In the Rhythm of Lorien: Czech Community in the Context of Alternative Spirituality

This article deals with the Czech community Lorien, which serves as a center of alternative spirituality for many of its visitors. The first half of the article provides basic information about Lorien community, the course of the author’s field research, and community members’ attitudes to the concepts of religion, spirituality, and esoteric. Furthermore, the text discusses the widely shared teachings and practices of followers of alternative spirituality, which then compares with the ideas and actions of Lorien community members in the second half of the article. Residents consider the vision of the community expressed in three pillars to be the most essential aspect of their shared life. The pillars are the following: caring for common relationships, caring for common space, and organizing self-development seminars. First pillar is very strongly inspired by the principles of the book The Different Drum by Morgan Scott Peck, the second by the ideas of eco-spirituality and the third one with 5Rhytms Movement and other religious traditions.