spirituality" is only one term of a range of words which denote the praxis of spirituality. Some other terms are "Hasidism, contemplation, kabbala, asceticism, mysticism, perfection, devotion and piety".

Spirituality can be sought not only through traditional organized religions, but also through movements such as liberalism, feminist theology, and green politics. Spirituality is also now associated with mental health, managing substance abuse, marital functioning, parenting, and coping. It has been suggested that spirituality also leads to finding purpose and meaning in life.

The term spirit means "animating or vital principle in man and animals".[web 1] It is derived from the Old French espirit,[web 1] which comes from the Latin word spiritus "soul, courage, vigor, breath",[web 1] and is related to spirare, "to breathe".[web 1] In the Vulgate the Latin word spiritus is used to translate the Greek pneuma and Hebrew ruah.[web 1]

The term spiritual, matters "concerning the spirit",[web 2] is derived from Old French spirituel (12c.), which is derived from Latin spiritualis, which comes from "spiritus" or "spirit".[web 2]

The term spirituality is derived from Middle French spiritualite,[web 3] from Late Latin "spiritualitatem" (nominative spiritualitas),[web 3] which is also derived from Latin "spiritualis".[web 3]

Words translatable as 'spirituality' first began to arise in the 5th century and only entered common use toward the end of the Middle Ages.[11] In a Bibilical context the term means being animated by God, to be driven by the Holy Spirit, as opposed to a life which rejects this influence.

Link:

Spirituality - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Take some spirituality on your travels

Posted on by

Originally published December 17, 2013 at 1:34 PM | Page modified December 19, 2013 at 3:11 PM

For years, my travels have caused me to think about organized religion. (When I got my history degree in college, one of my favorite classes was History of the Christian Church.) And for years, Ive believed that those who enjoy getting close to God should pack their spirituality along with them in their travels.

I recently visited Israel, where religious tourism is a big part of the economy. And much of that is Christian tourism: bus tours of believers visiting sites from Jesus three-year ministry places theyve imagined since their childhood Sunday school classes. While Jerusalem is the major stop, they generally make a quick visit to Bethlehem (in the West Bank), and loop through the north to stop at several sites near the Sea of Galilee.

While Jesus was born in Bethlehem, just south of Jerusalem, he grew up in the north in Nazareth, near the Sea of Galilee. Since the Jordan River dumps into the north end of the lake, thats where theres the most oxygen in the water and consequently the most fish. The land there, around Capernaum, is where the major population centers were and, of course, the most fishermen. Long before tourism, and even long before Christ, the economy around the Sea of Galilee was dependent on fishing. This is where Jesus assembled his band of disciples, turning fishers of fish into fishers of men.

There are five sites on or near the sea that are particularly meaningful. At Kibbutz Ginosar, theres an impressive little lakeside museum containing the recently excavated remains of the Jesus Boat -- a typical fishermans boat from the first century A.D. The boat survived because it was covered with mud, preventing its total decomposition. Discovered in 1986, archaeologists dug it up quickly and then submerged it in a chemical bath for seven years before finally allowing it to go on view. Perhaps the Apostles Peter and Andrew were working on this kind of boat when Jesus called them to follow him.

Another site near the sea also has great significance. According to tradition, John the Baptist baptized Jesus where the Jordan leaves the Sea of Galilee. Today, many Christians flock to a spot on the Israeli side of the river called Yardenit to be baptized or re-baptized. There are competing baptismal spots farther south on both the Israeli-controlled and Jordanian sides of the river. I found Yardenit the most lively ... but the least spiritual.

The Church of the Primacy of St. Peter, a small Franciscan chapel that incorporates part of a fourth-century church, is especially important for Catholic pilgrims. Delightfully set on the sea, its built upon the rock where, tradition holds, the resurrected Jesus ate with his disciples and told Peter to feed my sheep. That is one reason why the Roman Catholic Church believes in the primacy of St. Peter.

Another holy site the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes is built upon the place where, according to the Bible, the 5,000 who gathered to hear Jesus preach were miraculously fed by a few fish and loaves of bread. Theres a fragment of a mosaic from the original church that stood here in the fifth century; it depicts a basket of bread flanked by two fish.

And yet another church, perched high above Galilee on Mount Beatitude, is traditionally considered the place where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. Built in 1938, the Church of the Beatitudes has an octagonal shape representing the eight beatitudes. Its near the site of a fourth-century Byzantine church, which was used for some 300 years. The faithful from every corner of Christendom come here to remember how Jesus said, Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God. And blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

At each Christian pilgrimage site, my Jewish guide, Benny, read with passion passages from the Bible. I found the scriptures talking about the Sermon on the Mount or feeding the masses with a few fish and loaves particularly compelling here, at the places where those events occurred.

