The Night of the Hessian Soldier
I stood on the street below my apartment on East 6th Street in Manhattan, waiting for an unmarked van to pick me up and drive me to an unknown location. I did know the person who contacted me, but in…
East Hill Farm
Once upon a time… many years ago, when a now very old man was but a youth, he felt something was mysteriously missing in his life, but he didn’t know what it was or where to find it. He wasn’t…
Arrernte Land
A jumble of buildings squatted some distance away, dark, and low. Not a sight I, at my age of eight, imagined part of Dad’s homeland. Funny how things stick in your mind, still sharp now, from so many decades ago.…
To Hold One’s Own
There is a stone from a shore at home that I carry with me wherever I travel. It has a hole through it, which makes it lucky, and it was given to me by my mother, which makes it precious.…
Prophets without Robes or Staffs
Greta Thunberg was somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean on a rough day—high winds, high waves. She was traveling from Europe to North America by the only means she could accept, a carbon-neutral sailing vessel. She was famous, her mission had…
Yin-Yang and Awakening Awareness
All of us experience events and environments that cause us stress and may disrupt our Qi in various organs. We are exposed to pollutants, noise, and crowded spaces. We may…
Maidens & Monsters, Betsy Cornwell
The Deeper Meaning of Fairy Tales “Little Red Riding Hood”, Jessie Willcox Smith, 1911 Don’t stray from the path. Don’t disobey. Don’t eat the apple, the…
Love and Money, by Richard Smoley
MADONNA AND CHILD WITH SAINTS,” TWELFTH CENTURY, FRESCO, CASTELLO, APPIANO, ITALY Although love has existed as long as the human race itself, it was Jesus Christ…
The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, by Cynthia Bourgeault
Mary Magdalene, Pietro Perugino, ca. 1500 Was Mary Magdalene, witness to the life and death of Jesus, “first among the apostles” of the Christ? It is…
The Miracle of Consciousness, by Christian Wertenbaker
Photograph by Vidar Nordli-Mathison The science and spirit of awareness Consciousness can be regarded as a miracle from many different points of view. Introspection alone suggests…
The Golden Ticket, by Tracy Cochran
Photograph by Peter Hershey One day a Buddhist monk stopped me on the street in Manhattan, offering me peace for the rest of my life. I…
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. They lived immersed in and part of nature and…
The Flight from Disunity: Thomas Merton on Suffering, by Vanessa Hurst
Light Beyond Pain, Abbey of Gethesmani, Kentucky Photographs: Br. Paul Quenon “Some men believe in the power and value of suffering,” writes Thomas Merton. “But their…
Waking Up Aurora, by Rhiannon Thomas
Sleeping. Louis Sussman-Hellborn (1828–1908) I’ve had quite a tumultuous relationship with fairy tales. The Little Mermaid was always my favorite as a child. Not just the Disney…
These Are the Words of the Secret: The Gospel of Thomas Revealed
These are the words of the Secret. They were revealed by the Living Yeshua. Didymus Judas Thomas wrote them down. 1. Yeshua said: Whoever lives the interpretation of these words…
Who Am I?, by James George
Siva Yogaswami [Siva Yogaswami of Jaffna (1872–1964) was a Sri Lankan spiritual master revered by men and women of many faiths. The Editors] The Tamils of…
My Journey to Qigong Master, by Robert Peng
The Horse Stance. Suzhou, China The Legendary Monk Xiao Yao Sometime around the year 1889, a baby boy was born to a poor family in a…
Baking with Metta
I ‘ve been retreating off and on for three decades. Every retreat has a schedule that retreatants are encouraged to follow, although no one takes attendance and keeps track of…
The Monkey and the River, by Mark Nepo
A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains. (detail). Wang Ximeng, 1113 When people are at a loss, the guide ferries them over. When one is (awake), one ferries oneself. —Hui-Neng …