The Gods of Modern Spirituality

The scientific study of religion tends to focus on the social aspects of religion at the expense of what, for many its followers, it is really about—God, the gods, and spiritual entities. This chapter puts the latter in the spotlight and traces the changing “theosphere” of alternative spirituality in Britain and America from the 1890s to 2020. It takes the reader on a tour of three sites and phases in the development of modern western spirituality: Chicago in 1893, Kendal in 2000–2002, and Glastonbury in the 2010s. The chapter traces a development from Christian theism through formless mysticism to revivalist polytheism. It attends to the way in which the Christian God gradually diminishes as a point of reference, the theosphere becomes increasingly repopulated, and a practical re-enchantment of life takes place.