Philosophy Commons^™

The Word, The Body, And The Kinfolk: The Intersection Of Transpersonal Thought With Womanist Approaches To Psychology, Juko M. Holiday

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Since Alice Walker coined the term womanist in the early 1980s, black feminists and

feminists of color have created a rich, soulful body of scholarly work. Contributions to

womanist thought have emerged primarily in the fields of theology and ethics. The aim

of this article is to put womanism in historical context, examine transpersonal expression

in womanist scholarship, and to articulate the values that inform emotional healing in a

womanist context. Womanism is spiritualized due to its original definition and subsequent

development, making transpersonal thought a resonant fit for unearthing paths to authentic

cultural competency in psychology and other disciplines.

The Wheel Of The Year As A Spiritual Psychology For Women, Valeire K. Duckett

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

The Wheel of the Year is a name used to describe the cyclical progression of the seasons

through time and most often described as part of Pagan, Goddess, and women’s spirituality

and/or Wiccan magical traditions. This article introduces the author’s conceptual model

of the Wheel of the Year as an earth-based psychology for women, one that is inherently

feminist and also based in transpersonal psychologies. Women explore the turning points,

or holydays of the Wheel, on both spiritual and psychological levels through a wide range of

modalities that engage body, mind, emotion, and spirit. The Wheel provides an overarching

psychospiritual …

A Reply To Capriles, John Abramson

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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War And Nature In Classical Athens And Today: Demoting And Restoring The Underground Goddesses, Judy Schavrien

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

A gendered analysis of social and religious values in 5th century BCE illuminates the Athenian

decline from democracy to bully empire, through pursuit of a faux virility. Using a feminist

hermeneutics of suspicion, the study contrasts two playwrights bookending the empire:

Aeschylus, who elevated the sky pantheon Olympians and demoted both actual Athenian

women and the Furies—deities linked to maternal ties and nature, and Sophocles, who granted

Oedipus, his maternal incest purified, an apotheosis in the Furies’ grove. The latter work,

presented at the Athenian tragic festival some 50 years after the first, advocated restoration

of respect for female flesh …

A Chakra System Model Of Lifespan Development, Candis K. Best

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This article presents a model of lifespan development based upon the tantric chakra system.

It begins with a survey of the evolution of transpersonal psychology and its alignment with

eastern philosophies as previously espoused by William James, Carl Jung and others. The

chakras are defined in relation to their potential influence on psychological functioning with

a focus on development beyond the level of ego stability and functioning. Building upon

prior work integrating the chakra system with developmental processes, this article presents

an interpretation of the chakras as a model that defines a pathway for growth-oriented

development.

Mothering Fundamentalism: The Transformation Of Modern Women Into Fundamentalists, Sophia Korb

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Despite upbringings influenced by modern feminism, many women choose to identify

with new communities in the modern religious revivalist movement in the United States

who claim to represent and embrace the patriarchal values against which their mothers

and grandmothers fought. Because women’s mothering is determinative to the family, it is

therefore central to transforming larger social structures. This literature review is taken from

a study which employed a qualitative design incorporating thematic analysis of interviews

to explore how women’s attitudes about being a mother and mothering change when they

change religious communities from liberal paradigms to fundamentalist, enclavist belief

systems. …

Unidentified Allies: Intersections Of Feminist And Transpersonal Thought And Potential Contributions To Social Change, Christine Brooks

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Contemporary Western feminism and transpersonalism are kaleidoscopic, consisting of

interlocking influences, yet the fields have developed in parallel rather than in tandem.

Both schools of praxis developed during the climate of activism and social experimentation

of the 1960s in the United States, and both share a non-pathological view of the human

experience. This discussion suggests loci of synthesized theoretical constructs between the

two disciplines as well as distinct concepts and practices in both disciplines that may serve

the other. Ways in which a feminist-transpersonal perspective may catalyze social change on

personal, regional, and global levels are proposed.

