THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PSYCHOLOGY AND RELIGION

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THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PSYCHOLOGY AND RELIGION PROSPECTUS

Description

The Blanton-Peale Institute, founded in 1937 and dedicated to the integration of religion and psychology, has been contracted by Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. to compile an encyclopedia of psychology and religion , a comprehensive reference work consisting of some 800 articles contributed by scholars of importance in the field of religion, psychology, psychology and religion, and the psychology of religion.

The Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion will offer a definitive and intellectually rigorous collection of psychological interpretations of the stories, rituals, motifs, symbols, doctrines, dogmas, and experiences of the world's religious and mythological traditions. In doing so it will not aim to "reduce" religious tradition or experience to "psychological interpretation," but to facilitate an already established and growing dialogue between two convergent approaches to human experience and wholeness. The Encyclopedia will apply a range of psychological approaches to understanding the form and content of religious experience. But at the same time, it will offer access to the profound symbols and reservoirs of meaning communicated, from time immemorial, in the world's religions.

The Encyclopedia will provide a crucial new resource for the collaboration and mutual illumination of these two fields. For those in the study of religion it will offer new tools for understanding the images, structures, symbols, and rhythms that constitute the vocabulary of religious experience. For those in the field of psychology it will unpack deep patterns of meaning and practice that inform human culture and the personal identity of millions.

Content and Approach

The articles, which will range from short definitions of 100 words, to entries of up to 2000 words, will include standard working terms in the fields of psychology (e.g., anima, superego, self, archetype) and religion (e.g., pilgrimage, prayer, ablution, ritual, martyrdom, conversion, rites), significant figures in the dialogue between religion and psychology (e.g., Freud, Jung, James, Eliade), and religious figures who loom large in the convergence of these fields (e.g., Augustine, Black Elk, Rumi, Teresa of Avila). Entries will be drawn from a wide variety of religious traditions, not only the modern world religions, such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism, but also, e.g., African Animism, pre-Christian Celtic and Germanic traditions, Egyptian, Greek, Gnostic, and Native North American and Mesoamerican religious movements.

In addition to short definitions, the encyclopedia will translate archetypal, mythological, and religious material into contemporary psychological language with specific, sometimes clinical examples in thorough, comprehensive articles. While recognizing the particular cultural identities of such figures as Kali, Christ, Mary, and Muhammad, and such ideas and places as the Incarnation and the "dark night of the soul," the Ganges and the Garden of Eden, the authors will address the power inherent in each of these to affect our lives (for sample entries and a partial list of subjects, see below).

Each entry will create a tension of meaning between traditional religious terms and psychological interpretations. The result will be not to impose the correct or definitive meaning, but to explore new and latent deposits of meaning that bear implications for human self-understanding, cross-cultural interpretation and therapeutic possibilities.

The Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion is intended to be a "user-friendly" reference work for a broad audience. We envision a relatively large printing so that the book will be available on publication to libraries, both university and public; scholars and students in the fields of psychology and religion including members of such organizations as the American Academy of Religion and the American Psychological Association; clinicians and therapists interested in understanding the religious experience of their patients; clergy, pastoral agents, and spiritual directors interested in the psychological aspects of faith and religious practice; general readers interested in self-discovery and in finding new meaning in sacred stories.

Editorial Staff

The encyclopedia project will be coordinated by an editorial staff advised by Mr. Kenneth Giniger of K.S. Giniger Co. and composed of Dr. David A. Leeming. Professor Leeming has taught courses in Myth, Religion, and Literature for many years and has published several books on this subject. He has previous experience in overseeing encyclopedia-type projects, including the Oxford Companion to World Mythology (fall 2005) and is currently Editor-in-Chief of Blanton-Peale's Journal of Religion and Health.

