The so-called “homecoming” is one of the most (if not the most) popular ways of depicting the process of becoming a follower of Neo-Paganism found in literature, from Margot Adler’s classical Drawing Down the Moon (1979) to contemporary authors, like Graham Harvey. It is interesting that “homecoming” simultaneously occurs in Neo-Pagan literature, as the common way of becoming Pagan, seen as opposite to the process of conversion (usually as a rapid change of religious beliefs). The critique of the “homecoming” defined in the academic field concentrates on showing that there is a possibility it may be more a theological notion, rather than a model of religious change to contemporary Paganism. The broad definition of religious conversion, understood as change in religious behaviour and beliefs, does include “homecoming” as one of the possible conversion narratives. Therefore, we may speak of a “coming home experience” as one of the main themes – but certainly not the only one – that is present in the histories of conversion to contemporary Paganism.

Mythical Image as Culture Image

The article presents the idea of the active image in culture connected with the approach to image cultures as reservoirs and ways of constructing collective imagination spheres. This view makes it possible to present the issue of mythical image as a particular kind of cultural image. The mythical image in the context of the traditions of Warburg and Benjamin may be recognised thanks to its actions in culture characteristic of mythical expressions. The second part of the article deals with the premises of the iconological use of Walter Benjamin’s reflections in the context of his concept of the myth and dialectical image

Mindfulness – a Neuro-Psycho-biological Way forward for Defining Spirituality

The aim of this article is to present the literature with the purpose of exploring the spiritual elements of mindfulness as they may be integrated into practice. Mindfulness meditation can foster an increased sense of spirituality by disengaging from a narrow self-focus, and engaging a much broader view of interconnectedness in which oneself is not seen as separate from other people and the world. Integrative theoretical framework of self-awareness, -regulation, and -transcendence (S-ART) explains the mechanisms of mindfulness. The proposed framework informs research in the contemplative sciences about definition, typology, structure, function, correlates and dynamics of spirituality, meditation, contemplation and mystical experiences

The article emphasises the necessity of an integral approach for theorising ecstasy and makes a suggestion for how this could be achieved. Although at first it seemed that the compelling sociological theory of ecstasy by I.M. Lewis and the psychological theories by proponents such as Abraham Maslow, Martin Buber or Theresa of Avila contradicted each other and could not both be true at the same time, it now turns out that these two sets of theories have different scopes of application that hardly overlap. They are thus not conflicting, but incommensurable and useful in different contexts. A very elegant and simple model for demonstrating this is the quadrant model by the integral theorist Ken Wilber, as it makes the diverging applicability compellingly visual. Adapting it for the academic study of ecstasy, it can thus be understood that, while sociological theories apply mostly to the occurrence of ecstasy in hierarchical societies among individuals who identify strongly with their group bespeaking their socio-material desires, psychological theories are best employed with individuals who do not strongly identify with group norms and whose ecstatic states cannot be connected with upward social mobility or means to acquire material gain.

The Attitude of Bosnian Muslims towards Wahhabism – Research Proposal

This article tackles the issue of the attitudes of Bosnian Muslims towards wahhabism as a concept questioning the multi-confessional order in contemporary Bosnia-Herzegovina. The general outline of Bosnian Sunnism as well as the theological foundations of wahhabism, introduced to the world of values constituting the confessional identity of Bosnian Muslims, were subject to a pilot, qualitative study. The respondents not only reconstructed the basis of the values Bosnian Muslims identify with, but also revealed their attitudes towards the fundamental contents of the Bosnian Islamic discourse. Upon processing the gathered material, it was possible to formulate preliminary conclusions that are worthy of further empirical exploration.