This article analyzes the growing youth social justice initiative Free the Children/ME to WE as a kind of “spiritual movement” by demonstrating how the discourses utilized by participants and authorities resemble both the discourse of self-spirituality, as found among actual millennials, and the discourse of youth spirituality found in the developmental sciences literature. Building on previous research in which we characterized this family of organizations as a “new secular spiritual movement,” (Mosurinjohn and Funnell-Kononuk, 2017). we situate the phenomenological experience of its distinctive “WE spirituality” in the landscape of contemporary Western spirituality. Following on arguments that the politics of self-spirituality are more social change-oriented than previously acknowledged, we illuminate the logics of a spiritual movement that develops the “me” of the individual self into a part of the “we” of an imagined global community, by making spirituality coextensive with social civic engagement.
Wicca is often perceived as a sexually perverse cult. Its focus on human sexuality is frequently misattributed to an obsession with sex and unsafe practices. In Western culture particularly, Wicca has a negative connotation attached to the figure of the witch. Scholars have argued that one of the motivations behind the historical persecution of women as witches has been to control female sexual power, including reproductive labour. Today, the association between the figure of the and illicit female sexuality continues to be played out in media and even Halloween costumes. Contrary to these misconceptions, Wiccans view sexuality as a component of their celebration of life and fertility. Sexuality is not taken lightly; in fact it is understood as something sacred. Sexuality is used to understand the interconnectedness of all beings and to harness power. This paper explores the Wiccan practices known as The Great Rite and Skyclad, to explain how Wiccan beliefs and practices about sexuality are important components of their religiosity.
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