Meditation is powerful

Recently a woman successfully sued a yoga retreat for triggering her childhood PTSD. It is not clear what actually happened, as there are two different versions of events. The people running the yoga retreat said the activity was optional; she says it was compulsory.

Western uses of mindfulness & meditation

There has been a trend over the last decade or more of importing spiritual techniques like meditation and mindfulness from Eastern religions (usually Buddhism) to the West. There have also been many cases where people have experienced very distressing symptoms as a result of intense meditation, often in the context of vipassana meditation.

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Pagan Roots — available now

“Pagan Roots: Reclaiming Concepts of the Sacred,” by Yvonne Aburrow.

Available now from 1000Volt Press via books2read.com/paganroots

Cover art by Lydia Knox.

“Pagan Roots: Reclaiming concepts of the sacred” will be published on 22 April 2025 and available from all online stores.

Contemporary Paganism has sought to recover some concepts that were lost or rejected in past centuries, but has ignored or rejected others that were absorbed into Christian discourse. Can we reclaim some of these terms and recover their original meanings?

Toxic positivity

There’s a phenomenon in spirituality circles where negativity is strongly discouraged by practitioners. I believe it is known as toxic positivity.

Speaking about negative things or criticising yourself and others was frowned upon. “It was a good-vibes-only kind of mentality,” Miranda explains. “Some of that comes from yogic philosophy, but it’s been exaggerated. You see it everywhere on social media – reels, memes and soundbites about positivity bordering on toxic. Tara Yoga took it to the extreme.” In hindsight, she says, “These thought patterns cause you to overlook your own boundaries, especially when it comes to trusting ourselves.” Yet the idea of letting go of your existing beliefs to become happier and more enlightened was appealing: the idea that you can manifest your way to a better life.

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