The essay at hand pursues the question as to how the German philosopher and poet Novalis has been able to characterize the whole of philosophy as a longing for home. In succession to a historic contextualization and research background there follows a presentation of certain ideas in Kant and Fichte. This aims to build the historico-philosophical ground for thinking the philosophy of Novalis as such a longing. A close reading of Novalis work Fichte-studies is the main justification for this interpretation. In accordance, Novalis understands philosophy as a longing for home arisen from the factual experience of the I. Feeling links this experience to theabsolute, thus providing the foundation for philosophy. Thus in thinking, this absolute ground can be set only relatively and indirectly. Philosophy can never establish direct contact with the absolute, but must be driven infinitely by thinking, through feeling, towards it. This drive shall be understood as a longing. Longing arrives through what is absolutely given in feeling. Longing moves towards re-establishing the given which thinking has lost. The I is understood as where being dwells. Herein the I's feeling of direct experience of its existence is reached — as a belonging to the world. Such a feeling of belonging is destined to evaporate with thinking. Nevertheless, thinking hopes to come home — it dreams this future. Hence we arrive at philosophy thought as a longing for home. In the end, we conclude with Novalis that philosophy thought this way must be procured by poetry.

Abstract: This is a qualitative studie about how devotees to the Guru Mata Amritananda Mayi relate to her and how that changes through time. The material has been collected through five interviews and through participant observation in ”Ammas” ashram Amritapuri in Kerala, south of India. The result showed that the devotees relate to Amma as a mother in some aspects and as a ”teacher” in other aspects, but they all have gained hundred percent trust for her. They all related to her different in the beginning as a devotee than after some years with her which shows that Amma could work as a transitionalobject for the devotees. The question about whether the devotees progress and cultivate”selfactivity” after this process could be answered with both yes and no. The devotees whom was interviewed seemed to have cultivated a lot more ”selfactivity” than the devotees that was observed during the time in the ashram and whom hadn't been following Amma as long time as the interviewees.