Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-01T18:12:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao_adauria_azevedo.pdf: 541695 bytes, checksum: 23b5ffdf6b91cc590cd6614751ce12a8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-03-22 / This work explain the practices inside of Spirit Centers in the cities of Recife, Olinda, Paulista and Jaboatão dos Guararapes, focusing doctrine organized by Allan Kardec. The research was conducted with the aim of analyzing the reports of leaders of the Spirit Centers on how to perform doctrinal practices, seeking to interpret, understand and explain these phenomena and their causes, paying attention to the subjectivity and its representations. For this purpose, a qualitative methodology was used to obtain the best possible results. As a research tool was chosen for observation on 11 spiritual centers, and interviews and questionnaires with its 19 leaders. The collected data were categorized and analyzed based on the theoretical foundations of the Sociology of Religion, Anthropology, Spirit Pedagogy and the precepts of spiritual doctrine, codified by Allan Kardec. The study made it possible to see that, inside of "The Spiritism's Universe", there are differences among the practice of the doctrine based on the cultural inheritance, in other words, the symbols and myths ingrained in society and transmitted through time, resulting in a resistance to new behaviors, which directly influences the Spiritism practices. Thus the "reason" for the variation in the diversity of practice is related to the level of knowledge of doctrine, by its practitioners / Trabalho sobre as práticas utilizadas em centros espíritas localizados nas cidades de Recife, Olinda, Jaboatão dos Guararapes e Paulista, com foco na doutrina organizada por Allan Kardec. A pesquisa foi elaborada com o objetivo de analisar os relatos de lideranças dos centros espíritas sobre como eram realizadas as práticas doutrinárias, buscando interpretar, compreender e explicar tais fenômenos e suas causalidades, atentando-se à subjetividade e suas representações. Com essa finalidade, uma metodologia qualitativa foi utilizada para obter os melhores resultados possíveis. Como instrumento de pesquisa optou-se pela observação em 11 centros espíritas, além de entrevistas com 19 líderes espíritas e aplicação de questionários. Os dados coletados foram categoriz ados e analisados, com base na fundamentação dos teóricos da Sociologia da Religião, da Antropologia, da Pedagogia Espírita e os preceitos da doutrina espírita, codificados por Allan Kardec. O estudo possibilitou constatar que, dentro do "universo espírita", existem diferenças nas práticas da doutrina, tendo em vista a herança cultural, isto é, os símbolos e mitos arraigados na sociedade e transmitidos através dos tempos, que resultam em uma resistência a novos costumes, o que influenciou diretamente as práticas espíritas. Desse modo, o motivo da variação na diversidade das práticas está relacionado com o nível de conhecimento da doutrina, pelos seus praticantes

Studien ämnar undersöka sambandet mellan paranormal tro och välbefinnande, något tidigare forskning nedprioriterat för att istället fokusera på vad som predicerar paranormal tro. Forskning tyder på positiva hälsoeffekter av religiös tro, samt ger svaga indikationer på att samma kan gälla andra former av paranormal tro. Studiens frågeställningarna ämnar att undersöka ifall bakgrundsvariabler och dimensioner av paranormal tro relaterar till välbefinnande. Deltagarna bestod av 138 individer och data samlades in via enkäter. En Pearsons korrelationsanalys visade att utbildning samt civilstånd hade positiva samband med samtliga dimensioner av välbefinnande, övriga bakgrundsvariabler uppvisade samband med minst en dimension. Paranormal tro tenderade att korrelera negativt med välbefinnande, mest framträdande i dimensionen fysiskt välbefinnande. En hierarkisk regressionsanalys visade att bakgrundsvariablerna signifikant kunde förklara varians i kriterievariablerna, detsamma gällde dock inte för dimensionerna av paranormal tro. En svaghet med studien gäller val av deltagare, framtida forskning med mer jämförbara urvalsgrupper föreslås.

