Spiritual literacy: non-religious reconceptualisation for education in a secular environment

Full Te ms & Condi ions o access and use can be ound a h ps://www. and online.com/ac ion/jou nalIn o ma ion?jou nalCode=cijc20 In e na ional Jou nal o Child en's Spi i uali y ISSN: (P in ) (Online) Jou nal homepage: h ps://www. and online.com/loi/cijc20 Spi i ual li e acy: non- eligious econcep ualisa ion o educa ion in a secula en i onmen I o Ji ásek To ci e his a icle: I o Ji ásek (2023): Spi i ual li e acy: non- eligious econcep ualisa ion o educa ion in a secula en i onmen , In e na ional Jou nal o Child en's Spi i uali y, DOI: 10.1080/1364436X.2023.2166467 To link o his a icle: h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/1364436X.2023.2166467 © 2023 The Au ho (s). Published by In o ma UK Limi ed, ading as Taylo & F ancis G oup. Published online: 23 Jan 2023. Submi you a icle o his jou nal A icle iews: 155 View ela ed a icles View C ossma k da a Spi i ual li e acy: non- eligious econcep ualisa ion o educa ion in a secula en i onmen I o Ji ásek Depa men o School Educa ion, Facul y o Humani ies, Tomas Ba a Uni e si y in Zlin, Zlín, Czech Republic ABSTRACT This a icle aims o acili a e he ansi ion om a eligious de ini ion o spi i ual li e acy o a non- eligious, secula one. Philosophical an h opology emphasises he spi i ual dimen- sion as an an h opological cons an . Howe e , esea ch in a ious ields equen ly conside s i s in e sec ion wi h eli- giousness. Non- eligious spi i uali y cul i a es expe iences o anscendence bu does no en e in o he p ocesses o hie ophany ( he sac ed, he holy). The e m ‘spi i ual li e acy’, which emphasises ha he gi en mode o human expe ience is no cons an bu can be in en ionally cul i a ed, p o es op imal o educa ion e en in secula en i onmen o public schools. A spi i ually li e a e (cul i a ed) pe sonali y is an indi idual who e lec s and cul i a es skills o sel - e lec ion, who can ac in ela ion o o he people in a mode cha ac- e ised by p osocial o ien a ion and al uism, who can expe i- ence en i onmen al sensi i i y and kinship wi h na u e, and who is capable o as onishmen and amazemen a expe ien- cing anscendence in ela ion o he wholeness. ARTICLE HISTORY Recei ed 16 Sep embe 2021 Accep ed 2 Janua y 2023 KEYWORDS Spi i uali y; holism; philosophy o educa ion; hie ophany; public schools In oduc ion The seman ic ield de ining he unde s anding o he opic o his pape is e y blu ed and imp ecise. The speci ic delimi a ion o he meanings o basic e ms is undamen ally dependen on he ideological g ounding o indi idual esea che s and expe s publishing on spi i uali y in he educa ional en i on- men . Concep ual ambigui y may he e o e be he eason why spi i ual de el- opmen is pe cei ed as a pa adoxical ideal (Moulin-S ozek 2020). The unclea link is e iden , o example, in he case o spi i ual de elopmen and holis ic educa ion, al hough I can join he iews ha holis ic educa ion mus no neglec he spi i ual dimension o pe sonali y (Nya ko 2020; Mille 2016), o he whole o he human way o being is no comple e wi hou spi i uali y. Since he e is a model ha sees spi i uali y as a concep b oade han he eligious and desc ibes spi i ual de elopmen also wi hin he amewo k o CONTACT I o Ji ásek [email p o ec ed]; [email p o ec ed] Depa men o School Educa ion, Facul y o Humani ies, Tomas Ba a Uni e si y in Zlin, Czech Republic Š e ániko a 5670, Zlín 760 01, Czech Republic INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CHILDREN’S SPIRITUALITY h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/1364436X.2023.2166467 © 2023 The Au ho (s). Published by In o ma UK Limi ed, ading as Taylo & F ancis G oup. This is an Open Access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion-NonComme cial-NoDe i a i es License (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which pe mi s non-comme cial e-use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc- ion in any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed, and is no al e ed, ans o med, o buil upon in any way. eligious educa ion (O’Donnell 2020), I would like o emphasise an al e na i e concep ion. I will y o accen why i is possible o pe cei e spi i uali y wi hou a eligious dimension and how spi i uali y can be de eloped in a secula en i - onmen . Fo his de ini ion I will use he concep o spi i ual li e acy. As I will y o explain in he ollowing ex , a spi i ually li e a e (cul i a ed) pe sonali y is an indi idual who e lec s and cul i a es skills o sel - e lec ion (Rohya in e al. 2020; Ezealah 2019), who can ac in ela ion o o he people in a mode cha - ac e ised by p osocial o ien a ion and al uism (Fiona e al. 2018; Za ghi and Bolghan-Abadi 2021), who can expe ience en i onmen al sensi i i y and kinship wi h na u e (P es on and Shin 2022; Sugan hi 2019), and who is capable o as onishmen and amazemen a expe iencing anscendence in ela ion o he wholeness (Jas zebski 2021; Manuel-Mo gan and Lomas 2021; Abe ne hy and Kim 2018). I will y o p o e ha he spi i ual quali ies o li e belong po en ially o e e y human being, ha i is a undamen al cha ac e o all human beings, bu a he same ime ha wi hou de eloping his po en ial, a pe son can – in he wo ds o Jan Amos Komenský - all in o ‘non-human’ (Hábl, 2017). An unde de eloped spi i uali y mani es s i sel in a na cissis ic o e es ima ion o one’s own impo - ance and in an exagge a ed sel -admi a ion. O (possibly simul aneously) in psychopa hic a ogance in ela ion o o he people’s igh s and eelings. In a lack o sensi i i y o en i onmen al issues and in i esponsible plunde ing o na u al esou ces. In sho , a li e wi h unde eloped spi i uali y is a li e wi hou p inciples and peace, mani es ing i sel in he pu sui o mammon o in supe - icial p eoccupa ion wi hou asking deep ques ions. The e o e, i is app op ia e o de elop one’s spi i ual po en ial and he concep o spi i ual li e acy sugges s he de elopmen al dimension o his heme. Religious spi i uali y I is clea ha he unde s anding o he e ms eligion and spi i uali y, and hei con en , depends o a la ge ex en on hei cul u al and social cons uc ion. One o he heses o his pape is ha eligion – unlike spi i uali y – is no pa o e e yone’s li e. As an example, conside he si ua ion in Cen al Eu ope: while he Czech Republic migh be he mos secula ised coun y in Eu ope, 1 such a cha ac e isa ion does no apply a all o he nea es neighbou ing coun ies, whe e eligiosi y each abou 80% eligious popula ion. 2 A ce ain hype sensi- i i y o e ms such as ‘ eligion’, ‘holy’, ‘sac ed’, e c. can be expe ienced in he Czech Republic. And, e en mo e, he access o eligious o ganisa ions o public educa ion in his coun y is no ully equal, as chu ches based on Ch is iani y in pa icula ha e a p i ileged posi ion hanks o special igh s gua an eed by he s a e (Ha líček 2018). Does his mean ha he people he e canno expe ience deepe s a es o exis ence? A low le el o eligion does no eo ipso mean a low le el o spi i ual 2I. JIRÁSEK expe iences. Pe haps su p isingly, he people li ing he e a e no eligious, bu hey a e highly spi i ual and di e se spi i ual p ac ices belonging o a ious adi ions a e widely used and expe ienced he e (Nešpo o á and Nešpo 2009). The e o e, i seems