"Uses and Abuses of Power in Alternative Spiritualities" Conference

Abstract: In this paper, I analyze how Indigenous spiritualities are transforming non-indigenous realities. I investigate the way non-indigenous people are using them to overcome health issues (i.e. depression), but also how they are being commodified for other uses without the proper respect. This implies that they can be harmful to the people who adopt them as practice, but also to Indigenous their selves that may be subject of what I call spiritual commodification. I look at the Huni Kuin and Yawanawá cases to discuss cultural appropriation and understand if the Indigenous spiritual awakening is just another form of commodification or a sacred key to our own transformation.

Presenter bio: Dr. Maria Fernanda Gebara is a writer and anthropologist whose research considers the Amazon as a site where nature, culture, politics, and spirituality are enmeshed. She has been analyzing the challenges to anthropocentric attitudes from diverse perspectives, investigating local traditions and practices to understand alternative configurations between human and other- than-human beings.

Presenter affiliation: Independent scholar

Abstract: When science-based, physics-based or naturalist-based education is reflexively maligned as inadequate for any reason in comparison to faith-based traditional or alternative spirituality approaches, then a vacuum forms where self-proclaimed authorities rush in. Abuse is available so long as internal pressure is applied to maintain collective faith-based ignorance. The necessary steps of suspension of reason, submission to authority, acceptance of tradition, and a-priori assertion of the separation of body and spirit alianates adherents from rational practices that might inoculate them against physical, emotional and intellectual abuses. But there is a universal cosmology within reach, one that embraces the scope of human understanding of the universe, our solar system, planet, biology, genetics and physical as well as cultural evolution. This 60-minute interactive presentation by artist and naturalist Enrique Rosado will discuss elements of a comprehensive naturalist-based robust cosmology that function as a framework individuals may use to further build conceptual structures to protect themselves from abuse. Borrowing from nature, physics and biology, Rosado will weave together concepts such as the speed of light, the flow of energy, genetic evolution, space/time and the Big Bang that offer a deep sense of interconnectedness with all of life, something that religion proclaims to do. For example, all of the hydrogen in our solar system — the icy rings of Saturn and frozen balls of ice floating around, and any water or ice on the other planets or their moons along with the hydrogen that fuels every star in the sky can be traced back to the Big Bang. By mass, our bodies are comprised of 10% hydrogen - we are ancient beings. Over the past 13.6 billion years, this primordial hydrogen may have been waylaid on a star (or two or more) that ran out of usable fuel, collapsed, blew up and spewed out into the universe its remaining hydrogen fuel along with tons of other processed elements and metals - which we colloquially call “star dust” - the stuff animals, plants and all humans are made of. This knowledge, this relatedness might motivate us to be kind to our hydrogen related family. We share a common origin and common source of energy.

Presenter bio: Enrique Rosado explores humans' relationship with nature through technology, 3-dimensional design, sculpture and philosophy. Though he graduated from Yale with a BA in Anthropology and Chinese, he excelled in sculpture and collaborated with former professor, Erwin Hauer, to found Erwin Hauer Studios where he mastered technology, material science and traditional fabrication practices to reissue and install Hauer’s seminal architectural Continuua screens in institutions like the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, hotels like The Standard Hotel in New York City, the World Bank in Washington DC, and scores of other commercial and residential projects in the United States and abroad. He is co-steward at Mount Owen Forest Sanctuary, a 268+ acre nature preserve in Western Massachusetts.

Presenter affiliation: Mount Owen Forest Sanctuary

Abstract: Drawing on court cases and client testimonies, as well as the presenters’ personal experiences from the worlds of law, academic research, and as activists and former spiritual community members, this panel presents a synoptic overview of religious movements accused of sexually abusing their members and considers how the legal system is dealing with these inherently abusive practices.

Presenter bios: Carol Merchasin is an attorney who leads a practice group litigating sexual misconduct in religious, faith-based and spiritual communities at McAllister Olivarius. She was previously a partner in the Philadelphia office of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and director of Morgan Lewis Resources, where she conducted dozens of workplace investigations and taught investigative techniques to human resource professionals at many Fortune 50 companies.

Jens Augspurger is a dissenting former member of the ISYVC (Sivananda Yoga), a PhD candidate in Religious Studies at The School of African and Oriental Studies in London (SOAS) and a doctoral fellow of the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes (German Academic Foundation).