See the original post here:

Take some spirituality on your travels

Local pastors author book aimed at nurturing spirituality of caregivers

Posted on by

Trinity Baptist Church Pastor Joe LaGuardia and Daphne Reiley, a member of the pastoral care team at Sandy Springs Christian Church, co-authored a book, A Tapestry of Love: The Spirituality of Caregiving. (Staff Photo: Karen Rohr)

More than just a handbook for caregivers, A Tapestry of Love is a work of inspiration, hope and spiritual guidance for those who find themselves taking care of aging parents, spouses, special needs loved ones and friends.

Written by Joseph LaGuardia, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Conyers and Citizen religion columnist, and Daphne Reiley, a member of the pastoral care team at Sandy Springs Christian Church, A Tapestry of Love: The Spirituality of Caregiving was three years in the making as the authors sought to create a resource book for those they say often feel isolated and prone to exhaustion, loneliness, depression, anger and resentment.

LaGuardia, who has pastored Trinity for a decade, said the book has been well received and he hopes it will become an important tool for individuals and churches. He said he encourages pastors to form small groups at their churches to help caregivers.

Weve heard a lot of positive things about how the book is connecting with caregivers and helping them not feel so isolated, LaGuardia said. Caregivers have found in it a voice for themselves. Theyve been able to articulate the struggles and to find a way forward.

Using the Scripture found in Luke 10:38-42, which is the story of Martha and Mary and Jesus visit to their home, the writers offer a framework of spiritual guidance for caregivers starting with the books first chapter, Journey to Wholeness.

The biblical story tells how Martha is doing all the work taking care of everything and everybody while Mary sits at the feet of Jesus. LaGuardia and Reiley state there is a little bit of Martha and Mary in all of us.

The Martha in us is the task-oriented caregiver, the authors write. It is the Martha in us that drones on about obligations and productivity resulting from the many tasks that lay before us, without which we would not feel very useful. The Martha in us feels that taking time to care for ourselves will lead to failure. Many caregivers already feel that they are not doing enough for their loved ones as it is

Mary exists in each one of us as well. God has placed the spirit of Mary in us to remind us that our true value comes from an identity grounded in a relationship with Jesus. Mary reminds us that we were created to be in communion with our creatorShe lets us know that we are missing the intimacy needed to refresh our spirits. The Mary in us longs to sit at Jesus feet and find a home in Gods loving embrace.

Read the original post:

Local pastors author book aimed at nurturing spirituality of caregivers

KEITH WOMMACK: Your health care provider desperately needs help

Posted on by

Recently, Kenneth Pargament, PhD, shared troubling facts about the lives of health care providers:

As mentioned in my last column, the 22nd Annual Psychotherapy and Faith Conference was hosted by the Institute of Spirituality and Health at The Texas Medical Center in Houston.

Dr. Pargament, a professor of psychology at Bowling Green State University, was one of the conference speakers. His talk was titled Conversations with Eeyore: Spirituality and the Generation of Hope among Mental Health Providers.

Pargament explained that health care providers can be traumatized by what they see in their clients lives. But, even though they may be traumatized, the sacred dimension (spirituality) of a client can lift them up. Attending to the spiritual aspects of clients can actually jumpstart both the lives of the client and the care provider. Pargament also stated that spirituality fosters the sense that something runs beneath what we see.

In my own healing practice, Ive noticed that the human capacity for change and growth stem directly from spirituality. Why? Because a spiritual sense of existence enables us to focus on and demand order, balance, strength, and health rather than the limitations and fears of a material-based outlook.

What would happen to health care in general if a majority of providers discovered that they were consistently connected with and empowered by something divine? Would this spiritual advantage prompt a reduction in trauma, depression, and suicide among physicians and society as a whole?

The Wall Street Journal recently reported, Nearly 70% of community hospitals surveyed in 2011 provided chaplaincy services, up from 62% in 2003, according to the American Hospital Association.

If spiritual care is being offered to patients because of its recognized benefits, why arent providers requesting and receiving some form of spiritual care? Perhaps, it is because, until recently, voicing the words spirituality and health in the same sentence was taboo.

In 1977, Dr. Pargament gave his maiden talk about the relationship of religion and mental health to a universitys psychology department. Afterwards, the distinguished chairman of the department whispered to him, Im Catholic.

