"Appear as crucified for me" : sight, suffering, and spiritual transformation in the hymns of Charles Wesley

Early Methodist laypeople often described their conversion experiences in terms of seeing the suffering of Christ. This article considers this theme within early Methodist culture by examining the relationship between sight, suffering, and spiritual transformation in the hymns of Charles Wesley. Many of Wesley's hymns depict the suffering of Christ in evocative detail, encouraging the singer or reader to imagine and respond to this suffering in particular ways. I argue that Wesley presents the sight of Christ's suffering as having profound transformative power, at the heart of Christian experience. In doing so he constructs Methodist spirituality in a way that draws upon both the ancient Christian tradition of Passion devotion and contemporary eighteenth-century convictions about the power of the sight of suffering.

'Friend of my soul' : constructing spiritual friendship in the autobiography of Mary Fletcher

Mary Bosanquet Fletcher (1739-1815) was a leading early English Methodist, active throughout her adult life as a preacher, author, spiritual director and head of a large household. She was also part of a largely unexamined network of intense and intimate friendships between Methodist women across England. This article analyses the ways in which Fletcher represented friendship in her autobiography, a text that was widely published and read throughout the nineteenth century. Fletcher's autobiography shows how religious conviction could shape a distinctive construction of female friendship, at a time when such friendships had growing social and cultural significance.

Deconstructive spiritual inquiry : experiential undoing in Advaita and Zen

A study of the meditative techniques of Advaita and Zen. The thesis develops a methodology that allow's practioner's experience to be mapped against the philosophical underpinnings of tradition. The results show that despite opposing philosophies, in both traditions the psychological dynamics of "experiential undoing" are similar.

The interpretation of nature as spiritual content in painting

Investigates the interpretation of spiritual content in painting. Pt. 1 defines aspects of spirituality and explores the authors concerns of despiritualization. Pt. 2 parallels concerns with the Romantic movement & explores the notion of the sublime in relation to spiritual interpretation. Pt. 3 links the documented research to the body of studio work. The printings and drawings explore the authors concerns through the visual expression of concepts which suggest nature as a spiritual source.

Strong spiritual engagement and subjective well-being : a naturalistic investigation of the Thaipusam festival

The existence of a positive relationship between spiritual engagement and well-being is currently based on weak correlational evidence, generally in Western contexts. This study advances understanding through a naturalist, longitudinal study of 226 people, including Malays, Chinese, and Indians, experiencing the Hindu Thaipusam festival in Malaysia. We measured the subjective well-being of people with varying levels of engagement—from nonobservance or simply observing the festival to extreme engagement. Each person was assessed 3 months before, 2 weeks before, 2 weeks after, and 4 months after the festival. We found that the subjective well-being of those with the most extreme level of engagement was permanently higher than other groups. The well-being of those with a strong, but less extreme engagement rose at the time of the festival and remained elevated. The findings are discussed in relation to homeostatic theory of well-being and the potential benefits of spiritual engagement.

The spiritual implications of sexual abuse : not just an issue for religious women?

Although there is now some recognition that sexual abuse, particularly that which occurs in religious settings, has spiritual implications for women who have been abused, the spiritual implications of sexual abuse which occurs beyond the confines of specific religious practices and beliefs tend not to be acknowledged. Taking a stance that all people, irrespective of their involvement in a formal religion, are inherently spiritual, this paper identifies the key concepts associated with spirituality as meaning, identity, connectedness, transformation and transcendence. Examples as to how each of these may be issues following the experience of sexual abuse are provided. This approach challenges prevailing notions that sexual abuse only has spiritual implications for women who identify with a particular religious tradition. Instead it is argued that an experience of sexual abuse can be critical for the spiritual life of any woman who is subjected to abuse.