likely ha e o s o name he essen ial speci ics o non- eligious spi i uali y may be mo e adical in a secula en i onmen han in one whe e spi i uali y and eligion a e concei ed o in a blu ed connec ion be ween he in e sec ions o bo h phenomena, including use in pedagogical con ex s. Because his o ically he de elopmen o spi i uali y has been associa ed p ima ily wi h a eligious way o li e and wi h e en pie y, he eligious modus o spi i uali y has adi ionally de eloped in a eligious con ex . Thus, eligious spi i uali y is pe cei ed di e en ly and speci ically in di e en eligious sys ems, wi h di e en emphases o heology such as Ch is ian spi i uali y (Louw 2021; Sco gie 2022), Islamic spi i uali y (Gho bani e al. 2018; Ami uddin, Qo ib, and Zailani 2021), Jewish spi i uali y (Alex and Mo gan 2016), e c. Due o heological di e ences in he unde s anding o eligious spi i uali y, i s de elopmen is ca ied ou di e en ly, i.e., wi h ega d o eli- gious ai h. So eligious spi i uali y ‘is closely linked wi h eligion o ai h adi- ion’ (Lee 2020), p. 1). Thus eligion can be seen as one o he i e dimensions o spi i uali y ha a eache can de elop in child en (Roge s and Hill 2002). The cu en si ua ion o eligious di e si y also equi es in e eligious dialo- gue in eligious educa ion (Polle ey and Richa ds 2020). Thus, in scien i ic schools, guided by he idea o plu alism and democ acy o di e se eligious sys ems, in o ma ion om scien i ic s udies o eligions is used (Moe 2019), eedom o eligion is emphasised, and he e is no uni o m o common educa- ional policy on eligious educa ion in he coun ies’ na ional sys ems (Llo en - Vaque o 2018). I adi ionally he e m spi i uali y has been used mainly in eligious con ex s, since oughly he mid-20 h cen u y, in ela ion o he New Age mo emen , he wa e o en i onmen alism and eminism, he e m has come o e e o a b oade ange o spi i ual expe iences (Vliegen ha 2020) and nowadays he p e ailing iew is ha spi i uali y can be ealised bo h wi hin and ou side eligious adi ions (Vaughan 2002). Rela ed o his is he inc easingly popula sel -labelling ph ase ‘spi i ual bu no eligious’, wi h which a ela i ely la ge pa o he popula ion o Wes e n ci ilisa ion iden i ies. Ye e en his de ini ion emains a ied and ambiguous in i s use, and cul u ally con ingen (Wixwa and Saucie 2021). Non- eligious spi i uali y The concep ual complexi y and ambigui y o he basic concep , spi i uali y, is behind many o he di icul ies in po en ially de ining i s non- eligious concep- ion. Spi i uali y is pe cei ed as pa o heal h, o spi i ual heal h is concei ed as a holis ic phenomenon (Zullig, Wa d, and Ho n 2006; Fishe 2011; Ji ásek e al. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CHILDREN’S SPIRITUALITY 3 2021). Psychological esea ch ope a es wi h he possibili y o pe cei ing spi i- uali y as an independen dimension o pe sonali y, e.g., as a six h ac o ex ending he ‘Big Fi e’ i e-componen model o pe sonali y (Henningsgaa d and A nau 2008; Piedmon 1999), o linking i o he ou Jungian pe sonali y unc ions (Bunke 1991). Ano he concep p esupposes spi i uali y o be an independen o m o in elligence (Emmons 2000; Vaughan 2002). Howe e , his is a highly deba able concep , as spi i ual expe ience phenomenologically anscends he in ellec ual sphe e (Ga dne 2000). The spi i , he basic cons i u i e elemen o he human way o being, includes no only in ellec , bu also hinking (in ideas), and a ce ain manne o pe cei ing he essen ial con en , as well as a g oup o oli ional and emo i e ac s such as lo e, espec , bliss ulness, eedom, and so o h. The spi i , an exclusi ely human cha