Konspirituaalsus koroonakriisis

The corona crisis brought to the fore otherwise hidden world views in society. Among those protesting on social media or in the streets against the state-applied measures to control the spread of coronavirus, there seemed to be a proportionately high number of people whose attitudes and lifestyles are shaped by conspiracy theories and/or new spirituality. In social media groups, corona issues generated heated debates and led to conflicts and formations of new groups and communities. In the following overview, I will highlight some of the key dynamics and elements of an anti-corona conspiritual field where the new spirituality environment and conspiracy theoretic thinking and information consumption come together. I offer some answers to the questions about conspirituality: what it is, why it has emerged and become increasingly visible

Inglid ja Inglipesa internetifoorum uue vaimsuse kandjate ja legitimeerijatena

The article observes angels as figures important for the contemporary spiritual milieu. The article focuses on an Estonian spiritual Internet forum, The Nest of Angels, and demonstrates how angels help to share virtual social support and create/confirm spiritual meanings. The forum, explicitly opposing the consumerist side of new spirituality, has become popular and demonstrates the nature and various roles of contemporary spiritual angels. Angels constitute a salient example of a recent religious change, becoming the symbols of human-centeredness and this-worldliness of modern religiosity. By asking why angels and why in the internet environment, the study identifies two main modes in which the Nest and the presence of angels have found their place in people’s lives. Firstly, emotional support is shared, either by fellow users directly or by confirmations that angels will definitely help. Secondly, the Nest allows people to acquire knowledge both on spiritual and practical issues. As the Nest is dialogical, users can pose questions and find confirmations for their otherwise deviant experiences. Discussions in the Nest encourage everybody to interpret some situations and objects (like feathers) as signs from angels. This interpreting process might change people’s perceptions of the world by adding a layer of positive emotions. The study demonstrates how the angelic presence (or at least endeavour towards the presence) helps to establish and keep the tonality of benevolence, which functions as the cornerstone of this virtual space. The ideology of the Nest and the community interactions support “connected knowledge”: being empathic, intuitive, and individualistic. As a rule, commenters do not aim to challenge diverging views (common elsewhere in Internet communication), but attempt to understand and support each other. The trustful virtual relationships actualise the influence and the authority of people similar to users themselves, and increase distrust towards traditional authorities, especially those that do not accept people’s free choice and subjectivism. Therefore, although quite opposite to a feminist empowerment ideology, new spirituality and angels support a subjective feeling of self-confidence that is framed with ‘feminine’ softness. In addition to active moderation and the strongly perceived normativity of keeping the place “high-vibrational”, the angels themselves are guardians and guarantors of this intimacy, so knowledge and emotional support can be shared. The angels’ divine nature supports people directly, but more importantly, makes them speak in a language of goodness and guarantees that fellow users, although not real angels, are trying to be at least slightly angel-like. Angels as symbolic figures unite power and benevolence; they legitimise values and epistemological positions characteristic to the milieu of new spirituality

