Earth as Goddess: A conversation with African healer and guide Baba Mandaza Augustine Kademwa
Baba Mandaza Augustine Kademwa, from Zimbabwe, was born a Svikiro (in Shona, his native tongue), a carrier of many earth and water spirits, and a Mondhoro (Lion), one who is in constant prayer on behalf of others. He is guided…
A Conversation with Alexandra Isles
Patty de Llosa: The theme for this issue of Parabola is “Seeing,” so can you tell me how you come up with an idea and then turn it into a visual action? Alexandra Isles: Works of fine art have a supernatural quality.…
Worshipping Illusions: An Interview with Marion Woodman
Emil Nolde, Dance Around The Golden Calf, 1910 Marion Woodman (1928-2018) has left us a rich legacy of material for those in search of understanding feminine psychology, the soul of the conscious feminine, and the spiritual…
“A Wing And A Prayer,” An Interview with Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori
Katharine Jefferts Schori in 2008 (Wikipedia) On Nov. 4, 2006, at a ceremony in Washington’s National Cathedral, Katharine Jefferts Schori became the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church of America. Never before has a woman ascended…
On Hopelessness and Hope: A Conversation with Deep Psychologist Michael Penn
Photograph by Rajesh Krishnan Richard Whittaker and Preeta Bansal Around the age of twenty-two, a near-death-experience transformed Michael Penn into a seeker. Following this profound encounter with his own mortality, he began an extensive study of…
Moving Toward Hope: A Conversation with Elaine Pagels
Gospel of Thomas and The Secret Book of John. Codex II The Nag Hammadi manuscript. 2011 As a young scholar, Elaine Pagels breathed new life into the dusty subject of…
Grace is Here!, A Conversation with Ram Dass
Ram Dass. Photograph by David Ulrich Recently we had the opportunity to visit and interview Ram Dass in his home amidst the exceptional natural beauty of the…
The Meaning of Tradition: A Conversation with Huston Smith
Remembering Parabola contributor, Huston Smith who left us on December 30, 2016 at the age of 97. Parabola’s first issue, Winter 1976, included the magazine’s first interview. Conducted by then-editor…
Friendship
For several years, journalist Judith Valente and Trappist monk Paul Quenon exchanged letters on essential topics. Here is one exchange. —The Editors Dear Brother Paul, There are many things about…
How to Open Ourselves Out: A Conversation with Abhijata Iyengar
BKS Iyengar and Abhijata Iyengar Exploring yoga with the guru’s granddaughter In January 2018 I went to study yoga at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Institute in…
To Go Beyond Thought, an Interview with Karen Armstrong
One bright spring day, Parabola met with Karen Armstrong in her suite at the Parker Meridian hotel in Manhattan. The petite, friendly 62-year-old British ex-nun, arguably the most influential commentator…
The Gates of Paradise
In the following passage from his new autobiography, Becoming Who You Are, Joseph Rael (Beautiful Painted Arrow) relates to David Kopacz, M.D., some of his extraordinary shamanic experiences.– The Editors…
A Path of Love and Freedom
Born in London in 1953, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee has followed the Naqshbandi Sufi path since he was nineteen. In 1991 he became the successor of Irina Tweedie, author of Daughter of…
Exploring the Frontiers of Science: A Conversation with Leo Piilonen
I’ve interviewed hundreds of scientists and engineers. Typically there are no surprises. The scientists are happy to share what they know, more or less by rote. Every once in a…
A Conversation with Alexandra Isles
Patty de Llosa: The theme for this issue of Parabola is “Seeing,” so can you tell me how you come up with an idea and then turn it into a visual action?…
Meditation and Service: A Conversation with Nipun Mehta
Nipun Mehta. Photograph by Richard Whittaker Photographs by Richard Whittaker Nipun Mehta was born in Ahmedabad, India, in 1975. When he was twelve, his family moved…
Pure Gold
The Bhagavad Gita—the “Song of Spirit”—has been a living scripture and moral doctrine, a veritable “golden rule” of Indian civilization for thousands of years. Its seven-hundred verses are a sacred…