Rising Above
From slavery to the priesthood
Voice and Freedom
Expressing our essential self
Meeting the Teacher
A life-changing encounter with spiritual authority
I Knew Two Men
Remembering Harold Bloom and Jacob Needleman
The Word for Soul
A lyrical song of love, nature, the sacred
Browse
Lesson from Volume 35 No. 4, Winter 2010-2011: Beauty
“The Verses of the Theri Ambapali,” translated and retold with commentary by Margo McLoughlin
Longing for the Beloved, by Mirabai Starr
Teresa of Avila—and grief—teach a mighty lesson
Huston Smith: Wisdomkeeper
More than three-quarters of the way through this extraordinary biography (though that label barely captures this book’s breadth and richness) of the scholar of religion Huston Smith …
How to Open Ourselves Out: A Conversation with Abhijata Iyengar
Exploring yoga with the guru’s granddaughter
On Hopelessness and Hope: A Conversation with Deep Psychologist Michael Penn
A conversation with deep psychologist Michael Penn
Learning to Die, by Brother David Steindl-Rast
David Steindl-Rast (2004) Wikipedia The only point where one can start to talk about anything, including death, is where one finds oneself. And for me this is as a Benedictine monk. In the rule of St. Benedict, the momenta mori has always been important, because one of what St. Benedict calls…
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. […]
Parabola Commemorates the 100th Anniversary of the arrival of Paramahansa Yogananda in America
With a gaze of majestic power, the master electrified me with a glimpse of his cosmic consciousness.
Parabola Podcast Episode 27: “The Maze”
Story editor Betsy Cornwell shares PL Travers’ stunning essay “Walking the Maze” and William Segal’s wise poem “The Middle Ground” in this episode of Parabola Magazine’s free podcast.
Longing for Wholeness: An Interview with Satish Kumar
When you accept the state of being a stranger, you are no longer a stranger. […]
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. And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me. Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
The Word for Soul
A lyrical song of love, nature, the sacred
A Matter of Life and Death, by Rosalind Bradley
Reflections from a Death Row inmate; inspired thoughts from a Sikh guide
Away, by Tracy Cochran
On silent retreat, a woman finds connection from PARABOLA, Vol. 37:2, Summer 2012: Alone and Together.
Our April Gift to You: A Free PDF of “The Search for Meaning”
These are challenging times for all of us. We at Parabola are offering a free PDF of our “The Search for Meaning” issue from Spring 2017 to anyone who would like one, and we hope you will find comfort in its pages. Click here to access your free PDF. You can also purchase a print…
Whence Cometh Our Help? by Roger Lipsey
Guidance for our time from three wise men
In Search of Bombadil, by Keith Badger
Tracking J.R.R. Tolkien’s Keeper of the Forest
My Ancestor, by David Guy
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. My visits to him brought up visits I’d paid to my father in the hospital…
Into the Heart of Persian Sufi Poetry, by Marian Brehmer
Impressions from the land of Rumi
The Pipe of Reconciliation, by Joseph Epes Brown
Dr. Joseph K. Dixon, A Native American sends smoke signals in Montana, June 1909, National Geographic Creative. The sacred pipe of the Native Americans is a potent symbol of relationship. Through it the human breath sends to all the six directions the purifying smoke that connects the person to the divine and…
Sacred Time, by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee
The seasons and the Cosmos
Every Word I Pick Here, by Lee van Laer
Every word I pick here | Is the wrong one, one | I’ve used too often, | Touched by thought | Until it’s worn and tired.
Parabola Podcast: Wellness
Story editor Betsy Cornwell shares excerpts from the Spring 2021 issue of Parabola, Wellness, including an exploration of the world’s healing water goddesses and a practical guide to awakening awareness. Your thoughts about yourself, experiences, and perceptions continually arise and change, come and go, but awareness remains. Don’t try to grasp or understand awareness; notice…
Lucky Man, by Tracy Cochran
Life lessons from William Segal
Altar Girl, by Sonja Livingston
Searching for her place in God’s house
Make Peace Before the Sun Goes Down, by Roger Lipsey
The long encounter of Thomas Merton and his Abbott, James Fox.
Love and Compassion in Meditation and Action, by Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi
Love and compassion are qualities essential to our stature as true human beings, and jointly might be considered the capacities that most distinguish us from the animals, except that animals sometimes display more kindness towards one another—and towards people—than we do.
Ave Maria, by Jenny Koralek
Vincent Van Gogh, Pietà (after Eugène Delacroix). 1889. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam As the following passage begins, Jesus of Nazareth, here called Yeshua, is suffering on the cross, attended by several including his mother, Mary, here known as Maryam, and Elizabeth, cousin to Maryam and mother of John the Baptist. It is Elizabeth who narrates. —The…
Seeing is an Act, by Jeanne de Salzmann
Rare wisdom on “how to see.”