Religioossus kui kultuuriline tööriistakast: Eesti uue vaimsuse analüüs

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsioone.Üha suurem osa religioossetest nähtustest jääb Lääne sekulaarsetes ühiskondades väljapoole institutsionaalseid religioone. Enamik Eestis levinud religioosseid või vaimseid uskumusi ja praktikaid ei kuulu otseselt ühegi religiooni alla – neid toetab New Age’i subkultuurist välja kasvanud uue vaimsuse keskkond. Et taoliste õpetuste järgmine ei eelda püsivat kuulumist kogudusse või gruppi ning õpetused ise hõlmavad väga erinevaid valdkondi, on uut vaimsust väga keeruline määratleda või analüüsida lähtudes tavapärastest religiooni indikaatoritest nagu uskumused, kuuluvus ja religioossed praktikad. Doktoritöös vaatlen uue vaimsuse keskkonda eelkõige kui üht allikat, mis pakub erinevaid kultuurilisi tööriistu nii maailma mõtestamiseks kui ka konkreetsete probleemide nagu haiguse või töökaotuse puhul abi ja toetuse saamiseks. Taolised kultuurilised tööriistad võivad olla nii abstraktsemad väärtused, tähendused (sh ka eksistentsiaalse maailmakorralduse kohta) aga ka näiteks spetsiifilised tehnikad või rituaalid näiteks „rahaõnne“ kasvatamiseks või „aja maha võtmiseks“. Uue vaimsuse keskkonnas osalemine ei pea olema järjepidev, õpetusi kasutatakse vajaduse tekkimisel. Uue vaimsuse tegeliku ühiskondliku ja kultuurilise tähenduse tabamiseks tuleb analüüsi kaasata ka neid, kel on ehk vaid mõningad (latentsed) uskumused ning üleüldine valmisolek õpetuste poole pöörduda. Töös pakun välja mudeli, mis kaardistab inimeste valmisolekut või kalduvust uue vaimsuse keskkonnast pärit lahendusi kasutada. Õpetuste järgima hakkamine ei ole instrumentaalne tarbimine, kus otsus langetatakse puhtalt näiteks hinna vm „toote omaduste“ alusel. Uue vaimsuse keskkonnas peetakse kõige olulisemaks isiklikku kogemust, mis kinnitab igaühele personaalselt õpetuse tõeväärtuse ja toimivuse. Olulist rolli mängib siiski ka laiem tähenduslik foon, mis loob valmisoleku ning tekitab „tõelisuse aura“, mis paneb inimesi vaimseid lahendusi ja tehnikaid piisavalt usaldama, et neid ise järele proovida. Uus vaimsus levib peamiselt interneti, meedia, raamatute toel. Taoliste levikukanalite efektiivsus näitab, et tavaline kasutajakogemus on (virtuaalsete) võrgustike toel muutunud üha olulisemaks õpetuste kandjaks ja neile usaldusväärsuse loojaks. Individuaalseid valikuid tähtsustava religioossuse kandjana on mitteformaalsed võrgustikud traditsioonilistest institutsioonidest (nagu kirik) isegi efektiivsemad.Under the umbrella of New Age-based spirituality, a series of fuzzy and disguised forms of contemporary religious phenomena are grouped. This dissertation traces how the Estonian spiritual “milieu” functions as a source of cultural tools (namely, spiritual knowledge or practices). Given the situational and low-intensity involvement of new spirituality practitioners, concepts such as belief(s) or belonging, commonly used in the study of religions, are inadequate to grasp the full scope of new spirituality. Based on their previous experiences, knowledge, and social contacts people position themselves differently in relation to spiritual tools and values. Inclination to new spirituality indicates the potential willingness of a person to use a spiritual “toolkit” and therefore characterizes the person’s mental disposition towards using spiritual solutions. For example, people who have some (generally latent) beliefs in spiritual phenomena and a theoretical willingness to try spiritual solutions could be described as weakly inclined – which is likely the most common position for Estonians. Using spiritual tools (teachings, practices) requires some degree of practical and attitudinal preparedness and initial willingness to start applying the solutions that the spiritual milieu offers. Turning to spiritual/religious solutions and becoming involved in new spirituality is a multi-layered process involving finding general credibility and then seeking individual confirmations through personal (often bodily) experiences. In the context of weak primary socialization into religions and the presence of hostile public representations, this support is provided by spiritual events or by personal or mediated guidance (internet pages, books, consultations). As informal networks play an increasingly prominent role in disseminating spirituality, the categories of “dominant” and “vernacular” religion are losing their relevance. Religious participation is based on new types of institutions – network based and less centrally organized but still structured by implicit internal rules, normativity and power relations. The lines between “soft” and “hard” or “alternative” and “dominant” are blurred; commonly, the informal networks have a stronger impact on people’s beliefs and behaviours than religious institutions such as churches

