Making the connections: interpretation of life events among women practitioners of alternative spirituality in Slovakia

Abstract

The article focuses on some issues of alternative spirituality (AS) in Slovakia. The authors analysed the data obtained from an anthropological research focusing on the reasons behind the relative popularity of alternative spirituality in the said country. Using the qualitative methodology (in-depth interviews and participant observations) and working with mostly women, the authors studied how the study participants got involved in alternative spirituality, how they see their participation, what they were use it for, and what they experience when they attend the sessions (e.g. how they feel, why and when they experience positive/ negative feelings, how the perceive “alternative community”). The results of the analysis suggests that involvement in alternative spirituality “encourages” an interpretation drift (Luhrman, 1989) with regard to one's experiences and their sacralization, giving these a deeper meaning.