[Marc Bonomelli is an independent journalist specializing in the study of religious phenomena and new spiritualities. Author of the book Les Nouvelles Routes du soi ("The New Roads of the Self"), he write a column for Le Monde des religions about the flourishing spirituality of our time and how it reinvents itself. From "naturists" to "soul surfers," these new roads of the self seem to cross all fields, from health to politics, including digital, personal development and, of course, religions.]

In January 2025, the full moon rose above the arid mountains of southern Tenerife, Spain. Almost every month, this celestial body marks the date of an event attended by about 30 people, mainly young women, from Europe and America. This nods to the transnational aspect of the ritual being prepared, as we sat in a circle in a wooden lodge at the heart of a permaculture farm hosting retreats and holistic workshops.

Mili Gentile, one of the organizers, is Argentine. "I traveled through South America and Asia intending to connect with the ancestral traditions of each place," she said, surrounded by candles, a bowl of natural smudges and statues of Buddha and the Hindu god Shiva, symbols of a fluid spirituality. In the center, a pot steamed, containing a cocoa beverage. Prepared with prayers and chants, it was a central element of the ceremony about to begin.

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