Buddhist meditations have become a prominent subject in modern science, often approached with respect and reverence. However, this study reveals controversial aspects of research on Buddhist meditations, which lead to a uniform portrayal of these practices as a panacea. The study reveals the historical background of Buddhist meditation research and points out where the overly positive image of...
In this article, I offer a concise survey of the religious/spiritual motifs identifiable in Tomb Raider. Based on hermeneutics and discursive analysis applied mainly (but not exclusively) to the main game series, I identify a marked influence of both Western Esotericism (in the case of the older games) and Alternative Spirituality (especially in the case of the Survivor Trilogy). Furthermore,...
Contemporary shamanism, often referred to as neo-shamanism, is a popular spiritual practice within the modern landscape of non-institutionalized religiosity. This paper explores the relationship between contemporary shamanism and alternative spirituality (formerly also labelled as the New Age) in depth, underlining that contemporary shamanism owes much of its success to its compatibility with...
This special feature collects three of the presentations that we enjoyed during our online conference Deus ex Machina: Transcending Esoteric Traditions through Modern Technology, organized on 25 and 26 February 2021 by the Department for the Study of Religions, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, and RASWE – Research Association for the study of Western Esotericism. Although occurring during...