Pargament describes what happened next, Being trained as a clinical psychologist, I knew what to say. So, I leaned toward him and whispered back, Oh.

See the rest here:

KEITH WOMMACK: Your health care provider desperately needs help

Priscilla Griffin’s New Book Mixes Psychotherapy, Spirituality

Posted on by

Dracut, Mass. (PRWEB) December 19, 2013

Priscilla Griffin chronicles her own true story of treating a client with multiple personalities in Lifting the Veil (published by Balboa Press). This book is about the battle all people have within, between the dark and the light; the battle for the soul. Although it reads as a novel, Griffins story is completely true.

Griffin saw her client, Francine, in psychotherapy for five years. Francine came to Griffin for help dealing with the depression she was experiencing after her husbands passing, but Griffin soon discovered there was much more to Francines story.

She had multiple personalities and we discovered together how those personalities were ruling her world, Griffin explains. My book blends the psychological, spiritual and religious and takes you to places you could never imagine.

An excerpt from Lifting the Veil:

As the sun glistened through my office window, the room felt uneasy. I began to squirm in my chair. I was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with how the conversation was unfolding. Im scared. Damien has a plan to kill us all. What does he plan on doing? I dont know. Im hiding in the maze so he wont find me. I heard the others talking. They dont know the exact plan, but they know its going to happen. I cant talk anymore because he might hear me. I have to go. Please help us! I had been a psychotherapist for more than twenty years, but Id never encountered anything like this before.

My experience with Francine changed the way I viewed life, Griffin writes. I understood the connection of mind-body-soul connection more clearly and I want to share that message so people can improve their own lives.

Lifting the Veil By Priscilla Griffin, LMHC Hardcover | 5.5 x 8.5 in | 250 pages | ISBN 9781452585635 Softcover | 5.5 x 8.5 in | 250 pages | ISBN 9781452585611 E-Book | 250 pages | ISBN 9781452585628 Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author Priscilla Griffin has a masters degree in counseling psychology from Boston College. She is a psychotherapist with a successful private practice in Tewksbury, Mass. She is a member of the Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association, the American Mental Health Counselors Association and the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. She was trained in hypnosis by Stephen Gilligan, Ph.D., a student of Milton Erikson, M.D. She received her training in past life regression from Brian Weiss, M.D., the author of Many Masters, Many Lives. She has produced two CDs: Being the Light and Japa Healing Meditation.

Balboa Press, a division of Hay House, Inc. a leading provider in publishing products that specialize in self-help and the mind, body, and spirit genres. Through an alliance with indie book publishing leader Author Solutions, LLC, authors benefit from the leadership of Hay House Publishing and the speed-to-market advantages of the self-publishing model. For more information, visit balboapress.com. To start publishing your book with Balboa Press, call 877-407-4847 today. For the latest, follow @balboapress on Twitter.

View post:

Priscilla Griffin’s New Book Mixes Psychotherapy, Spirituality

Sobriety, spirituality linked for teens in treatment

Posted on by

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

13-Nov-2013

Contact: Sarah Lane slane@uakron.edu 330-972-7429 University of Akron

Akron, Ohio, Nov. 13, 2013 If the spirit is truly willing, perhaps the flesh is not so weak, after all.

Increased spirituality in teens undergoing substance abuse treatment is associated with greater likelihood of abstinence (as measured by toxicology screens), increased positive social behaviors, and reduced narcissism, according to a study by researchers from The University of Akron, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and Baylor University.

The study part of CWRU's "Project SOS" and "Helping Others Live Sober" research initiatives, two ongoing studies of adolescent addiction explored changes in daily spiritual experiences of 195 substance-dependent adolescents, ages 14-18, who were court-referred for treatment at New Directions, the largest adolescent residential treatment facility in Northeast Ohio.

New Directions provides a range of evidence-based therapies, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, motivational enhancement therapy, group therapies, and relapse prevention and aftercare. New Directions uses the 12-step recovery program of Alcoholics Anonymous, which does not require participants to hold any particular religious beliefs.

Researchers measured "daily spiritual experiences" independently of "religious beliefs and behaviors." Daily spiritual experiences are not bound to any particular religious tradition and include reported feelings of a divine presence, inner peace or harmony, and selflessness and benevolence toward others.

The researchers found that, on the "religious beliefs and behaviors" scale, adolescents reported a range of belief orientations at intake, including atheist, agnostic, unsure, non-denominational spiritual or denominational religious. The researchers also found that most of the adolescents, regardless of their religious background or denomination, reported having more daily spiritual experiences by the end of the two month treatment period.

