Research in the areas of religion and spirituality and positive psychology have experienced considerable growth within the past two decades. Such growth has led to a plethora of research identifying important constructs in both areas and key relationships among them. The current literature is, however, limited by unclear distinctions between the constructs of religion and spirituality, and a general lack of research into their associations with positive psychological traits and mental health status. As such, the present study aimed to investigate a new model of spirituality, the RiTE model, which is a three-part model designed to capture the multifaceted nature of the spiritual experience. The RiTE model was investigated in its relationship with mental health status in the context of a parallel mediation model, with self-forgiveness, gratitude, and mindfulness serving as parallel mediators. Results suggested that ritualistic and existential spirituality displayed direct associations with mental health status (positive and negative, respectively), while theistic spirituality displayed indirect associations. Indirect associations between theistic spirituality and mental health status were primarily a function of higher levels of gratitude, while existential spirituality was associated with higher levels of all three mediator variables. Clinicians may benefit from utilizing this knowledge when conceptualizing an individual’s spiritual worldview and utilizing spirituality when attempting to enhance client resilience via positive psychological approaches. Future studies should provide further insight into these treatment applications in addition to further clarifying the nuanced mechanisms of the spirituality-mental health association.

The Catholic Church is made up of many church communities of different rites, with the main classifications being the Roman rites and the Eastern rites of the Catholic Church. With the influx of migrants especially since the Second World War there has been growth in Australia, in the number of Catholics belonging to the many Eastern rites including Byzantine Catholics, Coptic Catholics and Chaldean Catholics. The Second Vatican Council documents encouraged members of the Catholic Church of the Latin traditions to know and understand the rich traditions of the Easterners so that the full manifestation of the catholicity of the Church and full knowledge of its divinely revealed heritage are preserved. One can ask how familiar are Catholics of the Roman rites with the beliefs, practices, liturgy, devotions and historical development of the other rites in the Catholic Church? The aim of this thesis is to give understanding about the Melkite Catholic Church in Australia. It takes the reader on a journey from Antioch in Syria to Australia in the third millennium, showing that the Melkites trace their roots to Antioch where believers were first called Christians. This thesis elaborates on who the Melkites are by firstly looking at the origins of this church community and thereby establishing the authenticity of this church community since it was established by the apostles and their co-workers, with the apostles being empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The thesis enumerates the key aspects of the early church at Antioch including theology, liturgy and the structure of the church, with these findings being foundational for the Melkite Church in Australia today. The thesis describes worship in the Melkite Church with emphasis on the development of this worship especially for the sacraments of Baptism, Chrismation and the Eucharist. It explains important ritual, symbols, architecture and artwork and concluded that these express the key beliefs of this church community. The fundamental dogmas in the Melkite Church are the teachings on the Holy Trinity and the Incarnation. The thesis elaborates on these dogmas explaining how they were important in the early church at Antioch and how understanding of them was developed by important theologians revered in the Melkite Church, in previous eras and today. The Christian faith is a living faith. In writing this thesis the importance of Tradition for God’s revelation to His holy people is emphasised. In its study of the sacraments of Baptism, Chrismation and the Eucharist, the thesis was able to show that the celebration of these sacraments was linked to the early church at Antioch. It especially looked at what was happening at the time of St John Chrysostom at Constantinople. This time frame saw the beginning of the development of the Byzantine Rite. There is elaboration on the link between the Byzantine rite (the rite of the Melkites today) and the Antiochene liturgy. As well the thesis expounded on the understanding of the three fold ministry of bishop, priest and deacon at Antioch and the importance of the ordained ministry today. It concluded that the four sacraments discussed above were foundational in the early church and are essential in worship in the Melkite Church today. The thesis explained important details about the sacraments of Marriage, Penance and the Anointing of the Sick. It especially explained the development of the Sacrament of Penance. The thesis acknowledges the validity of all rites in the Catholic Church and concluded that encouragement must be given for the preservation of the various rites in the Church. This is important for the Eastern Church communities as they contain a rich heritage, which is an integral part of the Church of Christ. An important conclusion was that the development of the church at Antioch must be understood in the light of Tradition the living and lived faith, which passes on all that the church believes and celebrates in its worship of the Holy Trinity. The Melkite Church of Antioch was first called Christian.