Partial List of Entries

*=psychological terminology

• Ablutions
• *Active Imagination
• Adam and Eve (see Genesis)
• Advaita
• Advaya
• Affliction Cults
• African-Americans and Religion
• Afterlife (and see Hell and Heaven)
• Ahimsa
• Alchemy
• Allah (and see God)
• Amor and Psyche
• *Amplification
• Androgyne
• Angels
• Anima and Animus
• Animism
• Anthropomorphism
• AntiChrist
• Apocalypse
• Apollo
• Apollonian and Dionysian
• Apotheosis
• Archetype (and see Collective Unconscious)
• Arhat
• Aristotle and Religion
• Ascension
• Asceticism
• Astrology
• Atonement
• Augustine
• Avalokitesvara (and see Tibetan Buddhism)
• Avesta
• Axis Mundi (and see Ygdrassil)
• Bahais
• Baptism
• Bhagavadgita
• Bhakti
• Bible (see Torah, see New Testament)
• Black Elk
• Blessing
• Bodhisattvas
• Brahman
• Breathing
• Buddha
• Buddha-nature
• Buddhism
• Cain and Abel
• Calvinism
• Campbell, Joseph
• Carnival
• Castration
• Catholicism
• Celtic Religion
• Center of the World (and see World Tree, City, Temple)
• Ceremony
• Chaos
• Christ
• Christ as Symbol of Self (see Jung and Religion)
• Christianity
• Circumambulation
• Circumcision
• City, the (and see Jerusalem)
• Clitoridectomy
• *Collective Unconscious (and see Archetype)
• Communal and Personal Identity (and see Collective Unconscious)
• Communitas
• *Complex
• Confession
• Conflict Between Good and Evil
• Confucianism
• Conscience
• Cosmogonies
• Cosmology
• *Constellate
• Contemplative Prayer (and see Prayer)
• Creation (and see Cosmogonies)
• Creation in Curing (and see Sand painting and John I)
• Crossroads
• Crucifixion
• Culture Heroes
• Cultural Psychology (and see Communal Identity)
• Dance and Religion
• Dark Mother
• Dark Night of the Soul (and see Night Journey)
• Deism
• Deluge
• Demons
• *Depth Psychology
• Descent to the Underworld (and see Monomyth)
• Deus Otiosus
• Devi
• Dharma
• Dionysos
• Dismemberment (and see Osiris and Egyptian Religion)
• Divination
• Divine Child (see Puer Aeternus)
• Dogon Religion
• Dragon Killing
• Dreaming, The
• Dreams
• Drugs in Religion
• Dying God (and see Dionysos, Jesus, Osiris, Hanging)
• Earth Goddesses (see Goddess)
• Earth Mother (see Goddess)
• Ecstasy
• *Ego
• Eliade, Mircea
• Enchantress (and see Monomyth)
• Epiphanies
• Eros
• *Eschatology
• Esoteric Buddhism
• Eternity
• Ethics and Ethical Behavior
• *Etiology
• Eucharist
• *Extroversion
• Exodus
• Exorcism
• Fairy Tale
• Faith
• Fall, the
• Family (and see Parents, Pantheons)
• *Feeling
• Femme Fatale (see Enchantress)
• Flagellation
• Food and Religion
• Fools and Tricksters
• Frenzy
• Freud, Sigmund
• Freud and Religion
• Garden or Grove (and see Sacred Places)
• Genesis (and see Creation and Cosmogonies)
• Genitals and the Cult of Fertility
• Gnosticism (see Jung and Gnosticism)
• God
• Goddess
• *God-Image
• Golden Bough, The
• Grace
• Grail, The Holy
• Great Mother (see Goddess)
• Gurus
• Hajj
• Hanging and Hanging God (and see Odin, Jesus)
• Happiness as a Goal (and see Quests and Perfection)
• Healing
• Heaven
• Hell
• Heresy
• *Hermeneutics
• Hero (and see Culture Hero and Monomyth)
• Hierarchy
• Hierophany
• *Hierosagmos
• Hildegard von Bingen
• Hinduism
• Humans and Transcendent Reality (see Meaning of Human Existence)
• IChing
• Iconography
• *Id
• Idolatry
• Immortality
• Incarnation
• Indian Religion
• *Individuation
• Inflation
• Initiation (and see Monomyth)
• *Instinct
• *Introversion
• *Intuition
• Islam
• Islamic Law
• Jainism
• James, William
• Jerusalem (and see City)
• Jesus (and see Hanging God)
• Jewish Law
• Jihad
• Job
• John I as Christian Creation (and see Creation as Curing)
• John of the Cross
• Judaism
• Julian of Norwich
• Jung, Carl .G.
• Jung and Alchemy
• Jung and Gnosticism
• Jung and Religion
• Kab'ah
• Kabbalah
• Kali
• Karman