ac e is ic, is no an objec o subs ance, bu an e en , a cons an sel - ealisa ion and upda ing. The cen e o he mani es a ions o he spi i is he pe son and his speci ic ea u es o openness o he wo ld, eedom, and exis- en ial de achmen (Schele 1981). Hence he assump ion ha i is possible o analyse spi i uali y wi hou e e ence o eligion and he e o e ha i is ade- qua e o conside he phenomenon o non- eligious, e en a heis spi i uali y, ye his is no an en i ely o iginal heme (Ji ásek 2013; Schnell 2012; Sku zak 2020; Manuel-Mo gan and Lomas 2021; Walach 2017). Ano he p emise is he hypo hesis o he di e ence be ween spi i ual (pneuma ic) and men al (psychic) s a es, p ocesses and expe iences. The o me a e cha ac e ised by an emphasis on he exis en ial dimension o li e and i s meaning (F ankl 2006), hus ans- cending no only physical g ounding in he wo ld bu also psychic pe o - mances (i.e., eason, will, and emo ion). The inal p emise is a cha ac e is ic o non- eligious spi i uali y, e iden in ou dis inc ypes o ela ionships: o sel , o o he people, o na u e, and o anscendence (Jenni e , Haslip, and Schein 2019b; Roge s and Hill 2002; Wal on 1996; Hay and Nye 1998, 1996). No e ha i is he la e ela ionship ha is p obably he main eason o he con la ion o eligious and non- eligious modes o spi i uali y, ha is, he dis inc ion made by he ca ego y o he sac ed, he basic elemen o eligion, and he exis en ialis one ha cha ac e ises spi i uali y. I belie e ha o ade- qua e spi i ual pe sonal de elopmen , including expe ienced anscendence, basic unde s anding need no be ancho ed h ough eligious e ms deno ing an on ologically di e en eali y (God, Lo d, C ea o , highe powe , di ini y, e c.) and expe iences p esupposing a ela ionship o i ( eligious a i ude, ai h, p aye , e c.). This b ings us back o he undamen al di e ence be ween eligion and spi i uali y. Religious and spi i ual expe ience Typically, e e ence is made o he ins i u ional ounda ions o eligious li e and pe sonal expe ience o spi i uali y o dis inguish he wo (Nash 2002), ye I a gue 4I. JIRÁSEK ha he ela ionship be ween he wo domains o indi idual expe ience and social li e is mo e complica ed, including he dis inc ion be ween eligious and spi i ual expe iences. Wha used o be pe cei ed as a eligious mode o expe i- ence is now e y o en desc ibed as he spi i ual dimension o expe ience, like peak expe ience (Maslow 1994), low (Csikszen mihalyi 1975), o holo opic, i.e., o ien ed owa ds he whole (G o 2003). All hese ypes o expe iences a e no he esul o eligious sa u a ion, bu o knowledge based on pe sonal expe i- ence. Thus, hey a e anscenden , spi i ual expe iences, bu no necessa ily eligious ones. In connec ion wi h hei po en ial o use in he pedagogical en i onmen , hey can be subsumed unde he umb ella e m ‘ ans o ma i e expe iences’, expanding a change in he ho izon o unde s anding and li e con ex (Ji ásek, Pa y, and Allison 2020). In pa icula , he pe sonal connec ions ha exceed o dina y expe ience, ha is, he ela ionship o anscendence, o o e coming empi ically de ec able eali y, is he a ea whe e spi i uali y mos closely mee s (o c osses) eligion. Religious expe iences di e om he daily p o ision o needs in he absence o pu pose ulness and en e ing he ealm o he sac ed, he holy. Religious expe i- ences a e a ainable only h ough ai h, which is a e y di e en cogni i e app oach o he wo ld compa ed o o he app oaches such as a ionali y. Wi hou ai h, eligious expe iences and he e o e eligious o ms o he spi i ual dimension canno be ully expe ienced. Bo h sphe es ( eligion and non- eligious spi i uali y) in e ene in bo h a