This work looks at the rite presented in Deut 25:5–10 through a sociological framework. As such, it argues that ritual is a social act aimed at protecting communal interests over the interests of its individual members. More specifically, the rite described in Deut 25:5–10 was meant to act as a bulwark against infiltration of tribal land through exogamy. In later periods, it is argued that the focus of the rite narrowed to the priestly class. / text

My dissertation is focused on a cycle of Saraha's Adamantine Songs and their relationship to the Great Seal. Belonging to a genre known as 'Adamantine Songs'---Vajra Giti in Sanskrit, or rDo rje 'i gLu in Tibetan---their titles are: "A Body Treasury called the Immortal Adamantine Song"; "A Speech Treasury called the Manjughosa Adamantine Song" and "A Mind Treasury called the Unborn Adamantine Song". The dissertation is divided into two parts: the first is the contextualization of a Great Seal (Sanskrit: mahamudra; Tibetan: phyag rgya chenpo) root text by the adept Saraha; and the second is a critical edition of the Tibetan text along with the first full translation of the text into English. The critical edition of the Tibetan is based on versions of the poems drawn from five different Tibetan sources---four scriptural (the sDe dge, Co ne, sNar thang and 'Peking' bsTan 'gyurs) and one literary (Mipham Rinpoche's 19th century collection 'phags yul grub dbang dam pa rnams kyi zab mo'i do ha rnams las kho la byung mu tig phreng ba or "Pearl Garland of the Profound Dohas of the Noble Great Siddhas of India"). / The first chapters of the dissertation explore the contexts of this song cycle, its author and traditions that relate to it, in particular the Karma Kagyu (karma bka' brgyud) school of Tibetan Buddhism. The first chapter is a discussion of the author, Saraha, the tales of whose many 'lives' pervade Tibetan Buddhist traditions to this day. Chapter 2 explores the broader context of South Asian siddha traditions, while Chapters 3 and 4 provide an analysis of the Great Seal both as it emerges through Saraba's work and as it exists as a living tradition in the Tibetan Buddhist context. As mentioned above, particular emphasis is given to the Karma Kagyu school. Finally, Chapter 5 provides an introduction to Tibetan poetics and the Sanskrit traditions that influence it.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1988. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 983-1001).

In my thesis, I aim to show that a focus on liminality in contemporary Scottish fictional texts illustrates underlying developments of relevant social phenomena with regard to class issues, gender and sexual identity. The anthropological concept of liminality looks at a situation of “being between”. The liminar faces a situation of having to renegotiate their values and perceptions in order to proceed. Liminality always involves the existence of limits which have to be transgressed and against which the individual negotiates a personal situation. I further hypothesise that the transgression of limits can be seen as an instrument to create order. I take an anthropological approach to my thesis. Arnold van Gennep’s early studies on rites of passage and Victor Turner’s study of liminality originate in the observation of tribe-internal, social structures of personal development. Van Gennep assumes a tripartite structure among which liminality is the middle stage, the phase in which the initiand has to perform tasks to re-enter and become part of the community. Turner isolates the middle stage and transfers this concept to western societies. This theory is taken up and developed further by several literary critics and anthropologists. While the transgression of limits is often regarded as a violation of those norms which regulate societies, the transgression of limits in a rite of passage and connected with liminality is a vital aspect and socially necessary. Several concepts are related to this theory, which will play a major role in my thesis: Turner’s permanent liminality, Mikhail Bakhtin’s carnivalesque as well as Foucault’s transgression. In the first chapter, I contrast two of Alasdair Gray’s novels, stating that the most powerful message of social and capitalist criticism is not just visible on the surface of the hyperbolic texts, but particularly prominent in liminal passages. The theories of Bakhtin and Turner plays the most important role in this chapter. In the second chapter, A. L. Kennedy’s novels are contrasted. In So I am Glad a difficult psycho-social issue is solved by a liminal trigger-figure, Paradise is an example of the destructive and restrictive effects of permanent liminality. In chapter three, I deal with the issue of passing and an individual redefinition of gender identity. The performativity of masculinity reveals ambiguous definitions of gender and morale. The Wasp Factory portrays a form of