How deeply we fear being nobody. One way to think of the ego is as a defense against pain, particularly the pain of being no one.
Parabola: The Search for Meaning : Free Complete Digital Index, 1976-2019
The Gurdjieff Foundation of Illinois has generously assembled a free searchable index for Parabola magazine readers.
Let it Be, by Tracy Cochran
When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me. Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Alice Coltrane’s “Om Shanti”
In the early 1980s, jazz pianist and harpist Alice Coltrane devoted herself to the Hindu tradition, adopting the name Swamini Turiyasangitananda and established the 48-acre Sai Anantam Ashram outside Los Angeles.
Endpoint from “The Divine Feminine,” Spring 2016
Despite a growing awareness of the Divine Feminine, women remain ineligible to head many major religious groups and institutions […]
Snow Day Reflection, by Tracy Cochran
There are different kinds of realizations. They are not always lightening bolts but sometimes soft and slow, as if snow were quietly falling and settling.
Giving Thanks, by Tracy Cochran
“Today we have gathered and see that the cycles of life continue.”
Determination, by Tracy Cochran
When most of us think of determination, we think first of imposing our will on the world, insisting on a particular outcome, our vision. Yet real determination appears when we keep going, surrendering what the ego wants, which is always to look good, to sound good, to win. Real perseverance is willingness, not will. […]
To Struggle, by Lee van Laer
The word [struggle] is of unknown origin; and although it is presumed to have come from Scandinavian and Germanic roots (there are no clear parallels or roots in Latin) the connections are uncertain […]
The Wizard of Oz as a Parable, by Lillian Firestone
What makes the Wizard of Oz an iconic American tale that has entered into the language? Some expressions are so well known they need no further explanation, as for example “You’re not in Kansas anymore”.