ארכיון Magic and paganism - Page 4 of 4 - Prof. Marianna Ruah-Midbar Shapiro (PhD)

Read more about the article Article: The Sacralization of Randomness – The Theological Imagination and the Logic of Computerized Divination Rituals

Magic and paganism / Science/medicine and technology

Article: The Sacralization of Randomness – The Theological Imagination and the Logic of Computerized Divination Rituals

Have you ever had your cards read online? …Hoe is it different than reading cards from a deck? In this article all the divination (foretelling) rituals are analysed, in their new, virtual version: what changes in the virtualization process, in terms of the inner logic of believers? In my opinion, in the course of this process, a new logic is emerging, that gains popularity in our cultue - a logic of sactifying randomness. The artcile (about 13,500 words) was published in Numen: International Review for the History of Religions - a first-rate world-renowned journal in the field of Religious Studies (considered by many scholars in the Humanities as the top Religious Studies journal in the world).

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January 5, 2022

Read more about the article Article: Witch-Hunt or Women’s Oppression? The Secularization and Re-Enchantment of the Witches of Ashkelon Tale by Contemporary Spiritualities’ Leaders

Article: Witch-Hunt or Women’s Oppression? The Secularization and Re-Enchantment of the Witches of Ashkelon Tale by Contemporary Spiritualities’ Leaders

This study (some 10,500 words; and a similar one published in Hebrew- as follows) deals with contemporary spiritual interpretations of an ancient Jewish legend - on a witch hunt executed by Rabbi Shim'on ben Shatach at Ashkelon in the 2nd century B.C.. It presents a comparison of three spiritual leaders in Israel, each re-designing the old story in a different way, thus expressing various values - in relation to Judaism, to their feminism's character, and to the place of magic in the world. The article was published in the important journal of Jewish Studies, pronted by the Oxford Centre for Hebrew & Jewish Studies - Journal of Jewish Studies.

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December 14, 2021

Art (music\film\literature etc.) / Feminism gender and sex / History / Israel / Judaism and Kabbalah / Magic and paganism / Myth

Lecture: A Sexual Spiritual Jewish Awakening – Observing the Wonder (=Pele in Hebrew)

This (Hebrew) lecture opened the launching event for the book Glowing Gloom by Pele Ohad Ezrahi, the second one in the triligy Kedesha (holy/pristess prostitute). The lecture presented thoughts on the book, its wider context, and a critical reflection on the sacred sexuality scene. The lecture is 20-min. long. The event's title is "Sex-kind Revolution". (The word "Min" in Hebrew means both sex and kind".)

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December 9, 2021

Read more about the article Research Article: “The Temptation of Legitimacy – Lilith’s Adoption and Adaption in Contemporary Feminist Spirituality”

Art (music\film\literature etc.) / Feminism gender and sex / Judaism and Kabbalah / Magic and paganism / Mind and psychology / Myth / Popular culture and mass media / Typology and comparative study

Research Article: “The Temptation of Legitimacy – Lilith’s Adoption and Adaption in Contemporary Feminist Spirituality”

This article surveys the many and various manifestations of Lilith's image in the femenist spirituality in the last decades, in the Jewish world and beyond. The article examines the values and messages embodies in the adoption and adaptation of this figure, and reveals their contradictory character - in many fields. Finally, the conclusion is that Lilith's figure constitutes an instrument to establish legitimation. The article is about 7,600 words, in English. In addition to this article, there are more items - an article and lectures that present the research project on Lilith. See links below. "I cannot remember now how I had even heard of Lilith, but I borrowed her tale because it fit my contemporary need." from: Judith Plaskow (ed. Donna Berman), The Coming of Lilith: Essays on Feminism, Judaism, and Sexual Ethics, 1972-2003, p. 86.

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November 30, 2021

Read more about the article Research article: “The Enchanted Benches” at Kursi National Park as Case Study for the Formation Processes of Alternative Sacred Geography

Economy and business / Geography / Israel / Magic and paganism / Methodology and models / Science/medicine and technology / State politics and law

Research article: “The Enchanted Benches” at Kursi National Park as Case Study for the Formation Processes of Alternative Sacred Geography

This article deals with the sanctification process of a (historically Christian) site in the Land of Israel, by the Alternative Spirituality, or Neo-Pagans/Shamans. The article analyses the factors that made Kursi a suitable candidate for a sactification process, and presents a model that examines various aspects and elements that contribute to an Alternative Spiritual sactification process of factors in the site. In addition to this (8,500 words, Hebrew) article, there is another (English) article that describes different aspects of the sanctification process of Kursi, and a lecture on a similar subject. See links below. The article takes a part in a research project that deals with the Alternative Sacred Geography of the Land of Israel, by Ruah-Midbar Shapiro. The article is part of a special issue of Horizons in Geography (edited by Anat Kidron) that was dedicated to the "Functional Places and Collective Memory" (how functional sites - such as a road signs, sports stadium or film theatre - are designed as to construct a collective memory and conciousness). Horizons in Geography ("Ofaqim bGeographia") is a journal published in Hebrew by the University of Haifa.

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November 23, 2021