Psychospiritual Development Of Female Adoptees Raised Within A Closed Adoption System: A Theoretical Model Within A Feminist And Jungian Perspective, April E. Topfer

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This article proposes a transpersonal theoretical model suggesting that the embodiment of

the voice of the feminine is a significant catalyst for awakening the psychological and spiritual

growth and development of female adoptees. Existing Jungian and feminist theoretical

models regarding the psychological and spiritual implications for a female adoptee raised

within a closed adoption system will be discussed. The author will share her adopted voice

about her spiritual and psychological process toward finding wholeness using a hermeneutical

process of inquiry. The voices of birth mothers who relinquished their children will also be

included. Voice is then explored to be an …

A Transpersonal Feminist Approach To Family Systems, Irene S. Lazarus

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This paper presents a preliminary description of A Transpersonal Feminist Approach to Family

Systems (ATFAFS) as taught at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (ITP) between 1995

and 2002. In this approach, students studied the principles of Murray Bowen’s family systems

theory with attention to feminist revisions of the theory while simultaneously investigating

their own multigenerational family histories. Additionally, students kept a journal, recorded

and worked with their dreams, and worked with a chosen creative expressive modality. They

may also have worked with other transpersonal modalities. Student narratives, informed by

organic inquiry, illustrate aspects of the approach. The paper concludes with …

Eclipse, Judy Schavrien

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Editors’ Introduction, Glenn Hartelius

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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An Investigation Of The Relationships Among Self-Construal, Emotional Intelligence, And Well-Being, Constance A. Mara, Teresa L. Decicco, Mirella L. Stroink

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This study aims to further investigate the convergent validity of the recently-proposed

metapersonal model and measure of self-construal, and to emphasize the discriminant

validity of the metapersonal self-construal as a distinct construct, capturing a unique aspect

of self-construal separate from either interdependent or independent aspects. The study

looked at two questions: (1) Does the metapersonal self-construal predict higher emotional

intelligence? (2) Do those who have higher metapersonal self-construal scores also report

greater well-being? A group of 212 undergraduate students was assessed using a self-construal

scale that includes the new measure of metapersonal self-construal, along with scales

measuring emotional intelligence and …

Relational Spirituality And Developmental Spirituality: Introduction To Special Topic Section, Glenn Hartelius, Maureen Harrahy

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Koans And Levels Of Consciousness, John Rowan

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This is a theoretical paper devoted to an examination of the phenomenon of the Zen

koan. First, the existing understanding of the koan will be outlined from a number of

sources. This will be followed by an examination of what the koan would look like from

a structural point of view. Ken Wilber’s outlook will then be used to look at the koan in a

fresh way so that one might see it as a kind of test of the level of consciousness exhibited

by each solution. The latter is related to recent thinking on models in general.

Consciousness And Society: Societal Aspects And Implications Of Transpersonal Psychology, Harry T. Hunt

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Although transpersonal psychologies of self realization emphasize individual

development, earlier shamanic traditions also showed a central societal aspect and group based

consciousness. Indeed, many have understood the transpersonal movement as developing

towards an abstract globalized neo-shamanism. That altered states of consciousness, whether

as integrative realizations of the numinous or as dissociative “hypnoid” states, could be felt

and shared collectively was a familiar concept to the first generation of sociologists, who saw

all consciousness as social and dialogic in form. Durkheim, in particular, foresaw a globalized

spirituality of the future, his “cult of man,” in which modern individuation would progress

to …

The Self And The Great Chain Of Being: Interview With Robert Bolton, Samuel B. Sotillos

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Jacob Wrestles The Angel: A Study In Psychoanalytic Midrash, Michael Abramsky

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This essay is a study in psychoanalytic Midrash: a literary and psychological meditation on the

Biblical story of Jacob. The Hebrew verbal root from which the term Midrash derives means to

investigate or explore. It is a genre of Biblical scholarship used to interpret the Bible in symbolic

and inspirational terms. This essay examines Jacob as he moves from a character dominated by

self-defeating neurosis through his transformation into a spiritual being and exemplar of principled

leadership. Insights from Freudian and Jungian psychologies, mythology, and literary traditions are

used to describe and explain Jacob’s character metamorphosis.