The Ladder of Heavenly Unity, by Sister Joanna
Continuing Orthodox monasticism’s oldest unbroken tradition, Sinai monks still liturgize, shoeless, over the roots of the Burning Bush. On the holy ground where Moses was commanded to remove his sandals—together with all earthly logic—monks turn diversity’s polarizing forces to unity: some of the ways St. Catherine’s Monastery at Mount Sinai (Egypt) brings Byzantium’s patristic spirit…
What Is The Weight of Wealth?, by Amy Barnes
What is the weight of wealth? Is it the weight of the money itself or is it the weight of responsibility of having that money?
The Gates of Paradise, by Joseph Rael (Beautiful Painted Arrow) and David R. Kopacz, M.D.
Shamanic memories from an Indian visionary
The Golden Rule Tetraflexagon, by Steffan Soule
The Golden Rule Tetraflexagon is a magic device created by Steffan Soule in order to teach the Golden Rule.
Parabola Podcast, Episode 10: “Generosity and Service”
Story editor Betsy Cornwell explores our current issue, Generosity and Service, in Parabola‘s monthly twenty-minute podcast.
Let It Be: a guided meditation with Tracy Cochran
A guided meditation on being gentle with yourself when things are hard, with Parabola’s editorial director Tracy Cochran. To support Parabola’s mission, please consider donating.
The Simple Joy of Being, by Adyashanti
Backpacking into deeper Reality
Spiritual Intelligence, by Gerald Epstein
Intelligence is a quality available to choose, as a function of mind that can live itself through us. In this article, I will focus on spiritual intelligence as understood within the Western Monotheistic traditions. Here we will explore five forms of intelligence: 1) moral, 2) analogical, 3) intuitive, 4) imaginal, 5) esoteric. Before proceeding, a…
Living Ancestors, by Frederick Franck
Hamada, Leach and Yanagi in the United States, probably Hawaii, in 1952 “The institution of Living National Treasures was started in the fifties–when Japan’s machine culture was preparing to overtake ours–barely a hundred years after the West had forced the opening up of its insular, agricultural society. The title “Living National…
Fire Season, by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee
A Sufi master looks at—and beyond—the approaching flames
The Middle Ground, by William Segal
There is a middle ground, a basic Reality embracing self and Self. It may be called my true nature. To discover what
prevents me from the experience of it, I have only to look at myself, just as I am. […]
Hearing the Cries of the World, by Mark Nepo
This story is so old we don’t know who told it or who it’s about, except that it speaks to all of us. We no longer know if it was a “he” or “she” at the center of the story. […]
Giving Thanks, by Tracy Cochran
“Today we have gathered and see that the cycles of life continue.”
A Parabola Bestiary: The Cow, by Pamela Travers
Remembering the sacred mother animal
Tenzin’s Escape
Bön monks flee the invaders of Tibet
Walking the Maze, by Pamela Travers
The way in, the way out
The Courageous Mary Oliver, by Lisa Starr
Remembering the beloved poet
The Missing Piece, by Cynthia Bourgeault
A transformative discovery lights the way
Lesson from Volume 39 No. 2, Fall 2014: Embodiment
Tracy Cochran, “A Shared World”
Rising Above
From slavery to the priesthood
Helen Keller, by Langston Hughes
She,
In the dark,
Found light
Brighter than many ever see. […]
Lesson from Volume 36 No. 3, Fall 2011: Seeing
Anonymous, “Nomad Girl” retold by Barbara H. Berger
Parabola Podcast, Episode 11: “The Value of Education”
Story Editor Betsy Cornwell reflects on the spiritual value of education in this new episode of Parabola’s free monthly podcast.
Waken, Valkyrie!, by Richard Wagner
Waken, Wala!
Wala! Awake!
From thy long sleep,
Slumberer, wake at my call! […]
Where Do We Go From Here?, by Trevor Stewart
Reflections on the 2020 All and Everything International Humanities Conference and beyond
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.
A World of Sound, by Kyle Holton
Listening to the Yao
The Wisdom of the Animals, by Phil Borges
A conversation with wildlife educator Steve Karlin
The Third Striving
The nature of wisdom is necessarily esoteric, because it subsists on a level which both transcends and is internal to, anything we can directly observe. …
Healing the Wounds of War
In contrast to our modern situation, traditional and indigenous peoples had extensive spiritually and communally based warrior medicine, practices and lineages. […]
The Awakened Eye, by Frederick Franck
A recollection of the first moment of being at one.
To Let the Light In, a Conversation with James George
James George is a retired Canadian diplomat who served with distinction as High Commissioner to India, and Ambassador to Nepal and Iran. Chögyam Trungpa called him “a wise and benevolent man, an ideal statesman,” and the Dalai Lama refers to him as an “old friend.” He has known many important spiritual teachers of the twentieth…
All Life is Sacred: A Conversation with John Malloy
A conversation with educator and spiritual leader John Malloy …
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 […]
The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation
“The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation” by Richard Rohr with Mike Morrell. Reviewed by Patty de Llosa
The Art of Budo, by John Stevens
The calligraphy and paintings of the martial arts masters
The Anonymous Ones, by Margaret Dulaney
Come join the circle of we who pray
Saturday in New York with Gitanjali, by Tracy Cochran
Gitanjali Babbar wanted to walk to the Freedom Tower. This cold day in New York City marked the end of her first trip to the United States. …
Who Am I?, by James George
The Tamils of Sri Lanka called him the Sage of Jaffna.