• Kingdom of God (and see Redemption, Perfection, Quests)
• Kingship
• Krsna
• Labyrinth
• Last Judgment
• *Libido
• Linga and Yoni
• Liturgy
• Logos
• Magic
• Mandala
• Mantra
• Mecca (and see center of the World)
• Mountain, the
• Martyrdom
• Mary
• Masculine Sacrality
• Maya
• Meaning of Human Existence
• Meditation
• Meister Eckhart
• Messiah
• Millenarianism
• Miracles
• Miracles
• Moksa
• Monasticism
• Monomyth (and see Hero)
• Mortification
• Moses
• Mother
• Muhammad
• Mummification (and see Osiris and Egyptian Religion)
• Music and Religion
• Mystery Religions
• Mysticism
• Myth
• Myth and Dream Relationship
• Names of God
• Native American Religion
• Nativity
• New Religions and Cults
• New Testament
• Night Journey (and See Dark Night of the Soul)
• Nirvana
• Numbers and Numerology
• Numinosum
• Obedience
• *Objective Psyche
• Occultism
• Odin (and see Hanging God)
• Oedipal Complex
• Oedipus Myth
• Olympians
• Om
• *Ontology
• Oracles
• Original Sin (and see Sin)
• Orthodoxy
• Osiris and Egyptian Religion
• Otherworld (and see Underworld)
• Pantheism
• Pantheons (and see Family and Parents)
• Paradise
• Parents and Parenting
• *Participation Mystique
• Penitentes
• Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity
• Perfection and the Quest for Perfection (and see Quests)
• *Persona
• Personal Unconscious (and see Collective Unconscious)
• Phallus in Religion (and see Linga and Yoni)
• Pietism
• Pilgrimage (and see Quest)[SEE SAMPLE ENTRY BELOW]
• Plato and Religion
• Polytheism
• *Possession
• Postmortal Existence (see Afterlife, see Reincarnation)
• Prayer (and see Contemplative Prayer)
• Priesthood
• Primal Egg (and see Creation and Cosmogonies)
• Primal Horde Theory
• Primal People
• Primal Waters
• *Projection
• Prophecy
• Prophets
• Protestantism
• *Psychiatry
• Psyche
• Psyche and Soul
• *Psychoanalysis
• *Psychology
• Psychology and Religion Movement
• Psychology of Religion Movement
• *Psychosis
• *Psychotherapy
• Psychotherapy and Religion
• Puer Aeternus
• Puranas
• Purgatory
• Quaternity
• Quest
• Qur'an
• Rama
• Rebirth
• Redemption and the Quest for Redemption (and see Quests)
• Reincarnation (and see Hinduism and Afterlife)
• Relationships
• Relics
• Religion
• Religion and Therapy
• Religious Drama
• Religious Orders
• Repentance
• *Repression
• Resurrection (and see Monomyth, Jesus, Osiris)
• Return and Apotheosis of the Hero (see Monomyth)
• Revelation
• Rites of Passage
• Ritual
• Ritual Curing
• Ritual Utterances
• Rumi, Celaladin
• Sacraments
• Sacred Meals
• Sacred Places (and see Mountain, Temple, Stone)
• Sacred Time
• Sacrifice
• Saints
• Sakti and Saktism
• Salvation
• Samsara
• Sand Painting (see Ritual Curing)
• Satan
• Scapegoat
• Search for the Father (see Monomyth)
• Secret Societies
• Self
• *Senex
• Separation of Primal Couple
• Seven Deadly Sins
• Sex and Religion
• *Shadow
• Shamans and Shamanism
• Shi'a Islam
• Shinto
• Sikhs and Sikhism
• Sin
• Siva
• Sky Gods
• Snakes
• Soteriology
• Soul (and see Psyche and Psyche and Soul)
• Spirit
• Stigmata
• Stone, the
• Suffering, Pain, and Injustice
• Sufis and Sufism
• *Superego
• Symbol
• Symbolic Architecture
• Synchronisity
• Syncretism
• Taboo
• Talmud
• Tantrism
• Taoism
• Temple, the (and see Center of the World)
• Temptation
• Temptress (see Enchantress)
• Teresa of Avila
• *Thanatos
• Tibetan Buddhism
• Tibetan Religion
• Torah
• Totem
• *Transcendent Function
• *Transference
• Transfiguration
• Transpersonal Psyche
• Tree, the (and see Sacred Places)
• *Unconscious
• Upanisads
• Uroboros
• Vedanta
• Vedas and Vedism
• Vestments
• Virgin Birth
• Vision Quests
• Visnu
• Vocation
• Voodoo
• Vows
• Water
• Wicca
• Women and Religion
• World Center
• Yahweh
• Yoga
• Yoruba Religion
• Zen Buddhism
• Zionism
• Zoroaster and Zoroastrianism
• Zurvanism
.

