My Ancestor
In my mid-thirties I found myself in Dante’s dark wood, where my way was entirely lost. My marriage was falling apart. My primary mentor, Reynolds Price, seemed to be dying of a weird spinal cancer that was slowly paralyzing him. …
Parabola Podcast Episode 50: FIRE
Story editor Betsy Cornwell shares excerpts from the Fall 2021 issue of Parabola Magazine, Fire, including the lead essay by Sufi master Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, “Fire Season.” Read the full issue by subscribing to Parabola. Parabola Magazine · Parabola Podcast Episode…
Parabola Podcast Episode 49: Young & Old
Our younger selves seed what we become and, as we age, we carry our earlier years with us. A sage elderly woman once told me, “some things you can only understand when you’re old”; yet equally true is that the…
My Journey through Depression
First Wake-Up Call When I was in my early twenties, I had the opportunity to explore the west coast of South America with my partner. I was already a young scientist, working on a master’s degree at medical school and…
“What Dreams May Come”: Ancient holistic healing at the Asklepion
The word “holistic” is rooted in the ancient Greek word ὅλος (holos), meaning “all, whole, entire.” It is cognate with the English adjective “whole,” a concept which, before modernity, had always been bound up with health and wellness. Tragically, humanity…
The Very Rev. James Parks Morton (1930-2020)
The Very Rev. James Parks Morton (1930-2020). Photo: stjohndivine.org Parabola regrets the passing of James Parks Morton. He served for many years on the Board of the…
The Heights of Machu Picchu, by J.M. White
Photograph by J.M. White Machu Picchu is one of the most spectacularly beautiful sites on earth. It is an ancient Inca ceremonial center perched on top…
In and Out of Sight, by Padma Hejmadi
By age twelve I’ve learned umpteen natural methods to combat my nearsightedness. These include the dictates of the Bates method via Aldous Huxley: eye exercises, palming, imagining a darkness against…
Walking with George
I had never been good at practicing mindfulness, or being mindful—period—until I got a dog. Observing your breath, extolled as the surefire way to become present, left me in such…
Whence Cometh Our Help: An Exploration with Roger Lipsey (Video)
Is there such a thing as deciduous ideas? Ideas that have had their season. Some flare into color as a last statement of themselves, others dry modestly and fall away.…
Thomas Merton and the Language of Life
The early Greeks defined presence as the fundamental characteristic of being alive.1 I believe it is not easy for any of us to be fully present, and that we settle…
Boethius, rendered into modern English by Thomas Powers (Free Download)
Philosophy Instructing Boethius on the Role of God. Coëtivy Master (Henri de Vulcop?), c. 1460-1470. Tempera colors, gold leaf, and gold paint on parchment. Getty Center, Los Angeles A classic…
Coronavirus: A New Responsibility
Photograph by Lee van Laer In the midst of our anxiety and our reaction to the danger of infection, life seems somewhat surreal—compelling, distracting. I’m taken by the moment,…
My Journey through Depression
First Wake-Up Call When I was in my early twenties, I had the opportunity to explore the west coast of South America with my partner. I was already a young…
Parabola Podcast Episode 42: Goddess
The Descent offers a chance to look clearly at tired habits of thought and action. A woman may finally admit to an addiction or see how some long-denied pattern of…
Part of an Ancient Story: A Conversation with Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee (Full Version)
Llewellyn-Vaughan-Lee photographed by Richard Whittaker One August day recently in Northern California, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee sat down with Parabola in to speak about free will and destiny.…
Agencies, by Anthony Blake
Heracles freeing Prometheus from his torment by the eagle (Attic black-figure cup, c. 500 BC) I must, before I die, find some way to say the…
Encountering the Teachings of Gurdjieff: A Young Man’s Search, by David Ulrich
David Ulrich, Untitled, 1970 “Above all, you must feel the need to know yourself. You are something and you don’t know it. You have to acknowledge…
A Free Gift for You in These Challenging Times
These are challenging times for all of us. We at Parabola are offering a free PDF of our “Alone and Together” issue to anyone who would like one, and we…