The Healthy, Wealthy, and
Wise Holiday Issue
Thanks for your kind praise for the November Gratitude issue. Readers seemed to appreciate the Harbin recap, however disappointing. And though we swapped flames on the cover for a peace symbol this time around, regrettably, the world only shifted further away from peace over the last 30 days. Who is not stupefied by the near-daily reports of mass shootings? I lived in Paris for a good part of my life, and the November 13 news sent me reeling. This was my old neighborhood! I was in tears when I remembered the city’s Latin motto, fluctuat necmergitur, which means “tossed but not sunk.”
In response to senseless terror and the winds of war that seem to be whipped up as a result, we’ve created a pictorial that is aimed to pause our vengeful reflexes. The sayings of thoughtful spiritual leaders remind us of the pitfall of violence, both externally and, most importantly, within. What is the higher path in the face of aggression, anger, and fear?
The issue contains a wonderful assembly of topics, ranging from Isabella Price’s call to revisit the narrative on light and dark, Tina Deason’s contrasting duel in the myths of the Holly King and the Oak King, and Zia Rehman’s Muslim’s Plea. Laura Fanucci brings a terrific essay on the importance of keeping our hearts open, while Kristin Neff outlines the physiology of self-compassion. Thank you, Mary Saunders, for the Wisdom of Winter and to Lisa Grossman, whose What’s Up, Doc? made me LOL.
I am proud of Elaine Silver’s piece about Biophoton Light Therapy. I’ve been experimenting with this therapy for many months, and while I rarely go on a limb to proclaim one therapy over another, I believe there is something extraordinarily futuristic and effective about the technology. It is able to measure and rectify the coherence of the faint light in our cells. It’s made a difference in my life; I hope you enjoy the piece.
Finally, I am delighted to have had the opportunity to interview the master interviewer himself, NPR’s Michael Krasny. Full disclosure: I am a fan of his show, Forum, which is one of the privileges of living in the Bay Area. It says something about our region that Forum, which features two hours of high-level discourse and in-depth news and cultural analysis, is the overall morning ratings leader. This never happens on public radio—only here. Forum is the envy of any commercial radio programmer—all without the drummed-up hoopla and base controversy.
Besides learning about the Who’s Who of interviewees he has met in his career, I relished our conversation about his exploration of God. Krasny is a thoroughly devout and expert agnostic who wrote a book called Spiritual Envy: An Agnostic’s Quest. Needless to say, our conversation could have gone deep into the night with only the agreement to disagree. I hope you like the interview.
As ever, please show your appreciation of this free community magazine by patronizing its advertisers. We look forward to seeing you at the Yoga Journal Live conference at the Hyatt Embarcadero and at other terrific events.
Fluctuat nec mergitur,
ROB SIDON, PUBLISHER AND EDITOR IN CHIEF