Psychic Self-Defense In 1930, Dion Fortune published a book called Psychic Self-Defense. Fortune is the pseudonym of British psychoanalyst Violet Mary Firth. She developed many of her techniques based on personal experience, having survived various magical attacks.

Psychic Aura It is said that behind the etheric layer of the aura lies the astral or desire layer. This is where a person's emotions vary in color and shape. C. W. LIDBEATER, who made a lot of efforts to popularize the term "astral plane", argued that this term

Psychic Transformation It cannot be said that the psychic, by definition, is that part of our being which is in direct contact with the supramental plane, although it is the psychic that responds most readily to influence

8 Triple transformation: mental, spiritual, supramental The meaning of transformation If you manage to constantly remain in higher consciousness, then this is only for the better. But why can’t you be constantly in this consciousness? The thing is that in nature everything is still

Mental transformation Of the two transformations, the mental one is necessary first of all - if a mental transformation is carried out, then it greatly facilitates the other, that is, the transformation of ordinary human consciousness into the highest spiritual - into

• What is the spiritual realm?
• What are spiritual values?
• What does spiritual culture consist of?
• What are morals?

The spiritual sphere is the sphere of people’s relations regarding various spiritual values: their creation, dissemination and assimilation by all layers of society. Spiritual values ​​include moral norms and moral ideals, traditions and customs, religious norms, works of painting, music, literature and other forms of art, as well as scientific knowledge and theories.

The spiritual sphere of society is an important part of culture.

What is culture?

Translated from Latin language The word “culture” (cultura) means “cultivation”, “development”. In ancient Rome, culture meant the cultivation of the land. In the 18th century, this term began to mean the improvement of human qualities. A person who was well-read and refined in manners was called cultured. To this day, we associate the word “culture” with good education, an art gallery, and a conservatory.

Modern scientists understand by culture all the achievements of people, everything that has been created by humanity (cars, computers, music, literature, films, clothing, traditions, norms and values, etc.).

Culture is so necessary that, like air, we do not notice it, but we cannot live without air, just like without culture.

Culture is a complex system created by thousands of generations of people. Culture reflects the features of a particular people, society, or social group. It is their culture that distinguishes them from each other. The culture of a people is its way of life, its clothing, housing, cuisine, folklore, spiritual ideas, beliefs, language and much more. Culture also includes social and everyday rules accepted in society, gestures of politeness and greetings, etiquette, and hygiene habits. The cultural sphere includes the activities of libraries, museums and exhibitions, entertainment enterprises, club institutions, cultural parks, botanical gardens and zoos, television and radio broadcasting.

Most scientists agree that culture has two dimensions - material and spiritual. This division is conditional. Material culture includes everything created by human hands: the steam engine, books, tools, residential buildings, church buildings, jewelry, works of art and much more. Spiritual (intangible) culture is formed by: norms and rules of behavior, laws, values, ceremonies, rituals, myths, knowledge, ideas, beliefs, customs, traditions, language, etc. Intangible culture is also the result of human activity, but it was created not by hands, but rather by the mind and exists in our consciousness, supported by society. Spiritual culture can be embodied in phenomena of material culture: books, paintings, sculpture, architecture, etc.

What makes up spiritual culture?

Spiritual culture in in a broad sense The word includes all manifestations of human activity in the field of material and intangible culture, relating to art and science, architecture, music, ballet, theater, museums and libraries. In the narrow sense of the word, these are only highly moral spiritual values ​​and actions - heroism, patriotism, conscientiousness and honesty, altruism, etc.

Spiritual culture includes art, science, education, and religion. Art reflects the world in artistic images. Science is called upon to discover new knowledge, create advanced technologies, space station projects, decipher ancient texts, describe the laws of the Universe, etc. Science makes the world more understandable to humans.

Through education (and self-education), knowledge is passed on to subsequent generations. The education system includes schools, gymnasiums, lyceums, academies, universities, etc.

What is the importance of science and education in human life?

There are different religions(among them are three world ones: Christianity, Buddhism, Islam) - ideas based on belief in the existence of God or gods. But they all contain a system of moral principles, ideas about good and evil, which give meaning to human life, help fight all manifestations of evil for the sake of establishing love and goodness on Earth.

Spiritual culture is created by many people - poets, writers, composers, artists, publishers of books and magazines, lecturers, radio and television presenters, scientists and inventors, church leaders. Many institutions and organizations are involved in this process: academies of sciences, schools and universities, art galleries, theaters, museums, libraries, etc. They contribute to the creation, preservation, dissemination of works of art, scientific theories, inventions.

It can also be said that spiritual culture is the result of the activities of all people. After all, it is not enough to compose a poem, a song, paint a picture, make a film or stage a play. Without readers, listeners, spectators, literature, music, painting, theater, cinema are dead. If we do not follow traditions and rules of behavior, they will cease to exist. The genius of an invention can only be appreciated if it becomes public domain.