eas, i.e., he p o ane and he sac ed. Religion is no only belie s, i uals and com- mands, bu also objec s, buildings, o ganisa ions and o he secula aspec s belonging essen ially o eligion. Spi i uali y is cha ac e ised in pa icula by expe ien ial s a es such as awe, beau y and lo e, which h ough ex ao dina y expe iences me ge in o ex ao dina y s a es o consciousness. I he expe iences each in o he sac ed sphe e, hey acqui e he cha ac e o mys ical, eligious expe iences. We can imagine wo di ec ions o expe ien ial expansion: hie o- phany, he pene a ion o he sac ed (di ine) in o na u al eali y, so o speak, om he op down, is necessa y o eligious mo emen . Con e sely, he spi i- ual dimension is cha ac e ised by anscendence, ha is, he ascen om o dina y expe ience in o ex ao dina y s a es o consciousness, as i we e, om he bo om up. The in e sec ion o hese wo p ocesses is possible. I will ocus on hose aspec s o he possible de elopmen o spi i uali y ha a e accessible o e e y pe son, ega dless o hei wo ld iew o ai h s ance. Non- eligious spi i ual li e acy This pape in ends o highligh he possibili ies o a non- eligious spi i uali y, i leans owa ds he spi i ual de elopmen o child en h ough undamen al ques ions, and a sense o sel and non-ma e ial well-being (W inge 2002), h ough a sense o awe and wonde , pa adoxes and con lic s as pa s o INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CHILDREN’S SPIRITUALITY 5 human li e (Mille and D ake 1997), by he e ec o he pe sonali y o he eache , who is always he mos impo an ac o : ‘Whoe e ou s uden s may be, wha e e subjec we each, ul ima ely we each who we a e’. (Palme 1999), p. 10). Spi i ual li e acy, which can be de eloped in he secula en i onmen o public schools, hus cul i a es ou basic ela ionships ( o sel , o o he s, o na u e, and o anscendence), makes use o expe ien ial ela ionships ha go beyond he commonly ealised pe sonal iden i y, bu does no en e he ealm o he ‘absolu ely o he ’, he sac ed and holy, whe e spi i ual expe iences a e al eady ans o med in o eligious ones. The e m ‘spi i ual li e acy’ appea s spo adically in he pedagogical li e a u e, bu i is an a ea ha has no been much explo ed and cla i ied so a , and no is i e minologically ancho ed. We encoun e he concep especially in esea ch on child en’s spi i uali y h ough isualisa ion me hods (Binde 2011; Emma and Smalley 2013), whe e he idea o spi i ual li e acy is p esen ed wi hou su icien heo e ical de ini ion and i s in ui i e cla i y is assumed when speci ic ac i i ies in he school en i onmen a e being desc ibed. Also, a se o hund eds o sho examples poin ing o a spi i ual pe spec i e on hings, he en i onmen , leisu e, ela ionships, and communi y uses he e m ‘spi i ual li e acy’ (B ussa and Ann B ussa 1998), bu wi hou adequa e concep ual analysis. Spi i ual li e acy, again wi hou dis inguishing be ween spi i uali y and eligion, is also ela ed o he possibili ies o amily he apy (Holmbe g, Jensen, and Ve e e 2021). Wi h e e - ence o he use o he e m ‘spi i ual li e acy’ in he con ex o eligious educa- ion, he e m has been c i icised as being inhe en ly uns able (Tagga 2002). The mos ecen con ibu ion o he schola ly deba e (Anna and Da Sil a 2022) summa ises he li e a u e on child en’s eme ging spi i uali y, explains he impo ance o spi i ual expe ience in child en’s li es, and e alua es he delinea- ion o spi i uali y owa ds o, o placemen in, eligious educa ion and e lec s on he po en ial implemen a ion in cu iculum and he in oduc ion o spi i ual li e acy in o public educa ion. Thus, i is a e y close ideological a ini y wi h his s udy, di e ing p