Spirituality, 10 -BöH
Spirituality reaches beyond formal doctrine into questions of meaning, inner life, practice, and connection. Explore the many ways people have sought wisdom, transcendence, and peace.
Spirituality Encyclopedia Articles By Title
10 Failed Doomsday Predictions
Religious leaders, scientists, and even a hen (or so it seemed) have been making predictions for the end of the......
26 Martyrs of Japan
The 26 Martyrs of Japan are a group of Roman Catholic martyrs who were executed in Nagasaki on February 5, 1597,......
7 Surprising Uses for Mummies
The ancient Egyptians are famous for their mummification process and their preservation of the dead. Scientists......
7 Unique Burial Rituals Across the World
The news of a loved oneâs death hits every person differently. The aftermath of that news, then, takes unique forms......
8 Hollywood Haunts That Are Seriously Haunted
Most people think of Hollywood as a place full of glitz and glamour--and donât get us wrong, thereâs plenty of......
9 Cemeteries to Die For
Though it makes us wince to say so, we are all mortal. We may not have William Shakespeareâs sense of humor about......
ablution
ablution, in religion, a prescribed washing of part or all of the body or of possessions, such as clothing or ceremonial......
Adalbert, St
St. Adalbert ; canonized 999; feast day April 23) was a Bohemian-born bishop, missionary, and martyr who became......
AE
AE was an Irish poet, artist, and mystic who became a leading figure in the Irish literary renaissance of the late......
Aelfheah, Saint
Saint Aelfheah ; feast day, April 19) was the archbishop of Canterbury who was venerated as a martyr after his......
aeon
aeon, (Greek: âage,â or âlifetimeâ), in Gnosticism and Manichaeism, one of the orders of spirits, or spheres of......
afterlife
afterlife, continued existence in some form after physiological death. The belief that some aspect of an individual......
Agatha, St
St. Agatha ; feast day February 5) is a legendary Christian saint and virgin martyr. She is venerated as the patron......
Agnes, St
St. Agnes ; feast day January 21) was a Roman virgin martyr, possibly legendary, who is one of the most-celebrated......
Agreda, MarĂa de
MarĂa de Agreda was an abbess and mystic. In 1620 she took her vows as a Franciscan nun and in 1627 became abbess......
Ahmed Yesevi
Ahmed Yesevi was a poet and Sufi (Muslim mystic), an early Turkish mystic leader who exerted a powerful influence......
Aiyetoro
Aiyetoro, utopian Christian settlement of the Nigerian Holy Apostlesâ Community established in 1947. The Holy Apostlesâ......
Akashic record
Akashic record, in occultism, a compendium of pictorial records, or âmemories,â of all events, actions, thoughts,......
akh
akh, in Egyptian religion, the spirit of a deceased person and, with the ka and the ba, a principal aspect of the......
Akiva ben Yosef
Akiva ben Yosef was a Jewish sage, a principal founder of rabbinic Judaism. He introduced a new method of interpreting......
Alabaster, William
William Alabaster was an English poet, mystic, and scholar in Latin and Hebrew. He wrote a Latin tragedy, Roxana......
Aladura
Aladura, (Yoruba: âOwners of Prayerâ), religious movement among the Yoruba peoples of western Nigeria, embracing......
Alban, Saint
Saint Alban ; feast day June 22) was the first British martyr. According to the historian Bede, he served in the......
Alexander I, St.
St. Alexander I ; feast day May 3) was the sixth pope and successor to St. Evaristus. Little is known about Alexanderâs......
Alumbrado
Alumbrado, a follower of a mystical movement in Spain during the 16th and 17th centuries. Its adherents claimed......
Alvar
Alvar, any of a group of South Indian mystics who from the 7th to the 10th century wandered from temple to temple......
amen
amen, expression of agreement, confirmation, or desire used in worship by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The basic......
amesha spenta
amesha spenta, in Zoroastrianism, any of the six divine beings or archangels created by Ahura MazdÄ, the Wise Lord,......
Amram bar Sheshna
Amram bar Sheshna was the head of the Talmudic academy at Sura, Babylonia, traditionally regarded as the first......
Anacletus, St.
St. Anacletus ; feast day April 26) was the third pope (76â88 or 79â91), following St. Peter the Apostle and St.......
Andocides
Andocides was an Athenian orator and politician. Born into one of the most prominent Athenian families, Andocides......
