Today's Spirituality Pulse
Almsgiving framed as spiritual wealth in Manila Bulletin
The Manila Bulletin piece explores the practice of giving alms as a means to cultivate inner meaning, linking charitable acts to the promise of heavenly treasure. The story was reported by two separate Business sections, underscoring its relevance.
Tony Leung Says Working with Wong Kar-Wai Rescued Him From Existential Boredom
In a fresh English‑language interview, veteran actor Tony Leung disclosed that he contemplated quitting acting due to an "existential boredom" that threatened his career. He credits director Wong Kar-wai for transforming his outlook, turning personal melancholy into a source of artistic and spiritual renewal.
Vatican Issues ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ Encyclical Urging Tough AI Regulation
Pope Leo XIV released the 43,000‑word encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas,” calling for robust regulation of artificial intelligence. The document frames AI as a moral risk, urging developers to prioritize the common good over profit and warning of its impact on warfare,...
Trump Signs Executive Order to Fast‑Track Psychedelic Research, Boosting Spiritual‑Based Therapies
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on April 18, 2026 that accelerates federal research into psychedelic medicines and awards priority review vouchers to Compass Pathways, Usona Institute and Transcend Therapeutics. The move has ignited a surge in biotech stock...
Good Enough ~ The Story of the Golden Buddha
The Golden Buddha at Wat Traimit, a 10‑foot, 5.5‑ton solid‑gold statue, was hidden beneath clay during the 1700s Burmese invasion. For over two centuries it was mistaken for an ordinary plaster figure until a 1955 relocation accident cracked the outer...
Esalen Institute Offers Week-Long ‘Inner Atlas’ Somatic Self‑Inquiry Workshop
Esalen Institute’s website details a week-long ‘Inner Atlas’ somatic self‑inquiry workshop in Big Sur, guiding participants through breathwork, movement, writing and relational mirrors. Led by Lihi Benisty, the program offers scholarships and a living body‑map tool for ongoing self‑navigation.
Interactive ‘We Are Made of SUN’ Exhibition Merges Art, Tech and Spiritual Reflection in Hanoi
A collaborative exhibition titled “We are made of SUN,” staged at Hanoi’s Thang Long Imperial Citadel, combines generative art, interactive lighting and sound to prompt visitors to contemplate humanity’s connection to the sun, nature and a sustainable future. The project,...
35 Simple Ways to Be More Present (That You Can Do Right Now)
Yoga Journal editor Laura Harold shares 35 practical ways to cultivate presence, ranging from brief breathing pauses to sensory‑rich activities like tasting food mindfully. The list emphasizes that mindfulness needn’t require long meditation sessions; even five‑minute practices can regulate the...
Sri Lankan Leaders Invoke Buddhist Path to Peace in Vesak Day Messages
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya delivered Vesak Day messages that framed Buddhism’s inner‑peace teachings as a guide for national unity and environmental stewardship. Their remarks underscore a renewed push to embed spiritual values in public...
Terry Tempest Williams Links Climate Grief to Spiritual Resilience in New ‘Glorians’ Interview
Author Terry Tempest Williams sat down with Living on Earth host Steve Curwood to discuss her 2026 book “The Glorians,” framing climate anxiety and personal loss as opportunities for spiritual resilience. The interview, streamed online, highlights her desert‑based metaphors for ordinary...
Talker Research Finds 32% of Americans in Existential Crisis, Survey Shows
Talker Research’s latest nationwide poll shows 32% of Americans are currently experiencing an existential crisis, questioning meaning and identity. The distress is most acute among Generation Z, where 52% report such feelings, highlighting a growing demand for spiritual and philosophical...
Pope Leo XIV Issues First Encyclical ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ on AI and Human Dignity
On May 15, 2026 Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical, ‘Magnifica Humanitas,’ a landmark document that tackles artificial intelligence and the preservation of human dignity. Presented publicly on May 25 in the Vatican’s Synod Hall, the letter calls for dialogue, warns...