ima ily in selec ed a gumen a i e emphases and speci ic o mula ions. The idea o he con en ul ilmen o spi i ual li e acy canno be app oached h ough a de ini ion. Howe e , some delimi a ion is p o ided by e e ence o expe iences in he ou ypes o ela ionships al eady men ioned. O cou se, i is no possible o make a comp ehensi e lis , so I will a he indica e he a ious aspec s by selec ed illus a i e examples: (1) Spi i uali y in ela ion o onesel is mani es ed in he skills o sel - e lec ion (including lis ening o he oice o conscience), mind ulness, concen a- ion on p esen s a es o being, and ques ioning he meaning o li e. This a ea can be cul i a ed h ough calming and se ling down, by limi ing he pe cep ion o p essu e and excessi e sensa ions o he ex e nal wo ld, 6I. JIRÁSEK con empla ion, medi a ion, b ea h wo k, ac i e imagina ion (Koncz e al. 2021, Kea ing 2017; Van Go don, Shonin, and Richa dson 2018, Pio owski, Binde , and Schwind 2017). (2) Spi i uali y in ela ion o o he people p esen s i sel in he ho izon al anscendence o he sel in p osocial o ien a ion and al uism, in pe so- nal iendly and lo ing a i udes, in compassion owa ds o he s. Such a ela ionship canno be concei ed in a possessi e mode, i is no based only on pe sonal indi idual quali ies, bu is he building o a space ‘be ween’ wo people (Tsaba 2017; Aslanian 2018). (3) Spi i uali y in ela ion o na u e is e iden in he en i onmen al sensi i i y and in he a ini y wi h he na u al wo ld, in he possibili ies o ‘connec- ion’ o he landscape and he na u al wo ld. This a ea is well commu- nica ed by a well-de eloped adi ion o en i onmen al and ou doo educa ion (Hein zman e al. 2008; 2010, Solomon 2003). (4) Spi i uali y in ela ion o he whole and o anscendence, which is e iden in he e ical ex ension o he sel , mani es ed in he capaci y o wonde and amazemen . The expe ience o o e lap, deep connec ion, consonance o usion, which app oxima e he desc ip ions o he ex a- o dina y s a es o consciousness commen ed abo e (peak expe ience, low, holo opic expe ience) and ans o ma i e expe iences, bu wi hou he in ol emen o he p ocess o hie ophany and en e ing he ealm o he sac ed and holy. The expe ience o inding one’s own place in he o ali y o eali y and accep ing he pa adoxical na u e o eali y (Pi e al. 2015; Schinkel 2020; Yaden e al. 2017). The e o e, I p esen a wo king de ini ion o a spi i ually li e a e pe sonali y as an indi idual who e lec s and cul i a es skills o sel - e lec ion, mind ulness, and concen a ion in ela ion o hemsel es, who can ac in ela ion o o he people in a mode cha ac e ised by p osocial o ien a ion and al uism, i.e., iendly and lo ing, who can expe ience en i onmen al sensi i i y and kinship wi h na u e, and who is capable o as onishmen and amazemen a expe iencing anscen- dence in ela ion o he whole and anscendence, o example, in he o m o ex ao dina y s a es o consciousness and ans o ma i e expe iences. How o de elop spi i ual li e acy Conside ing he easonable scope o he ex , I will only poin ou , by way o illus a ion, a ew possibili ies o he de elopmen o spi i ual li e acy wi h ega d o he age o he pe sonali ies being de eloped. E en a an ea ly age, in he p eschool se ing, child en can be spi i ually cul i a ed h ough ee play, c ea i e exp ession, and by emphasising holis ic educa ional oppo uni ies in building in e pe sonal ela ionships, sensing INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CHILDREN’S SPIRITUALITY 7 ad en u e, asking ques ions, and p ac icing i ues (Ma a-McMahon 2019; Jenni e , Haslip, and Schein 2019a, 2020). In p ima y educa ion, pic u e books a e p