Sample Entry

The word comes from the Greek anglos, a translation from the Hebrew mal'akh, meaning "messenger." In the major Western religions angels are ministering spirits and guardians of the supreme deity and serve as messengers and intermediaries between the divine and human realms. They act as extensions of the divine will, reveal divine truth, watch over the world and guide souls to their post-mortal destiny.

The motif of attendants upon the supreme deity who also serve as messengers and intermediaries between heaven and earth is widespread. In Chinese and Japanese religions there are ministering spirits (see KAMI) and divine messengers whose role is similar to those in the West. The ancient Mesopotamians depicted giant winged genies as divine ministrant and guardian spirits. In Zoroastrianism (see ZOROASTRIANISM) there are six spiritual entities that attend the chief deity. In Hinduism the angiris are the messengers between gods and men. The function of a Boddhisattva (see BODDHIDATTVA) in Buddhism (see BUDDHISM) is comparable to that of an angel. Hermes and Iris, both with winged sandals, are the divine heralds in Greek mythology (see GREEK RELIGION). The messengers of the Celtic (see CELTIC RELIGION) Otherworld (see AFTERLIFE) often appear in the guise of swans. But not all winged entities are angels. Wings indicate swiftness (the winged sandals of Hermes and Iris) and the ability to function in the air, and by analogy in the realm of the spirit. The winged Nike represents the Spirit of Victory and is not an angel, i.e., a messenger.

In the Bible angels appear as wingless young men. Only the Seraphim and Cherubim are winged and not human in form. Until the 13th Century angels were depicted as adolescent males. The late Gothic romantic ideal of beauty led to the feminization and etherealization of the angelic form. In popular belief angels are divine or semi-divine creatures entitled to be worshipped in their own right. They are sometimes equated with daemons, fairies, elves, jinn, etc. that are amenable to human manipulation and used in magic. The notion of a personal guardian angel developed in the second century A.D. probably influenced by various religious and folk beliefs in protective ancestral guardians or spirits.

Judaic:
Angels appear often in the Bible as messengers and protectors (see JUDAISM). The most striking representation of angels as intermediaries between the divine and human realms is Jacob's dream of the ladder (see JACOB'S LADDER) reaching from earth to heaven (see HEAVEN) with angels ascending and descending on it and God standing at the top of the ladder. An angel stayed Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac (see ABRAHAM AND ISAAC), wrestled with Jacob and named him Israel and appeared in the midst of the burning bush to Moses (see MOSES). The Seraphim, fiery, serpentine, six-winged angels surround the throne of Yahweh (see YAHWEH). The Cherubim, four- winged and four faced, bear his throne and were depicted on the cover of the Ark of the Covenant. A Cherub was posted east of Eden (see GARDEN OF EDEN, GARDENS) to prevent human beings from returning and eating also of the Tree of Life (see TREE OF LIFE, WORLD TREE). Satan (see SATAN), also called Lucifer, led a rebellion against Yahweh and was cast down from heaven to the earth with his host of rebellious angels. Two angels are named in the Bible: Michael ("like God"), warrior leader of the angelic hosts, and Gabriel ("man of God"), who interpreted Daniel's vision (see VISIONS AND DREAMS). When sent as messengers the Biblical angels appear as young men. Two other angels appear in the Apocrypha: Raphael ("God has healed"), guide of physicians and travelers and Uriel ("fire of God"). Seven archangels are mentioned in the apocryphal Book of Tobit and in post-biblical Judaism, especially in apocalyptic literature seven angels, sometimes called archangels lead the heavenly hosts (First Book of Enoch).