India’s Vice President Hails Art of Living’s 45‑Year Spiritual Impact, Launches Five New Initiatives
Vice President C P Radhakrishnan inaugurated five new programmes on youth development, entrepreneurship, sustainability and education at the Art of Living International Center, while unveiling a commemorative stamp marking the movement’s 45‑year legacy. He linked India’s ancient spiritual heritage to a growing...
Renunciation Isn’t Burnout in Spiritual Clothing
The post argues that Buddhist renunciation is often mistaken for spiritual burnout, but it actually represents an expanded desire rooted in a broader understanding of existence. Rather than suppressing ambition, true renunciation emerges when one perceives life’s impermanence, karma and...
Neuroscientists Use Visual Blind Spot to Test Competing Theories of Consciousness
Researchers from the University of Glasgow and York University released a January 2026 study protocol that leverages the visual blind spot as a testbed for rival consciousness theories. The INTREPID collaboration will compare predictions from integrated information theory and predictive...
LMU Researchers Pinpoint Thalamic Oscillation as Biological Signature of Consciousness
A team led by Professor Tobias Staudigl and PD Dr. Elisabeth Kaufmann at Ludwig Maximilian University identified a rapid 20‑45 Hz thalamic oscillation that occurs exclusively during waking and REM sleep, disappearing in non‑REM sleep. Published in Nature Human Behaviour, the...
Anthropic Teams with Vatican on AI Ethics Framework Grounded in Human Dignity
Anthropic has formalized a partnership with the Vatican to co‑create an AI ethics framework rooted in human dignity. The deal follows a Vatican‑hosted event where co‑founder Chris Olah presented the upcoming encyclical “Magnifica humanitas.” The collaboration signals a growing trend...
Experience a Small-Group Retreat at Rising Circle Ranch
If you've read my latest book, The Meaning of Your Life, and you're ready to do the work in person, I've partnered with Modern Elder Academy—the world’s preeminent place for retreats about life’s biggest questions. MEA’s Rising Circle Ranch in...
QOSHE Launches “The Return of Animism” To Map Rising Nature‑based Spirituality
QOSHE has published “The Return of Animism,” a long‑form essay by Katherine Dee that argues a growing cultural turn toward animistic spirituality is emerging as social‑media influence wanes. The piece situates the shift within broader debates about identity, technology and...
Victor Acquista’s ‘Feed Your Hungry Soul’ Wins Nautilus Silver and Eric Hoffer Grand Prize Finalist
Physician‑contemplative Victor Acquista’s book *Feed Your Hungry Soul: Awaken Your Loving Heart* secured a Nautilus Silver Award and a Grand Prize finalist spot in the Eric Hoffer Book Awards, announced on May 28, 2026 in Ave Maria, Fla. The dual honors...
Quiet Wellness Becomes Luxury Trend, Prioritizing Mindful Stillness
BeautyNews.com reported that quiet wellness is now being positioned as the newest form of luxury, as affluent consumers favor low‑key, contemplative practices over performative self‑care. The shift is reshaping hotel offerings, spa designs and daily supplement routines, signaling a deeper...
Wellness Resorts Roll Out $1,000‑a‑Day Luxury Grief Retreats Amid Loneliness Surge
Wellness resorts such as Mexico’s Rancho La Puerta have begun offering $1,000‑a‑day luxury grief retreats, targeting the estimated one‑third of American adults who are grieving at any moment. The programs blend communal healing, nature immersion, and spiritual practices as operators...
What Dark Retreat Offers (Andrew Holocek)
Andrew Holocek, a veteran Tibetan Buddhist practitioner, explains how dark retreats use sustained darkness to deepen clarity, creativity, and healing. He traces the practice to ancient wisdom traditions and argues that modern society’s light‑addiction creates an imbalance that darkness can...
Death Reveals Time's Value and Life's Uniqueness
In the words of @VanceCrowe “Death clarifies some shit” I lost my dad when I was younger, and I think it changed how I look at the world I think my fascination with relay cropping is the time aspect of it. You’re...