The study, funded by the John Templeton Foundation, is the first to include detailed measures of both spirituality and religiosity as independent variables at baseline and over the course of treatment, while controlling for background characteristics and clinical severity, says Co-Investigator Dr. Matthew T. Lee, professor and chair of sociology at The University of Akron. Professor Lee also is vice president of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love.

See more here:

Sobriety, spirituality linked for teens in treatment

African Spirituality Matters! – Interview with the Directors of Ancestral Voices – Video

Posted on by


African Spirituality Matters! - Interview with the Directors of Ancestral Voices
I #39;m honoured to present this interview with Dalian Adofo and Verona Spence-Adofo, producers of the "Ancestral Voices Esoteric Knowledge" documentary (which e...

By: AfricansArise

Here is the original post:

African Spirituality Matters! - Interview with the Directors of Ancestral Voices - Video

Re-connecting spirituality and food through conscious consumption

Posted on by

Although food is something that we need to sustain us physically, there's a spirituality to food that is being increasingly acknowledged by consumers.

"To be healthy in mind, body and spirit, it's essential to be spiritually connected to the food you eat and to relish the experience of eating," said Heidi Demars, an organizer with the Bisman Food Co-op and 2013 Bush Fellow. "Understanding how to eat is just as important sometimes even more so as what to eat."

The word sacred simply means "set apart" or not of the ordinary, said Carolyn Baker, author, former psychotherapist and professor and managing editor of the eatlocalguide.com in Boulder County, Colo. "And often times something is sacred because its derived from something sacrificed," she said.

For Peter Bolland, humanities department chair and professor of philosophy and humanities at the School of Social Science, Business and Humanities at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, Cali., all food is sacrifice, because all food is gained by death.

"When we eat, we kill. This is a truth not to be shunned, shamed or avoided indeed it must be sanctified and embraced," he said.

Wherever you are on the vegan to omnivore spectrum, our lives rely on the continual ritual sacrifice of these life-forms, said Bolland.

"To eat unconsciously with no awareness of this sacred dynamic is to be out of step with the essential core of life itself," he said. "All life turns on this law, the law of sacrifice."

Historically, humans felt more connected to their food spiritually because they didn't know when or where their next meal would come from, said Baker.

"Historically, the hunter gatherers were the first humans that I know of, and they were totally dependent on food moment-to-moment and the weather and it was all about hunting animals, there was no agriculture at that point," she said.

Once humans settled and got sedentary, they connected their food with weather and the gods of their time, such as Osiris in Egypt and Ceres in Rome. "Our lives were very dependent on food, not hunting and gathering, but on the weather-sufficient rainfall and stable climate so they could raise those crops," said Baker.

Go here to read the rest:

Re-connecting spirituality and food through conscious consumption

Annual Forum Discusses Spirituality in Mental Health

Posted on by

Psychologists, Christians, and community members interested in how religious beliefs affect mental health gathered this past Friday for the Universitys annual Veritas Forum. This years forum, titled Making Sense of Mental Health, explored the combination of the physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of mentalillness.

We picked the topic in conjunction with Veritas, our mother-body organization, and we pick topics that we think are relevant to current affairs, said forum co-director Chando Mapoma 16. This year we picked disabilities and mental health because [those topics have] been in the news a lot. [Evangelical Christian pastor] Rick Warrens son killed himself, and he was mentally unstable, and thats been in the news. I also think its something thats not talked about a lot. We wanted to shed more light on it from a Christiancontext.

Mapoma organized the event along with forum director Jinsol Hyun 15, financial directors Youngbo Sim 15 and Joshua Lee 16, publicity director Jamie Jung 16, and outreach directors Tae Hee Kim 15 and Shirley Deng 14. The students worked with sponsors such as the Catholic Students Organization, Wesleyan Christian Fellowship, and the Office of Religious and SpiritualLife.

The discussion featured Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Vice Chair at Duke University Dan Blazer and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and of Cellular and Molecular Physiology at Yale School of Medicine Nii Addy, as well as University Director of Counseling and Psychological Services Jennifer DAndrea, who served asmoderator.

Blazer asserted that spirituality is highly tied to a psychologists approach to treating patients with mental healthissues.

Depression is at once biological, psychological, social, and spiritual, and if we try to disentangle that, we miss some very important points, Blazer said. Depression in my view is always a spiritual challenge because it has a way of undermining so much of who we are. [Medical approaches] all can be helpful, but we have to look at trying to heal the soul, as well as the psyche and thebody.