Lapsed ja tarbimisühiskond: Eesti lapsevanemate käsitlused

There has been no research on the topics related to parents' opinions on their children's consuming habits in Estonia before. Marketing that targets children is as a whole a new branch of study in Estonia on account of which the present BA thesis can be seen as conceptional. Therefore almost half of this paper is dedicated to giving an overview of earlier thoretical treatments and research. The empirical part of my work consists of conclusions made on the qualitative text analysis of in-depth interviews with 11 parents and describes their viewpoints. From one side it was necessary to study parents' standpoints for practical reasons. The questions how to protect children or how to regulate marketing that is targeted on children are relevant for Estonian society and regarding the increasing pressure of marketing, become even more relevant in due time. That is where the parents have an important role, for they largely shape the consuming habits of children and the formal methods of any kind (laws or the code of ethics of marketing) are never effective enough to protect children. The results of the present work can also be used to compile materials and lectures for parents. On the other hand, different articles on marketing for children express certain broader attitudes towards consuming culture that is more widely a subject of social way of thinking. For adults, children's position is special and describing children works as an indicator of a wider social thinking. One of the main focuses in this work is the parents' view on the position of subjects that are placed in the triangle of child, marketing and the parent. In general, there dominated a pattern where marketing was seen as manipulative and hazardous for children. At the same time, it was not regarded as a serious problem because of the important protective-pedagogical influence of parents. The effect of marketing is also described in a rather simplified manner, it seems that the prototypes of advertising are the washing powder commercials produced for Eastern European market. Therefore parents might not even consider the typical complicated marketing materials as direct advertisements. Secondly this paper focuses on perceptions of the symbolic values of consumption and opportunities to cope with cognitive tensions when the parents' resources were limited (in the state of deprivation). Empirical results brought forth dominating pattern of “rational” consumption, parents admitted unfilled needs of their children but as a rule these were seen as unimportant and marginal. In general there is the detectable ambivalence in viewpoints, which were influenced by strong cognition of social norms and overall scarce awareness. Parents with higher tensions showed more considered and protective attitudes. This topic certainly needs further research in Estonia, especially with an aim to draw representative conclusions

Lapsed ja pered tarbimisühiskonnas: Eesti emade käsitlused

Numerous multidisciplinary approaches to children in the context of consumer society may be seen both in academic and public debates. The diversity of views derives from different sources. Firstly, children can be described from liberal or protectionist positions. Secondly, there are different viewpoints of the consumption process, which also involves different practices like shopping or using up the products. The first and most important task of this thesis was to give an analytical overview of the approaches among Estonian mothers concerning children and consumption, since despite of many researches, we do not find enough qualitative analyses of the parents’ representations. Therefore, I conducted 12 in-depth interviews with Estonian mothers of children aged between 5 and 15 and used also 11 interviews with similar structure carried out as research for my Bachelor’s thesis (Uibu 2005). The research showed that the approaches of Estonian mothers can be characterized by the ambivalence, shaped by various factors. In addition to different representations of the topic, personal involvement is relevant: if consumption has not directly caused any problems, the parents do not pay much attention to it. Although the attitudes of Estonian mothers are generally protectionist as suggested by the previous research (e.g. Pellja 1998) criticism towards consumption and marketing mostly remains on the level of daily consumption. Children may be manipulable, but the results of the manipulation are not perceived as a real danger. Mothers whose aim is to protect their children do not see the more critical influences of the fast-developing consumer society like children’s exclusion from peer groups or bullying based on consumption possibilities. The second research question focused on how mothers perceive the pressures which supposedly occur within the process of consumption. The problems vary in different age groups: the mothers of younger children described the conflict situations in the shop and the necessity to educate and explain, with older children, peer pressure becomes major concern. Clearly, the most crucial of the tensions perceived by the parents is the influence of peers, 73 widely discussed as “peer pressure”. For example, mothers of pre-school children clearly state the fear of forthcoming school. The research also showed an interesting pattern of social comparison with the richer families, who, according to mothers’ explanations, may win the battle in the field of consumption, but are definitely losing on emotional and pedagogical fields. “Rational” consumption pattern is seen as normatively pedagogical with strong depreciation of hedonistic “over-consumption” discourse. Mothers emphasize that the expenditures should be controlled and limited even if there is an opportunity to spend more. Paradoxically, the value of consumption reveals itself rather in deprived situations. In Estonian context, significant changes in the society give a good opportunity to the mothers to compare today’s children with their own childhood, bringing in interesting tendencies. For example, mothers note that rich consumption society has decreased the (symbolic) value of a single product. The parents also bring out the problem that the children’s creative ability to play and come up with games themselves has decreased.http://www.ester.ee/record=b4037412*es

Keha tähenduse ja rolli muutumine: käsitlused eesti uue vaimsuse õpetustes ja nende järgijate seas

