Edinburgh International Centre for World Spiritualities

The EICWS was founded in May 2000 to provide educational opportunities and an international forum for understanding, experiencing, and participating in the rich diversity of the world’s spiritual traditions.

AIM

The EICWS is a Scottish charity that works with the world's spiritual and faith traditions, both in Scotland and internationally, seeking understandings of the nature of spirituality, and of interspirituality and intraspirituality, in its diversity.

MEANS

The activities of the EICWS are educational in nature, ranging from international conferences, talks, dialogues, multi faith and spiritual forums, retreats, workshops, spiritual practice events, deepening of spirituality events, open space events, networking and social gatherings, exhibitions and displays, book launches, education processes, school visits, visits to places of worship, visits to places of spiritual significance locally, vigils, training sessions, services, times for reflection, media engagements, hospitality events, service events, arts and cultural events – including film, theatre, music, dance and movement, storytelling, poetry, visual arts, among others, as well as participation in national and international events of a spiritual nature.

Among others, such initiatives have included:

Organisation of an ongoing conference series on the world’s spiritual traditions;

Joint organisation of the Annual Edinburgh International Festival of Middle Eastern Spirituality and Peace;

Joint organisation of the Sufism Symposium Scotland;

Joint participation in the planning of visits to Scotland of globally important religious and spiritual leaders, including the Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh, His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Abuna Elias Chacour, HH Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, Prof Tariq Ramadan, Bhai Sahib Bhai Mohinder Singh Ji, Jean Vanier, Chief Rabbi David Rosen, Sister Joan Chittister, Her Holiness Sai Maa Lakshmi Devi, among others;

Creating opportunities for people from Scotland to attend and participate in important international spiritual and inter-religious events abroad. The EICWS had representatives at the Millennium Peace Summit, August 28-31, 2000, at the United Nations, New York, at the Global Peace Initiative of Women Religious and Spiritual Leaders, October 6-9, 2002, at the United Nations, Geneva, and at the Parliament of the World’s Religions Meeting, 4-13 July 2004, in Barcelona, and at the 100 Imams and Rabbis for Peace Gathering, 3-6 January 2005, Brussels.

There is a great diversity of spiritual traditions, and even within one faith tradition there may be many forms of spirituality. Given the diversity of spiritualities, and the experiential richness of spiritualities, we have quite intentionally not defined spirituality, since we do not want this diversity and richness to be merely interpreted in terms of one definition.

Spiritual practices across the range of faith and spiritual traditions can be experienced at EICWS events. In organising events the EICWS aspires to include spiritual practices as integral to the process.

A wide range of spiritual spaces will be experienced throughout the events of the EICWS, not merely physical spaces, but also including a wide range of spaces of spiritual practice. Supported by forms of spiritual practice there is an emphasis on awakening and cultivating spiritual qualities, in the present, to direct experience.Within many of the events of the EICWS we are invited to participate in a process of awakening and cultivating forms of spiritual practice, in order to gain an experiential view of the spiritual traditions that we discuss.

The EICWS positively affirms the diversity contained within the religious and spiritual traditions of Scotland, as well as those internationally. The EICWS takes no fixed position on any political, ethical, or cultural question. We intend rather to create a forum in which we can listen to one another deeply, and learn with a more open mind and heart.

Spiritual facilitation is particularly encouraged, awakening and cultivating spiritual qualities, supported by forms of spiritual practice.

The EICWS acknowledges the challenge and the opportunity for the spiritual practices to step out of their envelopes of comfort and interact with, and influence, the wider culture and society.

An emphasis on spirituality, and interspirituality and intraspirituality, in all of the areas of our work.

Almost all inter-faith work today emphasizes talk and dialogue. While important, we need more to address many of the critical issues of contemporary culture and society. Spirituality, and interspirituality and intraspirituality, can offer many significant contributions where talk and dialogue have proven inadequate in addressing such critical issues.

Spirituality, and interspirituality and intraspirituality, have significant contributions to make to the critical issues in contemporary culture and society. These include governance, leadership, education, health and wellbeing, arts and culture, science and medicine, the environment and sustainability, the media, work, community, and service.

Spirituality has a critical capacity to awaken qualities which are in critical demand, and to transform situations which are in critical distress. Spirituality can also help avoid such situations from arising. The discerning use of spirituality in such situations is of great interest to the EICWS in its work.