This essay analyses escape artistry and its relation to body and mind. Drawing mainly from Finnish escape artist Uno Sunell’s life and advertisements for circus and vaudeville, escape artistry is analysed in relation to two themes: body – mind, and disenchantment – sense of wonder. The theoretical framework consists of modern performance theory influenced by Asian cultural traditions, combined with Deleuze’s and Guattari’s concept Body without Organs. The analysis is divided into two main parts. The first part shows how escape artistry incorporates spiritualistic and exotic elements in the performance, how it addresses contemporary ideals of masculinity, and how it makes use of pain to inspire a sense of wonder in the audience. The second part is a reflection on escape artistry in relation to its historical context, focusing on the biography of escape artist Uno Sunell. Here, the relationship between individual and stage persona is discussed in relation to mental and physical illness, authorities and disciplinary institutions, and the economic strains on the travelling entertainer.

This essay examines how articles in the Swedish spiritualistic journal Efteråt? – which por- trayed the afterlife – were affected by imperialistic discourse and its associated power structures. The source material for the investigation is articles that were published between 1891- 1919 as channelized messages through mediums, and which depict what throughout the essay is referred to as ’the other side’: realms beyond death.Any inherent magical aspect of the channelling phenomenon has been removed and the essay treats the mediums as authors and the written messages as their textual productions. These have been assessed with a postcolonial perspective focused on eurocentrism, christocentrism, evolutionary theory, otherness and the idea of Western progress. Using Norman Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis, the texts’ actual use of language, its discursive influences and its reflecting of imperialistic ideologies have also been assessed.The result shows that the imperialistic discourse that dominated the Western knowledge productions in the Victorian age, is directly mirrored in the way the articles in Efteråt? portrayed ’the other side’ and its inhabitants. Westernized conceptions are being treated as universal which shows in how ’the other side’ is structured around evolutionary principles that glorifies progress and development. ’Ethnic others’ are held as less developed, barbaric, stupid and in the need of help from Western experts. The texts also reflects the christocentric essence that places Western theology as the ultimate developed spirituality. And they portray hierarchical power structures and imperial dominance in a normalizing and moralizing way.Even if the Spiritualistic movement often is contextualized as a radical, progressive new spirituality and seen as the dawn of ’New Age’, this essay shows that the construction of ’the other side’, as it is narrated in the analyzed articles of Efteråt?, is merely a discursive cultural expression of the imperialistic ideologies that dominated the Western society at the time the articles where written and published.Key words: Spiritualism, Imperialism, Ideology, Postcolonial, Eurocentrism, Evolution, ChannelingNyckelord: Spiritualism, Imperialism, Ideologi, Postkolonialism, Eurocentrism, Evolution, Kanalisering

Submitted to the Faculty of Arts In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy In the Department of Theology and Religion Studies At the University of Zululand, 2006. / The existence of a ' spirit world' is acknowledged by many world religions such as Christianity, Hinduism and African Traditional Religion. Of particular interest to religionists is the personal and corporate response to such a world. A proper understanding and relationship to the spirit world helps religionists to better regulate their spiritual lives thereby allowing them to find purpose for their existence in this present world and the world beyond. To Christians, a sound knowledge of the spirit world greatly impacts on how they relate to God and others and the meeting of their holistic needs in this present world. As children of God, they already stand in opposition to the evil spiritual forces that make up part of the spirit world. Believers are cautioned by Scripture (Ephesians 6:11) not to live in ignorance of the spirit world. Man's obedience to God will mean blessing and hope while disobedience will spell sorrow and hopelessness in this life and the life to come. To this end, while examining the Christian perspective of the spirit world, the thesis also provides insightful information on the similarities and differences of the belief system pertaining to African Traditional Religion and Hinduism. Ample evidence exists of similarities rather than differences between these two religions. Some of the similarities include their view of God, the role of intermediaries, the importance of appeasing the spirits of the dead and the value of symbolism and rituals. One reason for such commonality is perhaps due to similar cultural patterns. Both these religions offer valuable principles and guidelines to practitioners in response to the spirit world. The Christian perspective concentrates more on Satan and evil spirits, their role in the universe and particularly in the lives of believers. For Christians any negligence towards the principles of God's Word leaves them vulnerable to the attacks of the evil forces. Although subjected to debate by some demon possession is one of the ways that Satan uses to disrupt the holistic wellbeing of a person. Research in the region of Isipingo in Kwazulu-Natal verified the existence of demon related problems and their hindrance to spiritual growth among churches. In the light of biblical teachings made in reference to the spirit world it is imperative that a believer's walk with God is always a walk of victory.