Andrew, St
St. Andrew ; feast day November 30) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and the brother of St. Peter. He is......
Angelus
Angelus, a Christian devotion in memory of the Incarnation. It consists of three recitations of the Hail Mary with......
Anglican religious community
Anglican religious community, any of various religious communities for men and for women that first began developing......
Animal worship
Animal worship, veneration of an animal, usually because of its connection with a particular deity. The term was......
anointing of the sick
anointing of the sick, in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, the ritual anointing of the seriously......
anointment
anointment, ritual application of oil or fat to the head or body of a person or to an object; an almost universal......
Anterus, St.
St. Anterus ; feast day January 3) was the pope for several weeks at the end of 235 and the beginning of 236. He......
Anthony III Studite
Anthony III Studite was a Greek Orthodox monk and patriarch of Constantinople (reigned 974â979) who advocated the......
apotheosis
apotheosis, elevation to the status of a god. The term (from Greek apotheoun, âto make a god,â âto deifyâ) implies......
apport
apport, in occultism, a material object that arrives suddenly and mysteriously through the powers of a medium.......
Aquinas, Thomas, St
St. Thomas Aquinas ; canonized July 18, 1323; feast day January 28, formerly March 7) was an Italian Dominican......
Archon
Archon, in gnosticism, any of a number of world-governing powers that were created with the material world by a......
Aristotle
Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher and scientist, one of the greatest intellectual figures of Classical......
Aristoxenus
Aristoxenus was a Greek Peripatetic philosopher, the first authority for musical theory in the classical world.......
Armageddon
Armageddon, (probably Hebrew: âHill of Megiddoâ), in the New Testament, place where the kings of the earth under......
Arndt, Johann
Johann Arndt was a German Lutheran theologian whose mystical writings were widely circulated in Europe in the 17th......
Assisi
Assisi, town, Perugia province, Umbria region, central Italy. The town lies 12 miles (19 km) east of Perugia and......
asura
asura, in Hindu mythology, a class of beings defined by their opposition to the devas, or suras (gods). The Sanskrit......
Augustinian
Augustinian, member of any of the Roman Catholic religious orders and congregations of men and women whose constitutions......
automatic writing
automatic writing, in spiritualism, writing produced involuntarily when the subjectâs attention is ostensibly directed......
automatism
automatism, in spiritualism, the spontaneous performance of certain physical acts without the conscious control......
Avatar
Avatar, in Hinduism, the incarnation of a deity in human or animal form to counteract some particular evil in the......
Aងmad ibn កanbal
Aងmad ibn កanbal was a Muslim theologian, jurist, and martyr for his faith. He was the compiler of the Musnad,......
Aងmad Sirhindī, Shaykh
Shaykh Aងmad Sirhindī was an Indian mystic and theologian who was largely responsible for the reassertion and revival......
ba
ba, in ancient Egyptian religion, with the ka and the akh, a principal aspect of the soul; the ba appears in bird......
Baader, Franz Xaver von
Franz Xaver von Baader was a Roman Catholic layman who became an influential mystical theologian and ecumenicist.......
Bahubali
Bahubali, According to the traditions of the Indian religion Jainism, the son of the first Tirthankara (literally,......
Baker, Augustine
Augustine Baker was an English Benedictine monk who was an important writer on ascetic and mystical theology. Educated......
baptism
baptism, a sacrament of admission to Christianity. The forms and rituals of the various Christian churches vary,......
Barbara, St
St. Barbara ; feast day December 4) was a legendary virgin martyr of the early Christian church. Venerated as one......
Barberi, Domenico, Blessed
Blessed Domenico Barberi was a mystic and Passionist who worked as a missionary in England. Born a peasant and......
Barnes, Robert
Robert Barnes was an English Lutheran who was martyred after being used by King Henry VIII to gain support for......
Barrow
Barrow, in England, ancient burial place covered with a large mound of earth. In Scotland, Ireland, and Wales the......
Barrow, Henry
Henry Barrow was a lawyer and early Congregationalist martyr who challenged the established Anglican church by......
Bartholomew, St
St. Bartholomew ; Western feast day August 24; date varies in Eastern churches) was one of the Twelve Apostles......
Basil the Great, St
St. Basil the Great ; Western feast day January 2; Eastern feast day January 1) was an early Church Father who......
