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SWell Research Network
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Spirituality and Wellbeing (SWell) Research Network

(posts by @roie and @samanthahauw.bsky.social)
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Welcome to the Spirituality and Wellbeing (SWell) Research Network. 🪷
For info and details on recent publications, head to our website: blogs.deakin.edu.au/swell/
Spirituality and Wellbeing (SWell)
blogs.deakin.edu.au
Exciting opportunity! The Call for Papers is now open for the ISA RC22 Midterm Conference, hosted by the South Asian University, New Dehli, 5-7 February 2026. More details here:
October 1, 2025 at 12:44 AM
Well, if the hashtag#rapture happened two days ago, we clearly got left behind!

In this Mamamia The Quicky episode, @annahalafoff.bsky.social FAHA discusses expectations rapture prophesies be fulfilled this month, and why we turn to spirituality in crisis.
www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/the...
Jimmy Kimmel Is Back & How To 'Outage Proof' Yourself When Your Telco Goes Down
Mamamia Podcasts - The Quicky - Jimmy Kimmel Is Back & How To 'Outage Proof' Yourself When Your Telco Goes Down
www.mamamia.com.au
October 1, 2025 at 12:43 AM
In this article Veronica Gimenez Beliveau considers the risks and fears that circulate within traditionalist sensibilities in Argentinean Catholicism.

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Traditionalist Catholic sensibilities in Argentinean Catholicism: modern risks and (con)spirituality in contemporary Catholic communities
Catholicism has historically been an active producer of diverse and contrasting imaginaries, emphasising radically transformative utopias or accentuating the return to well-ordered and idyllic past...
www.tandfonline.com
October 1, 2025 at 12:38 AM
@cristinarocha.bsky.social and @annahalafoff.bsky.social respond to the migration 'debate', showing Australia has always been spiritually and ethnically diverse, starting with First Nations and the arrival of Asian spiritualities. Migrants have always contributed 🙌🏽

www.abc.net.au/religion/whi...
As white Christian nationalism grows more assertive, we must tell the truth about Australia’s religious diversity - ABC Religion & Ethics
While Anglo Australians march against migration and politicians rail against migrant groups, it is important to remember that these diverse communities have long histories on this continent — they are...
www.abc.net.au
September 19, 2025 at 3:52 AM
@annahalafoff.bsky.social Anna Halafoff FAHA recently took part in this thought provoking episode of Insight (Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) Australia) which looks at the complex spiritual and religious lives of Australians.

www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/new...
Watch Spiritual Divide: Insight
Watch Spiritual Divide for free with SBS On Demand, your ultimate destination for diverse entertainment. Stream now!
www.sbs.com.au
September 19, 2025 at 3:45 AM
Reposted by SWell Research Network
What does Alone Australia show us about Australian spirituality? SWell's coordinator, Assoc Prof Anna Halafoff @annahalafoff.bsky.social , interviewed on ABC Listen. 'Seeking the wild: Alone Australia and connection to nature.' Listen here: www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Seeking the wild: Alone Australia and connection to nature - ABC listen
Corinne Ooms  was, a contestant in the most recent series of the reality show Alone Australia. She spent 70 days, by herself, in the remote west coast ranges of Lutruwita, Tasmania. And there, she had...
www.abc.net.au
July 27, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Reposted by SWell Research Network
'Astrology and tarot - telling the future, or connecting with the present?' Prof Andrew Singleton recently interviewed on ABC Radio National. Listen here!
www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Astrology and tarot — telling the future, or connecting with the present? - ABC listen
Younger Australians are less religious than ever before, but that doesn't mean they don't engage with spiritual practices. Astrology and tarot card reading are especially on trend, but rather than tel...
www.abc.net.au
July 22, 2025 at 10:45 AM
What does Alone Australia show us about Australian spirituality? SWell's coordinator, Assoc Prof Anna Halafoff @annahalafoff.bsky.social , interviewed on ABC Listen. 'Seeking the wild: Alone Australia and connection to nature.' Listen here: www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Seeking the wild: Alone Australia and connection to nature - ABC listen
Corinne Ooms  was, a contestant in the most recent series of the reality show Alone Australia. She spent 70 days, by herself, in the remote west coast ranges of Lutruwita, Tasmania. And there, she had...
www.abc.net.au
July 27, 2025 at 11:36 PM
'Astrology and tarot - telling the future, or connecting with the present?' Prof Andrew Singleton recently interviewed on ABC Radio National. Listen here!
www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Astrology and tarot — telling the future, or connecting with the present? - ABC listen
Younger Australians are less religious than ever before, but that doesn't mean they don't engage with spiritual practices. Astrology and tarot card reading are especially on trend, but rather than tel...
www.abc.net.au
July 22, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Freshly published Open Access!

