Kruh ako útočisko: spiritualita, bezpečie a ženská komunita v súčasnej spoločnosti

The article focuses on collective forms of alternative spirituality in urban environments in Slovakia, with special emphasis on emotional and ritualized mechanisms of cohesion within women’s circles. These gatherings, while emphasizing individual experience and personal spirituality, create specific forms of collective experience. Singing, dancing, movement, shared narratives, and affectively attuned interactions function as tools of emotional connection that allow participants to construct temporary communities (communitas) and create a sense of psychological safety. The study shows that even in an environment dominated by an emphasis on authenticity and individual experience, the group plays a central role in mediating meaning, transformation, and emotional regulation. The article is based on original research and contemporary theoretical approaches to affective bonds, spirituality, and the transformation of individual emotions into collective experience.