He also addressed how psychologists can incorporate this into theirwork.

Therapists need to listen to not just what seems to be on the surface, they need to be listening underneath, Blazer said. If we listen underneath, I think well hear about the spiritual, and that will enable us then to be able to work with the person more on a spirituallevel.

Questions and conversation covered a range of topics, from how to balance a spiritual and medical approach to how social media affects our ability to communicate with others. Addy explained how social media can both assist and deter the human connection necessary for thisprocess.

Ive seen people who have been able to isolate themselves more easily because of social media, Addy said. But at the same time, Ive also seen people who have been willing to share more in a social media setting and have been more willing to have other people walk them through certain situations.... Its a mixed bag, and were still trying to figure out the balance point, but there are efforts to try to use social media in positiveways.

Read more here:

Annual Forum Discusses Spirituality in Mental Health

UConn professor studies spirituality with text surveys

Posted on by

Published:Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Updated:Tuesday, November 5, 2013 00:11

Sociology professor Bradley Wright focused his time on studying crime only to expand his horizons and analyze the nationwide relationship between spirituality and sociological patterns.

Soulpulse, his latest research project of which he is the manager, just launched last week. An online experience sampling method study, it collects measures of willpower, spirituality, self-control and daily stresses to compile data on the relationship between all of these variables.

After signing up on soulpulse.org, users receive text messages twice a day for 14 days that direct them to a 15 to 20-question survey. These questions gather data on daily spiritual attitudes and physical influences at points during the day, such as quality of sleep, amount of exercise and alcohol consumption. The average length of time required to complete the survey is around three minutes and is designed with the ideas of simplicity and ease of use.

At the end of the two-week testing period, the reward for participants is a comprehensive review of their data that allows them to see and learn more about their spiritual mindsets. In return, the research team is given the opportunity to analyze the information that they have collected. Wright said they have already found that people report the greatest feelings of spirituality on Sundays and the least amount on Wednesdays.

A collection of three-minute surveys however, took months of collaboration across the country to complete. 18 months of planning and 10 trips to Silicon Valley were necessary, as well as a team of people who each contributed a unique skillset to the group. The Soulpulse team consists of four computer programmers, three public engagers and six academic advisors including UConn professors Crystal Park and Jeremy Pais.

Wright said that learning to run a software development project was quite difficult, confessing that he was forced to get his first smartphone for this specific purpose. However, he said with a smile the real joy of the work was getting to know and work with these people.

Although Soulpulse is officially open to collect data for the next few more years, Wright says that there is quite a bit more work to do on the project. The cost of implementation has already amounted up to $150,000, and the group is currently seeking another sponsor as they move onto the next step of analyzing the data they receive.

For the record, computer programmers are not cheap. At all, said Wright. Promoting the website to the public is another issue that the group is currently working on. Social media will be primarily used to spread awareness; for instance, John Ortberg, a prominent pastor involved with the project, has over 40,000 followers of Twitter and plans to utilize this to Soulpulses advantage.

Go here to read the rest:

UConn professor studies spirituality with text surveys

Rob Bell's 'spirituality over religion' talk with Oprah Winfrey will air Sunday

Posted on by

GRANDVILLE, MI Not only has Rob Bell been profiled by the New Yorker, written a new book to follow up "Love Wins" and come out in support of gay marriage since he left the pastorate of Mars Hills Bible Church in early 2012, but he also has chatted with Oprah Winfrey.

At 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 3 - about the time scores of church services will be held across West Michigan Bell and Winfrey will discuss why more people are identifying with spirituality over religion, according to a promo on oprah.com. A brief video shows Bell saying that were wired for the mysterious, and Winfrey calling him a different kind of preacher.

The Super Soul Sunday show can be seen on television on the Oprah Winfrey Network, or online.

RELATED: Rob Bell's writing 'wowed' Oprah Winfrey; founder of Mars Hill to appear on mogul's talk show

Bell nurtured the congregation that meets at the former Grand Village Mall into one of the areas largest churches, before leaving in early 2012 to pursue other ministries in southern California. On Wednesday night he posted a photo of Oprah and himself on his Facebook page, and tweeted this promo:

Matt Vande Bunte covers government for MLive/Grand Rapids Press. Email him at mvandebu@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

Read the rest here:

Rob Bell's 'spirituality over religion' talk with Oprah Winfrey will air Sunday


  1. Spirituality