Returning to the sacred spring? Spa treatments, mineral springs and spirituality in settler Australia since 1852.

By SWell member Tim Jones and Nadia Rhook.
Journal of Beliefs & Values, 1–14.
doi.org/10.1080/1361...
Returning to the sacred spring? Spa treatments, mineral springs and spirituality in settler Australia since 1852
Spas and mineral springs constitute major sectors of the global wellness economy, which now exceeds the size of the global biomedical economy. The industry, media and its critics emphasise ‘wellnes...
doi.org
June 17, 2025 at 5:36 AM
Great new article on Aus survival TV and spirituality by Anna Halafoff annahalafoff.bsky.social, Samantha Hauw samanthahauw.bsky.social and Tyson Yunkaporta.

‘Alone Australia’, nature connection and spiritual complexity in popular culture. Journal of Beliefs & Values, 1–25.
doi.org/10.1080/1361...
‘Alone Australia’, nature connection and spiritual complexity in popular culture
Since the turn of the twenty-first century, scholars of religion have focused considerable attention on the rise of religious diversity and the non-religious, particularly in Western secular societ...
doi.org
June 17, 2025 at 5:23 AM
*Reannouncement with Open Access Link!
www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16...

What is Girl Mossing?

Find out in a fascinating new article by hannahgould.bsky.social and annahalafoff.bsky.social :

Girl Mossing, Rotting and Resistance: Relational naturalism and dying well together.
www.mdpi.com
May 12, 2025 at 12:34 AM
Dance as lived spirituality? @samanthahauw.bsky.social and @annahalafoff.bsky.social discuss women's embodiment and relational wellbeing in their new article.

5Rhythms dance as lived spirituality: women, embodiment, and relational wellbeing

Access here! www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
5Rhythms dance as lived spirituality: women, embodiment, and relational wellbeing
5Rhythms dance has enjoyed a growing uptake in the past decade, alongside rising interest in holistic spirituality. This article reports the first sociology of religion study of 5Rhythms dance as a...
www.tandfonline.com
May 12, 2025 at 12:21 AM
Fab new article by Elenie Poulos and Cristina Rocha examines how the intersection between the Christian Right and populism takes shape in Australia.

'Saving Australia': global popularism and the rhetoric of the Australian Christian Right.

Available Open Access: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
‘Saving Australia’: global populism and the rhetoric of the Australian Christian Right
This article examines how the intersection between the Christian Right and populism takes shape in Australia. It analyses how Australian Christian Right (ACR) actors mobilise the ideology, rhetoric...
www.tandfonline.com
May 12, 2025 at 12:05 AM
What is the impact of the rise of right-wing Christian populism on Australian politics?

Find out in this fresh Conversation piece by SWell Researchers Elenie Poulos (Macquarie University) and Cristina Rocha (Western Sydney University):
theconversation.com/the-rise-of-...
The rise of right-wing Christian populism and its powerful impact on Australian politics
A network of Australian Christian groups have adapted the language of global right-wing populism to amplify their influence on Australian politics.
theconversation.com
May 2, 2025 at 7:31 AM
An important new article investigating anti-trans mobilisations, studied at the nexus of science and religion, by SWell members Rafael Cazarin and Mar Griera, with Josh E Warren and Rebecca Catto.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Transgender bodies as battlefields in science and religion: A cross-cultural media analysis - Rafael Cazarin, Josh E Warren, Rebecca Catto, Mar Griera, 2025
The last decade has seen an intensification of anti-trans mobilisations as backlash to efforts to expand rights and increased visibility in multiple countries. ...
journals.sagepub.com
April 26, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Curious about / watching White Lotus?

Latest juicy ABC piece by Anna Halafoff, supported by Samantha Hauw.

The White Lotus, fashionable Buddhism and the Western malaise: How season three navigates "spiritual complexity"

www.abc.net.au/religion/whi...
The White Lotus, Buddhism and the Western malaise: How season three navigates “spiritual complexity” - ABC Religion & Ethics
The public fascination with The White Lotus series seems more about immoral excess than enlightenment — but its third season illustrates that the capitalist uptake of spirituality does not necessarily...
www.abc.net.au
April 15, 2025 at 11:58 PM
Reposted by SWell Research Network
Meet the Authors!

