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.
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Finding Joy: The Science of Happiness, by Patty de Llosa
Sound, scientific advice on attaining happiness
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The Art of Cleaning, by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee and Hilary Hart
Housework as spiritual practice, from a Sufi master
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A Matter of Life and Death, by Rosalind Bradley
Reflections from a Death Row inmate; inspired thoughts from a Sikh guide
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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
Notes
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.
Essays
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
The Way of the Heart, by Cynthia Bourgeault
From the Christian esoteric tradition, a path beyond the mind
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
Kuzunoha
Kuzunoha is a popular figure in Japanese folklore
The Brave Little Parrot, Retold by Rafe Martin
Rafe Martin offers a retelling of a traditional Buddhist Jataka tale.
Podcast
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 […]
Parabola Podcast, Episode 15: “Magic”
Story Editor Betsy Cornwell shares Thomas W. Moore’s essay on fresh ways to look at the myth of Narcissus, from the Spring 1976 issue of Parabola, “Magic,” in Parabola Magazine’s free monthly podcast.
Parabola Podcast, Episode 14: “Befriending the Body”
Story Editor Betsy Cornwell looks at two essays from Parabola Magazine’s archives that explore the relationship between body and spirit
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.