The Grofs’ Model Of Spiritual Emergency In Retrospect: Has It Stood The Test Of Time?, Darlene B. Viggiano, Stanley Krippner

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

The purpose of this essay is to review the Grofs’ model of spiritual emergencies. The authors

ask: Has the model been useful for identifying and treating psycho-spiritual distress? Should

it be amended? Spiritual emergency can be defined as a crisis involving religious, transpersonal,

and/or spiritual issues that provides opportunities for growth. Spiritual emergence, meanwhile,

lends itself to gentler transformation. The research methods include an archival literature

review triangulated with an authoritative interview. The findings are that the Grofs’ model

of spiritual emergencies was ahead of its time and that the medical establishment needs to

catch up. Adaptations and revisions that …

Relational Spirituality, Part 1 Paradise Unbound: Cosmic Hybridity And Spiritual Narcissism In The “One Truth” Of New Age Transpersonalism, Gregg Lahood

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Cosmological hybridization, a process in which spiritual paradises are bound together, is

highly active in American religious culture. Beginning with an early Christianized version of

the Buddha, this religious Creolization gathered speed after WWII and peaked during the

Vietnam War, leading to a complex spiritual revolution in which transcendence became an

all important orientation. This revolution set the scene for the emergence of a non-relational

transpersonal psychology in which Americanized nondualism gained ascendency. It is argued

here that popular New Age transpersonalism traps the spirit, breeding a self-serving, Selfas-

everything form of spiritual narcissism. Given that some are calling the …

Relational Spirituality, Part 2 The Belief In Others As A Hindrance To Enlightenment: Narcissism And The Denigration Of Relationship Within Transpersonal Psychology And The New Age, Gregg Lahood

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

The aim of this paper is to tease out from the New Age religion and religious transpersonal psychology a more relational spirituality. Humanistic and transpersonal psychologies were important forces in the emergence of the social phenomenon of the New Age. New Age transpersonalism leans toward a restrictive non-relational spirituality because of its historical affirmation of individualism and transcendence. Relational spirituality, which is central to the emerging participatory paradigm, swims against strong and popular currents in New Age transpersonal thinking which tend to see spirituality as an individual, personal, inner pursuit, often into Eastern/Oriental nondualism. Whatever the merits of impersonal Advaita …

Transpersonal And Other Models Of Spiritual Development, Harris Friedman, Stanley Krippner, Linda Riebel, Chad Johnson

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This chapter focuses on exploring various models of spiritual development. It first addresses

philosophical dilemmas underpinning the concept of spiritual development by questioning

whether these can be addressed without metaphysical assumptions embedded in religious

worldviews and thus understood in any consensual way across different historical and

cultural contexts. Traditional models of spiritual development are then reviewed, drawing

from indigenous, Eastern, and Western cultures. Integrative-philosophical and scientific

models, including those from the psychology of religion, transpersonal psychology, and

neurobiology, are then presented. The chapter concludes by noting the complexities involved

in understanding spiritual development accompanied by suggestions on future directions

for …

The Gift Of Life: Death As Teacher In The Aghori Sect, Rochelle Suri, Daniel B. Pitchford

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This article utilizes the example of the Aghori, with their radical and unique perspective on death,

as a challenge to the Western world to live an authentic, present life by maintaining awareness of

mortality. Specifically, three main themes are explored: first, a theoretical engagement of the concept

of death based on the (Western) philosophy of existentialism, second, a review of the historical

origins and philosophy of the Aghori sect, and third, a depiction of the Aghoris as a living example

of vigorously accepting death as an inevitability of life. On this basis a brief comparison of Western

and Eastern attitudes …

Editors’ Introduction, Glenn Hartelius, Harris Friedman

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Beyond Mind Iii: Further Steps To A Metatranspersonal Philosophy And Psychology (Continuation Of The Discussion On The Three Best Known Transpersonal Paradigms, With A Focus On Washburn And Grof ), Elías Capriles

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This paper gives continuity to the criticism, undertaken in two papers previously published in this

journal, of transpersonal systems that fail to discriminate between nirvanic, samsaric, and neithernirvanic-

nor-samsaric transpersonal states, and which present the absolute sanity of Awakening

as a dualistic, conceptually-tainted condition. It also gives continuity to the denunciation of the

false disjunction between ontogenically ascending and descending paths, while showing the truly

significant disjunction to be between existentially ascending and metaexistentially descending paths.