Basilian
Basilian, member of any of several Christian monastic communities that follow the Rule of St. Basil. (The Basilians......
Basilica of San Francesco
Basilica of San Francesco, Franciscan monastery and church in Assisi, Italy, the burial place of St. Francis of......
Batu Caves
Batu Caves, complex of limestone grottoes in Peninsular Malaysia. The caves are one of the countryâs biggest tourist......
BaÊżal Shem áčŹov
BaÊżal Shem áčŹov was the charismatic founder (c. 1750) of Hasidism, a Jewish spiritual movement characterized by......
Benedictine
Benedictine, member of any of the confederated congregations of Roman Catholic monks, lay brothers, and nuns who......
benediction
benediction, a verbal blessing of persons or things, commonly applied to invocations pronounced in Godâs name by......
Benson, Edward White
Edward White Benson was the archbishop of Canterbury (1883â96), whose Lincoln Judgment (1890), a code of liturgical......
Bernadette of Lourdes, St
St. Bernadette of Lourdes ; canonized December 8, 1933; feast day April 16, but sometimes February 18 in France)......
Bernard of Clairvaux, St
St. Bernard of Clairvaux ; canonized January 18, 1174; feast day August 20) was a Cistercian monk and mystic, founder......
Bethlehem
Bethlehem, town in the West Bank, situated in the Judaean Hills 5 miles (8 km) south of Jerusalem. It is the birthplace......
Betrothal
Betrothal, promise that a marriage will take place. In societies in which premarital sexual relations are condoned......
bhut
bhut, in Hindu mythology, a restless ghost. Bhuts are believed to be malignant if they have died a violent death......
Blaise, St
St. Blaise ; Western feast day, February 3; Eastern feast day, February 11) was an early Christian bishop and martyr......
blasphemy
blasphemy, irreverence toward a deity or deities and, by extension, the use of profanity. In Christianity, blasphemy......
Blavatsky, Helena
Helena Blavatsky was a Russian spiritualist, author, and cofounder of the Theosophical Society to promote theosophy,......
Blosius, Franciscus Ludovicus
Franciscus Ludovicus Blosius was a Benedictine monastic reformer and mystical writer. Of noble birth, he was a......
Bodh Gaya
Bodh Gaya, town, southwestern Bihar state, northeastern India. It is situated west of the Phalgu River, a tributary......
Bonaventure, Saint
Saint Bonaventure ; canonized April 14, 1482; feast day July 15) was a leading medieval theologian, minister general......
Boniface, St
St. Boniface ; feast day June 5) was an English missionary and reformer who is often called the âApostle of Germanyâ......
book of hours
book of hours, devotional book widely popular in the later Middle Ages. The book of hours began to appear in the......
Bourignon, Antoinette
Antoinette Bourignon was a mystic and religious enthusiast who believed herself to be the âwoman clothed with the......
Boutens, Pieter Cornelis
Pieter Cornelis Boutens was a Dutch poet, mystic, and classical scholar who evolved a very personal and sometimes......
Braid movement
Braid movement, first prophet-healing movement in Nigeria and one of the earliest in Africa. The movement began......
breviary
breviary, liturgical book in the Roman Catholic Church that contains the daily service for the divine office, the......
Bride
Bride, a woman on her wedding day. The word bride appears in many combinations, some of them archaicâe.g., "bride......
Bridget of Sweden, St.
St. Bridget of Sweden ; canonized October 8, 1391; feast day July 23, formerly October 8) was the patron saint......
Bridgettine
Bridgettine, a religious order of cloistered nuns founded by St. Bridget of Sweden in 1344 and approved by Pope......
Bruno of Querfurt, Saint
Saint Bruno of Querfurt ; feast day June 19) was a missionary to the Prussians, bishop, and martyr. A member of......
Brébeuf, St. Jean de
St. Jean de Brébeuf ; canonized 1930; feast day October 19) was a Roman Catholic missionary to New France and martyr......
Buddhist meditation
Buddhist meditation, the practice of mental concentration leading ultimately through a succession of stages to......
burial
burial, the disposal of human remains by depositing in the earth, a grave, or a tomb, by consigning to the water,......
Burial mound
Burial mound, artificial hill of earth and stones built over the remains of the dead. In England the equivalent......
Böhme, Jakob
Jakob Böhme was a German philosophical mystic who had a profound influence on such later intellectual movements......