Spirituality and religion

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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Ancient marble statue of a headless Hermaphroditus, draped lower garment, against a plain background.

Gender

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There is nothing new about gender fluidity and nonconformity

From Mesopotamia and ancient Greece to precolonial India and medieval London, gender has always been more than a binary

by Chris Wheatley

Photo of a person in a white robe on a sunlit stone staircase with large windows and ornate railings.

Spirituality and religion

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A monk showed me that spirituality needs more space in medicine

As a doctor, I’ve seen how brain diseases can become entwined with spiritual pain. Who is responsible for addressing it?

by Michael P H Stanley

Black and white photo of a person wearing a jacket, eyes closed, with a foggy forest background and tree branches above.

Spirituality and religion

guide

How to find new spiritual practices

Even if religion isn’t for you, there’s a world of rituals and tools to lift yourself up and connect to something greater

by Morgan Shipley

Black and white photo of three children standing outdoors under a cloudy sky. The boy on the left wears a flat cap and checked shirt with trousers, while the two girls on the right wear patterned headscarves and dresses, smiling and looking into the distance.

Values and beliefs

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For Hutterites, ‘love thy neighbour’ is both gospel and practical necessity

Directed by Colin Low

Black and white photo of a man with a ball on a littered street, graffiti and a fire escape visible on a brick building.

Transcendent experience

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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

Photo of a man in white with a medallion standing in front of a building labelled “UFOland,” looking upwards confidently.

Spirituality and religion

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UFO belief is a modern outlet for ancient spiritual yearnings

Even when it’s not explicitly religious, belief in alien visitors resembles our oldest ways of making sense of the world

by Francesco Dimitri

Silhouette of person against a colourful stained glass window with geometric patterns in a photo.

Change and self-development

guide

How to thrive after leaving your religion

It can be distressing, but liberating too. Use these tips from clinical practice and personal experience to emerge stronger

by Micah Rees

A stylised figure drawn in glowing red lines stands on a cliff reaching towards a dark sky full of stars above a calm sea. The scene has a mystical atmosphere.

Symbols and myth

film

A Navajo creation story illustrates why humans must forge their own path

Directed by Dallin Penman

Black and white photo of ancient stone carvings with a central female figure, ornate patterns and a reclining animal.

Sacred places

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Why Indian Buddhism has gardens, not monasteries

Wishing trees, jewels, unfading flowers – what place do these sensual pleasures have in the ascetic life of Buddhist monks?

by Simran Agarwal

Photo of a man walking a dog past a motorcycle shop with large windows brick exterior and illuminated interior.

Mindfulness and meditation

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When mindfulness meets capitalism, it loses its way

The modern business of mindfulness strips the practice of both its spiritual meaning and much of its practical value

by Chris Wheatley

A group of people in traditional attire with gold embroidery, holding flowers and smiling while singing.

Music

film

Six minutes with a pan-African gospel choir is a shot of joy for the weary soul

Directed by Samuel Bradley