Angela Gollat is also a dissenting former member of ISYVC and together with Jens Augspurger, a founder of Project Satya, a grassroots community group dedicated to supporting women who came forward with allegations of sexual assaults by teachers within Sivananda Yoga. She has a master’s degree in Women’s Studies from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.

Presenter affiliation: McAllister Olivarius (Merchasin); The School of African and Oriental Studies (SOAS) (Augspurger); and Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes (German Academic Foundation) (Augspurger)

Abstract: This paper examines the potential role of Islamic scholars in preventing harmful practices within fanatical, so-called Islamic groups. Through a review of existing literature and case studies, the paper argues that Islamic scholars can play a critical role in countering extremist ideologies, promoting healthy, ethical, and safe spiritual practices, and providing guidance and support to individuals and communities affected by radicalization. The paper first explores the nature of passionate so-called Islamic groups, including how these groups use distorted interpretations of Islamic teachings to justify violence, extremism, and harmful practices. The paper then considers the challenges associated with countering such groups, including the need to address both the root causes and the symptoms of extremism. The research discusses that Islamic scholars are uniquely positioned to address these challenges, given their deep knowledge of Islamic theology, ethics, and jurisprudence. Islamic scholars can provide a critical counter-narrative to extremist ideologies, promote a more nuanced and balanced understanding of Islamic teachings, and help individuals and communities affected by radicalization find alternative sources of spiritual guidance and support. The article also draws on case studies from various contexts to illustrate the potential role of Islamic scholars in preventing harmful practices within fanatical so-called Islamic groups. These case studies include examples of Islamic scholars working on challenging extremist ideologies, providing counseling and support to individuals affected by radicalization, and providing education and training to community leaders to help prevent the spread of harmful practices. The study also concludes by emphasizing the need for continued research and collaboration between Islamic scholars, community leaders, and other stakeholders to address extremism's complex and ongoing challenge.

Presenter bios: Dr. A H M Ershad Uddin is a Lecturer in the Department of Basic Islamic Sciences at Kocaeli University (email: ahmershad86@gmail.com / ahmeu2022@gmail.com). Dr. Ahmet Eksi is Associate Professor in the Department of Basic Islamic Sciences at Kocaeli University (email: ahmedabadanku41@gmail.com).

Presenter affiliation: Kocaeli University, Turkey

Abstract: In the last decade, folkish (white-only) Heathenry has become more visible within both contemporary Pagan and far-right circles. Central to the intergenerational growth of such groups lies the purchase of land for intentional, racially “pure” communities. The Asatru Folk Assembly (AFA), one of the earliest and largest folkish Heathen groups, now possesses four such sites across the United States, with plans to add two more sites. This paper examines how AFA land purchases reinforce power imbalances within this alternative spirituality, focusing on the ways in which traditional gender roles serve the racially ‘pure’ future of the organization at these sites.

Presenter bios: Helen A. Berger, PhD is an affiliated scholar at the Women’s Studies Research Center at Brandeis University. She is sole or co-author of four books and editor of a collection of essays on contemporary Paganism. She is currently researching contemporary Pagan who are part of the far-right in the United States.

Evan Robins is an independent researcher and historian. 

Presenter affiliations: Women's Studies Research Center, Brandeis University (Berger); Independent Researcher (Robins)

Abstract: Drawing from their respective artistic and spiritual practices, two poets—Ricky Ray and Devin Gael Kelly—known for the depth of feeling and range of emotion in their work, will explore the sources and complications of vulnerability in the male persona, tracing its development in their own lives, and as an empowering force in creativity, kinship and care. They will explore these themes in a multi-modal performance, including the reading of lyric essays and original poetry, culminating in a conversation in which the life of the deeply-considered heart is every bit as essential as the life of the cultured mind.

Ricky Ray’s bio: Ricky Ray is a poet, essayist and eco-mystic who lives with his wife and his own brown dog in the old green hills of New England. He is the author of Fealty; Quiet, Grit, Glory; and The Sound of the Earth Singing to Herself. He was educated at Columbia University and Bennington College, and he lectures on poetry, animism and integral ecology. His awards include the Cormac McCarthy Prize, the Ron McFarland Poetry Prize, a Liam Rector Fellowship and a Zoeglossia Fellowship. His writing appears widely in periodicals and anthologies, including The American Scholar, Salamander, Waxwing and The Moth.

Devin Gael Kelly’s bio: Devin Gael Kelly is a writer and high school teacher living in New York City. He is the author of In This Quiet Church, I Say Amen (Civil Coping Mechanisms), and his work has appeared in The Year’s Best Sports Writing 2021, Longreads, The Guardian, LitHub, and more. He writes the poetry newsletter, Ordinary Plots.