masculinity which has destructive effects on the individual and its environment. It is the tension in the liminal situation of a gender myth, a brutally performed masculinity and the character’s biological sex which expresses a harsh criticism of society’s definition of masculinity. In Trumpet, the binary model of gender is questioned. The text suggests a different definition of identity as fluid, passing between the two ‘extremes’, formulating the possibility of a state of being ‘something in-between’. It is the confrontation with this ‘otherness’ which provokes a wave of rejection and protest in the environment of the individual passing as a member of the ‘other sex’. In this case, it is not the obvious liminal individual, but his son who undergoes a process of change and thus a process of renegotiating his strict value system. The final chapter deals with liminal spaces and how these reflect and support the internal development which the protagonists undergo. The choice of Orkney as a mystical place and the fictional setting in a war game show that liminal spaces – both real and fictitious – trigger a personal development and reconnect present day life in Scotland with historical events which have had a shaping role for Scottish and European life.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:24:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 1997Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:48:24Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 campos_pc_me_bauru.pdf: 806698 bytes, checksum: 663c2e7a185b3693c18eaadbfae6a7f3 (MD5) / Este estudo analisa a função do mito na esfera do discurso religioso, fazendo um corte entre o auditório dos tempos bíblicos e as condições atuais de recepção. Através de breve análise tenta-se mostrar que ocorreram variações específicas no modo de anunciar o sagrado, preservando-se a essência da mensagem. Trata-se de refletir com os comunicadores católicos que tipo de mensagem o auditório espera hoje e como ela deve ser transmitida para atingir a persuasão tanto no sentido de evitar a evasão de fiéis, como de conquistar novos adeptos ou, ainda, de melhorar a qualidade do auditório. / This study analyzes the use of mythical religious speech, contrating and comparing the difference between how the biblical message was conveyed verses the conveyance of the same message in modern times. Through a short analysis, it attempts to show speech has been used trough the ages with some variation at times in order to convey the essence of the sacred message. Finally it discusses the expectations of modern people and it suggests an approach to effectively transmit the message to today's society. It also attempts to convey the message in such a way as to improve prospects for attracting better people to the catholic faith.

A cent jours du baccalauréat, les élèves des classes de terminale fêtent le Père cent. Déguisés, ils vont par petits groupes, telle une parade carnavalesque, faire la quête sur les ronds-points et se retrouvent tous en soirée pour danser. C’est une sorte de rite de passage, commémorant les années passées ensemble avant de se séparer. L’institution scolaire ne voit pas toujours d’un bon œil ces pratiques assimilées à du « bizutage ». Le Conseiller Principal d’Éducation, par ses fonctions, est responsable de l’animation éducative de l’établissement. Il doit accompagner les élèves dans toutes leurs initiatives, sans pour autant, dans le cas du Père cent, cautionner institutionnellement l’événement. Comment une pratique interdite peut-t-elle se dérouler ? Quelle fonction remplit-elle auprès de ces jeunes qui transgressent les règles ? Quelle peut être la posture du C. P. E. dans l’exercice de son autorité face à un rituel lycéen subversif ? L’historiographie de cette fête (1880-2010) et la lecture d’images photographiques sur plus d’un siècle nous a permis d’en relever les éléments fondamentaux et les origines militaires et normaliennes. Une lecture herméneutique a dégagé les invariants et fait émerger la forme archétypale du Père cent. Convoquant les concepts de fête, de rites de passage et de transgression de l’autorité, la méthodologie employée a montré comment la fête, par son émergence ouvre un espace propice aux rites de passage et aux transgressions. Elle offre à ces jeunes l’occasion opportune de témoigner de leur maturité. Par voie de conséquence, la fonction de C. P. E. apparaît au cœur des multiples tensions et des contradictions que catalyse la fête du Père cent. Le support théorique de cette recherche est amplement nourri par les travaux d’A. v. Gennep et de V. W. Turner sur les rites de passage, de R. Caillois, J. Heers, M. Maffesoli sur la fête, de P. Meirieu, J. Housaye, P. Bourdieu, F. Lerbet-Séréni, sur l’éducation, P. Audi, B. Robbes, A. Kojève pour l’autorité et X. Pommereau, J-J. Rassial pour l’adolescence. Dépassant le cadre de cette fête, l’étude montre l’intérêt et le