However, whereas in the preceding paper the focus was on Wilber’s so-called integral system, in this

paper the focus of the main body is …

Editors’ Introduction, Harris Friedman, Glenn Hartelius

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Reconciling Modern Knowledge With Ancient Wisdom, Papalii F. Avegalio

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This paper is about an academic as well as cultural journey of (re)affirmation. Imbued with

Western knowledge, I was nearly swayed to alter my beliefs and core assumptions towards a

modern world view. I was referred to an article by Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese (hereafter Tui

Atua) which significantly assuaged the tensions of seemingly opposing values rooted in two

different world views. I realized now that in many ways, Tui Atua’s publications on Samoan

wisdom, culture and philosophy had the effect of a gentle wind tapping my shoulder. The

articles reaffirmed my sense of heritage and strengthened my resolve to …

The Plurality Of Religions And The Spirit Of Pluralism: A Participatory Vision Of The Future Of Religion, Jorge N. Ferrer

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This paper first uncovers the subtle spiritual narcissism that has characterized historical approaches

to religious diversity and discusses the shortcomings of the main forms of religious pluralism that

have been proposed as its antidote: ecumenical, soteriological, postmodern, and metaphysical. It

then argues that a participatory pluralism paves the way for an appreciation of religious diversity that

eschews the dogmatism and competitiveness involved in privileging any particular tradition over the

rest without falling into cultural-linguistic or naturalistic reductionisms. Discussion includes the

question of the validity of spiritual truths and the development of a participatory critical theory of

religion. The essay concludes …

Towards A Transpersonal Psychology Of Daoism: Definitions, Past Research, And Future Directions, Christopher Cott, Adam Rock

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This paper is aimed at facilitating the study of Daoism, a collection of Chinese philosophical

beliefs and psychospiritual practices with a history of thousands of years and a living

community that stretches throughout East Asia, from a transpersonal psychology perspective.

Transpersonal psychologists who wish to embark upon a study of Daoist phenomena

must first be cognizant of the often nebulous parameters of the Daoist field of inquiry.

Therefore, an overview is offered of the two primary Daoist informational sources: the living

Daoist tradition as represented predominantly by the Quanzhen and Tianshi traditions,

and textual sources in collections such as the …

Paradigm Shift, Then And Now: The Shakespearean Winter’S Tale And Renewal Through The Feminine, Judy Schavrien

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This paper explores postmodern and Shakespearean-baroque parallels in asking, “Can we

make a New World?” In Shakespeare’s case, paradigm shift was occurring willy-nilly—a New

World hoving into view, geographically, socio-politically, spiritually, and through a science

that shifted views of earth and heaven. This inquiry into The Winter’s Tale, in search of a

new coherence then and now, discovers that Shakespeare envisioned a rebalancing of hypermasculine

internal and external life by way of the Feminine, both youthful and mature.

Portraying the tragic ruler at the center of his tale as part puer and part jealous tyrant, Shakespeare

established what is almost …

Holarchical Development: Discovering And Applying Missing Drives From Ken Wilber’S Twenty Tenets, Kevin J. Bowman

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Ken Wilber’s AQAL model offers a way to synthesize the partial truths of many theories

across various fields of knowledge such as evolutionary biology and sociology, developmental

psychology, and perennial and contemporary philosophy to name only a few. Despite its

reconciling power and influence, the model has been validly criticized for its static nature

and its overemphasis on the ascendant, versus descendant, path of development. This

paper points out areas of Wilber’s writing that suggest a way to overcome these criticisms.

Doing so allows for the refinement of AQAL’s Twenty Tenets for an extension of its formal,

dynamic features. This …