Abstract: In this paper Jeff Carreira explores the challenges faced by those who are so compelled by the miraculous that they consciously choose to embark on a path of extreme spiritual pursuit. The first question the paper will address is a person’s right to choose to follow a path of spiritual pursuit that others see as potentially dangerous or harmful in the face of the compulsion they may feel to follow a spiritual path that conforms to the values and sensibilities of the dominant culture. The second theme to be addressed is the paradox of how the depth of surrender required in extreme spiritual pursuit is both essential to the transformative work and exactly what makes us susceptible to abuses of spiritual authority. The paper concludes with suggestions for how to engage in extreme spiritual work in ways that maximize spiritual benefit while minimizing the potential for damage.

Presenter bio: Jeff Carreira is a meditation teacher, mystical philosopher and author who offers retreats and courses guiding individuals in a form of meditation he refers to as The Art of Conscious Contentment. He is passionate about the potential ideas have to shape how we perceive reality and live together. His enthusiasm for learning is infectious and he has taught at colleges and universities in the United States and Australia. He is the author of numerous books including American Awakening, The Path of Spiritual Breakthrough, The Miracle of Meditation, and Paradigm Shifting.

Presenter affiliation: Emergence Education

Presenter bio: Dilşa Deniz is a sociocultural Kurdish anthropologist and presently is a visiting scholar at HarvardDivinity School. Her research focuses on gender, the cultural, political, and religious practices in relation to Kurdish Alevis, Alevi geography, and myths of Alevism in Kurdish communities, particularly in the city of Dersim, an ancient urban centre for Kurdish Alevism in Anatolia. She presently working on her book project on Shâmaran, the Mother Earth Goddess of Kurdistan and the decolonization of Kurdish myths.

Presenter affiliation: Harvard Divinity School

Abstract: This paper will explore four essential questions and conundrums that confront us as we consider the way in which mystical illumination is presented in many new religious movements or alternative spiritualities. It will suggest that by more fully exploring the answers to these questions, we can better ameliorate the imbalances of power and the potential for abuse that is more often than not characteristic of alternative spiritual movements. Is mystical attainment seen as an end state? Does mystical awakening both illuminate and blind? To what extent does awakening select for psychological instability? Is domain creep inevitable?

Given insights derived from these four areas of inquiry, this paper will offer suggestions for how we might optimize the important benefits of alternative spiritual communities while still managing and mitigating the potential downsides."

Presenter bio: Carter Phipps has been at the forefront of contemporary spirituality for three decades, as executive editor of What Is Enlightenment? magazine; bestselling author of Evolutionaries and co-author of Conscious Leadership; cofounder of the Institute for Cultural Evolution; and as practitioner, participant, and former leader within an alternative spiritual community. He is also the host of the Thinking Ahead Podcast.

Presenter affiliation: Institute for Cultural Evolution

Presenter bio: Sarah Herrington (she/her), MFA, is a writer, professor and advocate for safe spaces in yoga and meditation communities. Her writing on yoga, ethics and power abuse in contemporary yoga and meditation spaces has appeared in the New York Times, Yoga Journal, LA Yoga magazine and she's been interviewed on yoga and ethics by NPR and CNN. Her personal narrative writing on spiritual abuse inside contemporary Western meditation communities has appeared in the Revealer, with related personal essays in Poets and Writers Magazine, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. She is the author of four books on yoga and a current agented project exploring spiritual abuse inside contemporary American yoga and meditation communities. It asks the question: how do you heal when it was the path of healing that hurt you?

Sarah holds MFAs from New York University, where she was a Goldwater Fellow in Creative Nonfiction, Lesley University, and a BA from NYU. For several years she helped establish the first Master of Arts in Yoga Studies in North America at Loyola Marymount University where she continues to teach on the faculty of the Yoga, Mindfulness and Social Change curriculum and she has taught yoga in schools. She is a practitioner and teacher of yoga and Vipassana meditation. She currently teaches writing at Fordham University and Mindful Writing Workshops privately. Her students have, in turn, shared their stories of healing in the New York Times and other outlets. She is based in Brooklyn.