Christian:
Angels play a significant role in the New Testament (see CHRISTIANITY). Gabriel announced the conception of John the Baptist to his father, Zacharias and the conception of Jesus (see JESUS) to Mary (see VIRGIN MARY). Angels appeared to shepherds in the fields of Bethlehem to announce the birth of Jesus. Angels appear with Christ (see THE CHRIST) at the Second Coming and play a significant role in the Last Days described in The Revelation. Later Christian writers, particularly Pseudo-Dionysius and Justin, developed elaborate hierarchical schemas of angels, describing their roles and attributes. One such ranking consists of nine orders: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels and Angels. The nine orders are divided into three choirs, emphasizing the symbolism of the Trinity (3X3). The first choir contemplates God, the second governs the universe, the third executes the orders of the superiors. Clement of Alexandria, under Hellenistic influence, thought angels control the course of the stars and the four elements (earth, water, fire, air).

Islamic:
When Allah (see ALLAH, ISLAM)) created Adam (see ADAM AND EVE) he asked the angels to prostrate themselves before him, all did except Iblis (Satan). For this sin of pride Iblis was banished from heaven and became the enemy of mankind. Angels revealed the Qur'an (Koran,see QUR'AN), to Muhammad (see MUHAMMAD), who fearing he was possessed by jinn was about to throw himself off a cliff when Jibril (Gabriel) appeared and confirmed him as a prophet. Angels surround the throne of Allah, record the good and evil deeds of human beings, intercede with God on their behalf, escort the soul at death, reward the good and punish the wicked. In Islamic tradition there are four orders of angels: four throne bearers; the cherubim who praise Allah; four archangels; and a host of lesser angels. The archangels are: Jibril, the revealer; Mikal (Michael), the provider; Isra'il, the angel of death; and Israfil, who places souls in bodies and sounds the trumpet at the Last Judgment. Malik is the angel in charge of hell. In popular belief, there are also female angels, the huris, who provide male Muslims with erotic delight in paradise. (They are similar to the Hindu apsaras.)

Commentary:
From the Freudian (see FREUD, FREUDIAN PSYCHOLOGY) perspective angels are wish fulfilling fantasy creations of the protective, caring, and guiding aspects of the parental imago. As attendants and guardians of the male supreme deity they represent aspects of patriarchal power. As messengers and intermediaries they are internalized voices of parental authority and function as the superego (see SUPEREGO), rewarding good and punishing evil behavior. The rebellion of Satan and his host of angels and their banishment from the deity's presence dramatizes the consequences of opposing the parental will. The Cherub with a fiery sword placed at the entry to the Garden of Eden protecting the Tree of Life refers to the patriarchal threat of castration and annihilation aimed at regressive incestuous impulses for a return to the womb. The "sons of God" who had intercourse with the "daughters of men" probably refers to the original band of brothers who killed the primal patriarch (Totem and Taboo ) and usurped his sexual prerogatives. The angelic announcements of various Biblical conceptions is a "spiritualization" of parental sexual activity and perhaps an attempt on the part of both parents and children to see birth as a unique and special ("blessed") event.