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Traditionally, squaring the circle has been about bringing the incommensurable work of the gods within the realm of the commensurate by using infinite cosmic principles to regulate the finite world. The American architect Claude Bragdon (1866-1946) squared the circle using his Theosophic architectural theory that was based on a neo-Pythagorean emphasis on Number, which he believed to have contained the secret of the universe. America at the turn of the 20th century was interested in Eastern spirituality at the beginning of an age of scientific relativity when the world and universe were being questioned due to new scientific discoveries based on higher-dimensional mathematical speculations that challenged relationships between humankind and the cosmos. Paralleling this scientific search was the Western conquest of the world on earth, which brought back speculations about the Near and Far East, including translations of their ancient scriptures and encyclopedias of their architecture. The fourth dimension was an imaginary mathematical (re)creation of great interest to Bragdon and common to scientific relativity and Eastern spirituality; two cultural constructs that altered the perception of time and space to affect the American imagination and architectural production. Within this context, Squaring the Circle investigates the relationship of theory to practice by considering Bragdon's architecture as the material manifestation of his Theosophic architectural theory. / Ph. D.

After 1781 there were established several Protestant congregations in Podkrkonoší (North-East Bohemia). Approximately one hundred years later, the whole region was greatly affected by Spiritualism, a belief in communication with spirits of the dead through mediums. My objective is to describe the attitudes of the Protestant congregations in Podkrkonoší towards Spiritualism and analyse their causes and effects. Understanding these attitudes will yield an insight into the character of the present congregations. For this purpose, I studied the congregations in Libštát, Křížlice, and Jičín. In particular I focused on their parish priests because they had the control over their flock in these questions. I went through the archival materials of the respective congregations as well as personal diaries, and I analysed the memories of several interviewed people. These findings were then compared with the attitudes of some congregations in Great Britain. The results revealed three different approaches of the priests. Some were very radical, which led to excommunication of Spiritualists. Others were rather tolerant, which resulted in integration of Spiritualists. Finally, some priests were quite secretive, so their parishioners may not have seen a clear line between Spiritualism and Christianity.

Le protestantisme fut longtemps considéré dans l’historiographie comme le vecteur et le ferment principal des évolutions sociales et culturelles ayant accompagné l’entrée des États-Unis dans la modernité. Dans ce récit, le déisme ne constituait guère qu’un courant éphémère à l’influence mineure, voué à un inéluctable déclin. À rebours du postulat historiographique selon lequel le déisme aurait disparu au tournant des XVIIIe et XIXe siècles aux États-Unis, cette étude se propose de mettre en évidence les manières dont se transforme et se reconfigure la pensée déiste entre 1794 et 1887. À travers l’analyse de trois mouvements que sont le mesmérisme, les communautés utopiques et le spiritualisme, l’enjeu est de revisiter l’historicité du déisme américain et de ce que nous nommons ses avatars afin d’en proposer une nouvelle généalogie et de mieux cerner les sources auxquelles va puiser l’engouement actuel pour les formes de spiritualité non religieuses. Ces mouvements ne sont pas les répliques exactes du déisme mais constituent autant d’espaces propices à la perpétuation de certains principes centraux de la pensée déiste ainsi qu’à leur métabolisation. Outre qu’ils furent accusés de promouvoir l’infidélité et d’encourager l’irréligion, les avatars du déisme considérés ici ont en commun un attachement profond à l’exercice de la raison, une aversion pour les appareils ecclésiastiques et les injonctions normatives en matière politique, sociale, économique ou sexuelle ainsi qu’un scepticisme envers les manifestations