Presenter affiliation: Fordham University, Loyola Marymount University, New York University

Abstract: The paper explores devotees’ transformations of agency in hyperlocal guru-bhakti communities in the poor peripheries of Delhi. It challenges the widespread perception of a static, hierarchical, and at times abusive guru-devotee relationship by moving beyond the rhetoric of devotees’ surrender in front of a charismatic omnipotent guru. The paper narrates gurus’ and devotees’ recollections of their first interaction and analyses the internal discourse over the question of who is responsible for the devotees’ kalyāṇ (well-being). It argues that for the newcomers to move forward to the next stage of becoming full-time community members, they need to adopt the gurus’ point of view, that is, to see themselves as active, responsible individuals with an enhanced agency that can even challenge social norms, and not as needy, passive individuals who have the least control over their lives.

Presenter bio: Michal Erlich is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of East Asian Studies at Tel Aviv University. For the past twelve years, Erlich has divided her time between Delhi and Tel Aviv, studying vernacular languages and conducting fieldwork. Her research explores current meanings of well-being in India’s specific and dynamic contexts as well as how individuals and communities in Hindu settings pursue well-being. Her research interests include new religious movements, guru devotion (bhakti) tradition, marginalized and hybrid urban communities, and internal migration.

Presenter affiliation: Tel-Aviv University

Abstract: Through the experience of the group self-defined as “The Beasts of Satan,” this paper explores the phenomenon of acid satanism, making two claims. First, using Kees Waaijman’s definition of spirituality, it argues that studying these groups not only as forms of juvenile rebellion or psychological disorder, but also as spiritual movements prompts a more comprehensive analysis of the phenomenon, detecting abuse of power and conscience between the group’s leaders and new members. Second, it suggests that it is the responsibility of civil society to lead information campaigns and coordinate local and state organizations to design specific policies that protect vulnerable young people.

Presenter bio: Federico Cinocca is a Doctoral Candidate in Theological Ethics at Boston College. After studying at the Theological Faculty of Milan, he earned his STL at the Gregorian University in Rome. His dissertation, directed by professor James Keenan, explores the intersection between ethics and liturgy, examining power dynamics in liturgical celebrations.

Presenter affiliation: Boston College

Abstract: Corporate clergy. Ritual consultants. Sacred designers. Tech industry companies so deeply and thoroughly installing religious grammar and culture into their corporate ecologies that business managers refer to themselves as “head pastors” and human resource directors shepherd the souls of employees. This paper argues that the alternative spiritualities refashioned and championed by corporate America deliberately accommodate and exacerbate socioeconomic inequality and subvert the public good, marshalling the power of capital to manipulate and remake religiosity into its own image while marshalling the power of religion to sanctify and ordain capital.

Presenter bio: Adam Vander Tuig is a PhD candidate at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, a candidate for ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, the University of Cambridge, and Nebraska Wesleyan University.

Affiliation: Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York

Abstract: Uses and abuses of power in “Oro” fraternity as alternative spirituality among the Egba people of Abeokuta, Ogun state Nigeria has become a phenomenon to grapple with in the ancient city. The paper examines the songs of intimidation and oppression against the female gender who are forbidden to take part in the process of alternative spirituality. The songs are not only targeted to abuse the community females but also used as power to dominate the fragile female gender who are considered second Fido in the Abeokuta society. The paper applies ethnographic and participant observation methods. Secondary data are collected through articles in journal, published books, oral interview and the Internet. The paper finds out that the activities of the “Oro” fraternity have gone beyond mere spirituality process to a case of abuse of spiritual power as a channel to intimidate and oppress the community female gender.

Presenter bio: Olatunbosun Samuel Adekogbe is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Music, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. I specialize in environmental musicology, Popular Music and Musical Acoustics. Some of my publications have discussed environmental noise pollution and climate change, and gender.

Presenter affiliation: Department of Music, OAU, Ile-Ife

Abstract: Modern reinventions of the Viking Warrior are currently being used to construct masculine identities in alternative spiritualities. Through examples drawn from fitness culture, self-help publications, and radical politics, I discuss how the power dynamics of a gendered and gendering reimagination of the North European Iron Age shapes contemporary spiritualities and historical reception. In an analysis of how male warriors are being reimagined as symbols of gendered power, I address how such cultural trends can be both empowering for the individuals and groups who participate in them, but may also promote misogyny and toxic calibrations of masculinity and male identity.

Presenter bio: Dr. Tao Thykier Makeeff is an independent researcher, externally affiliated with the University of Stavanger. He was recently employed as postdoctoral fellow at the University of Stavanger, Norway (2020-22) and guest researcher at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, Denmark. His research focuses on Contemporary Paganism, ritual innovation, historical reception, and nationalisms.