Seek Peace Amid Turbulence: Make Awareness Your Home
‘In times of unusual turbulence, the search for peace intensifies. You look to your circumstances, to events, to the resolution of conflicts that seem always just out of reach.’ ‘Make Awareness Your Home’ – available now on Rupert’s Substack channel. https://t.co/UERpTuKISB https://t.co/e02bJGqObL
Hundreds Gather in Lüneburg for Historic Interfaith Peace Service
On May 25, 2026, hundreds of participants from Christian, Muslim, Jewish and other traditions assembled in Lüneburg's Kurpark for a Pentecost service dedicated to peace and renewal. The gathering, described as a proof‑of‑concept for grassroots interfaith collaboration, comes as geopolitical...
Embrace Change Fully with Ursula K. Le Guin's Remedy
How to live fully — Ursula K. Le Guin’s remedy for our resistance to change https://t.co/FJ1Mj8JA6f
Pope Leo XIV Issues Historic Apology for Catholic Church’s Role in Slavery
In his inaugural encyclical, Pope Leo XIV publicly apologized for the Catholic Church’s centuries‑long role in legitimizing slavery, calling the legacy a “wound in Christian memory.” The apology, welcomed by Black Catholic scholars, marks the first papal admission of institutional...
Pope Leo XIV’s First Encyclical Calls for AI ‘Disarmament’ and Human‑Centred Ethics
Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, on May 25, 2026, branding artificial intelligence a defining moral challenge. The 42,300‑word document, presented with Anthropic co‑founder Christopher Olah, demands ethical oversight, an end to an AI arms race, and...
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Links AI to Intuition at Bengaluru Mega Event
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar spoke to more than 7,000 children at the Art of Living's Intuition gathering in Bengaluru, declaring that the age of artificial intelligence must be balanced by nurturing "Absolute Intelligence." The event featured blindfolded cycling, spoon‑bending...
IBS Team Calls for New Criteria to Separate Consciousness From AI Information Processing
The Institute for Basic Science announced that a team led by Hakwan Lau, with collaborators Takuya Tashiro‑Dumouchel and Joseph LeDoux, published a Neuron paper separating conscious experience from mere information processing. The findings challenge current AI and organoid ethics debates...
Rubio’s Kolkata Visit to Mother Teresa House Sparks Religious Freedom Debate
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio visited Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity headquarters in Kolkata on May 23, sparking applause from Catholic officials and sharp criticism from India’s ruling BJP and RSS. The two‑hour stop has been framed as a signal on...
Hundreds Gather on Mount Constitution for Eagle Healing Ceremony
Residents of Washington's San Juan Islands assembled on Mount Constitution for the Gathering of the Eagles, a nature‑focused healing ceremony. The event underscores a growing trend of outdoor spiritual practice that blends environmental immersion with collective well‑being.
Veterans Lead Psychedelic Therapy Push, Launch Mindscapes Platform
Former service members are spearheading the use of ibogaine and other psychedelics to treat PTSD, TBI and moral injury, highlighted at the Psychedelic Science 2025 conference and the Netflix documentary “In Waves and War.” Disabled American Veterans has responded by...
Your True Self Remains Unchanged Through All Life
‘Your current experience of being is exactly the same as the experience of being you had two minutes ago, two days ago, two years ago and as a two-year-old infant. It is exactly the same experience you will have on...
Sadhguru Says True Well‑Being Is Joy on a Rock, Not Luxury
Sadhguru posted on X that "living well does not mean luxury" and that true happiness can be felt "even sitting on a rock." The message, shared on May 26, 2026, has gone viral, challenging the prevailing equation of success with...
Neuroscientist Christof Koch Calls Consciousness a Fundamental Feature of Reality
Renowned neuroscientist Christof Koch presented a bold claim at the 15th “Behind and Beyond the Brain” symposium in Porto, asserting that consciousness is a fundamental aspect of reality rather than a product of the brain. His argument, built on Integrated...
Warren Buffett Advice: How to Be Happy with Yourself (Simple Tips for Inner Happiness)
Renowned investor Warren Buffett shares five timeless principles for personal happiness, emphasizing an inner scorecard over external approval. He argues that wealth only magnifies existing character traits and cannot substitute for contentment. Buffett measures true success by the love received...