From the point of view of Jungian psychology (see JUNG< JUNGIAN PSYCHOLOGY), angels are manifestations of the various characteristics and functions that belong to the transpersonal archetype of the Self or are attributes projected onto it by human beings, e.g., power, protection, intelligence, narcissism, pride, the source of life and death and of good and evil. As messengers, they represent attempts on the part of the Self to convey information to ego consciousness that otherwise would not be understood or apprehended. Their manifestation in human form allows for an empathic connection and makes the messages they convey comprehensible to human beings. As intermediaries between the divine and human realms, angels are attempts on the part of the transpersonal unconscious to maintain a relationship with human consciousness and to participate in the personal and temporal world. For example, it is noteworthy that angels prevented the sacrifice of Isaac, renamed Jacob Israel, appeared in the burning bush to Moses, announced the birth of Ishmael and of Jesus and revealed the Qur'an to Muhammad. In Genesis (6:2ff) there is mention of "the sons of God" who took "daughters of men" for wives and fathered children who "became mighty men...of renown." The divine or semi-divine birth of a hero is a universal motif. It depicts, so to speak, the desire of the transpersonal Self to have intercourse with the human realm and incarnate in the three-dimensional world. In strictly psychological terms, the motif portrays an impetus on the part of the transpersonal psyche to realize itself in ego consciousness. In this regard, the role of Satan (also called Lucifer, literally, "light bearer," Isa. 14-21) in the three dominant Western religions is significant. The banishment of Satan and his rebellious angelic host from heaven to the earth is also an incarnation motif. (The banishment to hell is Milton's poetic license and based on The Revelation where that occurs at the end of the world.) This "fall" of the angels precedes that of Adam and Eve and must be viewed as a pre-conscious foundation for the formation of a conscious human ego structure.

EXAMPLES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TERMS

ANIMA--in Jungian psychology, the personification of the feminine nature of a man's unconscious, compensatory to his masculine conscious standpoint. Although an archetype, its personal form is usually delineated by the mother and that influence then defines his basic emotional make-up, his fantasies and ideals of the feminine. As an archetype, it can be experienced in various stages and guises as sexual attraction, romantic inspiration, mature love and relationship, love of wisdom and spiritual knowledge. In religions, myths, fairy tales and folklore, the archetype appears in the form of goddesses, feminine spirits, fairies, queens, princesses, step-mothers, succubae and witches that are either life-giving, nurturing, healing, inspiring or death-demons, devouring, energy-draining and destructive.

ARCHETYPE--a concept coined by Jung and derived from the observation that certain motifs appear universally in myths, religions, folklore and fairy tales as well as in the fantasies, dreams, and delusions of individuals. Archetypes can be seen as psychic correlates of the instincts, providing the images for the instinctive drives. In myths and religions these images take on a specific cultural form and are aesthetically and intellectually refined. A distinction needs to be made between the archetype itself, which is empty and purely formal, a possibility of representation, and the archetypal image, which portrays a specific cultural or personal content.

ID--the Freudian definition of the unconscious in its original undifferentiated state seen as a cauldron of impersonal, conflicting instinctive energies, drives and seething excitations ruled by the pleasure principle without reference to temporal limitations or reality.

SUPEREGO--Freud's term for the structure in the unconscious developed by early experiences of parents and parental figures regarding acceptable and unacceptable impulses of the ego and the id. It functions as a conscience causing feelings of guilt and anxiety when the forbidden impulses seek gratification and feelings of pride and satisfaction when the strictures and ideals of the superego are realized.

SELF--the archetype of wholeness, the ordering and unifying center of the psyche composed of consciousness and the unconscious as defined by Jungian psychology. Analogous to the ego as the center of consciousness and identity, the Self is the unifying core of the entire personality and the essence of individuality. The Self performs the same function for the collective or transpersonal psyche of families, clans, tribes, ethnic and national groupings and for humanity as a whole. As the archetype of wholeness and order, various geometrical and numerical figures, e.g., circle (mandala), triangle, square, four, seven, ten, twelve symbolize it. Other images and motifs that express various facets of the Self include: the sun; the divine child; the wise old man or woman; Kings; Queens; the union of opposites; the philosophers' stone; the elixir or fountain of life; the axis mundi. The Self also functions as the organ of transcendent experience and is identical with the imago dei. The innumerable representations of the deity found in the religions and mythologies of the world all refer to this archetype.