Presenter affiliation: Independent researcher

Abstract: It is rare for a powerful institution to ritualise an apology for historic abuses of power. At Crossbones Graveyard, each Mary Magdalene day, this happens. This paper is an insider view of the spirituality of these Abram-Pagans in contemporary Southwark – a spirituality couched in history, psychogeography, and ritual poetry. Shelly Rambo’s trauma theology helps to elucidate in three ways: death in life, memory as witness, and the pneumatology of Holy Saturday as an inclusion of what is cast out. Crossbones is based on soteriological scandal – that the bishop who had licenced the sex workers of the High Middle Ages would bury these his business partners in unconsecrated, yet church-owned soil, destined, by medieval psychogeography, for damnation and hell. The eschatological empowerment comes in the perlocutionary power of the poems found within its central metamodern contratext, The Southwark Mysteries, channelled in 1996 from a local spirit, the Winchester Goose.

Presenter bio: As the son of both a priest and a witch, Mark has always been interested in religious intersectionality and syncretism. Having studied Theology at Oxford (MA, Oxon, 1st Class) and Anthropology at St John’s, Durham, he is now pursuing a PhD at the University of Exeter in Comparative Cultural Anthropology. A comparative theology and poetry have been published in print by the Psychedelic Press Journal, and online in Interfaith Now. Mark helped to organise the Vigils and Acts at Crossbones for three years and continues his relationship with the people and spirits of that place remotely from the Westcountry.

Affiliation: Exeter University, Oxford University

Abstract: In this paper, I address the intersection of gender transition and religious conversion, a dynamic currently under-discussed in trans* religious studies. I examine Mariecke van den Berg’s essay “Embodying Transformation,” which highlights parallels between gender transition and religious conversion in looking at memoirs by Jewish trans women. Taking van den Berg’s work as a starting-point, my paper continues this line of questioning and attempts to take seriously what a deeper instability between gender and religious identity, and thus their intersection and simultaneity, might look like—and additionally what importance such a theorization holds for both trans* theory and for academic religious studies.

Presenter bio: Nicole Malte Collins is a Master of Theological Studies student at Harvard Divinity School, where she studies the intersection of transness and religious conversion.

Presenter affiliation: Harvard Divinity School

Abstract: By examining anthropological and phenomenological turns of religion, as proposed by Nelson Maldonado-Torres and Long, respectively, I observe that religion and the other are inextricably bound and even reflect one another. Religion, like the other, is irreducibly other: ambiguous, ubiquitous, and of infinite possibility. Religion’s power is derived from its irreducibility. religion and the other create the possibility for experience. Our orientation as “conquest of” or “exposure to” in the forms of knowledge (power) or truth (goodness), respectively, shape our experience of them. To possess (or “have”) religion is to treat religion as tool and a totality with the possibility of employing it for totalitarian aims, including the conquest of the other. To seek religion, however, is to treat religion as infinity and be opened to it as the exposure to the other. Thus, religious experience is the experience of the other. These become sites for resistance and the otherwise with phenomenological implications for the term “religion” and the study of religion.

Presenter bio: john clayton gehman (he/him) is a first-year Master of Divinity candidate at Harvard Divinity School. Born in San Luís Potosí, México, john clayton is a transracial adoptee who lived in Pennsylvania for most of his life. Not traditionally considered in the “borderlands,” john clayton experienced new ways of being and becoming because of is social, spatial, and geographical situatedness. john clayton attended Boston College, earning an AB in Philosophy. Opting for a gap-year, john clayton completed a Grace Year Fellowship in Millbrook, NY, directing an ESL program and co-directing a BIPOC collective action non-profit. As a minister, john clayton hopes to create spaces for security, imagination, and flourishing.

Presenter affiliation: Harvard Divinity School

Abstract: In the video installation, Song Within a Sacrifice Zone, Orus documents how words fail to express grief for injustice within the hyperobject of the climate crisis. They achieve this through the use of abstract data self-portraiture and poetic abstraction.

The work is kept intentionally short and will screen three times during the installation’s duration. 

Presenter bio:  Orus Mateo Castaño-Suárez endeavours to engage with as diverse a population of thinkers as possible as a graduate student, spiritual practitioner, artist-curator, software designer, and writer. They curate exhibitions for their artist incubator Collective65 in partnership with a number of Toronto consulates. Their most recent show as Torus(2022), was presented in the Great Hall gallery in Canada's largest art and design university, OCADU. As a software designer, Orus is expanding the limits of interdisciplinary data modeling. They can be found tinkering at studiomto.com. 