As an ongoing tendency in Western cultures the body has gained more importance both in mundane and transcendent issues. Contrary to the Christian (and, in Estonian context, especially Lutheran) understandings of body and flesh as obstacles, “spiritual approach makes the body itself the site of the sacred: the contemporary person relates to transcendence and the divine on the basis of the experience of his/her own body” (Giordan 2009: 233). Physical dimension is also an important element for Estonian spiritual practitioners. For instance, popular practices like yoga or taijiquan, although in Western forms taken often as mere physical training, cultivate different body perception and lead to a spiritual experience through physical means. Participation in alternative medical and spiritual practices increases people’s bodily awareness, making the body more ‘present’. The practices of new spirituality often emphasise the role of the body and its sensations. For example, in some teachings, the body has something that can be seen as its own ‘consciousness’ and/or ‘language’, which mediates the ‘inner’ and ‘natural’ knowledge. Practitioners try to establish a dialogue with the body, to hear its voice and interpret its signs properly. The body is seen as an ‘intelligent’ partner, dissolving the rigid dualism of the mind as a conscious subject and the body as a material object. Based on fieldwork observations, in-depth interviews and conversations as well as an Internet-based questionnaire, the article observes the different roles that the body and body-communication take in the Estonian spiritual milieu. It is visible how spiritual practices lead to different body-awarenesses and conceptualisations of the body. New spirituality offers both physical means and specific meanings for novel embodied experiences and understandings of the role of the body

Lapsevanemate ja lapsevanemaks saavate inimeste arvamused, hoiakud ning tajutud infopuudus seoses sünnitusosakondade sulgemisega

Taust ja eesmärk. Avalik teadaanne Valga ja Põlva sünnitusosakonna sulgemise otsuse kohta märtsis 2018 tekitas ägedaid vastureaktsioone nii kohalikes omavalitsustes, arstide seas kui ka kogukonnas. Uuringu eesmärk oli seoses tsentraliseerimisprotsessiga selgitada raseduse, sünnituse ja sünnitama minekuga seonduvaid arvamusi, hoiakuid, infovajadust ja -puudust. Uuringus selgitati, kuidas saavad vastajad aru avalikus diskussioonis kasutatud terminitest (nt kodulähedus ja turvalisus). Metoodika. Uuringus osales 226 inimest, kes oli viimase aasta jooksul lapsevanemaks saanud või saamas. Nad vastasid eFormulari keskkonnas küsimustikule. Andmeanalüüsis kasutati SPSSi ja MS Exceli tarkvara. Avatud vastused läbisid tekstianalüüsi. Tulemused. Vastanud eelistavad infot saada erinevatest allikatest, sh tervishoiutöötajatelt. Kesksete mõistete defineerimisel esineb erinevusi: turvalisust mõistetakse nii personaalse lähenemise kui ka meditsiinilise võimekusena, 72%-le vastajatest on kodulähedane kuni 20 km kaugusel asuv sünnituskoht. Üldiselt hinnati informeeritust rasedusest, sünnitusest ja sünnitama minekust piisavaks. Avatud vastuste põhjal on suurim infopuudus seotud sünnitama minekuga: teave on segane ja vastuoluline. Puudub ka selgus, kuidas võib kasutada kiirabiteenust. Järeldused. Sünnitusosakondade tsentraliseerimisprotsessi planeerimine ja elluviimine eeldab kohaliku kogukonna sisulist kaasamist ning tõhusat kommunikatsiooni, sh läbimõeldud sõnumit alternatiivide puhul

Teaduslikult alternatiivmeditsiinist

Oma tervise eest vastutuse võtmine soosib inimeste suurenenud teadlikkust, aga samas ka suurenenud julgust võtta vastu terviseotsuseid. Patsientide enesekindluse kasv lahenduste otsimisel oma terviseprobleemidele on viinud olukorrani, kus järjest enam inimesi kasutab erinevaid täiend- ja alternatiivmeditsiini vahendeid, tooteid või teenuseid. Artikli eesmärk on olemasoleva kirjanduse põhjal avada sotsiokultuurilisi tegureid, mis soodustavad alternatiivide kasutamist. Ülevaates kasutatud allikatele tuginedes saab väita, et peamised põhjused, mis ajendavad inimesi alternatiivmeditsiinist lahendusi otsima, on seotud kultuuriliste traditsioonidega (nt ravimtaimede kasutamisega), meditsiinilise pluralismi suurenemisega, neoliberaalse ootuse täitmisega, mis eeldab individuaalse vastutuse võtmist, ning infotarbimise harjumuste muutumisega. Ühiskondliku arutelu tekkeks on vajalik kõigi osapoolte kaasatus. Eesti Arst 2018; 97(8):409–41