Masoumeh (Sara) Rahmani and Peter Adds discuss their article:

"Māori Atheism: A Decolonising Project?" Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online (2024)

The Nonreligion in a Complex Future Project, Zoom, 20 March 7pm ET, 21 March 11am AEDT.

Register here:
March 3, 2025 at 3:24 AM
Meet the Authors!

Masoumeh (Sara) Rahmani and Peter Adds discuss their article:

"Māori Atheism: A Decolonising Project?" Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online (2024)

The Nonreligion in a Complex Future Project, Zoom, 20 March 7pm ET, 21 March 11am AEDT.

Register here:
March 3, 2025 at 3:24 AM
Reposted by SWell Research Network
Religions for Peace Australia & Canberra Interfaith Forum
invites ALL to our World Interfaith Harmony Week Event 2025

Wednesday 5th February 5.30-7.30pm AEDT
ZOOMED from Parliament House Canberra

Religions for Peace Australia (RfPA) Zoom registration link
us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: World Interfaith Harmony Week Lecture ZOOMED from Parliament House Canberra. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the me...
Religions for Peace Australia & Canberra Interfaith Forum invite you to our Annual WH Lecture This year by Professor Anne Pattel Gray Topic: Acknowledging Respect & Inclusion of Indigenous Nations ...
us02web.zoom.us
January 17, 2025 at 3:54 AM
Religions for Peace Australia & Canberra Interfaith Forum
invites ALL to our World Interfaith Harmony Week Event 2025

Wednesday 5th February 5.30-7.30pm AEDT
ZOOMED from Parliament House Canberra

Religions for Peace Australia (RfPA) Zoom registration link
us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: World Interfaith Harmony Week Lecture ZOOMED from Parliament House Canberra. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the me...
Religions for Peace Australia & Canberra Interfaith Forum invite you to our Annual WH Lecture This year by Professor Anne Pattel Gray Topic: Acknowledging Respect & Inclusion of Indigenous Nations ...
us02web.zoom.us
January 17, 2025 at 3:54 AM
Not everyone experiences menopause as dominant discourses say. In this recent piece for the ABC, Anna Halafoff
@annahalafoff.bsky.social explains "menowashing" in her call to recognition of menopause complexity.
www.abc.net.au/religion/ann...
Menopause is now discussed openly — but not all voices are included - ABC Religion & Ethics
This new era of public menopause awareness, fuelled by markets and social media, is largely dominated by Western, and often white, women — yet not everyone experiences menopause the same way.
www.abc.net.au
December 20, 2024 at 4:13 AM
How do Buddhism and Buddhist-inspired phenomena contribute to a new way of death or 'deathstyle'?
Read more in this fascinating, newly published article by Hannah Gould @hannahgould.bsky.social , Anna Halafoff @annahalafoff.bsky.social and Ruth Fitzpatrick.
www.globalbuddhism.org/article/view...
View of Dying ‘Buddhish’: Death, Diversity, and Worldview Complexity in and Beyond Australia
www.globalbuddhism.org
December 20, 2024 at 2:57 AM
Reposted by SWell Research Network
Andrew Singleton, Anna Halafoff @annahalafoff.bsky.social and Rosie Shorter's latest piece for the ABC - an exciting first glimpse of the results of the Australian Spirituality and Wellness Survey led by Andrew.

www.abc.net.au/religion/the...
The meaning of “spirituality” among Australian adults: Connections to self, community and beyond - ABC Religion & Ethics
Personal and broader connections are more significant among “spiritual” Australians than traditional religious practices and beliefs —  this is not surprising, given that fewer Australians find meanin...
www.abc.net.au
December 6, 2024 at 7:33 AM
Andrew Singleton, Anna Halafoff @annahalafoff.bsky.social and Rosie Shorter's latest piece for the ABC - an exciting first glimpse of the results of the Australian Spirituality and Wellness Survey led by Andrew.

www.abc.net.au/religion/the...
The meaning of “spirituality” among Australian adults: Connections to self, community and beyond - ABC Religion & Ethics
Personal and broader connections are more significant among “spiritual” Australians than traditional religious practices and beliefs —  this is not surprising, given that fewer Australians find meanin...
www.abc.net.au
December 6, 2024 at 7:33 AM