Presenter affiliation: Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCADU)

Abstract: This paper explores the use of power from an African alternative spiritual perspective with particular reference to the practice of sorcery in African Traditional Religion. The purpose of this research is to advance open-hearted dialogue between people who have interest in alternative spiritualities in relation to the use and abuse of power. It, therefore, responds to questions such as: what are the most significant ways in which alternative spiritualities can cause harm through the abuse of power? Are certain spiritual practices inherently abusive? How does sorcery within the African religious perspective constitute an abuse of spiritual power? To respond to these questions, it discussed the categorization of power within the African worldview, with the intention of showing how these powers have been and can be used. It further discussed the enduring features of sorcery and how sorcery remains a practice that abuses spiritual power. The Igwebuike theoretical framework was employed given the peculiar interconnected nature of the African universe. The hermeneutic, critical and analytical methods of inquiry were also used. The study revealed that sorcery is inherently abusive in its use of spiritual power, especially in an African world that understands reality as interconnected and interrelated.

Presenter bio: Ikechukwu Anthony Kanu, PhD is a Professor of African Philosophy and Theology, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Nigeria and the Faculty of Catholic Theology and Orthodox Studies, The University of America, Temecula, USA. He is the Global President of the Association for the Promotion of African Studies (APAS).

Presenter affiliation: Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya, Anambra State, Nigeria

Abstract: Behind every experience of the misuse of power by a religious leader is a betrayal of trust. This workshop hosted by Dr. Duncan Hollomon explores the phenomenon of “betrayal trauma,” based primarily on the work of Prof. Jennifer Freyd of the University of Oregon.

Followers of a charismatic leader, or adherents to a particular spiritual perspective, often develop a sense of belonging that requires that they give up any questioning of the authority of the leader. Indeed, this very quality of surrender, or guru followership, is often praised as spiritual advancement, and can then be exploited by abusive leaders. Such was the case with the Shambhala Buddhist organization and the sexual abuse of a number of women adherents.

Contemporary trauma research has revealed coping mechanisms in those abused by someone trusted, and upon whom they are dependent. This workshop will look at those patterns, particularly those involving “not knowing,” with an eye toward understanding, and healing.

Presenter bio: An educator and clinical psychologist, Dr. Hollomon’s professional work is focused on the intersection of spiritual practice and psychotherapy. A former lawyer, consultant, and professional actor and singer, Duncan’s psychotherapy practice has included many clients suffering the effects of relational trauma. He is trained as a pastoral counselor, and hosts a weekly contemplative practices gathering through his church. His doctoral thesis looked at the practice of mindfulness as an aspect of the informed self-use of the psychotherapist. Before moving to the Boston area he taught at Antioch University in Seattle. Most recently he was a research associate with the Program on Religion and Conflict Resolution at the Boston University School of Theology.

Abstract: Before grocery stores, before pharmaceuticals, before physicians, before farming; humans foraged, experimented and communicated with the flora around them. Over time, tremendous knowledge accumulated about the power of plants and fungi to heal and nourish. But in recent times as food sources became centralized, more people citified, wisewoman healers were persecuted and indigenous communities were torn apart through colonization, much of this common knowledge was lost. Now, many are seeking to reclaim traditional herbalism, but most flora and fungi harvested for an ever-growing wellness industry and big pharma is done at the expense of Earth. This is a glaring contradiction, since our health is dependent on the health of the environment. This talk and workshop by author, herbalist and naturalist, Vanessa Chakour will explore endangered medicine such as chaga, goldenseal, and American ginseng while touching on the imbalance of power caused by separation from traditional cultures and ancestral healing traditions. We’ll look at ways to regenerate both plants and ancestral practices with respect to their ecosystems, while remembering medicine — weeds like dandelion and burdock — that are with us in abundance.
Presenter bio: Vanessa Chakour is an author, herbalist, naturalist and founder of Sacred Warrior (sacred warrior.co) and the co-steward at Mount Owen Forest Sanctuary (mountowenforestsanctuary.com), a 268+ acre nature preserve in Western Massachusetts. She is the author of Awakening Artemis: Deepening Intimacy With The Natural World and Reclaiming Our Wild Nature and the forthcoming Earthly Bodies: Embracing Our Animal Nature, both published by Penguin Life.
Presenter affiliation: Sacred Warrior; Mount Owen Forest Sanctuary

Abstract: This paper analyzes the Abé assassination and its aftermath in light of the history of Japanese religions and current debates about spiritual abuse and the marginalization of NRMs. Data is drawn from archival research and the examination of public comments issued by representatives of the government, the media, religious groups, academics, and the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales. It is argued that analogues of the spiritual abuse concept have taken the central role in the dominant framing of the Abé assassination, while the UC’s claim that the church is a victim of the crime has fallen on deaf ears in the public sphere for two reasons: 1.) antipathy towards NRMs among the media and the public; and 2.) a history of legally problematic spiritual sales practices and high profile court battles surrounding them, which have poisoned the well of public opinion against the UC.