o ing o be app op ia e ehicles o cul i a ing spi i ual li e acy, pa icula ly as a basis o guided discussion be ween child en and an adul acili a o o highligh spi i ual issues (Kendall 1999), o in e p e ing associa ions be ween hei own li es and my hological s o ies (Hyde 2005), o using a echniques, d ama isa ion and ole-play (Gellel 2018). Simila ly, eading s o ies wi hou isual accompanimen can se e a simila pu pose (Mye s and Elaine Mye s 1999). Fo olde school-aged child en wi h mo e de eloped cogni i e skills and abs ac hinking, he pedagogical app oach o Philosophy o Child en (P4C) (Lipman 1984, 2011) has been shown o be a sui able ool o de eloping spi i ual li e acy. The goal o P4C is holis ic hinking (Lipman 1993), o a o m o ‘ ull li e acy’ (Mu is 2016), hence i mee s he ques o cul i a e spi i ual li e acy in a holis ic exis ence. In adolescence, ou doo educa ion also appea s o be a sui able op ion o de eloping spi i ual li e acy, as li e ans o ma ion h ough ad en u e and expe ien ial p og ams adically changes ela ionships o sel , o he s, na u e, and he whole (Ji ásek and S oboda 2016; Quay 2013; Hein zman 2010). I seems ha he essence o hese pa icula educa ional ac i i ies can be unde - s ood in hei ambi alence o a ac ion and conce n as a p inciple o spi i ual de elopmen o implici eligion (Ji ásek 2020). Spi i ual li e acy can also be de eloped in adul hood wi h adequa e means and me hods. As an example o he wonde and amazemen o con on ing wha anscends ou indi idual exis ence, le us men ion he p inciples o sys emic cons ella ions (Hellinge 2002, 2003), used in psycho he apy, pa ne and amily counselling, coaching and managemen , as well as in pedagogy. The di e se links and sys emic connec ions a e o med no only by isible hie a ch- ical s uc u es, bu also by unconscious emo ional sa u a ions (Wel o d 2014; P i zke and Duncan 2019). Spi i ual li e acy, howe e , is a opic ha escapes a clea desc ip ion o he con en o he cu iculum and pene a es a he in o he wo ld beyond wo ds, in o he ealm o imagina ion and symbolic a che ypes. Conclusion The e-concep ualised iew o spi i ual li e acy as a pedagogical e o o de elop hose dimensions o he human way o li e ha can be le in seclusion in adi ional educa ion allows he educa ional use o a ious echniques, me h- ods, means, and s a egies wi hou e e ence o a eligious ideological back- g ound. To pu i mo e clea ly: such e o s a e no di ec ed agains espec able eligious adi ions. I is a o mula ion o an e o o spi i ually deepen he li es o people o whom eligious li e is inaccessible because hey do no possess 8I. JIRÁSEK Wixwa , M., and G. Saucie . 2021. “Being Spi i ual bu No Religious.” Cu en Opinion in Psychology 40: 121–125. doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2020.09.003. W inge, C. 2002. “Is The e Spi i uali y? Can I Be Pa o Educa ion?” Jou nal o Philosophy o Educa ion 36 (2): 157–170. doi:10.1111/1467-9752.00267. Yaden, D. B., J. Haid , R. W. Hood J , D. R. Vago, and A. B. Newbe g. 2017. “The Va ie ies o Sel -T anscenden Expe ience.” Re iew o Gene al Psychology 21 (2): 143–160. doi:10.1037/ gp 0000102. Za ghi, M., and M. Bolghan-Abadi. 2021. “The Al uism T ai : The Role o Religiousness.” Jou nal o Religion & Heal h 60 (2): 684–691. doi:10.1007/s10943-019-00900-z. Zullig, K. J., R. M. Wa d, and T. Ho n. 2006. “The Associa ion Be ween Pe cei ed Spi i uali y, Religiosi y, and Li e Sa is ac ion: The Media ing Role o Sel -Ra ed Heal h.” Social Indica o s Resea ch 79 (2): 255–274. doi:10.1007/s11205-005-4127-5. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CHILDREN’S SPIRITUALITY 15