Lapsevanemate ja lapsevanemaks saavate inimeste arvamused, hoiakud ning tajutud infopuudus seoses sünnitusosakondade sulgemisega

Taust ja eesmärk. Avalik teadaanne Valga ja Põlva sünnitusosakonna sulgemise otsuse kohta märtsis 2018 tekitas ägedaid vastureaktsioone nii kohalikes omavalitsustes, arstide seas kui ka kogukonnas. Uuringu eesmärk oli seoses tsentraliseerimisprotsessiga selgitada raseduse, sünnituse ja sünnitama minekuga seonduvaid arvamusi, hoiakuid, infovajadust ja -puudust. Uuringus selgitati, kuidas saavad vastajad aru avalikus diskussioonis kasutatud terminitest (nt kodulähedus ja turvalisus). Metoodika. Uuringus osales 226 inimest, kes oli viimase aasta jooksul lapsevanemaks saanud või saamas. Nad vastasid eFormulari keskkonnas küsimustikule. Andmeanalüüsis kasutati SPSSi ja MS Exceli tarkvara. Avatud vastused läbisid tekstianalüüsi. Tulemused. Vastanud eelistavad infot saada erinevatest allikatest, sh tervishoiutöötajatelt. Kesksete mõistete defineerimisel esineb erinevusi: turvalisust mõistetakse nii personaalse lähenemise kui ka meditsiinilise võimekusena, 72%-le vastajatest on kodulähedane kuni 20 km kaugusel asuv sünnituskoht. Üldiselt hinnati informeeritust rasedusest, sünnitusest ja sünnitama minekust piisavaks. Avatud vastuste põhjal on suurim infopuudus seotud sünnitama minekuga: teave on segane ja vastuoluline. Puudub ka selgus, kuidas võib kasutada kiirabiteenust. Järeldused. Sünnitusosakondade tsentraliseerimisprotsessi planeerimine ja elluviimine eeldab kohaliku kogukonna sisulist kaasamist ning tõhusat kommunikatsiooni, sh läbimõeldud sõnumit alternatiivide puhul

Elu tõelise olemuse tunnetamine, moodsa aja religioon või umbluu – uue vaimsuse erinevad nimetamis- ja käsitlusviisid Eestis

“Sensing the True Being", "Modern Religion" or “Nonsense": Naming and Understanding of New Spirituality in EstoniaWith the decline of traditional institutional religions in the Western secular societies, religiosity has emerged in a variety of individualized forms. Contemporary manifestations of individualistic spirituality challenge the researchers to find the accurate terms and concepts to name and describe the phenomena. Hie article focuses on the questions related to the Estonian term for “new spirituality”. The study is based on the qualitative and quantitative survey material collected in 2014 using the internet questionnaire with 470 respondents, out of whom more than 96% were involved in spiritual milieu (e.g. practiced something spiritual like Reiki or meditation, or read spiritual books). Although the number of respondents who approved the term “new spirituality” was surprisingly high (56%), the qualitative analysis of people’s opinions reveals the reluctance to the naming of spirituality and the tendency to prefer very wide and existential terms like “life itself”, “self-creation” or “true wisdom”. The respondents expressed strongly the opposition for categorizing spirituality as a religion (less than 9% agree that new spirituality could be called like that). People saw spirituality as natural and intrinsic to human beings whereas religion brought out negative connotations, e.g. as being violent, forced, too narrow, and oppressive. Evidently, naming is a strategy both for proponents and opponents of spirituality. Therefore, the study demonstrates that the terminology about contemporary spirituality is not an instrumental issue but indicates the complexity ofchanging religiosity itself and the battles over the social meanings and the position of spirituality