There is increasing awareness of the potential contribution of the world’s spiritual traditions to wider society, and the need for dialogue, shared understanding, and cooperation between these traditions. Scotland has a distinctive role in meeting this global challenge. In response to this challenge the EICWS has initiated a conference series on the world’s spiritual traditions. Previous conferences in this series have included Baha’i Spirituality, Hindu Spirituality, Sikh Spirituality, two Middle Eastern Spirituality and Peace conferences, Spirituality of the Heart, and Sufi Spirituality, and further such conferences are planned for the future including the Arts and Spirituality, Celtic Spirituality, Spirituality and Community, Shamanic Spirituality, Spirituality and the Sacredness of the Divine Feminine, Buddhist Spirituality, and Hindu Spirituality, among others. These conferences are set in a multi-faith and multi-cultural Scotland where spirituality, and interspirituality and intraspirituality, are becoming ever more widely recognised and celebrated.

ANNUAL EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF MIDDLE EASTERN SPIRITUALITY AND PEACE, MESP

In February and March of each year we plan to hold this annual event. The Festival was inaugurated in 2004. MESP's overriding aim is to contribute to peace through dialogue, spiritual practice, and improved mutual understanding among the religious and spiritual traditions that have arisen in what is now known as the Middle East. We will bring together artists, scholars, grassroots spiritual activists, and speakers from the Sufi, Druze, Baha’i, Ismaili, Zoroastrian and other lesser known spiritual traditions, in addition to representatives of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. More generally, all of the principal faith and spiritual traditions of Scotland are being invited to participate. The emphasis of the Festival is on spirituality, and on spiritual approaches to peace, and on peace-awakening through spiritual and interspiritual practice. The Festival is being jointly organized by the EICWS, and the Edinburgh Institute for Advanced Learning, EIAL, and with the support of many other organizations.

The EICWS supports the annual Festival of Spirituality and Peace during August with a focus around St John's Church in Edinburgh.

The EICWS will continue to develop national-level visits to Scotland by globally important religious and spiritual leaders. Please do get in contact if you would like to suggest such a visit, or if you would like to support such a visit. There is usually a strong education component to such visits.

The EICWS has established good contacts with all of the principal faith and spiritual traditions across Scotland, the UK, and with many of the key inter-religious and spiritual organisations globally, as well as with religious and spiritual leaders who work on a global scale. The EICWS had representatives at the Millennium Peace Summit, August 28-31, 2000, at the United Nations, New York, at the Global Peace Initiative of Women Religious and Spiritual Leaders, October 6-9, 2002, at the United Nations, Geneva, and at the Parliament of the World’s Religions Meeting, 4-13 July 2004, in Barcelona, and at the 100 Imams and Rabbis for Peace Gathering, 3-6 January 2005, Brussels.

EICWS PARTICIPATION IN INITIATIVES TO ATTRACT NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SPIRITUAL EVENTS TO SCOTLAND

The EICWS was one of the lead organisations involved in a bid from Scotland to attract the Parliament of the World’s Religions Meeting to Scotland. Out of 14 locations who expressed an interest, and after an elaborate bidding process, the bid from Scotland was one of the two finalists with Barcelona. Both bids were evaluated as excellent, satisfying all of the bid requirements. Much was learned from this bid process, and many contacts were established. The EICWS was one of the partner organisations who organised and hosted the Sufism Symposium Scotland from 14-16 September 2006. Other such opportunities will be considered in future.

The EICWS has participated in government, civil society, and international consultations, and we have a particular interest in the contribution of the world’s spiritual traditions to wider culture and society. These include governance, leadership, education, health and wellbeing, arts and culture, science and medicine, the environment and sustainability, the media, work, community, and service. The EICWS will welcome opportunities to be involved in such consultations and in their follow-up. The EICWS is willing to be approached to participate in consultations and processes where the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of the world’s spiritual traditions is positively valued and recognised.

The EICWS is willing to explore synergy and collaboration with individuals and organisations who share our aims and objectives. Please do get in contact if you would like to discuss a possible collaborative project with the EICWS.

The EICWS is not a membership organisation, nor is it an official representative faith tradition organisation. A more flexible model is required for a facilitation and events-led organisation whose principal subject is world spiritualities. We would like to encourage individuals and organisations to get in contact if you would like to become actively involved in our work. All of the events of the EICWS are intended for full public participation. We aspire to organise our events in an inclusive and accessible fashion for wide public benefit and participation.

Should there be a subject area where you would like the EICWS to consider organising and hosting an event, then please do get in contact with your suggestion. All such suggestions will receive serious consideration, subject to funding opportunities.

The EICWS would welcome approaches from individuals, organisations, and charitable trusts who may wish to consider supporting the work of the EICWS, either financially or in-kind. All such support would go towards the charitable work of the EICWS, which has a strong events-led focus.

Please share this information with anyone who you think may be interested to learn more about the work of the EICWS. We will be pleased to facilitate media opportunities at our public events. Press releases and photo shots for events are available on request. A copy of the latest EICWS Newsletter, and of the latest EICWS Annual Review can be sent on request.