surnaturelles et les vérités révélées. Ils portent, ainsi, la promesse d’une régénération du corps biologique comme du corps social et font valoir une spiritualité hors du champ des religions instituées, proche d’une forme de religion naturelle. Au croisement de la science et de la religion, ces mouvements révèlent in fine une évolution du déisme vers une spiritualité composite que nous avons pu qualifier de panenthéiste. / Scholars of American religious history have long argued that the United States channeled and developed the social and cultural forces associated with modernity through the medium of Christianity, and more specifically evangelical Protestantism. In this narrative, deism was considered a fleeting phenomenon, which had naturally disappeared at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. This dissertation invalidates this assertion and examines how deism remained alive while being refashioned between 1794 and 1887. Reappraising mesmerism, utopian communities and spiritualism as avatars of deism allows us to reconsider the genealogy of deist freethought and shed light on the historical influences that contributed to the forging of “spiritual but not religious” systems of belief that are on the rise in the United States nowadays. These movements cannot be considered as exact duplicates of deism ; they provide rather a favorable environment for the continuation and assimilation of central deist tenets. Besides the fact they were accused of promoting infidelity and encouraging unbelief, the avatars of deism share a strong commitment to the concept of reason, a detestation of religious authorities, social, political, economic and sexual prescriptive norms, as well as skepticism towards supernaturalism and revelation. Their members aspire to a regeneration of the social and biological body and defend a non-theological approach to spirituality, akin to a form of natural religion. At the intersection of science and religion, these movements eventually reveal an evolution of deism toward a composite, panentheistic spirituality.

Objetivos: Definir o perfil sociodemográfico e a saúde mental em médiuns espíritas,bem como a fenomenologia e o histórico de suas experiências mediúnicas. Métodos: 115 médiuns em atividade foram selecionados aleatoriamente de centros espíritas de São Paulo. Numa primeira etapa foram aplicados os questionários: sociodemográfico e de atividade mediúnica, SRQ (Self-Report Psychiatric Screening Questionnaire) e EAS (Escala de Adequação Social). Todos os médiuns com provável psicopatologia pelo SRQ (n=12) e o mesmo número de controles foram entrevistados com base no DDIS (Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule), SCAN (Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry) e através de uma entrevista qualitativa. Resultados: 76,5% da amostra eram mulheres, idade média 48,1 ± 10,7 anos, 2,7% de desemprego e 46,5% de escolaridade superior. Eram espíritas, em média, há 16,2 ± 12,7 anos e possuíam uma média de 3,5 tipos de mediunidade (incorporação 72%; psicofonia 66%; vidência 63%; audiência 32%; psicografia 23%). Cada modalidade mediúnica era exercitada entre 7 a 14 vezes por semana em média, não havendo diferença entre os sexos. 7,8% dos médiuns ficaram acima do ponto de corte para transtorno psiquiátrico menor pelo SRQ e a amostra alcançou uma pontuação de 1,85 ± 0,33 na EAS. Houve correlação significativa entre os escores de adequação social e de sintomas psiquiátricos pelo SRQ (r= 0,38 p<0,001). Não houve correlação entre a intensidade de atividade mediúnica e os escores SRQ e adequação social. Os médiuns diferiam das características de portadores de transtornos de identidade dissociativa e possuíam uma alta média (4) de sintomas Schneiderianos de primeira ordem para esquizofrenia, mas estes não se relacionaram aos escores do SRQ ou do EAS. Foram identificados quatro grupos de relatos de surgimento da mediunidade: sintomas isolados na infância ou na vida adulta, quadros de oscilação do humor e durante o curso de médiuns. A psicofonia/incorporação possui como pródromos uma sensação de presença, sintomas físicos diversos e sentimentos e sensações não reconhecidos como próprios do indivíduo. Posteriormente, é sentida uma pressão na garganta e mecanicamente começa-se a verbalizar um discurso não planejado. Aintuição foi caracterizada pelo surgimento