Presenter bio: Adam Lyons teaches Japanese religions at the Université de Montréal. He is the author of Karma and Punishment: Prison Chaplaincy in Japan (Harvard Asia Center Press, 2021) and numerous articles and book chapters on Japanese religions. He is currently the principal investigator of a multi-year research project dealing with the rise and fall of new religious movements in Japan. The project is supported by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Abstract: One of the most valuable parts of this conference on the "Uses and Abuses of Power in Alternative Spiritualities" is the opportunity to nurture peerhoods of critique among alternative spiritual community members and leaders. Scholars play a pivotal role through critique by helping spiritual communities examine, avoid, and heal from harmful practices.

It is from this sense of community and urgency that I turn to Foucault's expertise on power, particularly his "Society Must Be Defended" lecture. I posit that like any communities with power, alternative faith communities can become capitalist racist biopolitical corporations.

Presenter bio: Orus Mateo Castaño-Suárez endeavours to engage with as diverse a population of thinkers as possible as a graduate student, spiritual practitioner, artist-curator, software designer, and writer. They curate exhibitions for their artist incubator Collective65 in partnership with a number of Toronto consulates. Their most recent independent show as artist-curator, *Torus* (2022), was presented in the Great Hall gallery in Canada's largest art and design university, OCADU. As a software designer, Orus is expanding the limits of interdisciplinary data modeling.

Presenter affiliation: Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCADU)

Abstract: Yoga to the People (YTTP) was a donation-based yoga studio that shut down in 2020 following multiple accusations of tax fraud, sexual assault, and other crimes that were recorded by an Instagram account, @yttpshadowwork. The case was documented by The New York Times and Vice News, but the depth and complexity of abuse—financial, emotional, and sexual—has yet to be grappled with on philosophical and sociocultural levels. Despite the abuse that occurred, many people still benefited from this spiritual community and the yoga practice itself. So, then, how is it possible to recognize the harm caused by YTTP while still valuing the benefits reaped?

Presenter bio: Bianca Padova is a Master of Divinity (MDiv ’24) candidate at Harvard Divinity School who focuses on the history and ethics of modern postural yoga. She first began teaching yoga in 2015 after completing her training at Yoga to the People in New York City. Since then, Bianca has continued to study and practice yoga, and has now completed 800-hours of training in modern postural yoga.

Presenter affiliation: Harvard Divinity School

Abstract: Sacred Feminine Liberation Thealogy offers humanity and the planet a path forward from destruction but many of the thought leaders of the movement are blinded by their own dysfunction, bigotry and discrimination. Whether busy practicing female superiority, participating in a cult of personality or on a crusade to fight a non-existent problem they call the "erasure of women" they are failing to teach the actual substance and depth that Goddess as deity, archetype and ideal actually provides humankind. We must be willing to reconcile our spirituality with our politics as well as see our liturgical flaws. We need leadership willing to remedy our mistakes or misconceptions in order to transition this spirituality into one that's recognized and taken seriously on the world stage. Goddess religion may come full circle and once again provide the answer to humanity's woes.

Presenter bio: Thought leader, author, speaker and podcaster, the Rev. Dr. Karen Tate presents on topics of pilgrimage, sacred feminine liberation theology and creating a new normal through the values of partnership, equality, justice and compassion. Named one of 13 Most Influential Women in Goddess Spirituality, Karen offers talks at Joseph Campbell Roundtables, Parliament of World Religions, and American Academy of Religion. She is a Caring Economy Conversation Leader and Power of Partnership presenter. Karen published 7 books, was named a Wisdom Keeper of the Goddess Spirituality Movement and can be seen in the award winning film, Femme: Women Healing the World.