Further Reading
The emergence of writing and the advent of printing played a huge role in the development of the spiritual sphere. The European inventor of printing, the German Johannes Gutenberg, printed the first large book in 1455, the “Bible,” which is still considered a masterpiece of printing.
In 1564, the first printed, dated book, “The Apostle,” was published in Russia, it was published by Ivan Fedorov.
Prayer books, collections of sermons, textbooks, grammars for children, moral instructions, and rules of good manners came off the first printing presses.
The first printed textbooks changed the learning process beyond recognition. Previously, sitting in front of the teacher at the foot of the department, the students carefully wrote down his words under dictation. Now the students had beautifully published books in front of them.
The role of printing cannot be overestimated. Without it there would be no education, and without education there would be no science and culture.

Explain how the advent of printing influenced the development of the spiritual sphere of society?

The basis of spiritual culture are moral principles and norms, i.e. ideas about good and evil; rules of behavior based on people’s ideas about good and bad, justice, duty, honor, conscience, etc.

Every society has its own moral values and ideals. Their morals reflect them.

Interesting facts
In modern society, it is considered immoral to offend the weak. But the ancient Greeks argued that children in Sparta belonged not to their parents, but to the state. The father had to take the newborn to the elders. They examined the child, if they found him strong, they gave him to his father. If the child was weak and sickly, he was thrown off a cliff into the abyss.

Noble moral actions do not require awards, words of gratitude or government orders. The act of kindness itself serves as gratitude. It helps to believe in ourselves, strengthens all the best in us.

A person who is honest, well-mannered, and respectful of elders is considered to be highly moral. Respect for parents and care for them is one of the foundations of human morality. Human relationships can be called moral if they contain a sense of responsibility for another person.

Clever idea
“The character of the speaker is more convincing than his speech.”
- - Publius Syrus, ancient Roman poet - -

Whatever decision a person makes in his life, be it a commercial transaction, marriage, choosing friends, getting a job, participating in voting in government elections state power or moral choice, it is somehow guided by moral principles.

Let's sum it up
The spiritual sphere of society includes the highest manifestations of human activity in the field of literature, painting, science, music, architecture, poetry, etc. In them main role moral principles play a role.

Basic terms and concepts
The spiritual sphere of society, culture, morals.

Test your knowledge

1. Explain the meaning of the following concepts: “culture”, “mores”.
2. How does material culture differ from spiritual culture? Give examples.
3. What does spiritual culture consist of? Who is involved in its creation?
4. Tell us about morals that play a big role in our lives.

Workshop

First, traditionally, we can talk about the problems that are noted when understanding this field of activity. Thus, science is usually included among its institutions, although this is absolutely not necessary. Science, first of all, is concerned with explaining the world around us, and not with the production and dissemination of spiritual values. It makes sense to highlight science as a separate 5th sphere of society’s activity (Part 5 will be devoted to science and problems in it).

What are values?

The spiritual sphere of society's life plays an important role in its development. First of all, it is capable of shaping the values, views, stereotypes and even worldview of many people, which significantly influences the character of society: whether it will be pragmatic, cynical, merciful, cruel, in a word, what spiritual orientations will reign in it, depends precisely on this areas of social life.

If people see examples of cruel or indifferent behavior, they will naturally adopt it. This is one of the main directions in art - educational.

What is the spiritual realm

First of all, it should be noted that spirituality is understood by sociology and cultural studies as a unifying principle in society, which is represented by traditions and moral values, reflected in religious teachings and images of art. If we consider it from an individual position, then spirituality is identified with conscience, which is strengthened through sermons and ideological and educational work.

Thus, the spiritual sphere is those areas in which people, by interacting, acquire and improve their understanding and attitude towards the world. Its most common “representatives” are educational institutions, theaters, philharmonic societies, religious buildings.

Spiritual sphere: types

This area can be divided into three broad areas, which differ from each other not only in subjects, but also in the methods by which society is enriched with knowledge.

Scientific spiritual sphere. Here, scientific knowledge allows us to determine the laws of the world. This area is characterized by abstract-logical forms of concepts with the help of which information is presented and comprehended.

Science performs several important functions:

• cognitive;
• prognostic;
• explanatory;
• ideological.

This area of ​​the spiritual sphere is characterized by systematicity and logic; the main criterion that distinguishes it from other areas is objectivity.

This form of worldview developed over a long period, so it is classified as historical. Religion can be considered as a bridge between the material and the spiritual: on the one hand, it has a number of principles and traditions, and on the other, characteristic material attributes: symbols, buildings of a certain shape, the cut of the clothes of ministers, etc. When there is no religion in society, it harmonizes it. With the help of religion, a social worldview is formed, which is aimed at creation, not destruction: instructions to raise children, be kind and honest, advice on mutual assistance are characteristic of almost all religions and are useful for any society.

Religion as a social institution performs the following functions:

• compensatory;
• regulatory;
• integrative;
• communicative.

Nowadays, religions need more public support than ever: as science advances, people's faith is lost and the influence of religion on their actions decreases.

Art as a spiritual sphere. Here, the main way of conveying meaning is expressed in verbal or pictorial form. Creations are created by professionals - artists, sculptors, writers, and they are able to give the form an aesthetic appearance.

Art performs a number of functions:

• cognitive;
• educational;
• aesthetic.

Art, as part of the spiritual sphere, has a social content: thus, during periods of crisis, its dehumanization occurred, and, for example, during the transformation of art into a political instrument was observed.