The Temple of Amount, by Eliezer Shore
Searching for symbol in a world of number
Gurdjieff’s Apartment: “Here there are no spectators”, by Roger Lipsey
A universe of meaning in a small Parisian abode
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 […]
A Shared World, by Tracy Cochran
Therefore, Ananda, be islands unto yourselves, refuges unto yourselves….” As he lay dying, the Buddha gave this advice to his beloved cousin and disciple Ananda. I thought of it as I stood in a security line in the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, just after a male security guard gestured for me to…
The Privilege of Living: A Conversation with Viral Mehta, by Pavithra Mehta
In mid-August 2015, Viral Mehta, a co-founder of ServiceSpace.org, was diagnosed with an acute form of bone marrow suppression. In the passages below, his wife, Pavithra. “Pavi” Mehta, offers an update on Viral’s condition and speaks with him about his challenges and recovery.
Parabola Podcast Episode 36: Renewal
Story editor Betsy Cornwell shares essays from Parabola’s extensive archives on the theme of “Renewal” in this episode of Parabola magazine’s free podcast.
The Poet and the Shepherd, by Joshua Boettiger
King David, Leonard Cohen and the Search for Meaning
A Free Gift for You in These Challenging Times
A free PDF of our ALONE & TOGETHER issue from summer 2012 to read in these challenging times.
Inanna and the Land of No Return, by Rachel Nora Greene
A child retells the legend of the Sumerian goddess Inanna and her descent to the Nether World.
Finding the Path, by Tracy Cochran
Among the tasks or “yogi jobs” a participant can volunteer for during silent retreats at the Insight Meditation Society, a Buddhist meditation center in rural Massachusetts, the most resonant in every sense is that of bell ringer.
The Fellowship, by Philip Zaleski and Carol Zaleski
Oxford skyline. Photo by David Iliff During the hectic middle decades of the twentieth century, from the end of the Great Depression through World War II and into the 1950s, a small circle of intellectuals gathered on a weekly basis in and around Oxford University to drink, smoke, quip, cavil, read…
The Real Rasputin? by Richard Smoley
A fresh look at “the mad monk”
A Good Start, by Tracy Cochran
A Dutch Village, ‘Guernica’, and the power of remembering
The Tree of Life, An Interview with Wangari Maathai
An interview with Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai
Refugee Camp Alchemy, by Kenneth Krushel
A Palestinian rapper and the music of hope
Parabola Podcast Episode 44: The Search for Meaning
How do you get people to trust life? You have to trick them. They won’t jump into the water, so you have to throw them in.Alan Watts, “How to Reach Where You Already Are” Story editor Betsy Cornwell shares excerpts from Parabola Magazine’s “The Search for Meaning” issue, which is available as a free PDF…
Looking for Gold: The Alchemy of Cinderella, by Mary A. Osborne
The hidden teachings of a beloved fairy tale
“What Dreams May Come”: Ancient holistic healing at the Asklepion, by Seraphim Winslow
cultivation of the integrity and soundness of body, mind, soul, and spirit in the ancient Mediterranean world
To Feel the Love: A Conversation with Barry Svigals
In the beautiful woods of Newtown, Connecticut, a new elementary school is about to open. Pleasing to the eye and soul, this new school replaces the Sandy Hook Elementary School in which, on December 14, 2012, twenty young children and six adults were shot and killed […]
Part of an Ancient Story: A Conversation with Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee
One August day recently in northern California, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee sat down with Parabola to speak about free will and destiny.
“Find Noor Sher. Noor Sher Knows.”, by James Opie
A remarkable man of old Afghanistan
My Journey to Qigong Master, by Robert Peng
Training the body, training the mind
An Interfaith Crucible
A conversation with Mirabai Starr
To Honor the Sacred, by David Ulrich
A photographer envisions the sacred and the profane on a Hawaiian island
Prospero, Jonah, and “The Greek”: A Winter’s Odyssey, by Cynthia Bourgeault
A stormy voyage into mystery and revelation
The Thanksgiving Prayer, Adapted from the Mohawk
Today we have gathered and we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. […]
Making God Necessary, by Deepak Chopra
Why God is a verb, not a noun
The Brave Little Parrot, Retold by Rafe Martin
Rafe Martin offers a retelling of a traditional Buddhist Jataka tale.
The Only Black Person in the Room, by Lisa Teasley
What that means and how that feels
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.
Not Knowing, Non-Being, and the Power of Nothingness, By Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, with Hilary Hart
Exploring the “hidden face of God”
The Esoteric Shakespeare, by Michael White
“All the world’s a stage.”