profit, pour le C. P. E., d’investir les moindres espaces éducatifs afin de faire advenir l’auctor en chaque élève. / One hundred days prior to the baccalaureate exam, the 12th graders (US) / upper sixth pupils (GB) celebrate the Père cent. They wear disguises like people do in carnival parades and go begging for small change at roundabouts (crossroads). Eventually, they organize parties and dance (all night long). It is a kind of rite of passage to celebrate the good time spent together before everyone makes the parting of the ways. Most school officials look unfavourably on this custom / tradition as they consider it as hazing (US) / fresher initiation (GB). The CPE is in charge of the educational animation at school. He is supposed to guide the pupils' initiatives, without actually backing a celebration such as the Père Cent. How can a prohibited event take place each year ? What is the aim of breaking the rules for the youth ? How can the CPE react when confronted with this subversive ritual ? The historiography of this feast (1880-2010) and the analysis of pictures spanning one century made it possible to reveal the basic elements and the military origins of the celebration. (Ecole normale d’instituteurs) The unchanging factors of the celebration have emerged thanks to an hermeneutic analysis, the archetypal structure of the Père cent was thus outlined. Carrying the concepts of festival, rites of passage and rebellion against authority, the methodology used showed how the celebration is the perfect way for pupils to experience rites of passage and rebellion. Students get the opportunity to show evidence of their maturity. As a consequence, the duty of the CPE is at the heart of the tension and contradictions triggered up by the Père cent celebration. The theoritical support of this research largely stem from the work of A.Gennep and V.W. Turner about the rites of passage, R. Callois, J.Heers, M.Maffesoli about celebrations, P.Meirieu, J.Housaye, F.Lerbet-Séréni about education, P.Audi, B.Robbes, A. Kojève about authority and X. Pommereau, J-J. Rassial about adolescence. Beyond the celebration, this study shows how interesting and profitable it is for the CPE to commit himself in any educative field and rouse the pupils' auctor.

O objetivo desta pesquisa é traçar um panorama das transformações ocorridas no Peru na segunda metade do século XVI. Em primeiro lugar, o trabalho busca analisar as reorientações sofridas pelo clero local a partir da década de 1560, quando se observou uma virada ortodoxa no domínio missionário. Uma posição mais dura em relação às idolatrias indígenas passou a ser complementada pela insistência no conhecimento da doutrina e na explicitação da fé por meio dos sacramentos. Essas modificações seriam cristalizadas por ocasião do III Concílio Provincial de Lima (1582-1583), bem como nas obras do jesuíta José de Acosta. A preocupação conciliar com o governo das almas, contudo, não pode ser compreendido a contento sem uma análise do contexto administrativo e jurídico peruano. Nesse campo, aliás, processavam-se transformações análogas a partir de 1569, quando da chegada à região do vice-rei Francisco de Toledo. Por um lado, esse governante foi o artífice de um processo de centralização política em torno das instituições imperiais. Por outro lado, sua legislação permite compreender alguns aspectos do funcionamento de um dispositivo jurídico fundado numa concepção qualitativa de sociedade e no caráter ritualístico do direito. Ao lado dessa legislação, obras de autores centrais do período como Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa, Polo de Ondegardo, Juan de Matienzo e Pedro de Quiroga permitem compreender a organicidade existente entre as discussões missionárias em torno da conversão dos indígenas e o processo civilizador que pretendia se instituir no plano político. Ao mesmo tempo, esse momento da exposição revela o quanto se interligavam essas questões ao estado da economia peruana, particularmente no que toca às variações da produção mineira. Por fim, para complementar esse panorama, realiza-se uma pequena incursão no campo linguístico, com o fim de analisar as transformações contemporâneas ocorridas nos quadros de um processo de gramatização do quíchua e do aimará. Por meio da mobilização de alguns vocabulários então produzidos, a análise desse fenômeno permite relevar o quão conectado estava esse processo com relação ao campo missionário e à administração civil. Traçado esse panorama, o trabalho passa à reflexão acerca de algumas categorias de análise religião, índio, direito, mestiço etc. amplamente utilizadas pela historiografia contemporânea. Esse exercício tem por objetivo avaliar algumas implicações do uso de determinados conceitos sem a devida referência ao seu caráter histórico. Restituir a formação conceitual ao seu contexto específico permite, por fim, enfatizar a historicidade dos próprios processos