In the face of challenging circumstances, many teachers turn to spirituality for sustenance and strength. Yet spirituality's place in education and in educators' lives has long been a matter of confusion and contention, not least because of the ambiguity of the term in its common usage. What is its relationship to religion? And what defines it? In…

This essay suggests that Wittgenstein's philosophy can be read as an example of what Hadot and Foucault call spiritual practices, and it uses that reading to cast light on the way certain experiences can change one's life. These experiences could as simple as reading a book or even, as might be the case with Thoreau, living alone by a pond. The…

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the processes and practices of mysticism found within the monotheistic traditions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, in an attempt to identify areas where these might inform, elaborate, and deepen our understanding of profound and transformative learning theory and practice. [For the complete volume,…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate Peter Senge's ideas from the perspective of the spiritual ideal of harmony/He ([foreign character omitted]). Design/methodology/approach: Following a literature review of the conceptualization of Senge's fifth discipline and harmony, an appreciative case study of Alibaba is adopted to…

This paper seeks to make use of the theological concept of conversion as a means of understanding and explicating the process of insight and understanding as it is experienced by students, and, in so doing, make proposals that can aid in both in pedagogy and classroom processes. Philosopher and theologian Bernard Lonergan described a cognitive…

Catholic education should be primarily understood in terms of the contemplative disposition it fosters among students, i.e., a theocentric focus of knowing and loving God, rather than in terms of values. This argument will be developed by drawing on the Thomist understanding of contemplation (as knowing and loving God), and Simone Weil's notion of…

In this article I explore the role of transpersonal consciousness in Peace Education. Following the framework of transrational peace philosophy, I discuss the dynamics between the spiritual and policitary layers and their relevance in preparing for elicitive teaching, curriculum design, and developing pedagogical approaches. I use my personal…

This article examines the underlying modern-day assumptions about curricular objectives and the meaning of education by inviting readers to consider the ancient, historical relationship between shamanism, shamanic experience, teaching, and education. Where academic literature on this topic most commonly points to the similarities between teachers…

Aristotelian-inspired accounts of virtue acquisition stress guided practice and habituated action to develop virtue. This emphasis on action can lead to the "paradox of striving". The paradox occurs when we try too hard to act well and thereby spoil our efforts. I identify four forms of striving--forcing, impulsivity, overthinking, and…

This article examines the psychoanalytic concepts of object-relations theorist Christopher Bollas, applying them to a view of the Bible as "transformational object." Emphasizing the connection between psychological process and religious experience, this article suggests that each person's innate ability to choose and use objects is a key…

This article will argue that neuroscientific insights can inform religious and spiritual education's capacity for strengthening student understanding, promoting transformation and ultimately wisdom. Among other findings, it will show that current neuroscientific research supports a holistic approach to pedagogy which emphasises the cognitive,…

In this postcolonial inquiry, we analyze how spirituality has been simultaneously appropriated/re-covered and re-appropriated/recovered for the purpose of (re)colonizing as well as decolonizing projects. By drawing from discrete yet interconnected literatures of decolonizing, (post)(anti)colonial, Indigenous, and ethnic studies based theories, we…

Spirituality is gaining popularity within academics as discussions regarding the importance of spirituality within leadership and education increases. A biblical anthropology embraces human nature as physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual with recognition that adults are capable of learning within each of those realms. Embracing humans are…

The goal of this article is to explore positive management education, a practice-based teaching and learning model centered on positive organizational scholarship. Six signs of transformation in organizations are presented: complexity, community, creativity, spirituality, flexibility, and positivity. A model for positive management education is…

This article introduces a cosmological perspective of teaching second/foreign languages for promoting ecological interconnectedness and spirituality to counter material and monetary interests that cause environmental destruction and militarism. The arguments are couched in cross- and deep cultural learning and are based on the concept of…