To Honor the Sacred, by David Ulrich
A photographer envisions the sacred and the profane on a Hawaiian island
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To Honor the Sacred, by David Ulrich
A photographer envisions the sacred and the profane on a Hawaiian island
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The Hidden Third
“The greatest responsibility of all: the transmission of the mystery.” —Basarab Nicolescu
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Nassreddin Hodja and His Donkey: Ten Stories Retold by the Brotherhood of the Dancing Camel
Nassreddin Hodja was a real person, a Turkish Sufi, who died in the thirteenth century.
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Spirit of the Earth: Indian Voices on Nature
As contemporary life becomes more and more fragmented and unsustainable, many individuals are left perplexed and searching for more complete and sustainable models to understand themselves and their place in the world around them. […]
Current Issue
Spinning Straw, by Tracy Cochran
Naming Rumpelstiltskin, and the path to self-knowledge
The Yoga of Sacred Knowledge and Discernment, by Ravi Ravindra
Life lessons from the Bhagavad Gita
The Wisdom of the Animals, by Phil Borges
A conversation with wildlife educator Steve Karlin
Essays
Longing for the Beloved, by Mirabai Starr
Teresa of Avila—and grief—teach a mighty lesson
Days with Michel Conge, Part One, by Rami Kalfon
Close encounters with a student of Gurdjieff
My Journey to Qigong Master, by Robert Peng
Training the body, training the mind
Paths are Made by Walking, by Nipun Mehta
Four steps to take on the road of life
Conversations
Worshipping Illusions: An Interview with Marion Woodman
In the Summer of 1987, Parabola sat down for an exchange with Marion Woodman on the subject of addiction.
Grace is Here!, A Conversation with Ram Dass
A conversation with spiritual pioneer Ram Dass
Meditation and Service: A Conversation with Nipun Mehta
A conversation with visionary philanthropist Nipun Mehta
Exploring the Frontiers of Science: A Conversation with Leo Piilonen
A conversation with physicist Leo Piilonen
Poetry
Three Poems, by Mark Nepo
Heavy drops, carrying more | than they can bear, fall from no- | where, bending leaves already | sagging, and one by one, | the leaves let go.
Yu Xuanji, “At Home in the Summer Mountains,” translated by Jane Hirschfield
A poem by Yu Xuanji from the Winter of 1994.
Walt Whitman: Song of Myself, Part 50
A poem by Walt Whitman in our Summer Issue, Happiness.
Riding Out at Evening, by Linda McCarriston
A poem by Linda McCarriston
Epicycles
The Unasked Question, Retold by Paul Jordan-Smith
A classic quest seen anew
The Demands of the Way, by Tcheslaw Tchekhovitch
A spiritual master on what it takes
Tsunemasa, Retold by Kenneth Lawrence with Artwork by Kumiko Lawrence
Tsunemasa, Attributed to Zeami Motokiyo / Japanese Noh. Retold by Kenneth E. Lawrence, translated by Edward Kai Lawrence. Art by Kumiko Lawrence
Kuzunoha
Kuzunoha is a popular figure in Japanese folklore
Podcast
Parabola Podcast, Episode 19: “The Sacred”
Story editor Betsy Cornwell looks at our current issue, “The Sacred,” and reads Samuel Bendeck Sotillos’ “Spirit of the Earth: Indian Voices on Nature” and her own essay “The Fairies’ Right of Way.”
Parabola Podcast, Episode 18: Epicycles
Story editor Betsy Cornwell shares three epicycles from our vast archives.
Parabola Podcast, Episode 17: “Happiness”
Story Editor Betsy Cornwell looks at our current issue, “Happiness,” in our free monthly twenty-minute podcast
Parabola Podcast, Episode 16: “Mythic Origins”
Story Editor Betsy Cornwell looks at the first-ever issue of Parabola, “The Hero.” Excerpts include PL Travers’ beautiful essay on the origins and the uses of mythic symbols. Please consider supporting this podcast and Parabola […]
Book Reviews
Beyond the Robot: The Life and Work of Colin Wilson
Author Colin Wilson (1931–2013) was a lucky man in many ways. His luck continues after his death, with Gary Lachman’s biography Beyond the Robot, which is likely to be both the most comprehensive and the most favorable treatment Wilson will ever receive.
Indigo Animal: The Complete Trilogy
Indigo Animal is original, delightful, and profound. The artist, Rue Harrison, has given us wonderful characters in illustrated books in which she has raised the bar on a certain kind of content. […]
The Dawning Moon of the Mind: Unlocking the Pyramid Texts
That a book on the Pyramid Texts of ancient Egypt has been favorably reviewed by the New Yorker is surely a sign of a significant cultural shift, but if you take the time to read this extraordinary book you will quickly see why. […]
THE PILGRIM SOUL: A Path to the Sacred Transcending World Religions
The movement in my self from the mask to the face, from the personality to the person, from the performing actor to the ruler of the inner chamber, is the spiritual journey. […]
Web Exclusives
Polychromatic Mysticism: A Visit to Little Gidding, by J. M. White
Little Gidding has been described as a “thin place” where there is only a slim veil between time and eternity.
The Poet and the Shepherd, by Joshua Boettiger
King David, Leonard Cohen and the Search for Meaning
The Enigma of the Search, by David Appelbaum
Every search begins in poverty. Something is needed. Something is lacking. But knowledge is too poor to know what, so a search also begins in not knowing.
Encountering the Teachings of Gurdjieff: A Young Man’s Search, by David Ulrich
On my college campus in the late Spring of 1970, I witnessed the events surrounding the deaths of four Kent State students from National Guardsmen’s bullets. Something changed in me.
PARABOLA in Translation
Bose, Το πιο Ριζοσπαστικό Μοναστήρι στη Γη
Από τη στιγμή που ιδρύθηκε, πενήντα χρόνια πριν, η κοινότητα του Bose ήταν προορισμένη να λειτουργήσει ως οδοδείκτης […]
En el Tren a Siberia, por Lillian Firestone
Es difícil para la mayoría de nosotros creer que ambos ángeles y demonios se mezclan con los humanos en la Tierra […]
Los Ángeles de Navidad, por Risa Levenson Gold con las ilustraciones de Jean Zaleski
Era un lluvioso y helado atardecer de diciembre en Manhattan unos días antes de Navidad. Esperaba bajo una llovizna persistente el autobús de la Sexta Avenida para que nos llevara a mi y a mis […]
Notes
On Being Nobody…and No One, by Tracy Cochran
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, 1976-2017
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.
Tashi & The Monk, Directed by Andrew Hinton & Johnny Burke
On a remote mountaintop a brave social experiment is taking place.