Spirituality and transcendence

Creativity and the arts Spirituality and transcendence

Altered states Drugs and psychedelics Mindfulness and meditation Prayer and contemplation Rituals and celebrations Sacred places Spirituality and religion Symbols and myth The irrational and uncanny Transcendent experience Visions and mysticism Wonder and the sublime

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Photo of a bee on a vibrant orange flower with a blurred background, highlighting the intricate flower details.

Drugs and psychedelics

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Psychedelics are philosophical tools for demolishing assumptions

By shaking up our sense of how things are, substances like LSD or psilocybin have the potential to promote deep learning

by David J Blacker

Blurry photo of a supermarket interior with people shopping, bright lighting and shelves filled with products.

Mind and brain

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Having epileptic seizures gave me newfound respect for the brain

Seizures are often described as both terrifying and enthralling. Mine gave me a wondrous new take on consciousness and agency

by Webb Wright

A waterfall under a stormy sky with mist and a building on the left cliff surrounded by trees in the background.

Wonder and the sublime

guide

How to think about the sublime

An exquisite mix of fear and awe, pleasure and pain, the sublime stretches the imagination and reveals the limits of reason

by Nicole A Hall

Desert with a blurred yellow road sign and distant hills under a blue sky.

Altered states

film

Ride along on a road trip suffused with LSD, petty theft and true love

Directed by Aric Allen

Photo of a person silhouetted against the Milky Way galaxy in a starry night sky, with a faint horizon glow.

Wonder and the sublime

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The ‘panzoic effect’: the benefits of thinking about alien life

Reflecting on the potential for extraterrestrial life can inspire awe and have a profound effect on your worldview

by Graham Lau

Ancient mosaic of a reclining skeleton with Greek text, holding a drink, next to an amphora and bread on a dark background.

Death and dying

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Reflections on mortality can help you live well now – here’s how

For me and many others, contemplating death has clarified what matters. These curiosity-based exercises will get you started

by Joanna Ebenstein

Ancient mosaic depicting a lounging skeleton with Greek text, an amphora, a loaf of bread and a platter on a dark background.

Death and dying

guide

Reflections on mortality can help you live well now – here’s how

For me and many others, contemplating death has clarified what matters. These curiosity-based exercises will get you started

by Joanna Ebenstein

Sketch of a bathroom with a vanity unit and mirror. An illustrated nude woman stands in the centre, reflected in the mirror.

Altered states

film

A woman summons a stoic calm after accidentally trapping herself in a shower

A film by Tom Schroeder

Green spiky thistle plants with purple flowers against a blurred grey background.

Evaluating therapies

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In therapy or meditation, is it normal to feel worse at first?

A ‘no pain, no gain’ mentality might make sense when striving for change – but don’t confuse discomfort and distress

by Nicholas Van Dam

Painting with surreal figures including a fish-headed person and abstract human forms with a dark sky.

Communication and language

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Let me open a treasure chest to explain how metaphor works

Once maligned by philosophers, metaphors are a key communication tool for extending the power of literal speech

by Elek Lane

A person watering plants in an urban garden with buildings in the background on a cloudy day.

Meaning and the good life

guide

How to make your life feel more meaningful

Existential psychology offers specific ways to find meaning, giving you a buffer against despair in these anxious times

by Steven Heine

Two people in a park performing a balancing act on white chairs and a wooden plank, surrounded by pine trees.

Theatre and performance

film

Two gravity-defying performances play with the physics of life on Earth

A film by Bastien Dausse