de pensamentos ou imagens não reconhecidos como próprios. A audição e a vidência se caracterizaram pela percepção de imagens ou vozes no espaço psíquico interno ou objetivo externo. A psicofonia só ocorria no centro espírita, as demais modalidades mediúnicas ocorriam tanto dentro como fora dos centros espíritas Conclusões: Os médiuns estudados evidenciaram alto nível socioeducacional, baixa prevalência de transtornos psiquiátricos menores e razoável adequação social. A mediunidade provavelmente se constitui numa vivência diferente do transtorno de identidade dissociativa. A maioria teve o início de suas manifestações mediúnicas na infância, e estas, atualmente, se caracterizam por vivências de influência ou alucinatórias, que não necessariamente implicam num diagnóstico de esquizofrenia.¶ / Objectives: This study describes the social-demographic profile and psychopathology of Spiritist mediums, history and phenomenology of their mediumistic experiences. Methods: One hundred fifteen actively practicing medium subjects (27 male and 88 female) were randomly selected from different Kardecist Spiritist Centers in the City of Sao Paulo, Brazil. In the early phase of the study, all participants completed social-demographic and mediumistic activity questionnaires, SRQ (Self-Report Psychiatric Screening Questionnaire) and SAS (Social Adjustment Scale). All medium subjects (n = 12) identified by the SRQ with probable psychopathology, and a control group (12 healthy subjects) were submitted to interview using: the DDIS(Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule), SCAN (Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry), and a qualitative interview. Results: Females were 76.5% of the sample, sample mean age was 48.1 ± 10.7 years; 2.7% of the subjects were currently unemployed; and 46% of the sample had a college degree. Participants indicated being Spiritist for an average of 16.2 ±12.7 years, having a mean of 3.5 different types of mediumistic abilities (receiving/embodiment of an spiritual entity 72%; seeing 63%; hearing 32%; and automatic writing 23%). Each mediumistic modality was carried out an average of 7 to 14 times a week with no gender difference; 7.8% of the medium subjects exhibited a minor psychiatric disorder according to the SRQ, and the entire sample scored 1.85 ± 0,33 points in the SAS. There was a significant correlation between social adjustment scores and SRQ psychiatric symptoms (r= 0,38 p<0,001). There was no significant correlation between the degree of mediumistic activity and either SRQ or SAS scores. Medium subjects differed from dissociative identity disorders subjects and displayed 4 Schneiderian first rank symptoms for schizophrenia that were unrelated to either the SRQ or SAS scores. Four distinct modes of emergence of mediumistic symptoms were recorded: isolated symptoms during childhood, isolated symptoms during adulthood, spontaneous mood fluctuations, and formal courses in mediumistic ability development. A full mediumistic trance process begins with: sensing another presence, experiencing a variety of physical symptoms and feelings, and experiencing vibratory frequencies which subjects attributed to an external source, or spiritual entity. Subsequently, subjects begin to feel pressure in the area of the throat and an unplanned speech is mechanically voiced. Intuition is characterized by the emergence of thoughts and/or images not recognized by the subjects as their own. Hearing and seeing are characterized as the awareness of images and voices within the internal psychic space or as an external object. Full mediumistic trance was recorded exclusively within the Spiritist Centers however all other mediumistic experiences were recorded both inside and outside these centers. Conclusions: The medium subjects included in this analysis displayed evidences of having a high social-educational level, a low prevalence rate of minor psychiatric symptoms and a sound level of social adjustment. Mediumistic trance is very possibly an experience other than a Dissociative Identity Disorder. The majority of the subjects experienced the onset of mediumistic experiences during childhood, and the mediumistic process was characterized by experiences of replacement of the ego mind, or visual and/or auditory hallucinations not necessarily related to a definite diagnosis of schizophrenia.