<p>This qualitative study explored the subjective experience of mutual eye-gazing functioning as a pathway to unitive consciousness through shared awareness. Research on the unitive consciousness is primarily viewed as an individual experience, rather than as two individuals engaged in shared awareness. In addition, eye-gazing is primarily viewed as eye contact using the physical apparatus rather than eye-gazing as a transpersonal occurrence. The participants of this pioneer study consisted of 12 exemplar spiritual guides who were recruited to explore the experience: 7 men and 5 women from 50 to 70 years old; 9 were from the United States, 1 from Mexico, 1 from Canada, and 1 from the United Kingdom. Based on the heuristic method, data were collected via semistructured interviews to obtain participant&rsquo;s subjective experience of mutual eye-gazing. Qualitative thematic analysis was used for data analysis to identify common themes on mutual eye-gazing across the group of participants. Seven themes identified from the data set included (a) experience of shared awareness through eye-gazing, (b) interplay between thought and awareness, (c) hindrance of eye-gazing, (d) presence of divine nature, (e) dynamics of energy, (f) sensory experience, and (g) feeling of love. Results showed that mutual eye-gazing functioned as a vehicle for shared awareness, potentially leading to a higher state of consciousness in which the personal and Divine selves are realized as one. Transpersonal elements included transformational understanding of self and with other and reduced influence of the ego achieved by allowing for a broader perspective than a purely individual one. The most marked discovery was the emergence of a transpersonal movement towards unity that evolved into a 4-step process that could be used as a guideline for the realization of shared awareness. The shared process of mutual eye-gazing may be a useful spiritual application to anyone interested in psychological or spiritual well-being and transformation. </p>

<p> This study responds to the call in the ecological literature (Berry 1988, 1999; Macy &amp; Brown, 1998; Spretnak, 2011) for cognitive, spiritual, and relational shifts in humanity's perception and experience of the natural world. It examines the lived experience of a diverse group of Western adults who were initiated into an eco-spiritual Andean indigenous tradition centered upon reciprocity. Andean reciprocity, or <i>ayni </i>, involves maintaining a relationship of mutual exchange with the natural world and implies a paradigm shift, from the dominant Western paradigm to one that views the Earth as animate and able to reciprocate. In this study, reciprocity is explored as a potential means for Westerners to facilitate living in harmony with the natural world. </p><p> This basic qualitative analysis used semi-structured interviews with 8 U.S. residents who were initiated into an eco-spiritual Andean indigenous tradition and report that they actively maintain reciprocity with the natural world three or more years after their initiation. Interviews solicited stories from participants and, in the process, honored the oral culture of the Q'ero, into which the coresearchers were initiated. Data analysis was an inductive process that extracted salient themes from all stories to construct a process of sacred reciprocity for Westerners. </p><p> This study can inform Westerners who are interested in deepening relationship and learning practical ways of being in harmony with the natural world. It can also inform anyone interested in developing skillful means to utilize ancestral teachings in a contemporary context. For Westerners and industrialized societies, these practices and tools could help facilitate ecological citizenry and cultural transformation.</p>

<p> The complexity, subtlety, interlinking, and scale of many problems faced individually and collectively in today's rapidly changing world requires an epistemology--a way of thinking about our knowing--capable of facilitating new kinds of responses that avoid recapitulation of old ways of thinking and living. Epistemology, which implicitly provides the basis for engagement with the world via the fundamental act of distinction, must therefore be included as a central facet of any practical attempts at self/world transformation. We need to change <i>how</i> we think, not just <i> what</i> we think. The new epistemology needs to be of a higher order than the source of the problems we face. </p><p> This theoretical, transdisciplinary dissertation argues that such a new epistemology needs to be recursive and process-oriented. This means that the thoughts about thinking that it produces must explicitly follow the patterns of thinking by which those thoughts are generated. The new epistemology is therefore also phenomenological, requiring the development of a reflexivity in thinking that recursively links across two levels of order--between content and process. The result is an epistemology that is of (and for) the <i> whole</i> human being. It is an enacted (will-imbued) and aesthetic (feeling-permeated) epistemology (thinking-penetrated) that is sensitive to and integrative of material, soul, and spiritual aspects of ourselves and our world. I call this kind of epistemology <i>aesthetic</i>, because its primary characteristic is found in the phenomenological, mutually fructifying and transformative marriage between the capacity for thinking and the capacity for feeling. </p><p> Its foundations are brought forward through the confluence of multiple domains: cybernetic epistemology, the esoteric epistemology of anthroposophy (the spiritual science of Rudolf Steiner), and the philosophy of the implicit as developed by Eugene Gendlin. </p><p> The practice of aesthetic epistemology opens new phenomenal domains of experience, shedding light on relations between ontology and epistemology, mind and body, logic and thinking, as well as on the formation (and transformation) of identity, the immanence of thinking in world-processes, the existence of different types of logic, and the nature of beings, of objects, and most importantly of thinking itself and its relationship to spirit.</p>

