The Search for Spiritual Meaning
Postmodern Theology as Spiritual Autobiography: The Joyful Suffering of Four Female Medieval Mystics
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jean-Pierre Fortin
This paper proposes to listen to the crying voices of four “saints” of joy, faithful women who attempted to live out their Christian vocation in 13th and 14th century Europe: Hadewijch of Antwerp, Mechthild of Magdeburg, Catherine of Siena, and Julian of Norwich. By means of a contextual comparative study, it will show that these medieval mystics further our understanding of the nature of joy by teaching twenty-first century westerners how to perceive and reflect on a joy taking hold of the human heart amidst relentless suffering. These female medieval mystics teach us how to do theology without using abstract language and categories, that is, how to perceive and articulate in the mode and format of spiritual autobiography the transformative presence of God in our lives, even and especially in suffering. Understanding human existence as intimate transformative interaction with God, they have, in their persons and works, explored the conditions under which the experience and reality of suffering become the medium within which true and lasting joy can be accessed. The four landmark texts to be considered are the Poems, Visions and Letters, The Flowing Light of the Godhead, The Dialogue on Divine Providence and the Showings. These works convey the voices of gifted women called to teach both church and world on the true nature and purpose of human existence. The theology and struggle of these medieval mystics will inspire women and men striving to live authentic lives today, as they attempt to speak and minister in challenging times.
Concept of Spirituality among Millennials of De La Salle Philippines
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Myra Patambang
Filipino Millennials constitute one third of the country’s population (De La Cruz, 2016). This study sought to determine the following: the profile of Millennial respondents from selected Lasallian Institutions in the Philippines; their concept of spirituality based on the four general elements/indicators of spirituality (meaning and purpose, relatedness/connectedness, beliefs and belief systems, expressions); the significant difference in their concept of spirituality when grouped according to specific items that comprise the profile and the political, cultural and socio-economic issues that the Millennials consider to have a connection with their concept and experience of spirituality. A self-constructed questionnaire was designed to accomplish the objectives of the study. There had been 1,185 Millennial participants. Results showed that the over-all concept of spirituality has a qualitative interpretation of very strong concept of spirituality. When individual over-all means of each element were compared, the highest was on beliefs and belief systems and the lowest mean was on the area of expressions of spirituality. It has been established that there is a significant difference when means were compared according to gender, religious denomination, type of elementary school attended, membership in school organization/s, religious and social activities with the family, time spent in using gadgets and family income. There is no significant difference when means were compared according to age, living condition and type of high school attended. The top 5 social issues important to the Millennials are: peace and order, human rights, education, environment and marriage and family life.
Spirituality and Shamanism in the Indus Valley Culture
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Matthew Brown
The sophisticated Indus valley culture flourished for over 700 years before inexplicably abandoning their cities to return to ways more pastoral, even in the face of great regional climatic changes. Many scholars have made attempts to account for this abandonment, citing varying factors, yet these people were some of the most adaptable communities of their time and seemingly the least susceptible to collapse. Thus the effects that the transposition of earlier shamanistic beliefs and practices had on the latter cultural cosmography could go some way to explaining this reversion to the pastoral lifestyle. Hence a framework will be outlined for the presence of shamanism and folk magic within the culture of the earliest known people in the region, those of Mehrgarh, Balochistan. Connections explored between their shamanistic relationship with nature, the spirits that occupied the higher realms in these regions and perception of time and space. Giving an overview of some uses of folk magic and shamanism within this context allows for the elucidation of advantages these practices would have afforded them, hence diminished, during their oppidan existence. The continuum this talk promotes is one that begins with exploration of folk magic and the presence of shamanistic practices to attain alternate states of consciousness. The decline of culture through global meteorological and botanical changes and how a newly developed methodology to access higher plains of consciousness became a catalyst for the reversion, from their more materialistically-complex societies in favour of reconnecting with folk magic, shamanism and Nature herself.