Presenter affiliation: Joseph Campbell Foundation, Fellowship of Isis, Center for Partnership Studies, Temple of Isis, Reformed Congregation of Goddess, Ocean Seminary College

Abstract: As a Harmonist, I believe the world is incarnated spirit and that my goal is to live harmony with the spirit and to nurture its incarnations which surround me. This direct contact with the ground of existence is directly empowering, both as an apparent individual and in context with the surrounding world. This also flattens the idea of power, preventing power hierarchies as each of us is fully capable and in touch with the source of our being. How that plays out in everyday life, in both social and political contexts, is open to on-going negotiation and interaction.

Presenter bio: Bro. Johannes Zinzendorf co-founded the Hermitage, a Harmonist spiritual community, with Bro. Christian Zinzendorf in 1988. Their goal was to reestablish an 18th century Moravian community of single brothers. Since then, the Hermitage has become a center for earth-based spirituality, as well as a village of historic buildings, and a local heritage center. Johannes Zinzendorf has written on queer spirituality, and for Communities magazine. He has presented papers for the Communal Studies Association and the International Communal Studies Association.

Presenter affiliation: The Hermitage

Abstract: This study explores the rapidly evolving culture of a new generation of self-identified online gurus that use social media to connect with their followers and share their content and services with a growing community of spiritual seekers. Using netnography, 15 social media profiles of spiritual leaders and teachers were analyzed regarding their online presentation, engagement style, general profile content, qualifications, and services offered. This method was used to assess trends in online spirituality, drawing from published content across different social media platforms including YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. The findings reveal the potential benefits and dangers, which include ease of access, an opportunity for connection, inspiration, and a sense of community. On the other hand, there is a considerable risk of being misled by inauthentic representation since many online gurus lack adequate qualifications to work with vulnerable populations that present with complex psycho-spiritual issues and experiences.

Presenter bios: Melissa Caicedo Farbman is a researcher and psychotherapist who holds a master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She is based in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

Olivia Jenkins is a passionate researcher and writer, and adjunct faculty at Sofia University who currently lives in Massachusetts.

Petra Parvati Meedt is a licensed psychologist and Marriage and Family Therapy Intern. She graduated with a M.A. in Anthropology from the University of Freiburg, Germany, and with a M.S. in Counseling Psychology from the Interamerican University in Puerto Rico

The researchers are Ph.D. candidates at Sofia University, completing their doctorates in Transpersonal Psychology.

Presenter affiliation: Sofia University

Abstract: The series of sex-and-power scandals involving popular gurus beginning in the 1960s left an enduring mark on the alternative spirituality landscape. This presentation will explore the important lessons to be drawn from those upheavals regarding student-teacher dynamics, accountability among teachers with no institutional affiliation, empowering independent spiritual seekers, redefining power relationships, healthy responses to ethical breaches, and other related issues.

Presenter bio: Philip Goldberg is an author, public speaker, meditation teacher, and interfaith minister whose numerous books include the award-winning American Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation, How Indian Spirituality Changed the West; Roadsigns on the Spiritual Path: Living at the Heart of Paradox; The Life of Yogananda: The Story of the Yogi Who Became the First Modern Guru and Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times. An adviser to the Museum of American Religion and a board member of Association for Spiritual Integrity, he hosts the Spirit Matters podcast and leads tours to India. See www.philipgoldberg.com.

Presenter affiliation: Spirit Matters podcast

Abstract: Conspiracy theories (CTs) and the communities who espouse them share several similarities with high-control (i.e., “cultish”) religious groups. CTs also serve as powerful vehicles for the disempowered and disenchanted to “speak truth to power”. However, conspiracists frequently indulge in various forms of disinformation to assert their moral outrage and vindicate their feelings of victimhood, namely through distorting and mythologizing the past and scapegoating their perceived enemies. This presentation will explore the relationship between political paranoia, “stigmatized knowledge”, and feelings of helplessness, and will address some of the causes and solutions that might help conspiracy believers avoid the traps of cultish epistemology.

Presenter bio: Michel Jacques Gagné is a philosophical historian and the author of Thinking Critically About the Kennedy Assassination (Routledge, 2022). He teaches critical thinking, political philosophy, philosophy of religion, and ethics in the Humanities Department of Champlain College Saint-Lambert (Montreal, Canada). His writings have appeared in Skeptic, the National Post, Quillette, the Encyclopedia of Religion and Violence, and History Studies. He is the creator and host of the Paranoid Planet podcast (www.paranoidplanet.ca).

Presenter affiliation: Champlain College Saint-Lambert https://www.champlainsaintlambert.ca/