<p> The full moon rising in the dark sky and the river of stars in the Milky Way galaxy have fascinated humans since their first days on Earth. For the ancients, the universe was so alive that they could not help but share its awe and wonder, and they created myths to live by. In modern times, this intimate connection to the universe seems to have been lost. This dissertation explores and rediscovers the profound sense of human embeddedness and participation in this grandeur, the dynamic universe evolving for over 13.8 billion years, through reflection on the cosmologies of Shinto, Tantra, and cosmogenesis. </p><p> This dissertation argues that when Shinto and Tantra are placed in a dialectical relationship in the context of cosmogenesis, all are enhanced, providing a new way of consciously participating in the sacred universe. Shinto affirms the sacred nature of the phenomenal world and celebrates the powers of the universe through ritual ceremonies. Tantra shows a way to fully realize the infinite consciousness of the universe through meditation. Cosmogenesis provides the perspective of being inside of the universe, and thus of being embedded in its unfolding in each moment. </p><p> To embody the new cosmology that arises from the integration of the wisdom of the three cosmologies, I suggest a new practice: Two way falling in love. This is a tool to see the sacred nature of every form of existence, to see how they are interconnected, and how the whole is reflected in each part by zooming into the smallest and zooming out to the largest with love, simultaneously. Human beings, when situated in the course of the evolution of the universe can develop an identity as an earthling with cosmic roots, becoming the awe and wonder of the universe. This project hopes to inspire those who seek to mend the distorted human relationship with the Earth and the universe, and to help those seekers find their own unique way to enter into an intimate and participatory relationship with the universe.</p>

<p> Poetry can be a portal into the inner world, a doorway into the psychological space in which one might encounter the vast array of archetypal motifs&mdash;the seed forms&mdash;that structure human experience. Poetry compels a reexamination of the cultural stories upon which ordinary perception is based and awakens a mythic, or poietic, consciousness, leading toward more soulful and meaningful interpretations of life&mdash;what scholar James Hillman calls "soul-making." </p><p> There are two major reasons for this. First, the heightened and compressed language of a poem requires slow and careful reading, facilitating a more intimate encounter with its subject than typically occurs in other types of reading. Second, because it is based in metaphorical language, poetry demonstrates the art of analogizing&mdash;of making new connections between the layers of life. In its drawing of novel parallels between things, events, feelings, and relationships, poetry invites readers to likewise examine and re-imagine their own experiences in order to imbue them with a deeper sense of meaning. </p><p> Despite poetry's focus on universal themes, however, the reading and enjoyment of poetry is a less than universal pastime. Particularly in the West, engagement with poetry remains trapped primarily in academic circles, leaving too many people with inadequate access to its "soul-making" properties. By weaving together the threads of a number of disciplines, including depth psychology, phenomenological philosophy, literary theory, reading theory, and maieutic education, this dissertation examines poetry's potential as a tool for transforming human perception and presents a method for moving the study of poetry deeper into the cultural mainstream. The production piece that accompanies the dissertation, a curriculum for use with small groups of adults titled "Living in the Layers: Traveling Soul's Way through Poetry," provides self-explanatory study materials through which small group leaders and individual students may enter into a depth-psychological encounter with a variety of classic and contemporary poems. Key words: Poetry, Depth Psychology, Maieutic Education, Soul-Making, Spiritual Transformation, Small Groups</p>

Sexual violence is an unfortunate everyday occurrence in South Africa. The rising statistics in relation to the rape of children and infants is a strong indication of the desperate need for the counselling mechanisms, counselling and ultimately the prevention in this field. The occurrence of sexual dysfunction in women that were molested as children is as a result very high and within marriages there is often a very high price to be paid. The research question that was applicable in this study is the following: What pastoral guidelines can be offered for the guidance of the molested woman, that is experiencing problems with sexual adjustment within her marriage, to guide her towards a normal sexual relationship within the marriage. The following research procedures were followed in order to answer this question: Chapter 2 investigates the basic concepts of the self esteem of the molested as well as God's plan concerning sexuality and body image. Excerpts of a number of relevant Scriptures were made and the appropriate principles identified. Chapter 3 covers a number of valuable contributions made by some of the supportive sciences in this field of study. A historical overview of the manner in which the church handles the molested woman gives valuable insight. There is a focus placed upon the emotional and physical characteristics of the so-called rape syndrome, typical defence mechanisms and reactions of the victim, aggression, self esteem as well as the body image of the molested person. An in depth look is taken at the emotional and physical characteristics of the so-called rape syndrome, covering issues such as aggression. Chapter 4 is an empirical investigation based on an extensive questionnaire and interviews with a number of respondents. The content of the questions was particularly concentrated on the role of the church, when the molestation took place, memories and/or memory lapses regarding the molestation, functioning within the marriage, sexual dysfunction, where help was sought and found as well as the person's experience of God. From the responses it was deduced that there is much room for improvement in the counselling that the Church offers to the molested iv woman or child. From the information in the preceding chapters certain practice theoretical guidelines, which can be applied when counselling the molested woman or child, could be formulated in Chapter 5. These guidelines can be very useful when counselling the individual as well as when counselling a married couple. In this regard much emphasis is placed on aspects such as guilt, forgiveness, the healing process as well as the powerful medium of prayer as part of the therapeutic process. Inner healing of emotions and memories was also identified as absolutely crucial for such a person to ultimately achieve sexual wellbeing and normal functionality within her marriage / Thesis (M.A. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