What a Neurosurgeon Saw Beyond Death Changes Science & Spirituality | Dr. Eben Alexander
In this episode, neurosurgeon Dr. Eben Alexander recounts his near‑death experience and explains how it shattered his materialist worldview, leading him to embrace a consciousness‑first model supported by quantum physics and NDE research. He discusses scientific evidence for reincarnation, including...
Rabbi Henry Calls Dayenu a Guide to Gratitude and Contentment in Modern Judaism
Rabbi Sharyn Henry, senior rabbi of Rodef Shalom Congregation, published a reflective column on April 17, 2025, in the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, urging Jews to revisit the Dayenu liturgy as a framework for gratitude and the pursuit of contentment. She...
INFOnews Highlights Mindful Chores as a Spiritual Boost for Mental Health
iNFOnews featured expert commentary from Zen monk Shoukei Matsumoto and psychologist Holly Schiff, who argue that routine household chores can become mindful rituals that improve mental health. The piece links ancient monastic practice to modern wellness trends, positioning cleaning as...
Stay Grounded: Align Nervous System, Intuition, Values
Spring 2026 energy: Staying deeply connected to your nervous system, intuition, and values so that you never feel lost.
Robert Wright’s ‘The God Test’ Positions AI as a Spiritual Reckoning
Robert Wright’s new book, The God Test: Artificial Intelligence and Our Coming Cosmic Reckoning, will be released on June 23, 2026, priced at $29.99. The work casts the current AI surge as an evolutionary force that forces a spiritual and...
South Korean President Lee Calls Buddhist Non‑Duality Essential Wisdom for Nation
President Lee Jae‑myung highlighted Buddhist concepts of non‑duality and collective compassion during a Buddha’s Birthday ceremony in Yangju, saying they are the most needed wisdom for today’s society. The remarks signal a rare public endorsement of spiritual teachings by a...
The Trip I Almost Cancelled — And the Silence I Brought Home
A woman’s solo trip to Luang Prabang, Laos, was nearly canceled three times due to family obligations, but she ultimately went and experienced a profound sense of silence and personal sovereignty. The early‑morning alms‑giving ceremony and quiet river journeys stripped...
What Trees Know About Living Well (That We've Completely Forgotten)
Robert Moor’s book *In Trees* frames trees as a master class for living, urging readers to emulate growth, pruning, and rootedness. The essay distills six lessons—from maintaining a “branchy” mind through diverse experiences to embracing co‑flourishing and deep relationality. It...
The Tablet Highlights 'Integral Humanism' Initiative Amid AI Debate
The Tablet reported the launch of Pope Leo’s encyclical on safeguarding the human person in the age of artificial intelligence, unveiling the Magnifica Humanitas initiative’s “Integral Humanism” framework. The proposal seeks to re‑anchor human freedom and dignity in Christian theology...
Facing Death (with Sebastian Junger)
In this episode, Russ Roberts talks with author and former war correspondent Sebastian Junger about his new memoir, *In My Time of Dying*, which recounts his near‑fatal pancreatic artery aneurysm and his lifelong encounters with death. Junger reflects on how...
Authors Launch 'The Ikigai Journey' To Guide Readers Toward Purposeful Living
Héctor García and Francesc Miralles have released 'The Ikigai Journey', a guide that translates the Japanese notion of ikigai into actionable habits. Drawing on fieldwork in the longevity‑renowned village of Ogimi, the authors argue that purposeful activity is a cornerstone...
Britain’s Psychic Boom Signals a New Mysticism Trend
A New Statesman report finds Britain’s clairvoyant industry booming as more people seek psychic readings. The surge reflects a broader revival of mysticism, while skeptics warn of consumer protection and mental‑health risks.
Chacruna’s New Report Highlights Growing Tensions in Psychedelic Culture
Chacruna published a comprehensive analysis of the friction points shaping today’s psychedelic movement, citing border restrictions, surveillance, and inequitable access. Founder Bia Labate warned that cross‑border gatherings are already acts of resistance, underscoring the urgency for inclusive policy and cultural...