Transcendent experience
Transcendent experience
idea
Our days are both rough and slippery. Hope brings traction
I want to defend and buoy hope – it’s a fragile, quirky thing, but it has the power to help us act in the face of finitude
by John Lysaker
Change and self-development
idea
What can we learn from those who have a moral change of heart?
Stories of sharp adjustments in moral perspective show the potential of unusual experiences to open people’s minds
by Joshua May
Transcendent experience
idea
Your consciousness has been completely transformed. Now what?
Awakening experiences are spiritual states often believed to unlock life’s mysteries – but sacred knowledge comes at a cost
by Kevin Berryman
Spirituality and religion
idea
Why religion without belief can still make perfect sense
Meet the practising agnostic and the religious fictionalist: people for whom religion can work well without sure belief
by Philip Goff
The self
idea
The question therapy doesn’t answer: who are we really, really?
Therapy is a valuable tool for self-understanding. But spiritual practices can unlock a more expansive view of the self
by Eric Jannazzo
Artists and art history
idea
The vibrating beingness of Seurat’s pointillist paintings
The pointillist paintings of Georges Seurat have a blurred, vibrating beingness that is a visual manifestation of emotion
by Summer Brennan
Transcendent experience
idea
To experience Zen-like awakening, try going the headless way
Try to point to your true self as you’d point to a brick wall, and other experiments in Zen-like awakening
by Brentyn J Ramm
Philosophy of art
idea
When art transports us, where do we actually go?
Artworks have the capacity to transport us into other worlds. But where exactly do we go when we are immersed in art?
by Harri Mäcklin
Nature and the environment
idea
Look past the woods – each tree is an individual to be cherished
Try to look past the woods and see the trees: there’s nothing as elemental as the human relationship with an individual tree
by Sarah Boon
Nature and the environment
idea
Why awesome natural beauty drops the jaw and lifts the spirit
Experiencing awe in nature can transform our sense of connectedness to other people and help maintain a spiritual vitality
by T Ryan Byerly
Altered states
idea
Immersive art opens a window on the mystery of other minds
Immersive art lets us safely explore the altered minds of others, changing how we view ourselves and humanity in general
by Joe Barnby
Drugs and psychedelics
idea
Psychedelics show religion isn’t the only route to spirituality
Secular people can have profound psychedelic experiences. What does that say about spirituality and the naturalistic worldview?
by Chris Letheby