<p> Based on 13 months of ethnographic research, this dissertation documents how the people of Tautu, Vanuatu incorporate the global flows of biomedicine and Christianity into their local knowledge structures and social practices and the resulting integration of biomedical, Christian, and traditional medical ideologies and practices. This integration is articulated in Tautuans&rsquo; theories of illness causation and categories of care; knowledge practice; diagnosis and treatment processes; definitions of health and illness; and healing narratives. At the center of this creative, integrative process are traditional social relations based on kinship and exchange and the related principles of pragmatism, &ldquo;dividuality,&rdquo; and reciprocity. However, Christianity&mdash;specifically &ldquo;gift&rdquo; narratives in which Tautuans explain that their healing knowledge and powers come from God&mdash;is the main discursive frame through which Tautuans create a middle ground between &ldquo;traditional&rdquo; and &ldquo;modern/Western.&rdquo; </p><p> These gift narratives serve multiple purposes. First, they allow patients and practitioners to organize their past experiences and to make sense of suffering. Second, in these &ldquo;gift&rdquo; narratives Tautuans authorize certain aspects of traditional medicine by reconstructing them as Christian knowledge. Third, through these narratives Tautuans are carving out a space where biomedical, traditional, Christian forms of healing are complimentary practices, as the idea that all types of medicine are &ldquo;gifts from God&rdquo; causes the categories of biomedical, traditional, and Christian to fall away and to be subsumed by the larger heading of &ldquo;spiritual healing.&rdquo; Fourth, these gift narratives are also religious narratives about salvation intended to convert people not only to kastom medicine but also to the Christian faith. Finally, these narratives are an attempt to appropriate and indigenize biomedical ideologies and forms of knowledge production and to gain international recognition of the efficacy of traditional medicinal plants; these narratives, then, illustrate Tautuans&rsquo; desires to globalize their local practices and to engage with the modern world on their own terms.</p>

This research implements advanced statistical techniques to examine the relationship between spirituality and mental health among Canadians 25 years of age and older in 2002. Using ordinary least squares regression and logistic regression to analyze data from the Canadian Community Health Survey, this study attempts to contribute to the emerging body of research surrounding mental health and spirituality. The quantitative results indicate that the strength, meaning and understanding that spiritual values provide respondents in their everyday lives significantly affect mental health. These results are integrated and discussed in the context of the study’s theoretical and methodological contributions to the sociological study spirituality and mental health. / Graduate

In this thesis, an exploration of the factors that prohibit and/or contribute to counsellors incorporating spiritual conversations in their practice with adolescent (10-15yrs) clients takes place. Through a narrative inquiry method participants from the University of Victoria in a masters level program in Child and Youth Care or Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies describe personal and professional reasons to support the inclusion or exclusion of spirituality in counselling practices with adolescents. Results indicated that practitioners’ personal experiences of grappling with spirituality and religion, professional policies outlining if a practitioner can or cannot converse with their client regarding spirituality, and the lack of educational training to incorporate spirituality for soon-to-be practitioners all strongly played into a practitioners’ reasoning to refrain from or engage in spiritual conversations with their clients. In order to move forward it is vital that practitioners begin to recognize that children and youth are spiritual beings, that educational programs within the helping professions include spiritual training, that practitioners are supported by supervisors when they feel that the inclusion of spiritual conversations is vital in their practice, and that organizational policies are adapted to allow practitioners the necessary time and space to engage in spiritual conversations with adolescent clients. / Graduate

<p> Modern research declares American evangelical churches have been in an unshakable state of crisis. A staggering number of churches have not grown numerically. The lack of impact in society indicates a departure from the purpose for which the Church was created, mission. Mission has always been at the core of the advancement of evangelical churches. In particular, the family of Southern Baptist Churches has relied on mission, not as a growth strategy, but as an act of obedience.</p><p> The Lord Jesus Christ gives repetitive instructions on the mission of His Church, as found in each of the four gospels and the book of Acts. Obedience to Christ's mission results in growth numerically, more importantly, fulfillment of the Lord's mission represents the Church carrying-out the purpose for which she was created. The research offered in this project suggests a path back to fulfilling the mission for which the church was created.</p><p> The project contains a twelve-week training process in <i>missional prayer</i>, which represents a way of turning back to aligning the local church with God's mission for His Church. The project endeavored to dispel ambiguity regarding God's Church praying toward joining God's mission, to activate prayer that invites God's intervention, and in and to imparting knowledge regarding praying <i>missional prayers.</i></p>