de generalização de determinados códigos culturais que, a princípio, pertenceram à civilização cristã europeia. / The objective of this research is to provide an overview of the transformations that took place in Peru during the second half of XVI century. First, the work aims to analyze the reorientations of local clergy from the decade of 1560, when an orthodox turn could be observed in the missionary domination. A harder position concerning indigenous idolatries was complemented by the insistence on the doctrine knowledge and the explanation in faith based on the sacraments. These changes would be solidified during the Third Council of Lima (1582- 1583), as well as in the works of the Jesuit Jose de Acosta. The Council concern with governing the souls, however, cannot be understood properly without an analysis of the legal and administrative context of Peru. Also in this field similar changes were taking place, since the arrival of Viceroy Francisco de Toledo in 1569. On the one hand, this governor was the creator of a political centralization process around the imperial institutions. On the other hand, his ruling allows us to understand some features of a legal mechanism founded on a qualitative conception of society and ritualistic nature of law. Along with that legislation, works of main authors from that period like Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa, Polo de Ondegardo, Juan de Matienzo and Pedro de Quiroga allow the understanding of the organic characteristic presented within the missionary discussions concerning indigenous conversion and the civilizing process intended to be instituted on the political plan. At the same time, this moment of exposure reveals the amount of interconnection between those questions and the condition of Peruvian economy, especially in which refers to the variations of mining production. Finally, to complete the picture, there is a little incursion in the linguistic field to analyze the contemporary changes that occurred in the grammatization process of quíchua and aimará languages. For mobilizing some lexical then produced, the analysis of this phenomenon reveals as much it was connected to the missionary field and civil administration. After this overview, the work goes toward the reflection upon some categories of analysis religion, Indian, law, mestizo etc. widely used by contemporary historiography. This exercise aims to evaluate some implication of using certain concepts without the proper reference to its historical feature. Restoring the concept formation to its specific context allows, at last, to emphasize the historicity of the own generalization processes of specific cultural codes that, originally, belonged to European Christian civilization.

This thesis frames the transition into motherhood as a rite of passage; proposes a new model for the rite of passage into motherhood based on the four seasons; and highlights the importance of contextual and specific ritual actions or sequences to navigate the transition. Qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with ten western women, from a middle class, Christian background, who had all become mothers through childbirth, are examined under three main headings. Firstly, the women’s experiences of their transition are explored using rites of passage theory as a lens. Although significant differences emerge, particularly from a gender perspective, important themes within the women’s experiences are highlighted, including the nature of relationships; the importance of support; journaling; and the telling of birthing stories. The influences of contemporary cultural aspects such as the medicalization of childbirth and myths about motherhood are also taken into account. Secondly, the field of ritual studies is explored in order to provide a framework in which to situate the women’s ritualizing. Existing rituals associated with motherhood are analysed and gaps are identified in existing Christian liturgical resources for this area, specifically for ritual actions or sequences marking motherhood as a rite of passage, and for the expression of birthing stories. A working definition of ritualizing is also established and the research findings are divided according to time frame, exploring the women’s ritualizing before birth, around birth and after birth. Thirdly, spirituality in relation to childbirth and the transition into motherhood is explored and its place within healthcare and theological literature examined. Nicola Slee’s theory on women’s faith development is used to draw out some of the patterns that emerge from the interviewees’ experiences, and the sacramental nature of birthing is considered. The thesis concludes with a critique of implications and associated suggestions for those within a church or healthcare context with responsibility for the pastoral and spiritual care of women during their transition into motherhood.