Spiritual practices in Türkiye

In this study, nearly a hundred concepts, symbols and practices related to spiritualism, from traditional religions and ancient teachings to some new religious trends with influences, understandings seen within the scope of "New Age" as an umbrella concept, and a number of practices used for different non-religious purposes, are discussed. Yoga, Meditation, Reiki, Feng Shui, Tantra, Bioenergy, Enneagram, Astrology, Numerology, Family Alignment, Theta Healing, Manifesting, Qigong, to name just a few. Although the origins of some of them can be traced back to ancient times, these understandings and practices, which have become popular all over the world and simultaneously in Türkiye after the second half of the twentieth century for various reasons, spread rapidly after the 1980s and have become even more popular today. Sometimes these are directly motivated by spiritual emptiness and the seeking of meaning, while other times they are motivated by goals independent of religion and spirituality, such as physical and mental health, psychological well-being, personal development and so on. These seeking, which lead people to "give room to the spiritual" in their lives, can also be a set of completely personalized practices that can be called "individual spiritual paths". In this study, these spiritual beliefs and practices are presented objectively from the perspective of the History of Religions, and their religious background, if any, is given. The topic is limited to Türkiye and the post-2000 period; Islamic Sufi practices that have been going on in these regions for centuries are excluded from the scope; and some psychology and medical techniques are also included due to their common use. Although there are a number of studies that deal with the subject from various angles, the lack of a scientific study that gives the opportunity to see the concepts, symbols and practices related to spiritualism within in Türkiye makes this research important.