Spirituality A Spiritual Tradition - 1519 Words

Apophatic Spirituality Uncovered!! I would like to share with you a spiritual tradition that I had not been aware of before, Apophatic Spirituality, also known as Negative Theology. A word of warning, it’s said to be a bit like marmite, you either love it or hate it, I was fascinated by it. I hope you find something new and of interest in this spiritual tradition too. Why chose it? Partly, because it was new to me and partly, because it reminded me of a conversation I recently had with a friend who wished she was better at praying. She explained how she had been taught to pray using the PASTA acronym; P for praising, A for adoration, S for sorry, T for thanks, A for ask. Her problem was that although she wanted to pray, she wasn’t any good with words. In fact, she found it hard to find any words at all to use in adoration and praise of God. I wish at that point that I had been able to introduce her to Apophatic Spirituality. What do we mean by spirituality? It’s difficult to give a concise definition but Christian spirituality can be broadly seen as a journey, searching out God and how He is at work in our lives, it’s a journey that involves engaging our personalities, our world view and our religion. Within Christian spirituality there are many pathways or spiritual traditions, for example, Franciscan, Ignatian or our own Anglican spirituality inherited from both the Catholic and Reformation traditions, which includes the Book of Common Prayer. The cathedral inShow MoreRelatedReligion And Its Impact On College Students1444 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Spirituality is often a major aspect of the identity of an individual. Results from multiple studies show that college students place significant value on matters related to spirituality (Lindholm, 2007). It is defined as an acceptance and acknowledgement of God in every living and nonliving thing (Brown, 2012). 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(Fisher 478) ReligiousTollerance.org sheds some light on how peopleRead MoreReligious vs. Spiritual Essay1368 Words   |  6 Pagesour modern age, it seems as though fewer and fewer individuals are describing themselves as religious, instead opting for the term â€Å"spiritual†. This shift is most apparent in the United States, as mass attendance decreases, and society places more reliance on science and technology rather than religion. Sandra Schneiders’ essay discussing the definitions of spirituality and religion and the link between the two sheds light on how much of contemporary culture identifies themselves. While Schneider firmlyRead MoreChristian Speculation about the End of Times1807 Words   |  7 Pagesrelate to the past but also to the future: beliefs about resurrection or further rebirths, hopes of a better future, or even fe ars of apocalyptic tribulations. In this essay, various religious ‘futures’ will be investigated: the evolution towards spiritual individualism and consumerism, the success of yoga and the Christian speculations about the end of times. It will be easily demonstrated that each of these ‘futures’ is highly controversial – but are they controversial primarily because of the wayRead MoreWomen And Spiritual Equality : New York : Saint Martin s Press, 19981358 Words   |  6 PagesMary McDowell Book Review-596 Ranft, Patricia. Women and Spiritual Equality in Christian Tradition. New York: Saint Martin’s Press, 1998. In the book Women and Spiritual Equality in Christian Tradition, by Patricia Ranft, a new and innovative look at the role of women in the sphere of Christianity is examined. In a total of twelve chapters, the Central Michigan University professor discusses the role that women played in the first fifteen hundred years of Christianity and she disputes the contentionRead MoreEssay on Spiritual Needs and Occupational Therapy1365 Words   |  6 Pagesindividuals spirituality and the confusion over definition have been emphasised by the interest shown in this subject over the past decade. A working definition to help to reduce confusion was presented at the College of Occupational Therapists annual conference in 2004 and it was felt that it would be useful both to review the attitudes and practices of occupational therapists in this area and to evaluate how they assess and meet spiritual needs. It appeared that practical spiritual needs were often