Spirituality can’t be reduced to what’s happening in the brain
Seeing the ‘mind’ as extending beyond the head can help us better understand the nature of transcendent experiences
by Mohammadamin Saraei
Transcend
Finding meaning, wonder and spirituality
A haunting in Brooklyn
At 25, I saw my grandfather’s ghost. At 52, I think of what it may mean to be a ghost
by Kathleen Donohoe
In the bustle of the city, we need more pockets of serenity
Stillness shouldn’t be something you only find in nature. Well-designed urban spaces can be good for the nervous system, too
by Zsanett Ritli
Guides
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Your purpose isn’t something to find, it’s something you form
In my therapy office, I’ve found that to live with greater purpose, we must think differently about where it comes from
by Ross White
A haunting in Brooklyn
At 25, I saw my grandfather’s ghost. At 52, I think of what it may mean to be a ghost
by Kathleen Donohoe
Reality shifting opens portals to the weirdness of our world
It’s easy to denounce ‘reality shifting’ as a shared delusion. But there is value in making the world feel unfamiliar
by Ed Simon
‘We are all always coming and going’
Steve Schwartzberg’s journey from Harvard psychologist to erotic healer, Buddhist and teacher was always haunted by death. Then he was diagnosed with terminal cancer
by Andrew Lawler
How to start learning dance
Follow these steps to find a style of movement that will captivate you – even if you’ve never seen yourself as a dancer
by Dawn Davis Loring
A lesson from the Son of Man’s manhood
Renaissance artists paid uncommon attention to Jesus’ nether regions. What does this breach in modesty reveal about art?
by Sam Dresser
Popular
View allYour purpose isn’t something to find, it’s something you form
In my therapy office, I’ve found that to live with greater purpose, we must think differently about where it comes from
by Ross White
A haunting in Brooklyn
At 25, I saw my grandfather’s ghost. At 52, I think of what it may mean to be a ghost
by Kathleen Donohoe
Reality shifting opens portals to the weirdness of our world
It’s easy to denounce ‘reality shifting’ as a shared delusion. But there is value in making the world feel unfamiliar
by Ed Simon
Notes to self
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Videos
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How Bobby McFerrin draws out mesmerising music from any audience
An autistic artist searches for the ‘souls’ of machines
What a romantic comedy cliché reveals about modern love
What can we learn by taking transcendent UFO stories seriously?
From prison, a bank robber and acclaimed author reflects on time
Why are we so drawn to characters that take us to moral extremes?
‘We are all always coming and going’
Steve Schwartzberg’s journey from Harvard psychologist to erotic healer, Buddhist and teacher was always haunted by death. Then he was diagnosed with terminal cancer
by Andrew Lawler
Your purpose isn’t something to find, it’s something you form
In my therapy office, I’ve found that to live with greater purpose, we must think differently about where it comes from
by Ross White
Reality shifting opens portals to the weirdness of our world
It’s easy to denounce ‘reality shifting’ as a shared delusion. But there is value in making the world feel unfamiliar
by Ed Simon
Let the mystery be
As a hospital chaplain, I watched lives end, faiths fracture and certainties crumble. My job was holding hands in the dark
by Nettie Reynolds
The sauna life
Each cycle of steam and cold brought me closer to the land, my mother, and the version of myself I’d left behind
by Katja Pettinen
Converted by Sister Ruth
At a Texas convent, what could a sublimely uncouth sister in her mid-80s teach me about helping people?
by Ronald W Dworkin
How to start growing your own food
A vegetable garden is more than a source of sustenance – it’s a psychological sanctuary. Here’s how to create your own
by Gary Pilarchik
The psychic who healed me
It was just like her – my bold, dead mother – to show up in my life again. Or was grief playing tricks on me?
by Amanda Leigh Lichtenstein
Our world’s complex issues can’t be solved by lone heroes. Our stories should reflect that
Video by Psyche
Dance showed me the untapped power of our attention muscle
Through tango, I sharpened attentional skills that make any moment richer. But these can be honed on or off the dancefloor
by Sara Melzer
Cults needn’t fit stereotypes to be dangerous. Here’s how to identify a controlling social group
Video by BBC Ideas
There’s a nourishing calm in quietly wandering, far from goals and distractions
Directed by Mykhailo Bogdanov
The lost art of making a petroglyph
Inspired by 6,000-year-old rock art in Norway, I decided to create a new carving closer to home
by Rémy Noë
They keep the Hindu funeral pyres burning, but at what cost?
For the men and boys of the Dom community in Varanasi, sacred cremations demand a lifetime of exhausting, dangerous labour
by Radhika Iyengar
What if animals find beauty in the world, just like we do?
Chimpanzees favour the colour red. Junglefowl prefer symmetry. Our shared capacity for aesthetic pleasure is cause for wonder
by Brandon Keim