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

Abstract

This article focuses on some issues concerning alternative spirituality 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 they perceive the 'alternative community'). The results of the analysis suggest that involvement in alternative spirituality 'encourages' an interpretation drift (Luhrman, 1989) with regard to one's experiences and their sacralisation, giving these a deeper meaning.